Monthly Archives: October 2013

How To Destroy Your Enemy!

Christian Life, , ,

HOW TO DESTROY YOUR ENEMY!

“‘To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love you enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person. If someone slaps you in the face, stand there and take it. If someone grabs your shirt, gift-wrap your best coat and make a present of it. If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.'” Luke 6:27-30 (The Message).

“What are you saying, Jesus? You can’t be serious!”

Oh, but He was. If you want to know what power is, this is real power. There is no true power in retaliation. It only takes a bit of physical or emotional energy to hit back when someone hurts or offends you. But what kind of power does it take to absorb the blows and respond with kindness and generosity? It takes power over one’s own self not to give back blow for blow.

But it takes far more than sheer will-power to stop oneself from hitting back. That is a perfectly natural reaction coming from a human point of view, but Jesus was talking about an attitude that is far more than what comes out of our fallen human nature. He was talking about a changed disposition that comes from a completely different perspective.

What will it take to change us from reacting to responding? Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3 that, to “see” and enter the kingdom of God will take the equivalent of going back to the beginning of our life and starting over again with a new nature. That is impossible in the natural, as Nicodemus discovered, but God can do it through His power at work in our spirits.

Paul speaks of this supernatural event as “being raised from the dead” — a spiritual resurrection that is like waking up to a new realm where we understand everything from God’s point of view.

God is not a tit-for-tat God. He treats us according to who He is, not according to the way we speak or behave. That’s the way His rule operates. Human parents would understand this. If your son misbehaves, he is still you son, no matter what. A good parent will address the behaviour, not bully or disown the child because he has behaved badly.

When we were born from above, God gave us the potential and the power to respond to situations out of who we are in Christ, not out of who we were in Adam. And He gives us opportunities to show the ones who offend us what He is like by absorbing the wrongdoing and not adding to it by retaliating.

But it’s even more than that. Jesus said that it’s not about non-retaliation. It’s about actively responding with generosity. That’s how God treats us. The best way to “destroy” your enemy is not to beat him up or kill him but to make him your friend. He will cease to exist as an enemy and come alongside you instead of standing against you.

What kind of perspective can change our attitude towards the ones we perceive as enemies? There are two things that have helped me see things from God’s point of view. Firstly, God wants us to treat everyone with dignity because we have all been created in His image. To dish out cruelty to another human being is to treat God with the same attitude. Who would want to do that?

Secondly, people’s words and behaviour reveal who they are, not who I am. I don’t have to mirror who they are by retaliating. I want to mirror who God is by offering kindness and generosity for unkindness and meanness. Absorbing the blows will stop them right there and offer your enemy the opportunity to change his mind as well.

Have you tried it? You can, with God’s grace.

Popularity or Truth?

Bible Study, , , ,

POPULARITY OR TRUTH?

“‘But it’s trouble ahead if you think you have made it. What you have is all you’ll ever get.

And it’s trouble ahead if you’re satisfied with yourself. You self will not satisfy you for long. And it’s trouble ahead if you think it’s all fun and games. There’s suffering to be met and you’re going to meet it.

There’s trouble ahead when you only live for the approval of others, saying what flatters them, doing what indulges them. Popularity contests are not truth contests — look how many scoundrel preachers were approved by your ancestors! Your task is to be true, not popular.”‘ Luke 6:24-26 (The Message).

One thing’s for sure, Jesus. You were practising what you preached!

At that point in His ministry, He was the most popular figure in Israel in all her history. There were no others who had dispensed healing and deliverance as freely as He did; sporadic miracles, yes, but not mass healings wherever He went. Wasn’t He out to win this popularity contest? After all, wasn’t He the Messiah and didn’t He want people to follow Him? Wasn’t He offering them a brand new life and free, for all, at that?

No, He was not in the running for the popularity prize. Far from it! At this point His fame was at an all-time high but not for long. The more He taught the truth, the more unpalatable it would become and the crowd would melt away, especially when He spoke about loving their enemies! What! Love the Romans? No way! And sharing their goods with the poor? And on and on.

And what about eating His flesh and drinking His blood? That was it! Jesus, you must really be crazy! When the truth veered away from what they really wanted more than anything else, these pesky Romans off their backs, forever, they were thoroughly disillusioned. Judas too! They had so hoped that He was really their Messiah but when He refused to come to the party, they wavered, even His disciples.

So what was He about? What was His message that they found so unpalatable and difficult to grasp? There were a few basic truths they needed to get hold of, and Jesus plugged away at them in the hopes that they would get it so that they could embrace the true kingdom of which He was so earnestly speaking.

Rome was not their problem; they were. The real enemy was residing deep inside their own hearts; that disposition that was evidence of an alien master, self, that had replaced the Spirit of God way back at the beginning. When Adam chose to change allegiance, he unleashed a trail of hardship and suffering that they were experiencing, but, in God’s kingdom, it would all be removed when He restores all things.

But there was something even more sinister embedded in the attitude that ruled them — an “I’m better than you” disposition that made them look down on other people and think that they had arrived, when, in actual fact, they were as miserably bankrupt as everyone else. He warned that if they thought that having it all, or living a cushy life made them better than others, they were in for a shock. They were all in it together and hard times would come for them as for everyone else.

