Psalm 128: Could It Be That Much Better?

Reading the story of the return by the Israeli captives in Psalm 126 provides insight into the emotional undercurrent of God's story for those of us who suffer and struggle and persevere:

When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. - Psalm 126:1-2

There is a sense of unreality when there is a reprieve from the oppresiveness of the day-to-day. Laughter bubbles up from deep within; dancing erupts; singing comes unbidden from the deep wells of our soul.

Some of this relief comes from knowing that our trust in God was well-placed. Choices we made are reconsidered at length, every day a reminder of where we went off the path. All supports have been removed. We are forced to either trust God or else capitulate to helplessness and despair.  And this decision happens in the spotlight:

Then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.” The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. - Psalm 126:2b-3

The final consolation for those returning from a period of sorrow was it was worth it all.

Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them. - Psalm 126:5-6

Each farmer must take out the paltry offering of seed and place it within the ground and trust that there will be a harvest. For those who follow Jesus, each tear is a seed sown against the promise of a future harvest of joy. There is hope based on the promise of God. Do I trust?

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  - 2 Corinthians 4:17

Grow: Striving For Maturity

In the previous few posts, I've been talking about the process of being rooted in the faith. The rooting process starts when a person encounters the word of God and ends when the person's is depending on God. The parable of the sower shows that this process may begin several times before the word of God finally does take root. But when it does, watch out!

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. - Ephesians 3:16-19 

After being rooted, a new plant itself has all the tools it needs to draw nourishment from the sun and soil, in order to grow. Leaves develop and multiply. Roots spread and seek. Stems become sturdy and branch. Some quickly, others at a more measured pace, but all stretching up to the sun and down to the soil.

Likewise, as believers, when we begin to draw upon the resources of God, we begin to recognize the vastness of God, his love, and its power to change us at a fundamental level. This power ignites growth, as the ramifications of new life in Christ begin to work their way out.

Growth has a goal. For a plant, the goal is maturity: the condition where that plant will produce fruit; each fruit with seeds; and each seed representing new life. It's sun-given energy is not for hanging around the garden, but for producing the next generation. For a believer, the goal is the 'fullness of God' or, as it says in other places in the Bible, the 'image of the Messiah'. The fullness leads to fruitfulness (Gal. 5:22-23), with the fruit acting as seed bearers, and each seed the word of God for new life.

My spiritual life is sometimes like the life of a confused plant: lots of resources, but no direction; no goal.  Just hanging around, just existing. Need a little reorientation; a little refocusing on the real goal: changing lives.

He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. - John 15:2

Root: Sprout Mortality (Mark 4)

The farmer sows the word. Some people are like... - Mark 4:14

Jesus told a story of a farmer who went out to sow seeds. Each of the seeds were identical-a nutrient-packed bundle of vitality-but the results were quite different. Four seeds-three deaths. One seed never even makes it off the starting block--the birds come and carry it away. Two more seeds start well, breaking dormancy quickly and sending a sprouts sky-ward and roots earth-ward. But the tough conditions prevent the sprout from ever reaching viability--the initial supply of sustenance from the seed gone, they wither and die. Only the fourth seed germinates, matures and thrives.

Jesus parallels this with the response of people to God's message. God reveals himself ("sows"). The seed is his message ("the word"). Each person treats the message differently.

And, in most case, the seed dies. Sprout mortality is high.  The human heart is not a supportive environment. Each seed is full of the life-giving spiritual DNA of the savior, who lavishes it on the unwelcoming soil.

So what are the causes of sprout mortality?

1. If the seed lands upon the path, where the hard soil and exposed conditions insure a quick death, it never sprouts. Jesus said: "As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them"  (vs. 15) The heart never hears; the word is not welcomed; it is discounted and ridiculed and unconsidered and forgotten.
2. If the seed lands in the rocky places, there is a thin veneer of soil. The seed sprouts as the word of God takes root. During this period, it is dependent on the nutrients that are in the seed itself. The sprout is tender and unable to bear up under environmental stress, especially lack of water. The roots must deepen. But, if the soil is rocky, they cannot and the heat of the sun kills the sprout. This is the period of testing. The testing shows whether the plant is viable-truly a new life. In the journey of faith, rooting is a change from self-dependence to God-dependence, so that in the scorching, we draw upon the sustenance of God.
3. If the seed lands in the fertile but uncultivated places, there is rich soil and plenty of weeds to share it with. This is the period of priorities. The uncultivated heart does not clear enough space--enough priority--for the word of God to flourish. Many weeds are good plant in the wrong place. Others are just nasty, spiny bullies. Without clearing them,  they will suck up nutrients, moisture and sunlight  You must clear the real estate of your heart for the word of God to flourish. Other priorities will suck up your time, attention and ambitions.

Sprout mortality is far too common. People start the journey of faith each time God confronts them with a word about himself. But it is aborted when the word is discounted, scorched or crowded out of their life. So their journey must start again.

But if the people can make it past this phase--if they are rooted and established--then they can draw upon the vastness of the love of God and grow. Paul talks about it this way:

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ - Ephesians 3:17b-18

In the fertile and cultivated places, there are nutrients, there is moisture and there is sunlight. The result is growth. The result is fruit (Gal. 5:22-23). The result is a new harvest of seed:

Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown. - Mark 4:20

Root. Grow. Fruit. Seed. It all starts with drawing upon the grace of God.

Root: Established In God's Family

Oak Seedling

^"Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root." - Mark 4:5-6

Each seed that germinates has a certain measure of growth potential built into the seed and the fruit that contains the seed. There is enough nutrition there for a sprout to seek the sun and for the roots to seek the soil. By the time those initial resources have run out, the new sprout must be viable on its own, or else it will wither and die.

Jesus applied the same principle to the word of God-the "seed" planted by God: 

"But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away." - Mark 4:17

Each seed has within it the full potential for germination and life. Many seeds never reach that potential because, in horticulture as in life, the environment is harsh towards young sprouts. Likewise many people have heard the word of God, felt the power of God, and started to sprout spiritually, based on the life-giving resources of the seed itself, yet they never root and never become viable.

I call this the real world test and have seen it repeatedly in the lives of those introduced to God, who then respond enthusiastically to the Word, often with supernatural encouragement. Then comes the first test. It might be the return of a habit, or a relationship, or a circumstance. But it is the world attempting to assert its dominance again in a person's life. The test always involves a choice: to trust the Word or to return to the previous pattern. Trusting God's word deepens the roots. The other choice leaves them stunted.

How do we engineer the environment to foster healthy rooting? Cultivation. Paul talked about it, saying:

"I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow." - 1 Cor. 3:6

There was a care in the planting. There was a care in the nurturing. There was a dependence on God.

Much of this process lies in the heart, where each person receives the word. But the church also has a responsibility of cultivation, in at least three ways:

• Planting. People in this rooting phase need to have established relationships with other followers of Jesus. During the rooting phase, they must come to publicly identify with the church, through the ordinances of communion and baptism.
• Nurturing. The rooting phase is all about drawing sustenance from the words of God. Encouraging good habits early of hearing, reading, memorizing, meditating and apply the word of God guarantee a viable believer who can thrive.
• Dependence. God gives the growth. It is his seed that is planted. It is his spiritual DNA that is being born in our life. Healthy believers use prayer to reinforce our habit of dependence on God.

AWANA, Week 4: (Acts 3:1-10)

)(these are scripts, written by Tim and Brahms for an AWANA Council Time series on the early church)

Moe is a horse puppet.
Joe and Jim are twin iguana puppets.

AWANA, WEEK 4: Acts 3:1-10

MOE: So, Tim, What do you have for me?

TIM: Nothing.

MOE: Really? No, c’mon, you have to have something to eat, I’m hungry.

TIM: Look, no food. Cell phone, keys, wallet, USB key.

MOE: Hmm…ok, no food. But, the cell phone does look promising. When are you going to get me a cell phone?

TIM: Cell phone? You don’t even make enough money to pay for your cookies and hay and you are talking about cell phones.

MOE: Sure, and then there’s the BMW and the PS3 and this mailbox is starting to look a little old and…

TIM: Whoa! Hold on there. What do you think? Am I made out of money?

MOE: You seem pretty rich to me.

TIM: Well, I don’t have a lot, but what I do have, I will give it to you

MOE: Whoo hoo! Nutter Butter, my favorite.



JOE: Hi, TIM, Hi, MOE. Hey, what’s all the noise about.

JIM: Yeah, did you just win a prize or something on the radio.

MOE: Oh, nothing.

TIM: MOE, I just gave you a package of cookies. 5 minutes ago you didn’t even have anything. Now you are hiding them from your friends.

MOE: Umm…

TIM: Why were you hiding them?

JOE/JIM: Yeah, why are you hiding them from your buddies?

MOE: Well, there are only a few cookies in here. And if JOE and JIM saw them, well, they like cookies too, and then there wouldn’t be very many for me.

TIM: You know, MOE, this isn’t a limited cookie universe.

