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THE GOSPEL OF MARK – THE SHOW-AND-TELL METHOD

Bible Study, ,

THE SHOW-AND-TELL METHOD

7 Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.

8 These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. 9 Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. 10 Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. 11 And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”

12 They went out and preached that people should repent. 13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them. Mark 6:7-13

This is such a challenging passage of Scripture. How is it that the church has moved so far from Jesus’ original mandate? He may no longer be with us in the flesh but the same Spirit that energised Him is in His church. The same simple plan works today as it did then.

I suppose that the greater the number of people who become participators in the life of the kingdom, the greater the variety of opinions, interpretations and understanding of the words of Jesus and the greater the possibility of corrupting the simplicity of His message and method.

On the other side of the coin, I marvel at the confidence Jesus had in these twelve men. He had not spent very long with them, perhaps a year or so, but He sent them out with instructions to focus on the most important part of their task, to introduce people to the kingdom of God by the show-and-tell method. They were to show people God’s love and power by healing, casting out demons and undoing the work of the devil, and to tell them about the kingdom of God where perfection reigned. He trusted them to do it with the same clarity and simplicity that He worked in.

How do I measure up? Like them, most of my learning is unlearning and relearning the truth through the renewal of my mind.

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE – IT’S NOT YOUR FIGHT

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IT’S NOT YOUR FIGHT

“Then Jesus said, ‘When I sent you out and without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?’

“‘Nothing,’ they answered,

“He said to them, ‘But now, if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag, and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. It is written: “And He was numbered with the transgressors,” and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfilment.’

“The disciples said, ‘See, Lord, here are two swords.’

“‘That is enough,’ He replied.” Luke 22:35-38.

Why did Jesus seem to be contradicting Himself? Why no equipment then but fully equipped now?

Firstly, He questioned them regarding their preaching trip when He instructed them to rely on the partnership of the people to whom they would be ministering to take care of their physical needs. This is how God’s kingdom works. It is a principle in His kingdom that those who preach the gospel should live off the gospel.

There is no such thing as using the world’s system of buying and selling, i.e., fund raising, to raise money for the work of the kingdom. The kingdom of God derives its resources from giving and receiving which God initiates and multiplies supernaturally to meet all the needs.

Secondly, He made it clear that this situation demanded the world’s resources because they would be in a conflict with the dominion of darkness. There would be no partnership with other people here; it would be every man for himself and they would be required to take care of their own needs in the crisis.

Strange that Jesus even instructed them to sell an important part of their clothing if necessary – their all-purpose outer garment – to buy a sword. It was not intended for battle but for self-defense. Peter used his sword to defend Jesus, not himself, and that was not His intention.

Jesus also explains His reason for His apparent contradiction. He would be falling into the hands of “transgressors”, not people who were sympathetic to Him. He did not want His disciples caught up in the situation at the expense of their lives at this stage. They were not to be the victims of the injustice meted out to Him. Better that they were armed to defend themselves than to become the victims of some over-enthusiastic supporter of the religious crowd which was baying for His blood.

There would come a time in the disciples’ lives when the use of the sword would be inappropriate. James would be beheaded; Peter would be imprisoned and awaiting the same fate because of their obedience to Jesus. They would submit to the hatred of the world system then, just as Jesus was doing now, without resistance because they were citizens of an everlasting kingdom.

It is important that we, as followers of Jesus, keep in mind that we are living in two kingdoms simultaneously. We are, of necessity, citizens of this world and subject to the systems of this world but we are also citizens of the kingdom of God and subject to the way God governs in His kingdom. We are to be in submission to Him and to apply the ways of His kingdom to the way we live in this world. We are “in the world but not of it.”

At this point, it was Jesus’ fight. He had to stand alone in this conflict. He had to take on the entire kingdom of darkness and come out of it the winner so that, when His disciples entered the battle, all they would have to do would be to stand in the victory He won for them.  It was not their fight.

“Therefore put on the full armour of God so that, when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground and, after you have done everything, to stand.” Ephesians 6:13 (NIV).

Jesus Did Not Say That The Wheat And Chaff Were The Godly And Ungodly

Apologetics, , ,

JESUS DID NOT SAY THAT THE WHEAT AND CHAFF WERE THE GODLY AND UNGODLY

In actual fact, it was John the Baptist who said of Jesus:

I baptise you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor, gathering His wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire. (Matt. 3: 11-12)

Why is it that we are so quick to interpret these words as referring to the end times and as the separation of the ungodly from the godly so that the ungodly can be sent to hell?