They were not to live it up, thinking they were immune. The real problem was that they believed that hard times were for “sinners”, and that wealth and “stuff” was a sign of God’s blessing. Not in God’s kingdom!

Worst of all, (and He was probably directing His words to the really religious ones) it was dangerous to give in to “approval addiction”. Jesus warned that if they lived to win people’s approval, that was all they would get. People’s approval is gained through performance, not through obedience to the truth, and people love it when we behave just like they do!

Jesus was offering them something far better — a life of freedom from selfish self-destruction to live in generous love and service to others like He did.

What is your standard, popularity or truth?

Are You Crazy?

Bible Study, , , ,

ARE YOU CRAZY?

 Then He spoke: ‘You’re blessed when you’ve lost it all. God’s kingdom is there for the finding.

“You’re blessed when you’re ravenously hungry. Then you’re ready for the Messianic meal.

“You’re blessed when the tears flow freely, Joy comes with the morning.

“Count yourself blessed every time someone cuts you down or throws you out, every time someone smears or blackens your name to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and that that person is uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens — skip like a lamb, if you like — for even though they don’t like it, I do…and all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company; my preachers and witnesses have always been treated like that.'” Luke 6:20-23 (The Message).

What is He talking about? He almost sounds like some sort of killjoy; only happy when everything goes wrong; glad to be miserable!

This would sound crazy if it came from anyone’s lips but Jesus’. What is He getting at? You cannot go very far into the gospels before you realise that Jesus lived in the environment of God’s kingdom. Don’t get me wrong — He was a very down-to-earth person, in touch with reality, especially the need of the people around Him, aware of their suffering and full of compassion for them.

But He also knew that there was no permanent solution for them in the present world system. He could heal them now but they would be sick again. He could raise the dead but they were destined to die again. As long as the world system they were in prevailed, there would always be sorrow, sickness and suffering, because it is an imperfect fallen world and will remain that way unless God intervened.

The good news is that the present world system, with all its sin and imperfection, is temporary. He had come from the Father to get rid of the obstacle to restoration and reconciliation, the huge debt of man’s sin. God had set the course for restoring everything that was broken, distorted and out of joint and it culminated in Him. What God started in Genesis 1 and 2, He would complete according to Revelation 21 and 22.

Through Jesus, God provided the forgiveness that restored the broken relationship between Him and His estranged sons and daughters, but there was also the matter of choice. Would they want to come back to the Father’s house? How did the lost son in the far country come to his senses? He looked at his circumstances, starving and looking after pigs, and realised that he had been much better off at home.

Jesus said that it is very difficult for rich people to enter the kingdom of God. Why? Is it because they have money? No. It’s because they use their money to satisfy their own need. Money is a good servant but a bad master. Wealth is good if it is used to serve others but bad if it feeds greed and selfishness.

Therefore, according to Jesus, loss and hunger and persecution are not blessings in themselves but they are if they create an awareness that life is much more than what we eat, what we drink and what we wear. Life is transient, like mist that is here in the morning but gone by midday. It is foolishness to place our faith in and live for what is passing away.

God allows these kinds of circumstances into our lives to draw our attention to a kingdom that is permanent and eternal; a way of life that echoes the eternal character and values of the Father. Greed and selfishness belong to this transient, imperfect world and will eventually go out with the trash. We might be ridiculed and side-lined if we side with Jesus now. His way may seem puny to those who believe in control and force and power, but in the end, He won then and He will win again.

If you open up to Him, He will change your heart and set you on a course of generosity and unselfish service that will bring you joy and the realisation of who you really are, a son or daughter of God, created in His image to be like Him.

Ravenously Hungry!

Bible Study, , ,

RAVENOUSLY HUNGRY!

“Coming down off the mountain with them, He stood on a plain surrounded by disciples and was soon joined by a huge congregation from all over Judea and Jerusalem, even from the seaside towns of Tyre and Sidon. They had come both to hear Him and to be cured of their ailments. Those disturbed by evil spirits were healed. Everyone was trying to touch Him — so much energy surging from Him, so many people healed!” Luke 6:17-19 (The Message).

Imagine the scene: Jesus had been up the mountain all night — praying, seeking His Father’s wisdom and guidance for the choice of disciples who would best follow Him and become like Him so that they could learn and bind His yoke on people wherever they went and do what He was doing and even more. And who did He choose? Simon Peter, James, John…and Judas Iscariot!

Now He comes down, having decided exactly who would form His band of followers, and He is met by a crowd of would-be disciples and people from the length and breadth of Judea and even farther afield -Tyre and Sidon, Gentiles from Phoenicia — Jezebel’s territory! What were they doing there? Sicknesses, diseases, demons…they were as much in need of Jesus as were His own people. They came for help and they knew where they could get it.

Jesus was electric with power. Why? Was there something about that crowd that charged Him with energy to heal and deliver? We learned earlier that the people of His own hometown of Nazareth rejected Him — even tried to kill Him. When He returned some time later, He was powerless to do miracles there because of their unbelief.