BRAHMS: Yeah, its just like God’s blessings to us. This isn’t a limited blessing universe. When you take what you have and share it, then there’s more room for God to bless you.

TIM: Just like in the first church. The Bible says that Peter and John were headed up to the temple to go and pray. As they went, there was a man there who had never been able to walk ever since he was a baby.

BRAHMS: Oh, I remember this one. He couldn’t walk and his friends put him down near the temple so that he could ask for money, because he was really poor.

TIM: People often tried to help the poor by throwing them coins, silver or gold. So this man was asking them for money. But Peter and John didn’t have any money. But they still had one thing.

MOE: What did they have?

TIM: Peter said to the man: “Look at us!”

BRAHMS: Then the Bible says, Acts chapter 3, verse6 , “ Silver and gold I do not have but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk. Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong”

JOE/JIM: Wow! That guy must have been really happy.

TIM: He was. He started jumping up and down. He started shouting. He started praising God. People were wondering what was going on.

BRAHMS: You know, MOE, we don’t always have cookies. And we don’t always have money. But one thing we can always give away is the hope we have because of Jesus.

MOE: What do you mean?

BRAHMS: We all want to go to heaven. We would like our friends and family to go to heaven. But they can’t get there by themselves, because God only lets perfect people into heaven.

TIM: And it’s impossible, because none of us is perfect. But we tell them about Jesus. The Bible says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” God wants to give that gift, and when you tell your friends about him, you are helping to give that gift.

MOE: So do I still have to share my cookies?

TIM: Any blessing should be shared.

MOE: Ok. Here you go.

JOE/JIM: Yeah.

TIM: Now here’s how people tell people about Jesus, around the world.

AWANA, Week 3 (Acts 2:14-47)

(these are the scripts written by Tim and Brahms for AWANA, in a continuing series on the early church)

Moe is a horse puppet.
Joe and Jim are twin iguana puppets.

AWANA, WEEK 3: Acts 2:14-47

MOE: I still remember what Natalie said a few weeks ago, about church. She said: “Church is not a building; church is people who hang out with God.” That was really cool.

JOE: MOE, how did the church get started?

JIM: Yeah, MOE, why did people first decide they want get together and talk about God?

MOE: Well, I’m not sure. But you remember last week how there was the sound of a violent wind, the tongues of fire and lots of different languages?

JOE: Yeah. Must have been pretty crazy.

JIM: Yeah.

MOE: There were a lot of people there, thousands of people. They heard the wind; they saw the tongues of fire; they heard the languages. They wanted to know: What is going on? What does this mean? Are these people drunk? Maybe they had too much beer or wine!

JOE: So the church is a bunch of people who get together and act strange?

JIM: Strange way to start a religion.

MOE: It wasn’t like that. But it did get their attention.

TIM: Then a guy got up. His name was Peter. He was one of Jesus’ friends, but not the brave one. One time, when some people asked if he was Jesus’ friend, he pretended he didn’t know or like him, so he wouldn’t get in trouble.

MOE: Sounds like a loser. No friend of mine.

TIM: Because when Jesus came back to life, he told Peter what he did didn’t matter any more. He forgave Peter.

JOE: So that’s how the church started?

JIM: How?

JOE: Peter gives a big speech, blah, blah, blah, everybody’s happy and they throw a big party, and that’s the church?

JIM: Party church!

BRAHMS: Actually, Peter said "Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. “ (Acts 2:22-24)

TIM: When the people saw Peter standing there; when the people saw the tongues of flame and heard the wind, they realized that these were the same types of miracles that Jesus had done. When Peter was talking, they figured out they were the ones who did something wrong. The Bible says, “For all [everyone] has sinned.”

MOE: What did they do? They must have been really sad.

TIM: Read what the Bible said:

MOE: “When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"

JOE/JIM: What did they do?

MOE: Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.

TIM: If you do something wrong, who gets punished? Does your brother get punished? Does your dog get punished? No, you get punished. But God, when you hurt him by the things you do wrong and you know they are wrong, said, I will send Jesus to take your punishment.

BRAHMS: Those people must have been really happy.

TIM: There were more than 3000. And those 3000 were the start of the church.

BRAHMS: Peter, hurt Jesus by pretending not to know him. Jesus forgave him. These people helped the men who nailed Jesus on the cross. Jesus forgave them. And you and me: we have all done things wrong. Jesus can forgive us.

TIM: So that we can live forever with God. And, so that we can be a part of his church, hanging out with people who love God.

BRAHMS: The people who were there would eventually go home, taking the good news of Jesus with them. Let’s learn a little bit more about people who are going around the world today, taking the good news of Jesus with them.

Psalm 97:7-9: Right Once In A While

Sometimes it is just nice to feel like you've got it right. As a follower of God, you can take a beating from folks who think you are either foolish for believing in God or foolish for believing in the wrong God. Blaise Pascal famously reasoned that it was worse to not believe at all than to believe in God and be wrong. But the author of Psalm 97 takes a different approach:

All who worship images are put to shame, those who boast in idols—worship him, all you gods! Zion hears and rejoices and the villages of Judah are glad because of your judgments, O LORD. For you, O LORD, are the Most High over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods. - Psalm 97:7-9

It says: God himself is in charge of his own reputation and, when he reveals himself, those who have long held the unpopular view of his existence and vitality will be proven right. They will rejoice, even as the villages of Judah rejoiced in this psalm. Its nice to be right once in a while. Its also nice not to have to say "I told you so" but let the knowledge come irrefutably from another direction.

Psalm 82: The Right of Revenge

This past week I finished reading The Count of Monte Cristo (by Alexander Dumas), a 1000-page behemoth of a novel. I had previously only been aware of the plot and themes of the novel in outline form and through the excellent (though substantially different) 2002 movie version. The driving force of this famous book is revenge: the need for the main character, Edmond Dantes, to see the good rewarded and the wicked punished. Envisioning himself as the divine agent of retribution, he steps in where God has otherwise not seen fit to act. In the end, Dantes finds revenge has changed him:

"Tell the angel who will watch over your future destiny, Morrel, to pray sometimes for a man, who like Satan thought himself for an instant equal to God, but who now acknowledges with Christian humility that God alone possesses supreme power and infinite wisdom." - The Count of Monte Cristo, ch. 117.

The frustration that forms the heart of this novel is a frustration that all of us feel to some extent. Why do the good go unrewarded while the wicked go unpunished? Or, if justice is done, why the long delay? The Psalms wrestle with this theme at length, even calling God's character into question:

"How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked? Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked." - Psalm 82:2-4

When this anger wells up inside us, this very anger that ties us, among all creatures, to the very nature of God. It is the emotional response to an innate awareness that life is not fair, but it should be. C.S. Lewis said it this way:

Everyone has heard people quarreling. Sometimes it sounds funny and sometimes it sounds merely unpleasant; but however it sounds, I believe we can learn something very important from listening to the kinds of things they say. They say things like this: "How’d you like it if anyone did the same to you?"--‘That’s my seat, I was there first"--"Leave him alone, he isn’t doing you any harm"--"Why should you shove in first?"--"Give me a bit of your orange, I gave you a bit of mine"--"Come on, you promised." People say things like that every day, educated people as well as uneducated, and children as well as grown-ups.

Now what interests me about all these remarks is that the man who makes them is not merely saying that the other man’s behavior does not happen to please him. He is appealing to some kind of standard of behavior which he expects the other man to know about. And the other man very seldom replies: "To hell with your standard." Nearly always he tries to make out that what he has been doing does not really go against the standard, or that if it does there is some special excuse... - Mere Christianity, chapter 1.

We know what is fair. We manipulate its definition to suit our advantage, but we know it. We are angered when we feel unfairness (or injustice) or see it done. But what do we do about it?

One of the key attributes of God is his justice. Justice is a reckoning which gives to each according to what they are due. God is fair. God is wise. God is strong. He has the moral character to distinguish between the finest gradations without any other reference than his own character. He has the knowledge and discernment to ferret out the hidden and secret things to inform such decisions. He has the power to reward or punish suitably.

But, what strains the faith of so many, is why so long before judgement?

How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? - Psalm 13:2

It is a question that is never fully answered in the Bible. The gap of injustice, between deed and judgement, tempts us to take vengeance into our own hands, whether on the petty getting-even scale or on the walk-into-the-mall-with-a-gun scale.

Others, when they discover that their actions don't lead to the immediate blue-bolt from heaven, embark on a path that assumes leniency or apathy from God.

They pour out arrogant words; all the evildoers are full of boasting. They crush your people, O LORD; they oppress your inheritance. They slay the widow and the alien; they murder the fatherless. They say, "The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob pays no heed

The Bible speaks to this with three big ideas:

1. God takes up justice on our behalf. "Oh God who avenges, shine forth." (Psalm 91:1). See also: Romans 12:19; 13:4.
2. God ensures fairness. "...he comes to judge the earth, he will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his truth." (Psalm 96:13b)
3. God gives us strength to persevere until the reward. "You stood your ground n the face of suffering...So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised." - Hebrews 10:32b, 35-36

The very inability to find perfect justice done here directs our gaze to the judgement seat of God where our deep thirst for justice will be quenched. Edmond Dantes, reflecting on his own imperfect quest for justice, said:

"Live, then, and be happy, beloved children of my heart, and never forget that until the day when God shall deign to reveal the future to man, all human wisdom is summed up in these two words,--Wait and hope'. - The Count of Monte Cristo, chapter 117.