John used a familiar agricultural picture to explain the work of the Messiah whom he came to introduce to his people. John recognised his calling to be that of the one prophesied by Isaiah.

This is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’” (Matt.3: 3)

It was John’s role to create a picture of the Messiah so that the people would recognise Him when He came. Once again, we must understand his words from a Hebraic perspective. John referred to “fire” twice in this description. Was he meaning a literal fire or did he imply something else? Hebrew people would ask the question, “What does fire do?” Fire can either purify as with metal, for example, or it can destroy.

Was it Jesus’ intention to destroy people? No, a thousand times!

‘. . . For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.’ (Luke 9: 56 – New American Standard Bible)

What, then, is the significance of John’s use of the imagery of wheat and chaff? Chaff is the hard protective husk that covers the grains of wheat. It is inedible. The process of winnowing was to separate the chaff from the wheat by beating it off the wheat grains and then tossing the wheat into the air so that the wind would blow the lighter chaff away while the wheat fell into a pile to be gathered up for later use. The chaff would be burned because it had no further use for the farmer.

Just as the chaff was separated from the wheat and burned, so the Holy Spirit would separate what was useless in the lives of Jesus’ followers (i.e., sin), from what was of value. The “fire” of the Holy Spirit would purge out that which was worthless, purifying their hearts and setting them apart for God.

That brings me to a second thought regarding the work of Jesus. Unfortunately, there has been bred in the minds of many believers an escapist mentality. What Jesus came to do on earth has been narrowed down to one thing – that He came to save us from hell and take us to heaven. Believers are taught to “hang on” until Jesus comes, a sort of “white-knuckle” club. If we can just “endure to the end”, we shall be saved.

How does that match with Jesus’ statement that He came to give us abundant life? Does that only refer to life in the hereafter? Is that what salvation is all about? Are we just to endure this life so that we can enjoy heaven forever? Did Jesus just endure His few years on earth so that He could go back to heaven to be with the Father?

If we read the gospels correctly, we see a man who loved life. In spite of what He had to endure from His opponents, He was described as a man of joy, more joyful than any other person who had ever lived (Heb. 1: 9). He came to reveal the Father and to live a human life that made “up there” come “down here”. He wanted His disciples to understand how to bring heaven to earth by living like He did, in fellowship with the Father, doing His will and serving those who needed Him.

No, Jesus did not come to separate the ungodly from the godly, but to invite all people into a life of great happiness by following Him and becoming like Him. It was His passion to set people free from the sinful ways that destroyed them so that they could enjoy life to the full. He promised them His love. His joy and His peace to replace the fear, guilt and shame that burdened their consciences and kept them from coming to the Father. He paid the debt of sin so that people could be forgiven and reconciled to God.

Jesus’ focus was always on this life. Yes, those who followed Him would be with Him forever, but it was His desire that His people would represent Him on earth so that those who did not know God would recognise Him in them and leave their ungodly ways to follow Him.

We must broaden our understanding of salvation to mean much more than going to heaven when we die. Salvation, to the Hebrew mind, is another word for wholeness. The Holy Spirit, whom Jesus sent from the Father to replace Him when He left, has an all-consuming task on earth, to restore people to wholeness. How does He do it? By leading us into all truth (John 16: 13); by revealing Jesus to us (John 16: 14-15) so that we can be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12: 2).

Whole people are those who unselfishly and willingly give themselves to the service of others as their Master showed them. They express the righteousness of Jesus by their generosity with their resources and with who they are. They recognise that this life is an apprenticeship for the next. They follow Jesus because He promised to take them to the Father.

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Have you read my new book, Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing)? You’ll love it!

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or kindle version or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

Watch this space. My second book, Learning to be a Disciple – The Way of the Master (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing), companion volume to Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart, will soon be on the bookshelves.

Check out my Blog site – www.learningtobeason.wordpress.com

 

 

 

God Breaks The Silence

Bible Study, , , ,

GOD BREAKS THE SILENCE

And this was his message: ‘After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptise you with water, but He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.” (Mark 1: 7-8).