So vibrant was the atmosphere in this gathering that Luke commented on it. Power flowed from Him like electricity from a generator and just a touch brought healing and relief to their troubled minds and bodies. What was the difference between these people and the people of Nazareth? They were not concerned about His pedigree or lack of it. His presence brought help and they grabbed it with both hands.

To the villagers of Nazareth He was just a local kid, Joseph and Mary’s son, no big deal. He had grown up in front of them and they thought they knew who He was. Were they aware that He was conceived by the Holy Spirit? They thought He was Mary’s illegitimate son, a bastard who had no right to be running around teaching about God as though He were somebody special.

But to the people who were thronging Him and clamouring for His help, He was a rabbi, a prophet with unusual power and an unusual connection with God. They were not concerned about His pedigree, or who His parents were or what His father did. They were full of faith and expectation that He could and would heal them and their hopes were not disappointed.

“Then He spoke: ‘You are blessed when you’re ravenously hungry. Then you’re ready for the Messianic meal'” Luke 6:20 (The Message).

Healing and deliverance were never the be-all and end-all of Jesus’ ministry. As much as they were acts of mercy and compassion to relieve people’s suffering, they were also a foretaste of what God’s kingdom was about — the restoration of all things. It was as important to minister to their hearts as to their bodies. He wanted them to understand that God had a destiny for them much bigger than comfortable lives in the here-and-now.

If we understand this from a Hebraic mind, Jesus was not talking about food; He was talking about having an appetite for God and His truth. God’s promise has always been that He will respond to those who sincerely seek after Him. “He is the rewarder of those who earnestly seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6. Really living was much more than not being sick or crippled or demon-possessed. It was about being God’s sons and daughters in a family that loves and takes care of one another.

You can be a part of it too! It depends on how hungry you are.

Did Jesus Make A Mistake?

Bible Study, , ,

DID JESUS MAKE A MISTAKE?

“At about that same time He climbed a mountain to pray. He was there all night in prayer before God. The next day He summoned His disciples; from them He selected twelve He designated as apostles:

Simon whom He named Peter; Andrew, his brother; James; John ; Philip; Bartholomew; Matthew; Thomas; James, son of Alpheus; Simon called the Zealot; Judas, son of James; Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him.” Luke 6:12-16 (The Message).

Really Jesus! After praying all night, was that the best you could do?

Not a very impressive lot, I must say. From the little we know about most of them, there was not much to commend them. Simon Peter? A big-mouthed coward; Andrew? Hardly ever opened his mouth; James and John? Violent and volcanic; Philip? Bartholomew (probably the Nathaniel of John’s gospel)? Very little said about them; Matthew, a greedy, conniving tax-collector — a sell-out to Rome; Thomas? Didn’t believe in Jesus’ resurrection; James, son of Alpheus (who was Alpheus?)? Simon, called the Zealot –probably a political activist? Judas, son of James (which James?)? Know nothing about them!

And of course, bringing up the rear, Judas Iscariot! Everyone knows who he was. Why him? Did it take Jesus all night to decide to choose him?

From our point of view they all look like a bunch of losers. But Jesus saw something different in each one of them. Each one had potential — characteristics and qualities which the Holy Spirit would refine and use in future days to continue the work Jesus began and take His message to the ends of the earth with faith and courage.

Even Judas Iscariot? Even Judas Iscariot! This is where the mystery of God’s sovereignty and man’s free will meet on earth in a way that we humans will never figure out. Did Jesus give Judas the same opportunity as the others to fulfil his potential? What potential? Like every other human being, Judas had the potential for great good or great evil. It all depended on his choices.

He was exposed to the same Presence as the other disciples; he heard the same teaching; he watched Jesus do the same miracles; he preached and did miracles and cast out demons just like the others did. Nowhere in the three years he spent with Jesus was he excluded from their activities…until Jesus’ last days when Judas turned traitor.

What tipped him over the edge? We know that he loved money. John called him a thief because he pilfered the common money he was supposed to be in charge of. Why did Jesus entrust their resources to him, of all people? Was He such a bad judge of character?

Was Judas ambitious – like Brutus of “Julius Caesar” fame? Did he aspire to a high position in Jesus’ kingdom? When Jesus was slow in making His intentions know, did Judas try to force His hand? Was he ticked off with Jesus for exposing his greed when He rebuked him for his mean-spirited attitude to Mary for squandering her costly ointment on Him? Perhaps it was a combination of these things and more.

I think there were at least two reasons why Jesus chose these men. Firstly, they were some of the rejects from the Beth Talmud, “rabbi school”, and He was giving them the opportunity to become all that God created them to be…even Judas. Jesus’ choice was not ignorance or stupidity but grace! Without Him they would never amount to anything but because of Him, they would become part of the foundation of His church (Ephesians 2:20).

Secondly, He knew that the Holy Spirit would transform them into a group of powerful witnesses for Him, if they chose to follow Him. Even Judas, but Judas lost the plot. And even there Jesus knew what He was doing. It was all in God’s sovereign plan.

You can trust Him. Follow Him — He has a good plan for you!