 

 

 

 

 

."  - Psalm 94:4-6

Psalm 91: The 24/7 God

Today is Monday. Or I think it is. It is Monday morning, a quiet, pre-work Taipei time . But back at home, with my family, it is Sunday afternoon, a post-church, pre-AWANA time. Right now, we are a family in two worlds, with two different destinations.

Yesterday (their yesterday), Shannon got in some driving practice before her big driving test this next Wednesday (theirs, not mine). Normally, Tim would ride shotgun. But Helen went this time, because I was asleep (on a 747).  Normally, I would have been the one worrying about turn signals and looking over shoulders and brake lights. In the 24/7 world, there is always time for worry.

My boss caught up with me yesterday, but then wasn't sure whether it was my "Sunday" and if I was working. I try to keep a strict no-work period, but with the 16-hour time shift when you travel, its always a bit of a tricky. In the 24/7 world, there is never seems to be enough time for God.

Sometimes, sleep is not my friend. In the 24/7 world, there is the non-stop possibility of things going wrong. If awake, I could deal with it. If awake, I could solve it. If awake, I could intervene. But I'm not. So at some point, sleep becomes an exercise in trusting God.

You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. - Psalm 91:5-6

In Psalm 95, it is clear that the author had bigger problems that I do. If he is worried about "A thousand may fall at [his] side/ten thousand at [his] right hand." (Ps. 91:7) then the stakes are just little bit higher for him than what I have to struggle with.

But the element of trust is the same, in my 24/7 world. 

"I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." - Psalm 91:2

Trust is a conscious decision to place your safety (in whatever form) into the hands of another. Many times, my frantic attempts to manage things and my inability to let go of them, leaves no room for God to work and certainly no room for trust.

In the Old Testament, this decision of trust is often described as taking shelter under another's (ie. God's) wings (cf. Ruth 2:12).

He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. - Psalm 91:4 

So as my day begins, and my family's day is winding down, I am handing off control to the 24/7 God.

God, I set today in your hands. I place everyone who is valuable to me in your hands. I set myself in your hands. Please care. Amen.

AWANA: Week 2 (Acts 2:1-12)

This is the script that Brahms and I used for the 2nd week of AWANA.

(electric fan, lighters, Bibles in different languages handed out to LITs)
JOE is behind the electric fan. MOE has nose in the Bible. BRAHMS has one lighter, TIM has other lighter.

MOE: Ok, ok, here it is. This is what the Bible says: “Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.” Let’s try it out.

BRAHMS: Moe, what are you and Joe doing?

MOE: We’re getting ready for the big special effects scene.

BRAHMS: Special effects scene? What, are you making a big movie?

JOE: No, this is part of Council Time for Sparkies.

BRAHMS: I didn’t know that Council Time had a big special effects budget.

MOE: Well, in the Bible, in Acts chapter 2, it says there was a big wind sound. (ignoring Brahms) Ready Joe?

JOE: Ready.

MOE: Ok, fan on.

JOE: Fan on!

JOE: Nope.

MOE: Nope. Not loud enough.

TIM: Well…maybe could ask the Sparkies for some help.

MOE: That’s a great idea! Sparkies, do you think you could help us out.


MOE: Great! So, when I count to 3, Joe, you turn on the fan. And you, Sparkies, you start making a loud wind noise. Ready? 1 – 2 – 3

MOE: That’s great.

JOE: What’s the next part.

MOE: (reading) dah dah dah, dah dah, ah ok, here it is, in Acts 2, verse 3: “They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.”

TIM: MOE, just before you go any further, no flame throwers are allowed in church, ok.

MOE: No problem, see, I got this lighter, see (holds up the lighter)

TIM: Ok.

MOE: Now just stick out your tongue…

TIM: Wait a second, what do you think you’re going to do?

MOE: Well, the Bible says tongues of fire. So if you stick out your tongue, I’ll use the lighter and we’ll…

BRAHMS: Sounds painful.

MOE: It gets better, BRAHMS, because you will notice that the Bible said “tongues” That’s more than one. So you can stick out your tongue, too!

TIM: MOE, this is a bad idea. If I remember what the Bible said, it didn’t say anything about people sticking out their tongue and they certainly didn’t burn their tongue.

MOE: Well, if it didn’t burn them, then what did it do?

BRAHMS: It didn’t burn them, it did something even more amazing. Let’s try this again from the top. Get your fan and lighter ready and let’s read it again.

TIM: I got it. “When the day of Pentecost [that’s almost fifty days since Jesus came back to life, and ten days since he left and went back to heaven], they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them.”

BRAHMS: So all Jesus’ friends started using other languages; saying thank you to God and talking about Jesus. What was strange was that these were languages they have never spoken before.

TIM: You all speak English. Do any of you speak another language? (wait for response)

MOE: Wow! I wonder how that sounded. All those people talking about God at the same time, but in different languages. Must have been really confusing!

JOE: We should try it out.

MOE: How?

JOE: Well, we have some Bibles here, in different languages. Let’s take a verse we all know and have some of the leaders read them together. John 3:16.

MOE: Ok, from the top now. When we get to the part where it talks about different languages, you start reading.

TIM: When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them.

JOE: Wow! That really was confusing. If I heard that, I wouldn’t know it was about God at all. I would think that everyone had gone crazy. Does it say in the Bible what everybody thought?

MOE: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs-we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?"

JOE: So it means they all heard God in their own language.

MOE: Now just imagine-if I had that today-how many YouTube videos would make sense.

TIM: I don’t know if that would help some of those videos. But here is what God did. There were a lot of people from a lot of different places. Then there were all of Jesus’ friends. Lots of people from different places. Jesus’ friends. But they couldn’t really talk to each other, because they didn’t talk the same way. So God sent the Holy Spirit so that they could understand each other. That way, when they would go back home, they could take the good news of Jesus with them.

BRAHMS: Just like you. Not everyone comes to church. Not every kid comes to AWANA. But they all need to hear about Jesus, who took away all of their sins, by paying for them with his death, so we can go to heaven.

TIM: We don’t think we can tell them. But God can also do something special so that when you tell them, they will hear it. Some of them will be amazed. Some will be confused.

BRAHMS: You do your part to tell them. God can take care of the rest. Just like he did with the wind, the fire and the languages.

Titus 1:5-10: The Resume of a Leader

The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient.

 

Since an overseer is entrusted with God's work, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined.

 

He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. For there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group. - Titus 1:5-10

Introduction – Staving Off Chaos

The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. – Titus 1:5

It seems the news is full of leaders; talented, gifted, movers and shakers who can really take an organization from here to there. But now they are in short supply. Not because they can’t motivate us; not because they don’t understand the dynamics of groups; not because they don’t have the stamina; but because they self-destruct along the way, taking the very people they want to lead into the pit with them. We saw this recently in Mark Hurd, brought as CEO of Hewlett Packard after the integrity crisis; called a “white knight” for his strong ethical values; who then reportedly falsified expense reports to cover up payments to a contractor with whom he had a relationship. What should have been a strong quarter was overshadowed by the news of his personal failure and threw the company into uncertainty and doubt.

 

Here is Paul’s problem at the start of Titus.

 

Churches are sprouting up all over. Over every hill and behind every tree there seems to be a new church. Lots of those churches are small, and enthusiastic, and full of new followers of Jesus. Because they are small, and enthusiastic, and new followers, they are prone to mistakes; they are prone to enthusiastically following some minor doctrine or heresy right off a cliff; they are prone to listen with great gullibility to the plausible words of outside voices.

 

At once, this is both the success of the gospel, and brink of failure for the gospel. Paul knows this: so much excitement, so much danger, and he can’t be there. How frustrating! When Helen and I were parents for the first time, with Shannon, there is a period when babies are basically harmless. You wrap them up, you carry them around, they gurgle, cry, laugh, poop and eat. You can put them down somewhere and they stay put. But there comes a point where you just can’t leave them alone. I remember sitting in the kitchen and we had this long hallway and I’d hear ba-ba-ba hee-hee-hee echoing and I knew that I had about 30 seconds to get to her before she’d be somewhere where she could do some damage. Then we learned the power of doors. That stopped her for a little while. Then it was those handle things you put over door knobs.

 

That’s kind of how Paul felt, except that he had dozens of toddler churches, all running around going ba-ba-ba hee-hee-hee, all growing healthy, like crazy, but all in imminent danger of getting hurt. Just about the time he finished changing the last set of diapers the first one had done it again.

 

So what has to happen? The churches need to grow up. Paul is gone. Titus is babysitting. But that can’t last forever. At some point you leave them on their own. Then what happens? It could be chaos.