Was this the message that captivated the crowds so that they came from far and near to hear this wild prophet? God had been silent for 400 years. Oh yes, there were many who acted in His name. Through the turmoil of those four centuries, when Israel was caught between rival empires and tossed back and forth like a volley ball in a beach match, God was not inactive. Silent, but at work, orchestrating circumstances and events to prepare the way for the arrival of His Messiah, God moved each nation into position.

Suddenly, out of the blue, God speaks again through the mouth of a man who seemed to materialise out of nowhere. Not many would have remembered his miraculous birth thirty years before, to an elderly couple from a priestly clan who were long past childbearing years. How would they, when he did not even have his father’s name?

Not only was his appearance out of nowhere and his wild look and wild ways riveting, but also his message was nothing like the message of any other prophet before him. Messiah was no longer a vague and mysterious figure of the future but He was here, about to make His appearance among them, and he, John, was His forerunner. Where was He and why was his Herald not appropriately dressed and riding ahead of Him on a fine steed and blowing a trumpet to announce His presence?

Everything was so different from what they expected. This “Messiah” was no ordinary monarch, arriving on the scene with pomp and ceremony to take over the kingdom and drive out the occupying Romans. His birth, too, thirty years previously, was hardly remembered. A few shepherds on a hillside outside Bethlehem, were summoned to greet Him. Some might have remembered the horrifying slaughter of infant boys because the despotic and neurotic Herod ordered it. Most of those who remembered did not even know why.

John made it clear that he knew his place with this man. He was no more than a voice to announce His arrival and a servant who did as he was told. He took no credit for his task. He was appointed to do it and he did it with passion, shouting to all who would listen that it was time for them to stop living as they pleased and return to the way of the Lord.

His message was short and to the point. “I am not the one. He is coming after me. I immerse you in water as a symbol of cleansing and setting you apart for a new life. He will immerse you in the Holy Spirit.” What was that all about? They thought Messiah was coming to set up God’s kingdom in Israel once again – free from Roman oppression, to enjoy the bounty of God’s provision and protection from all their enemies.

What was this about the Holy Spirit? Who or what was this Holy Spirit? What did He or it have to do with Messiah and what they expected Him to do? Mark’s version of John’s message is a summary which is expanded by Matthew and Luke.

I baptise you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor, gathering His wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire (Matt. 3: 11-12).

What was he getting at? Was he talking about separating believers from unbelievers and sending the unbelievers to hell? Hardly! Since the chaff is part of the wheat grains but inedible, the process of winnowing was to separate the chaff from the wheat so that the edible part could be gathered up and the worthless part burned. Is this not speaking about removing from people’s lives that which was useless so that their lives would be purified and become worthwhile and profitable as God’s people?

Messiah did not come to get rid of the Romans. He came to deal with sin, once and for all, and to return the Holy Spirit to the lives of His people so that He would continue the work of cleansing His people by separating out the “chaff” in their lives and consigning it to the “fire”.  John’s work was to make the people aware of the identity of Messiah, and to pave the way for His atoning work on the cross.

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Have you read my new book, Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart (copyright 2015, Partridge Publishing)? You’ll love it!

Available on www.amazon.com or www.kalahari.com in paperback, e-book or kindle format, or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

Check out my blogsite at www.learningtobeason.wordpress.com

Glimpses Of The Great God – Day One

Devotion, , ,

BEYOND OURSELVES

….into a new way of living

 GLIMPSES OF THE GREAT GOD

DAY ONE

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law,

the priest of Midian,

and he led his flock to the far side of the desert

and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.

There the angel of God appeared to him

in flames of fire from within a bush.

Moses saw that, though the bush was on fire, it did not burn up.  So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight – why the bush does not burn up.”

When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look,

God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”

And Moses said, “Here I am.”

“Do not come any closer,” God said.

“Take off your sandals,

for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”

Then He said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob…”

At this, Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God.

Exodus 3:1-6

What do you think Moses felt when he was confronted with this strange sight and when he heard the voice of God speaking to him?  Read this Scripture passage through aloud two or three times and allow yourself to feel what Moses felt.  Put yourself in Moses’ place and listen to the voice of God speaking to you.  What is He saying to you?  Allow yourself to soak in the awesomeness of this moment.  You are actually, now, in the presence of the living God.  He loves you and wants to speak to you.  Give yourself time to listen and keep a record of what you think He is saying to you.   As you work through all the Scriptures you will be reading this month, God will be revealing Himself to you again and again.