Acts 9:1-19: Unwilling to Do the Radical Rethink

Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”

“Yes, Lord,” he answered.

The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”

“Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”

But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength. - Acts 9:1-19

Compared to Peter in Matthew's gospel, we see that Paul had to learn the same lesson from a different angle. Both felt they were lifelong experts in a subject matter, both were humbled by God to show them that there was so much more to learn, both gave up their former profession and both followed Jesus. But whereas Peter was an expert on fishing, Paul was an expert on God and his law. Then he met Jesus.

I can imagine that there was a huge rethinking of everything that Paul knew in terms of the risen Jesus. Everything that he learned and thought he knew had to be reevaluated in fresh light. Also, his passion had to be redirected and there was a grieving and regret over people that he'd hurt in his righteous quest to destroy Jesus' followers.

I am frankly surprised at Paul because I ca imagine myself and so many people I know unwilling to go down a radical rethink like this because of the implications for my current way of life. Too much temptation to cling to what there is, to try and retrain some shred of self-justification. But once he was past that, there was a freedom.

Luke 5:1-11: Programmer Humbled By A Preacher

One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. - Luke 5:1-11

It is definitely humbling to find out that someone else is better than you at the profession that you have chosen. We each build up expertise through insight, training and experience and we treasure that as a sign of our unique significance in the world. We rank ourselves based on these to establish our importance to ourselves and others.

If a preacher came to me and said, 'You know, just move that 'if' clause into that other function." I would shake my head, but out of respect, I might humor the preacher, change the code and start recompiling. I wouldn't expect any better results, just another error like the ones I had been fighting for hours before.

And if the code not only compiled and ran after adopting his suggestion, but the performance was extraordinarily better than I could forecast, I might have a small glimpse of what Peter felt at that moment when he told Jesus, "Go away from me, Lord. I am a sinful man."

Because all of my expertise was for nothing. This preacher showed that he understood my business better than I did. Comparatively, I know nothing. And if he tells me that he wants to show me something else: "from now on you will fish for people." I would be ready to listen.

God knows my business better than I do. Every solution I am looking for is in his mind already and he can share with me when he is ready. He has things to teach me that are important for me and others that I haven't even thought about yet.

Isaiah 6:1-8: How Far Beyond Us Is God

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”

At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”

Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” - Isaiah 6:1-8

The realization of the gap between God and us, not just in power, but in character is one of the big drivers for me in my spiritual life. Not just to acknowledge it. That it is true, but to comprehend it. To marvel at how good God is. To think what it must be like to be that good. To recognize how I'm not all that. And to long for it.

Then to realize that it lies within his power. Not just to change what comes out but to cleanse that which lies within. And not just for me, but for all his people. 

Call to Worship - Losing Worship (1 Corinthians 1:26-29,31)

 

Call to Worship – Losing Wisdom

1 Corinthians 1:26-29,31

L1:     Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called.

L2:     Not many of you were wise by human standards;

L1:     Not many were influential;

L2:     Not many were of noble birth.

ALL: But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

L1:     God chose the lowly things of this world

L2:     And the despised things—

L1:     And the things that are considered nothing—

L2:     To nullify the things that the world considers important,

ALL:  So that no one may boast before him. ... Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”

Call to Worship - Proverbs of the People (1 Cor. 12:8, Eccl. 12:11, Col. 3:16)

 

Call to Worship – Proverbs of the People

1 Cor. 12:8, Eccl. 12:11, Col. 3:16

 

L1:     To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice

L2:     To another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge (1 Cor. 12:8)

L1:     The words of the wise are like goads,

L2:     Their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails—given by one shepherd (Eccl. 12:11)

L1:     Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives.

L2:     Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives.

ALL: Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. (Col. 3:16 NLT)

1 Corinthians 1:1-9: The Uncategorized Callings of the Son

Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,

To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge—God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. - 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Called. The Corinthians were called into fellowship with Jesus. Paul was called to be an apostle. We are all called to fellowship with Jesus. But not everyone was called to be an apostle. Not even Sosthenes (v1)  There are plenty of roles to be played in God's plan. We would be fools to ignore any call of God. 

The general call to fellowship-God wants to know us all this way. But the other call must be discovered. My intuition is that many of the discovered callings don't neatly fall into a category, like apostle. There just aren't enough words to name all of the callings that God has for us all, because he has made us so unique. The most important thing is to remember the one who calls and keep our face towards his light and he will reveal what he wants, if we are really listening and seeing openly.

Psalm 40:1-10: Do You Check How Well You Worship or How Worthy God Is?

I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord.

Oh, the joys of those who trust the Lord, who have no confidence in the proud or in those who worship idols. O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. You have no equal. If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them.

You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings. Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand—you don’t require burnt offerings or sin offerings. Then I said, “Look, I have come. As is written about me in the Scriptures: I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart.”

I have told all your people about your justice. I have not been afraid to speak out, as you, O Lord, well know. I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart; I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power. I have told everyone in the great assembly of your unfailing love and faithfulness. - Psalm 40:1-10

Sacrifices and burnt offerings aren't a toll system. They were supposed to be an expression of the deep feelings of our heart: regret and longing and delight. The way people used them was trying to appease a God whose default expression was frown-always grumpy except in those few moments where he was grudgingly satisfied with how much we gave to him.