 

Paul says, “The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished…”

And how are you going to straighten out the chaos of a zillion little toddler churches, Paul? That word straighten out is the word a doctor could have used when setting a broken bone. Straighten out ...

 

“and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.”

The solution is leaders.

 

Paul isn’t looking for the left-overs to lead the church. He is looking for the best of the best. Mark Hurd, ex-CEO of HP might make the cut at Oracle, but he wouldn’t make the cut at church. Why? He doesn’t have the family resume. Look at verse 6. Steve Jobs, might make the cut at Apple and Pixar, but he wouldn’t make the cut at church. Why? He doesn’t have the work resume.

 

When Paul says “I left you in Crete to appoint elders in every town” --that word elder has two common meanings at the time that this letter was written. The first, and most common meaning, in the Greek was (this is going to knock your socks off, drum roll please) “old man” (like we would use the term seniors) It was a term of respect, referring to their wisdom. The second meaning was that of community leaders. The elders, acting as the heads and representatives for their extended families, would get together at the city gates each day so that they could drink tea and make smart-alec remarks at all of the people coming and going. But it also served as an informal city government, where disputes were heard and judged, where problems were discussed and where decisions were made.

 

So when Paul says “I left you in Crete to appoint elders” it wasn’t with the idea of “creating” elders, but rather, selecting from among the wise, experienced leaders who already existed. They weren’t newbies. He was telling Titus: start with those who are already recognized leaders, who are already respected, whose opinion is already listened to, whose voice already helps people move from the way it is now to the way it needs to be, and choose the best of the best from among them.

 

I remember at family camp, there was an exercise to take a bunch of raw materials

 

So what is a leader? Let me give you my definition: A leader influences people to move from where they are to where they need to be. Leaders (1) recognize that we need to move, they (2) realize that it is unacceptable to remain where we are, they (3) envision what a better future would look like, they (4) plot a course on how to get us there and (5) they push, pull, encourage and whine until we get there.

 

Not all of us have the same sphere of influence, but we all have influence. Don’t believe me? Can a fast food cashier turn my drive-through dining experience into purgatory on wheels? Now that’s influence! Whether you are the CEO of a corporation or the CEO of your home, you have influence. Whether you are a director or a district supervisor or a donut maker. You have influence. Mom. Nursery worker. Receptionist. Mechanic. Burger flipper. Team Lead..

 

God has placed each of you in a place of influence. Each word--each action--is an influence. Leaders know this and use this deliberately. Christian leaders know this and use it in a God direction.

 

In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. – Matthew 5:16

So Paul puts a test out for Titus: how do you know which of these experienced, recognized, respected leaders, should be influencing your church?

 

More than that, though, Paul says: this is the growth path for everyone in the Christian community. When you sit down at a job for a 1:1 with your boss and you look across the desk and your boss says: “Tim, you are having a significant impact on your co-workers and our customers. We want you to have a long and productive future with us. Let’s chart out a growth plan for you.” And then your boss lays out steps or key milestones that you and he will work on together.

 

Well here are God’s steps to take experienced, recognized leaders to the next level:

 

Level 1: Family. Lead your family.

 

Level 2: Work. Lead your job.

 

Level 3: Church. Lead your church.

 

Each level represents a sphere of influence; a sphere of leadership and followership. It is also the training ground for the way God will use you next.

 

Level 1 Leadership: Family

 

What’s on your family résumé? Paul said:

 

An elder [the head of a family; the leader in the community] must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. – Titus 1:6

God is the one who created families. He set the parameters and the boundaries and the purpose for families. Slowly, I have begun to realize that families are training grounds, not just for children, but for the parents. There I am known. There I am loved. There I am provoked. There I am challenged. There I am forgiven.

 

Society and our own selfishness have served to pull our families apart. The haven of safety has become the war zone. Many of us are first-hand witnesses to this painful devastation.

 

Your family is your resume as a leader. Your family is your greatest testimony. The way you lead there says a lot about how you will lead elsewhere.

 

• Do you keep your promises? Can people trust you? Watch how you treat the most important promise of your life: your promise to your wife. Are your eyes wandering? How about your heart? Have you ever said, ‘If only I’d known you before…’
• Do you teach well? Watch how your children believe.
• Do you lead well? Do those who are closest to you follow?

There is no proceeding to the next level of leadership until you pass this level. Too many people try to launch to real leadership in work, the community or church before this is solid. The results can be disastrous, because your family is your best, built-in support group.

 

Let me ask you: would you turn down a promotion? Why or why not? Would you turn down a ministry at church? Why or why not? Is growing your healthy family important enough to say ‘No’ to these other great opportunities so that you are solid leader where it counts the most? It is no shame to stop in your path and concentrate on family.

 

The Bible says:

If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church? – 1 Timothy 3:5

Level 2 Leadership: Lead Your Job.

Since an overseer is entrusted with God's work, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. – Titus 1:7-8

A few Saturdays ago, my family and I walked into The Waffle Barn to breakfast with the senior ladies in Cornerstone. There weren’t enough seats at the table for us all. First, the restaurant staff moved a table over to join theirs. Then we moved it back. Then more people arrived, so the staff moved three tables in a T-shape on the other side of the room and then cleaned up the tables we left behind.

 

In the past month, my family entertained numerous plumbers, carpenters and handy-men at my house to repair two different upstairs bathtub leaks.

 

This past Tuesday and Wednesday, I flew to Portland to meet with two new hired engineers who will be working with me closely for a new project.

 

All of us are leaders, because we direct other people, whether in a job setting or not. Paul says that the overseer—the word is used for a foreman on a job—has been entrusted with work—God’s work. In each of the settings where we work, God checks how we lead, more than what we lead. The next level of leadership is less about competence and more about character. How to care about the people? How to overcome with irrepressible good attitude? How be calm in the middle of a storm? How to handle delays, missed opportunities and best timing?

 

If I am looking for a leader, I want to know how they handle control and supervision in another setting. More responsibility is a larger stage—a larger arena—for our character flaws, like pride, to show clearly.

 

Robert Joss, dean of the Stanford Graduate School of Business said: “Too many people today think leading is exclusively about their own performance. Even some of those who become CEOs, usually highly intelligent people who worked hard to get where they are, turn into self-aggrandizing individuals once they hit the executive suite.”

 

Look at good leaders.

 

1. We aren’t building our kingdom. Not overbearing. No kingdom building. No control freaks. No power thrill-seekers.
2. We aren’t quick-tempered; anger is not manipulation or intimidation technique.
3. We aren’t given to drunkenness. Stress management by deliberately induced loss of self-control. No accountability.
4. We aren’t using physical force or the threat of it to get your way.
5. We aren’t using our position to redirect profit to our pockets.
6. We share our home with others. (“hospitable”)
7. We value the good. (“loves what is good”) Is doing the right thing sort of like a diet, where you do it, but look longingly over your shoulder at the ice cream and carbs you are giving up? Or are you a connoisseur of the good, one who savors doing the right thing at the right time for the right reason?
8. We master our desires (“self-control”); can you do what is important? Can I sideline what I want for what is really important?
9. We don’t bend our standards based on external pressures. (“upright”)
10. We don’t compromise our special mission (“holy”). Holy literally means set apart for service: to God.
11. We train so our efforts are effective (“disciplined”).

Level 2 Leadership says: Leadership is not about you. Leaders begin to stink then the job becomes about you.

 

Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric said:

 

“The day you become a leader, it becomes about them. Your job is to walk around with a can of water in one hand and a fertilizer in the other hand. Think of your team as seeds and try to build a garden. Its about building these people.”

 

You are not good enough to do the job that God has for you. You are not strong enough, smart enough; you don’t have the endurance or the experience. God does. And he lends it to you in the form of the people God puts around you. Are they your team, or your foot stool?

 

How does your work resume look?

 

Level 3 Leadership: Church

He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. – Titus 1:9

Some simple reminders come from Robert Fulgham's popular poem, “All I really need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.” Let me read a portion to you.

 

Most of what I really need to know about how to live, and what to do, and how to be, I learned in Kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sandbox at nursery school.

 

These are the things I learned. Share everything. Play fair. Don't hit people. Put things back where you found them. Clean up your own mess. Don't take things that aren't yours. Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody. Wash your hands before you eat. Flush. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you. Live a balanced life. Learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work some every day. Take a nap every afternoon. When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that. Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we. And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK.

 

Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and equality and sane living.

We learned these simple things in kindergarten yet we have trouble doing them. Sometimes the toughest things in life are not the quadratic equation, or tax shelters, or even the 14th remote lost behind the couch: sometimes the toughest things in life are doing what we already know to do. Sometimes being a leader is doing the things that you know need to get done but nobody else has the guts or the stick-to-itiveness to actually do it.

 

Pastor Henry talked about what a deacon-a servant of the church-looks like. It isn’t glamorous, but the path of leadership is the path of taking up the towel to serve. In the book of Acts, there was a church fight brewing along racial and ethnic lines over how the food was being distributed. So men of faith waded into the middle of this to serve tables. These brilliant, faith-filled men, like Stephen, whose sermon to the most hostile audience imaginable earned a place in the Bible; Like Philip who could smell a pre-Christian a mile away. These are the men who came in. Now here is the rest of the story. Acts, chapter 6, verse 7. 

So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.  

It did not spread because of dynamic teaching, although that was there. It did not spread because of earnest prayer, though that was there also. It was there because the deacons healed a rift in the church by filling it with their own service.

 

For Paul, Level 1 Leadership was the family; Level 2 Leadership was the work place; Level 3 Leadership, simultaneously the most challenging, frustrating and rewarding, is found in the church

 

In particular, in the church, leaders must say what they believe like they really believe it. Wouldn’t it be sad, if in the church, the most exciting message, the very words of God, were made boring and insipid? Wouldn’t it be sad, if all the great communicators and speakers of our age were false prophets, cynics and comedians?

 

God is looking for people who will lay down their own agendas and take up his; lay down their own message and take up his; in the church, because the local church, frail and stumbling as it is, is the hope of the world. Paul said, 

…Just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her. - Ephesians 5:25  

Paul said, 

His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms. – Ephesians 3:10

You are the Weed and Feed of the church. Weed out the bad teaching, Feed the faithful. Bind up the wounds of the broken hearted. Speak peace to troubled lives. Replace error with truth.

 

Conclusion – Growing Garden in the Weeds

For there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group. – Titus 1:10

Why was Paul worried so worried about good leaders? Why did he send back Titus to straighten these things out? Because there are many weeds. Given space in my garden; any untended patch, will inevitably attract a weed. God says: the best way to fight weeds is not with Round-Up! You fight by planting healthy, good plants! When we first moved to El Dorado Hills, we were having our landscaping done in the back yard and Randy Gove came over, was helping us design it, and asked whether we wanted to put down weed barrier cloth. And I said: “My wife will plant it so full of healthy plants, there won’t be any room for the weeds to grow.” Now, ten years later, it is true.

 

How many times, tragically, have we seen a leader hang on too long? Trying to maintain control, he grasps firmly the steering wheel of his life, while relationships fall apart, health deteriorates and vision fails, but he still has that steering wheel!

 

Is that you? There can only be one leader. You can forge your own path; until it dwindles down to a dirt path and it is only you and your steering wheel. Jesus forged a path back to God, paying every cost for the rebellious, but he can’t take you there if you won’t give up control. You will never take the next step in leadership unless you first learn to follow yourself, from one who says, “Take my yoke upon you and I will give you rest.”

 

My family life growing up was far from ideal. I have a brother, a half-sister, a step-sister, three step brothers. Many of you are living witnesses to the pain of a generation of broken families. I will not lament. But God help me, I will replace a broken generation with a generation of peace, in my family. Will you join me?

 

Never have our communities, our state and nation cried out more for leaders of vision and integrity than today. I will not lament. But I will lift a new generation of men and women whose sight extends beyond the votes of the next election, to the one who weights the hearts of kings, presidents and governors in the scales of justice. Will you join me?

 

When the dominant ethic of the cubicle is “What can I get away with?” I will not lament. But I will join a generation of leaders whose CEO is not in the corner office, but on the throne of heaven; whose work ethic does not conform but transforms; led by our rabbi who came not to be served, but to serve. Will you join me?

 

When the churches struggle and church leaders fall and the faithful are weary, I will not lament. Instead I will join those called together to spend all heart, mind, soul and strength for the kingdom of he who withheld nothing so that we should not perish, but have eternal life.

 

Leadership is the influence you have to move people from where they are to where they need to be. Will you use the place God has given you to move people in a God direction?

 

AWANA: Week 1 (Acts 1:1-10)

Thought I'd post up the scripts that Brahms and I are using for AWANA. Here's week 1. MOE is a horse puppet and JOE and JIM are twin iguana puppets.

Acts 1:1-10

(basket, pulley, carabineer)

JOE is in the basket hanging from the ceiling, JIM is holding the rope. MOE is watching.

MOE: What are you doing, JIM?

JIM: I just can’t figure out how he did it.

MOE: (ignoring JIM, hallooing): JOE, you’re really high up. Aren’t you afraid of heights?

JOE: (nervous), Yes

JIM: I just can’t figure out how he did it.

JOE: (faintly) Help.

MOE: JIM, maybe you want to bring him down now?

JIM: (more emphatically) But, I just can’t figure out how he did it! I’ve got to keep trying until I figure out how he did it.

MOE: What are you talking about? Who did it? What are we talking about?

JIM: Well, it says in the Bible that after Jesus died, he came back to life

MOE: Yes, well, what does that have to do with the basket?

JOE: Yes. Basket. Why?

JIM: It says he was with his disciples for 40 days, and they talked with him and ate with him.

MOE: Yes, well, what does that have to do with the basket?

JOE: Yes. Basket. Why?

JIM: Well, it says in the book Acts, chapter 1, verse 9: “After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.” So somehow, Jesus left them by going up into heaven. I wondered how Jesus did it. So I rigged up this pulley, and hooked it up.

MOE: And I suppose this pillow is the pretend…

JIM: Clouds! You got it.

TIM: I think you’re kind of missing the point, though.

JOE: Yeah, yeah, you’re missing the point! I’m way up here.

JIM: No, no. You see, the disciples could have pulled on this string, and it pulls up Jesus in the basket. And then, if he was high enough, the clouds block them from seeing him.

TIM: But you are having some problems with your theory?

JIM: Two problems: #1: What did they hook the pulley on to? Did Jesus have an airplane?

TIM: That is a problem. What is the second problem?

JIM: What happened when the disciples let go of the rope. Like this (let’s go, JOE falls, TIM catches)

MOE: Whoa! JIM, you almost hurt JOE. Are you ok?

JOE: (moaning) Yeah, I am ok.

TIM: I think JOE needs to rest and I think JIM needs to put that all away.

TIM: You know, sparkies, it says in the Bible, that right after Jesus went into heaven, all of Jesus’ friends, including the disciples, were standing there, looking into the sky. It was pretty incredible. Where did he go? Is he going to come back? Some of them were probably trying to figure out just how he did it, just like JIM.

BRAHMS: Just then, two men—two angels—appeared from heaven and said to them “why do you stand here looking in the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go back into heaven” (Acts 1:11b)

TIM: They were so busy trying to figure out “how” Jesus did that, that they were already forgetting the directions he gave them. Have you ever had that happen to you? You are looking at something really cool, maybe a toy or a present or a TV show, and you forget what your Mom or Dad told you to do?

BRAHMS: Jesus had spent over one month with his friends, teaching them about something new: the church. The church is the people who trust in Jesus to help them and who do what he wants, right now. How many of you go to church? … Good. Church helps us to (1) grow up the way God wants us to grow up, (2) help other people the way God wants us to help other people, and (3) tell other people about God the way that Jesus did.

TIM: Jesus told his friends two things, just before he left: (1) He told them to wait. They didn’t want to wait. They didn’t want Jesus to leave. They wanted everything to happen now. But when you grow up, you have to learn how to wait. Jesus said (Acts 1:4b), “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.”

BRAHMS: We’ll learn more about that next week.

TIM: But the people were in a hurry. “So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6) They wanted to know. Is it now? Are you going to be a king now?

BRAHMS: But Jesus told them they had to wait. And they weren’t going to know how long. Sometimes when someone tells us to wait, we think they really mean “No.” Dad, can I drive the car? Wait til your older. And maybe you think he means “Never”

Jesus knew that some things had to happen first, before he would become the king over the whole world. First, everyone in the whole world was going to have to hear about Jesus.

TIM: Now Jesus was God, but he could only talk a few people at a time. There was no TV, there were no cell phones.

BRAHMS: But God had a different idea. What would happen if he told his friends, and then his friends told their friends and then their friends told their friends about Jesus. That would be a lot faster way for people to learn about Jesus. That’s why he said: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses (people who tell people) in Jersualem, in Judea (that’s like in the next state), and Samaria (that’s like the next country, like Mexico or Canada), and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

TIM: Jesus doesn’t want to be your secret. Tell your friends. Bring them to AWANA. Bring them to church. If you keep Jesus a secret; if you don’t tell them that Jesus cares for them and paid for everything so that they can know about God the way you do; maybe they’ll never find out. Don’t be like Jesus’ friends, staring up at the sky, when you already know what he wants you to do.

Psalm 84: Pilgrimage Has A Destination

In his novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, Philip K. Dick probed the universal human tendency towards pilgrimages. In the novel, the religion Mercerism connects people together emotionally as they share the journey up an unspecified hill while pelted by rocks from unknown adversaries.

In exploring this aspect of many religions, Dick focuses on the sense of shared experience. Each of the participants in Mercerism does so through an Empathy Box, which links them together with fellow pilgrims and with the pseudo-messiah, Mercer. In the novel, his followers share together in a way that cannot do in real life; a sort of unspoken, mutual struggle against an apathetic or even hostile world. This sense o fthe journey together permeates the travelogues of pilgrims since the time of The Canterbury Tales.