Instead God awaits the day when his wishes are our joy. When that comes from the changes he has wrought in our heart, it overflows. The natural result of the overflow of that joy and delight in God is praise. Worship not based on how adequate or plentiful our efforts and offerings (proud) are, but based on God's wonderful deeds. Since these often look the same from the outside, we can get away with a lot in front of other people. Since they are hard to distinguish, we wonder if genuineness is really worth aiming for. But the author of this psalm knows that God knows.

Matthew 4:17-22: Jobs, Family and the Call of Jesus

From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”

One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him.

A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too. They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind. - Matthew 4:17-22

Jesus had a moment when he knew the time for him to start his public ministry was at hand: he had been tested in the wilderness by the devil and then he heard that his cousin John was in prison. He starts with a simple message and calls the first of his disciples (it is interesting to me that he "called" them but the word apostle means "sent one")

The reaction of his disciples always strikes me, because each decision to follow Jesus was also a decision to not follow something else and some of those seem like really hard choices: Peter, Andrew, James and John give up their fishing job, and with it, the support of their families. We know Peter was married (Mark 1:30). We knew that James and John left their father with just the hired help (Mark 1:20) It points out just how compelling Jesus and his message were. He often spoke about family as being the first ones to bear the cost of discipleship because of the strain that this new relationship placed on old, important ties. It is also important to remember that the mother of Peter was saved by Jesus' miracle, the mother of James and John traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and Jesus' brother James and mother Mary were important in helping the early church. Jesus' importance must surpass job and family, but he helps us live worthy lives for both.

 

Call to Worship - Wisdom and Contemplation (Proverbs 8:27-29,35)

 

Call to Worship - Wisdom and Contemplation

Proverbs 8:27-29, 35

LEADER:       With wisdom

ALL:              God set the heavens in place, and marked out the horizon on the face of the deep,

LEADER:      With wisdom

ALL:             He established the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep,

LEADER:     With wisdom

ALL:            He gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep his command,

LEADER:     With wisdom

ALL:            He marked out the foundations of the earth.

LEADER:    Those who find wisdom, find life and receive favor from the Lord (Proverbs 8:27-29, 35)

 

Call to Worship: Wisdom and Love (1 Corinthians 13:1, Mark 12:33)

Call to Worship - Wisdom and Love

1 Corinthians 13:2, Mark 12:33

L1: If we have the gift of prophecy, 

L2: And if we understood all of God’s secret plans 

L1: And possessed all knowledge, 

L2: And if we had such faith that we could move mountains, but didn’t love others, 

ALL: We would be nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:2)

L1      But to love him with all our hearts, 

L2:    And with all our understanding 

L1:    And with all our strength, 

L2:    And to love our neighbors as ourselves 

ALL: Is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices (Mark 12:33)

Call to Worship: Wisdom and Prayer (Colossians 1:9-12)

Call to Worship

Colossians 1:9-12

L1:    We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives

L2:     So that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way

L1:    Bearing fruit in every good work

L2:    Growing in the knowledge of God, 

L1:    Being strengthened with all power ...

L2:    Giving joyful thanks to the Father ...

ALL:    Who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.  

John 3:1-8: The Risks of Rebirth

Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” - John 3:1-8

There is no recipe for spiritual renewal. In the same way that none of us can specify our parents or the time of our birth, we are dependent for the manner and timing of our rebirth.  But unlike our birth, we can decide whether or not we wish to participate in the rebirth, but not how it will go: Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. (John 1:12-13)

Jesus was asking Nicodemus: are you willing to go back to the beginning: to rely entirely on God for your growth to learn what it means to be part of the kingdom of God. In a fashion that is completely of your sight or control, like the wind-like Spirit working? Are you-an expert and ruler-willing to submit your understanding and authority to Jesus? I think that is why it is difficult for successful people to listen fully to God, because they are too content with what they have or too afraid to not have it after struggling for it for so long. 

We must be re-born.

Galatians 3:23-4:7: Internalizing God's Guidance

Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

What I am saying is that as long as an heir is underage, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. The heir is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. So also, when we were underage, we were in slavery under the elemental spiritual forces of the world. But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. - Galatians 3:23-4:7

When our children are young, as parents we were a sort of loving dictator. We laid down the law. Our kids knew that we loved them lavishly, but when we set boundaries, they crossed them at peril. But nowt hat they are branching out on their own as adults, our relationship changes. We still seek to guide them, but ultimately we have to trust that they will internalize our guidance and our love to live out godly and productive lives.

I think this is what Paul is saying about law and faith. God had brought his people through many times of plenty and many times of want. Israel knew that God loved them lavishly, but he had to set some boundaries, which they crossed at their own peril. As they approached the next phase of their life, marked by the advent of Jesus and the welcoming of the gentiles into the kingdom, God would guide them, but ultimately he would rely not on external rules imposed on them, but on the his guidance that was internalized in the hearts of his people to live godly and productive lives.