Likewise, Dick attemts to evoke the sense that the pilgrimage itself is a test or a purification process. The journey is like life in miniature. The perseverance in the face of hostility strips away pretension, revealing who we are, stabbing pride and focusing us on what is important. Here, the author draws on existentialists, such as Albert Camus, whose short story The Myth of Sisyphus reflects a similar attempt to create meaning in a ridiculous universe.

But what is notably missing in this stripped-away version of the spiritual journey is a destination. Pilgrimages, by definition, are journeys to the holy. The pilgrimage journey is preparation to meet with God; to receive what He has and we do not. But in the novel, a series of revelations show that the vision shared by adherents of Mercerism was, in fact, crafted on a sound stage in a movie studio. There is no hill; there is no end; there is no arrival; there is no God. Just pixels of their imagination. In the end, this leaves the hero of the story locked in the metaphysical downstairs, wiser and yet, ultimately, pitiful. You are left asking the question (as Solomon did):

Then I thought in my heart, "The fate of the fool will overtake me also. What then do I gain by being wise?" I said in my heart, "This too is meaningless." - Ecclessiastes 2:15

The book of Psalms contains numerous pilgrim songs. sung by the travelers as they climbed towards Moutn Zion, approaching the city of Jerusalem, and the temple where God dwelt. Compared with the downward spiral of despair of the novel, these songs are filled with hope.

How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty!  My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.  Psalm 84:1-2

The journey is not an aimless one, but one filled with purpose--a chosen path.

Blessed are those whose strength is in you,  who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.  - Psalms 84:5

The trip is wearying; stretches of difficulty as they traveled from one oasis of refreshment to the next, sustained by God himself.

As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength... - Psalm 84:6-7a

These pilgrims had a destination. It was both a physical destination (see vs. 3) but more importantly, it was the a meeting place: the arrival into the presence of God.

..till each appears before God in Zion. - Psalm 84:7b

What has God brought you through on your pilgrimage? Are you in the rough period of the journey or a period of refreshment? Do you long for the destination (God himself) or have you settled for the rest area?

Psalm 74: Spritual Doldrums

In reading Patrick O'Brien's The Thirteen-Gun Salute, the 19th century sailing ship Diane has just skirted the doldrums, an ocean region known for "light, shifting, and sometimes completely absent winds—[which] are notorious for trapping sailing ships for days (or even weeks) without enough wind to power their sails." When applied metaphorically to people, it refers to someone who is stagnant, or in a slump.

Sometimes our spiritual lives can be like this: stagnant, in a slump; partly because we cannot seem to get a glimpse of where God is or what he is doing.

We are given no miraculous signs; no prophets are left, and none of us knows how long this will be. - Psalm 74:9

There is no sign of God ('miraculous signs'), no word from God ('prophets) and no clue as to how long this period will last. Any one of these would be enough to propel us, spiritually. If God would do something that only he could do, we would be excited. If God would speak as only he can speak, we would be inspired. If we could only know when God would move, we would be patient.

Why doesn't God act?  How can a good God resist acting? The author asks the same thing we do.

Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand? Take it from the folds of your garment and destroy them!  - Psalm 74:11

But there is no explaining, much to our frustration. We want to call God into the witness stand of the court and ask him a few questions; force him to give an account of himself. But he will not be cross-examined.

I would like to see the big-time, God-sized, over-the-top miracle in my time. I wish to know God's voice the way the prophets knew it, even just once. Just to delight in it; to replay it; to relish it. How glorious it would be.

Habakkuk gives voice to my own longing:

LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O LORD.  Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy. - Habakkuk 3:2

I am tired of uncertainty. I am weary of the valley. But on the other side of the doldrums is the spirit of God, and when I am there, I will breathe deeply and rejoice.

Psalm 66:10-12: The Refining Season

For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver. You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance. - Psam 66:10-12

Wimp that I am, sections of the Bible like these make me cringe. I must not be the only one, because I notice that worship song writers tend to skip over these, too. I guess I prefer to be happy and assume that all of the refining that God needs to do will be some sort of dermal micro-abrasion. But the changes that need to occur in me require heart transformation, by bringing my true character to the surface where it can be purified. God uses through four things to do this:

1. Difficult work ("laid burdens on our backs")
2. Personal shame ("brought us into prison")
3. Submission to people we don't like or respect ("men ride over our heads")
4. Physical hardship ("through fire and water")

Why does God do this? Because he is bringing us through to "a place of abundance."; a place of blessing.

 

Most of us would be happy in the land of mediocrity rather than deal with these things. But our soul longs for more. God desires more. The way to the place of abundance is only through the path of transformation. On that path,  we must leave behind what we cling to so that our hands are open to receive what is so much better.

 

After I have passed through this difficult season, how will I be better able to receive from God? What is he asking me to let go of?

 

Honesty and the Psalms

D.A. Carson,  in his book The God Who Is There comments about how believers grow to appreciate the Psalms over the years because it resonates with their life experience. In my own reading of the Psalms over the past few months, I have developed a theory as to their enduring popularity: Honesty.

1. They are honest about Who We Are.  The Psalms let us peek into the heart, where there is joy, anger, regret, sorry and amazement. The word 'I' is used prominently, demonstrating how intensely personal the relationship is between a person and God.
2. They are honest about Life. Life isn't fair. We are messed up people, living among messed up people, trying to change a messed up world. No candy-coating.
3. They are honest about God. Does he seem uncaring? The Psalms talk about it. Does he defend those who take shelter with Him? The Psalms talk about it. Is He angry about things? Does He laugh? Does He care? The Psalms talk about these, too.

The honesty of the Psalms is like the genuineness of many of the testimonies I have heard over the past weeks in our men's weekly meetings. These testimonies are a unique reflection of God's work in one person's life. The sharing, in turns stumbling and startling, showed me how to look at myself, my life and my God.

We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. - 1 John 1:3

Psalm 59: The Banner of the Morning

I was thinking about the Star Spangled Banner this morning, that famous first question: "Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light...?" Sun rising; first rays penetrating the gloom; searching eyes. At the end of the night, who rules?

David, the author of this song, had reached the limits of his strength, in the day. Now the night approached, when he was tired and weak:

They return at evening, snarling like dogs, and prowl about the city. They wander about for food and howl if not satisfied. - Psalm 59:14-15

He also looks ahead to find out whose banner will fly with the sun's rising.

O my Strength, I watch for you; - Psalm 59:9a

While he sleeps and when his strength fades, he must trust. No amount of diligence, self-control and preparation can provide the guarantee that he will see the dawn. He (and we) must trust another. Looking forward, he predicts the night will end.

But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. - Psalm 59:16

There is an end to the night. The morning will dawn. God's banner will still fly. Consider your circumstances as the night, and trust God to take you through to the morning.

Francis Scott Key's famous song went on to become the national anthem of the United States. Most Americans know the first verse, but there are actually three more. Here is the fourth:

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand

Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

We will sing in the morning. SDG.

Psalm 56: Mercy for Everyday Circumstances

Be merciful to me, O God, for men hotly pursue me; all day long they press their attack. My slanderers pursue me all day long; many are attacking me in their pride. - Psalm 56:1-2

It just struck me as I was reading this yesterday that David is asking for mercy, not for sin, but for situation.
In my mind, mercy has always been associated with personal wrong-doing where there is a reprieve from the justice of another. In the case of God, we sin and, by his mercy, we have a repriveve from the just penalty for that sin. For example:

Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. - Micah 7:18

But in Psalm 56, God's mercy is demonstrated by diverting the natural course of events (i.e. his providence). That is, if things continued the way they would normally continue, David was going to be in real trouble. But God intervenes. In thinking abou this mercy it still has that same core characteristic of grace ("undeserved favor").

So, when in the course of normal events, we find ourselves in hot water, but then suddenly circumstances change, that is the mercy of God. And we can say "Thank you", as David did:

...I will present my thank offerings to you, for you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life. - Psalm 56:12b-13

Titus 1:1-5: Who Do I Say I Am?

(notes from sermon preached at Cornerstone on 8/9/10)

Who Do I Say I Am?

 

Titus 1:1-5

 

Introduction
When we get to the start of the book of Titus, we get one word: Paul. Just like we have a standard way of constructing letters, with the date in the upper right hand corner and Dear so-and-so and then the body of the letter and then Sincerely or Regards or Love, your-name, there was a standard letter format in the time when the book of Titus was written.

 

First, it would introduce the author of the letter, then, second, the recipient of the letter and then a greeting and then the main part of the letter. So let’s look at Paul’s.

 

Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God's elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness—a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, and at his appointed season he brought his word to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior. To Titus, my true son in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. – Titus 1:1-4

Wow. And I thought I was doing good with Dear so-and-so. The introduction seems a bit weird because he calls Titus his “true son in our common faith”. So that sort of implies that they were close. But at the same time he gives us this big ol’ theological dissertation to introduce himself, like they had never met.