The life of the disciple is one of trying to reorder our inner lives so that pleasing God and following his guidance is the natural part of this new faith phase, with the help of the Spirit

Call to Worship: Wisdom and Success (Proverbs 9:

Call to Worship

Proverbs 9:1-6, 10-11

LEADER: Wisdom has built her house; she has set up its seven pillars. She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine; she has also set her table.

ALL:     She has sent out her servants, and she calls from the highest point of the city, “Let all who are simple come to my house!”

LEADER: To those who have no sense she says, “Come, eat my food and drink the wine I have mixed.    Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of insight.”

ALL:     The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

[optional] LEADER: For through wisdom your days will be many, and years will be added to your life.

Call To Worship: Wisdom and Justice (Micah 6:8)

Call to Worship: Wisdom and Justice

Micah 6:8

(Tim Lewis, Manuel Luz)

LEADER: He has shown you, O people, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly.

ALL:        To walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice. (Proverbs 8:20)

LEADER: And to love mercy.

ALL:        For You desire mercy, not sacrifice. (Hosea 6:6)

LEADER: And to walk humbly.

ALL:       For humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life. (Proverbs 22:4)

Isaiah 64:1-9: An Earnest Desire for Transformation

Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you! As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, come down to make your name known to your enemies and cause the nations to quake before you! For when you did awesome things that we did not expect, you came down, and the mountains trembled before you. Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him. You come to the help of those who gladly do right, who remember your ways. But when we continued to sin against them, you were angry. How then can we be saved?

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. No one calls on your name or strives to lay hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us and have given us over to our sins.

Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. Do not be angry beyond measure, Lord; do not remember our sins forever. Oh, look on us, we pray, for we are all your people. - Isaiah 64:1-9

What does honest self-reflection tell us? That we don't deserve rescuing. That if God decided to wash his hands of us, he would be justified in doing so. We have seen in other passages that sometimes the only reason God acts is to fulfill his own promises, so that his reputation as a promise-keeping God is maintained. 

In this passage, the author has no reason why God should intervene. "How then can we be saved?" Their righteousness is filthy. God is angry. The consequences of their sin is killing them bit by bit. He can only go back to the basics: they are God's people, Zion is God's mountain and the temple in Jerusalem is God's temple. God is awesome and powerful-powerful enough to reshape them like clay in the potter's hand.

God has to rework each one of us, taking the base material that he started with, but remaking and reshaping us into the image of his son. The clay must remain quiescent: "You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, 'You did not make me'? Can the pot say to the potter, 'You know nothing'?" (Isaiah 26:16) Like Isaiah, we need to desire that transformation in God's hands more than we desire to live the flawed life we are living in our own hands. 

Call To Worship: Desiring Wisdom (Proverbs 2:3-6)

Call To Worship

Proverbs 2:2-6

L1:     But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; 

L2:     Then peace-loving

L1:     Considerate

L2:     Submissive

L1:     Full of mercy and good fruit

L2:     Impartial and sincere. (James 3:17)

ALL: Indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, 

L1:     Then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.

L2:     For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.  (Proverbs 2:3-6)

Isaiah 7:10-17: When We Don't Want God To Ask Us For A Test

Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, “Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.”

But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test.”

Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. He will be eating curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, for before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste. The Lord will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away from Judah—he will bring the king of Assyria.” - Isaiah 7:10-17

This seems like a more serious decision than, "What should we eat for lunch, honey?" I mean, there are times when I don't like to answer that question because there are so many possible wrong answers. I don't like giving wrong answers. In the beginning days of our marriage, we would require the "asker" to provide at least one suggestion when asking such a difficult question. That gave the "asked" at least one safe option for responding. This was enshrined as the "suggestion rule" in our marriage. 

We don't have to invoke it as often as we used to. But sometimes it is unavoidable. 

I think that Ahaz had a form of this same dilemma. There was no good answer to this question. He knew that he wasn't on God's good side and therefore any answer he gave was likely to still result in judgement. So he plays 'pretend holy' and says that he will not put the Lord to the test. A noble sentiment except that God himself had instructed him to put him to the test.

God was trying to get Ahaz's attention: just so you know that I am speaking, that it is not the word of some second-rate prophet-you give me the sign that I will use to prove that what will happen is from me. When Ahaz doesn't respond, God chooses an unlikely sign: a particular young woman, unmarried, a virgin that Ahaz knew about, was going to give birth to a child and that child's life was to set the time table for God's judgment on Israel using the Assyrian nation.

Matthew will pick up on this theme when talking about Jesus: the virgin birth will act as a sign and the child's life will be the time table for God's plan of redemption.

I usually think that I would like to hear unequivocally from God and his plans for my life. I have definitely put tests out there for God and said, "If you really want this, then do this." This model is at least as old as Gideon. There have also been times when I wasn't sure I wanted to know God's plan for me, usually when I already had a good plan for my life. When we were planning to go to the Philippines as missionaries, we thought we had God's plan. And when that fell through and we had to think about what God's plan might actually look like, I kept trying to wrestle God back onto my plan. I didn't want a sign from God about another direction, I wanted to insist on mine. Not a good move.