 

Based on what we know, it appears that Paul went on some sort of whirlwind tour of Crete with Titus, met some of the local church leaders, but had to run, leaving Titus behind to sort out the mess. So he wrote this letter to Titus, not only for Titus to read, but for the other churches on the island of Crete to sort of look over his shoulder. So while Titus didn’t need to see Paul’s credentials, the churches that Titus was visiting did. So, in a few short words, Paul introduces himself and his ministry.

 

 

First, he gives his position: He is a servant. He is an apostle.

 

Second, he gives his goal: faith in God and knowledge about becoming like God.

 

Third, he gives his motivation: hope of eternal life, hope of a brighter future.

 

Fourth, he gives his security: God himself.

 

Who are you? Stop for a moment and fill in the blanks on your page. Don’t try to be holy. I’m not going to grade these or anything.

 

 

 

I Am A Servant. I Am A Messenger (vs 1a)

Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ… - Titus 1:1a

Branding. Anyone who has gone to my house knows that there is one cabinet set aside for rare artifacts of one of the most successful retail outlets of the 21st century: Starbucks. If you go to my house, you know I am a devotee of coffee. Big mugs, small mugs, mugs from strange places, T-shirts., all telling you that Tim is really cool because he has endured great hardship to track down these items from around the world.

 

How do you identify yourself? Do you identify yourself by who you are or by what you do? When I walk over here to Brooks Elementary School, there are a lot of kids who say, “Oh, there’s Miriam’s dad!” When we visited Toronto last year, I was introduced as “This is Helen’s husband.” I looked at my brother’s Facebook page and he said, “I am a political science professor at such-and-such university.” Or I am “a computer programmer at such-and-such a company.” I am a member of Cornerstone.

 

We define ourselves by our relationships with other people and institutions. A big part of what we think about ourselves and how we behave depends on how we relate to others. I am a Shannon’s dad sort of person. I am a Helen’s husband sort of person.

 

When Paul identifies himself, he says: Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. Notice he defines himself in terms of God.

 

Now, for the original audience, these words were no unusual words. The word for servant here is doulos and means, literally, slave. This is different from the other word for servant, diakonos, which is where we get the word “deacon” an office in the church. A slave had no rights. A slave had no property. A slave had no will of his own, but obeyed the will of the pater potestas, the father or head of the household. The slave owner had absolute authority over the life, death, relationships, labor and happiness of the slave.

 

Paul defines himself as a slave of God. He has no rights. He serves at God’s pleasure. Whenever there is a conflict between what he wants and what the master wants, the master’s will prevails.

 

The other word that Paul used here is apostle. In the world of the Bible, apostles were messengers or representatives. And like messengers, you don’t pay attention to the messenger; you pay attention to the message and the sender of the message. In fact, John 13:16 says, “I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.” That word “messenger” (in the Greek) is that same word “apostle” (and the word for servant is doulos, slave).

 

So Paul is important, not because he is an apostle, but because he is an apostle of (or sent by) Jesus Christ. So he is sent by Jesus Christ. That’s the source of his message.

 

John Kenneth Galbraith, in his autobiography, A Life in Our Times, illustrates the devotion of Emily Gloria Wilson, his family's housekeeper: It had been a wearying day, and I asked Emily to hold all telephone calls while I had a nap. Shortly thereafter the phone rang. Lyndon Johnson was calling from the White House. “Get me Ken Galbraith. This is Lyndon Johnson.” “He is sleeping, Mr. President. He said not to disturb him.” “Well, wake him up. I want to talk to him.” “No, Mr. President. I work for him, not you.” When I called the President back, he could scarcely control his pleasure. "Tell that woman I want her here in the White House."[1]

Are you willing to sign over your rights to God? When you prayed, “Your kingdom come, your will be done” were you serious?

 

Are you willing to sign over your message to God? Some of you came in here wearing T-Shirts with the name of various vendors. You are carrying their message.

 

Say It: I Am A Servant. I Am A Messenger.

 

I Am A Faith Builder (vs. 1b)

…for the faith of God's elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness – Titus 1:1b

Why did Paul do this? Paul was a slave and a messenger with a purpose: He wanted people to trust God (that’s faith) and then know the truth so they could be more like God (that’s knowledge)

 

First, Paul is the sort of HGTV of faith. He is the faith builder. Extreme Makeover. Faith in God has tremendous consequences. Before you trust God, God is like the contractor who comes to your door to tell you that your plans for your home won’t meet code and the only solution is a bulldozer. You have tried your whole life to do the handyman routine. Shady characters try to offer a quick fix retrofit. But faith, true faith, is saying: I don’t know exactly the end result, and I’m not sure how I’m going to deal with the process, but I trust God. Some people say, “I’d believe in God, but I’m not sure what he’ll make me do.” Or “I’d believe in God but I don’t want to become all weird or something.” I don’t know where I am going or what I will be but I know as I know the one who takes me. That is faith.

 

Second, Paul is the faith remodeler. Before, he was like Extreme Makeover. Now he’s like Divine Design. Faith is the start of the process, because you have to trust Him before you’ll allow any changes. But faith is also the guide, as God takes you room-by-room for an in-home consultation. Friends, if God is cramping your style, then your style probably needs to change. You know what I’m talking about: those homeowners who keep trying to tell the designers what to do.

 

That’s where “knowledge of the truth” comes in. But the best teachers are those who make your mind alive with the topic. They are alternately funny, angry, corny or creative, intentional and spontaneous, but most of all they are persistent, because they feel compelled to get the truth into you.

 

Any student knows how to combat these teachers: they say, “I’m never going to need this in real life.” As Paul says that too,

 

"Everything is permissible"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is constructive. -- 1 Corinthians 10:23

There’s lots of people who know way more than they grow. There’s lots of people who think because they can means they should. There’s lots of people whose knowledge is just a means for warding off any sort of life change. There’s a lot of truth out there, though not quite as much as falsehood. Sometimes we talk about the gift of teaching. Let me tell you, if the teaching doesn’t lead to transformation, it ain’t teaching.

 

But I have a goal. I want to become like Jesus. I want all of my learning to lead to something. Not just snappy comebacks at Pharisees, but leading to a life of meaning and significance.

 

There are “teachers” like that in your life. Now it is your turn. Say it: I Am A Faith Builder.

 

I Am Forever

…a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life – Titus 1:2a

How does the raindrop compare with the ocean? How does the grain of sand compare with the beach? When we look at our lives now, it is hard to imagine what it would be like to be…forever. How does a single seed compare with the harvest?

 

When I said we should be a faith builder, that we need to step into the lives of other people to build their faith and grow them to be like God, most people here would agree that’s an admirable goal. But people’s lives are messy. As investments, people give uncertain returns; you are not sure that what you put into them will ever produce anything. Maybe we’d be better putting our efforts and resources elsewhere. Maybe we need to reserve some for ourselves.

 

This past week, I heard:

 

Jim Collins, author of Good To Great, describe an interview he had with Admiral Jim Stockdale, who had been the highest ranking United States military officer in the "Hanoi Hilton" prisoner-of-war camp during the height of the Vietnam War. Tortured over twenty times during his eight-year imprisonment from 1965 to 1973, Stockdale lived out the war without any prisoner's rights, no set release date, and no certainty as to whether he would even survive to see his family again. He shouldered the burden of command, doing everything he could to create conditions that would increase the number of prisoners who would survive unbroken, while fighting an internal war against his captors and their attempts to use the prisoners for propaganda.

 

"I never lost faith in the end of the story," he said, when I asked him. "I never doubted not only that I would get out, but also that I would prevail in the end and turn the experience into the defining event of my life, which, in retrospect, I would not trade."

 

Then his interviewer asked, "Who didn't make it out.'"

 

"Oh, that's easy," he said. "'The optimists.”

 

"The optimists? I don't understand," Jim said, now completely confused, given what he'd said previously.

 

"The optimists. Oh, they were the ones who said, ‘We're going to be out by Christmas.' And Christmas would come, and Christmas would go. Then they'd say, ‘We’re going to be out by Easter.' And Easter would come, and Easter would go. And then "Thanksgiving, and then it would be Christmas again. And they died of a broken heart."

 

"This is a very important lesson. You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end—which you can never afford to lose—with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be." [2]  

Life is filled with brutal facts. Life hurts. We damage each other, scar each other, break the spirit in other people. Our bodies and minds fail us, disease eats away at us, our money runs out, jobs dry up. We fail ourselves, we betray people and promises. Those are the brutal facts. We can try to dismiss them. We can ignore them. Or (as Admiral Stockdale said) we can face them “with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be” while, at the same time, holding onto the “hope of eternal life”

 

Why is the hope of eternal life important? Paul talks about it in another place:

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. – 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 

1. We will be what we are becoming. “Therefore do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” Now, everything decays. Everything falls apart. Everything breaks down. But Jesus didn’t just give his life for us, he gave it to us. For those who trust God, eternal life has begun now. That life is working its way out through our habits, our character, our personalities. The death of this body will be only a brief interruption in the unstoppable eternal life God has given us.
2. It will be worth it. The movie The Princess Bride says it best, “Life is pain, highness. Anyone who tells you different is selling something.” Life is not basically happy, punctuated by brief moments of suffering. Life is basically grueling, with brief intervals of joy. And then God sometimes asks us to carry the burdens of those around us. And then people take advantage of us. But it will be worth it. “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” Call it Life 2.0. That hope keeps us going. That hope says: every effort you put in for the kingdom of God is worth it.

 

IF I am forever, then there is no exhaustion of my life. IF I am forever, tomorrow can be a better me. IF I am forever, there is always another day’s strength coming. And another day after that. IF I am forever…

 

I Am A Believer

…which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time – Titus 1:2b

But that’s a big IF, isn’t it. How do you fix your eyes on something that is unseen anyway.

 

And Paul realizes it as he’s writing. That’s why he says: “the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time.” Paul rests his case on a fundamental assumption: God does not lie. Bedrock in his character is promise-keeping. That’s what covenants are. Another word for “Testament” is “Covenant” You have the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. The Old Promise and the New Promise.

 

All of this rests on God. One question. Three words. “Is God good?” The answer to that question will determine how you will react to him and his promises. If God is good, then he doesn’t lie. If he doesn’t lie, then his promises are valid. If they are valid, then eternal life is mine through Jesus. If eternal life is mine through Jesus, then my future is secure and I can live a sold-out, radical, no-holding back, God-fired-up life for God.

 

But, what if it’s all a fake?  Back in the Garden of Eden, the serpent started his attack, “Did God really say?” From there, the conversation continues in a carefully crafted attack on the character of God, never actually stating anything, but clearly calling God’s character into question. Is God really good? Is he holding back? Does he really have your best interests at heart?

That’s what the Bible is about. Even the devil’s own slander against God. It is a no-holds barred description of the interactions between God and man. Did the authors have an agenda? Yes they did. You want to know God? Pull his rap sheet.

 

That’s what your brothers and sisters are for. They help you keep perspective. Those folks further along in their spiritual journey can share how God worked with them through the good times and the bad. But you have to really know them so that they’ll share the real story.

 

Maybe you look at all of this and say: I don’t even if God really exists. Fair enough. God can deal with honest doubt. I say honest, because he doesn’t deal with professional skeptics. But to those who really want to know the answers, the Bible says:

 

…he rewards those who earnestly seek him. – Hebrews 11:6b

So let me ask you a question: What would convince you God exists? Be careful how you answer this, because I think God takes it seriously.

 

God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. – Acts 17:27

This Is The Time (vs. 3)

 

…and at his appointed season he brought his word to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior – Titus 1:3

You may not have planned to be here today. You may not have planned to be here…ever. Be honest: Five years ago, I doubt you could have envisioned the chain of circumstances that have brought you here this morning. Whether you were born here or dragged here, you are not here by accident.

 

If you look closely, you will see the word “his” “his appointed season”. Jesus had an appointment with Paul, but I’m sure that Paul didn’t have it on his calendar. On his trip to Damscus, there was no little “bli-bling” from his BlackBerry with the 15 minute reminder: “Appt. with J.” No one told him that day would be the day that would change his life, because God had an appointment with him.

 

Joseph might just be a small town carpenter, but even he knew something was not square when his fiancé Mary told him she was pregnant and he wasn’t the father. The Bible says that:

 

Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. – Matthew 1:19

But that night, Joseph had an appointment with God. God changed his course, and he gave a home to the one who would be called Yeshua bar’Yusef (Jesus son of Joseph).

 

God has these appointments when our chosen path of least resistance diverges from his plans. It isn’t always an angel.

 

When I was 16 I had my future figured out. I graduated in 3 years from high school, was set to get my degree in History, then it was going to be off to seminary and then go back and work at my home church in Morgan Hills. Three years into my time at San Jose State, I ran into a guy from Campus Crusade, who encouraged me to get together for Bible Study. He was so persistent that I started to hide from him in the Student Union. I told him, “I’m really busy now with work and school. Maybe I’ll get involved in ministry after I graduate.” I thought I had it figured out, but God had a different plan. Less than a year later, my college career was on hold and I was in the Philippines as a short-term missionary.

 

You are not an accident. You are not a mistake. You are God’s precious workmanship. But some of us are living below the dignity with which God made us. You are not here by accident. Your life is not a mistake. You have been through what you have been through so that you can do what God needs you, uniquely, to do.

 

Ephesians 2:10 says:

 

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. – Ephesians 2:10

 

Maybe God wants an appointment with you, but you keep putting it off, sort of like me and my dentist. They keep calling to remind me and I keep rescheduling. Let me ask you, why are you treating God like your dentist? Could it be because you don’t want to hear what he’s going to say? Could it be because he might change you into something strange or make you do something weird?

 

My friends, God doesn’t make garbage and he won’t take you anywhere he wouldn’t go himself. But you don’t have to believe me, you have to trust God. You are his workmanship, his poem, his hand-crafted treasure. Make you strange? My friends, you are already strange. He is making you beautiful.

 

Do something weird? For you and me, this is the time. It is the appointed time. It is his life-giving message. This is the message of peace for families. This is the message of healing. This is the message of forgiveness. This is the message of purpose. This is the message that our shame was carried by Jesus and eradicated on the cross. This is the message of hope, embodied each time you share body and soul with those around you.

 

He has entrusted the message to you. This is the appointed time.

 

Maybe you’ve been thinking and God has changed your mind about who you are. Maybe you’ve heard it all before, how Jesus came to show us how its done, how he took a shameful death to pay for all of the shameful things that should have put us on that cross, how he came back to life to give us life, but it never clicked. Maybe you’ve been holding on to too many of your rights, but God is telling you to give him free reign. This is the appointed time to say:

 

I Am A Servant.

 

I Am A Messenger.

 

I Am A Faith Builder.

 

I Am Forever.

 

I Am A Believer.

 

 

This In The Place (vs. 5)

 

The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished… - Titus 1:5

 

Titus was left in Crete because Paul trusted him and because there was unfinished work. There was a leadership crisis. There was good doctrine, but it wasn’t translating into good lives. There were so many churches in crisis that Paul had to rush on, but he left this trusted man, Titus, behind. To “straighten out” the situation, because (1) he was convinced that the church is the life-giving hope of the world and (b) he cared about the people.

 

My friends, Jesus couldn’t be here today. Urgent business. So he left his trusted ones here in El Dorado Hills and Cameron Park and Rescue and Shingle Springs and Folsom to “straighten things out” because he cares. He has left you and me. You thought you are here because of job or family, health or circumstance, but no, you are here because God needs you here. And he needs you and me to care like he cares.

 

I am convinced that I am a bit smug. As long as my life is ok, as long as it’s not my kid or wife, not my neighborhood, not my friend, not my company; as long as the tanks aren’t rolling down my street, I just don’t really care. And if it inconveniences me, then I usually consider it beyond my reach.

 

Let me tell you the story of Rob. A few of the guys from the Men’s Ministry went out to Town Center and asked people there if we could pray for them. It was a Wednesday night and there were a couple of bands playing and it was there, under Regal Cinema, that we found Rob, sitting to the side of one of the amplifiers reading his book. When we asked if we could pray for him, he was a bit taken aback, but then told us he was a follower of Jesus and that he came out to Town Center be a witness rather than sitting at home. Then he told us how his heart was acting up, with heart palpitations and racing heart. We prayed for him and then left.

 

On July 6th I ran into Rob again. I re-introduced myself and asked how his heart was. He told me he was better now, but had spent July 4th in the emergency room because of his heart again. I asked him how he was feeling now. He said fine. He said, “You know I was just telling someone about you this morning.” “It hasn’t been easy, this whole heart thing, but you know I wouldn’t trade it for anything, because what God has taught me through all of this.”

 

You see, the funny thing is, I have seen Rob dozens of times, maybe more, around El Dorado Hills, where he works, and shopping in Raleys. But I never cared what happened to him.

 

There are hurting people in El Dorado Hills. There are desperate people in Cameron Park. There are disappointed and struggling and hurt and failing lives all around us and we wail about it in the abstract, but the truth is that we just don’t care. I don’t care. Care for orphans in India? Great! But I can’t even work up enough care for the little boy who in our area without his mother and whose family might lose their house. But Jesus

 

When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. – Mark 6:34

 

I am convinced that I have a radically different view of El Dorado Hills than God does. We see cars and nicely manicured lawns and tailored clothes. But God sees emotional and spiritual train wrecks. How do we reconcile this? It is intolerable. It is unconscionable.

 

I have given up trying to arm-wrestle my emotions into caring. So I am turning to the author of my soul, determined to follow him and asking him to break my heart for the same things that break his heart. That the condition of my neighbors, co-workers and town-mates will move me and my church to be the life giving, salt-tasting, blindness-erasing gospel of God.

 

Are you willing to pray that prayer?

 

[1] Cited by Houghton Mifflin in Reader's Digest, December, 1981.
[2] Edited from Willow Leadership Summit 2010 presentation by Jim Collins and from Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't, Jim Collins (Harper Buisiness: 2001)