Moses Worshiped When Moses Asked

Posted on February 8, 2019 by Pete

It was over. That holy, sacred, once in a lifetime encounter of the divine kind had ceased. The goodness of God has passed before Moses. The cloud had descended. The name of the LORD had been proclaimed. From the protection of the cleft of the rock the glory of God had appeared, the back of God had been seen. God’s light had shone and then was gone. His voice had declared and then was silent. It was over. And Moses felt He needed to respond . . . Immediately!

And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped. And he said, “If now I have found favor in Your sight, O Lord, please let the Lord go in the midst of us, for it is a stiff-necked people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for Your inheritance.”

(Exodus 34:8-9 ESV)

Moses had asked Jehovah to see His glory (33:18) and the Existing One complied. Big ask. Even bigger answer. You’d think that would have been the end of the asking. Nope! Moses continued to petition. Asked for three things: 1) go in our midst; 2) pardon our sin; 3) take us for Your own. In essence, fulfill Your promise.

And here’s what grabbed me about Moses’ continuing supplication. It was worship.

Hearing the voice cease, knowing the LORD was passing on, Moses hastily went facedown lest he lose the favorable opportunity before him. He bowed and he begged. And I think, “Wait a minute. Asking isn’t worshiping. I know the prayer model. ACTS . . . Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication. I’ve been warned about going too quickly to my requests. That I need to work up to it, acknowledge first who God is before I ask Him for what I want. TACO . . . Thanksgiving, Adoration, Confession, Others.”

Wait just a minute! Moses worshiped when Moses asked? Apparently.

Moses saw the glory of God. He was there. Not quite face to face, but back to face, and that’s pretty close. And before it was over, Moses prostrated himself and pled his case. And it was worship.

I get the warnings about being so consumed with supplication that we forget who we are supplicating before. I’m a proponent of being still and knowing He is God before monopolizing the conversation with all that I desire God do. But this morning I’m also reminded that God is exalted when He is entreated.

Our ask is acknowledging His ability to answer. Our meager prayers offered only because we know His majestic power. Our supplications and desires to the Father, a pronouncement of faith that, through the cross, He has made us His sons and daughters.

And when that ask is for more of His presence so that we might be more His people, it is worship of the highest degree. We who were once in rebellion now pleading for deeper relationship. We who once had gone our own way, now asking that He would show us increasingly His way. We who once thought we could do life on our own, now seizing the opportunity to cry out, “Lord, I need You!” And in that, God is worshiped.

Sometimes we’re gonna go straight to “S” and bypass “ACT”. And when that is done with heads bowed and hearts lifted it is worship.

Worship by the grace of God. Worship for the glory of God.

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What Makes Us Distinct

Posted on February 7, 2019 by Pete

One of a kind. Special. Unique. Unlike anyone else. Guys like Ripley and Guinness have made a living off of it. Nothing like a world record to set someone apart. And who can’t help but feel like a one-of-a-kind if what they do, or who they are, borders on the unbelievable? As I noodle on it, don’t we all, deep down, want to be special? To have something or to do something that makes us distinct? I’m thinkin’ . . .

But I’m also wondering if, as the people of God, we often look to the wrong “somethings.” That we try to scratch the itch of notoriety with the wrong stuff. That we’re seeking the wrong accomplishments, or performing before the wrong audience, or hoping to go viral with the wrong video as we try to find our 15 minutes of fame. And we’re missing that our greatest distinctive may just be the thing we are most prone to take for granted.

Moses said to the LORD, “. . . Now therefore, if I have found favor in Your sight, please show me now Your ways, that I may know You in order to find favor in Your sight. Consider too that this nation is Your people.” And He said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” And he said to Him, “If Your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people? Is it not in Your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?‘”

(Exodus 33:12-16 ESV)

The Mount Sinai rest stop had almost busted the Promise-Land-Or-Bust caravan of liberated Egyptian slaves. New found freedom, along with some misguided spirituality, had almost derailed the mission. Dancing around a golden calf, worshiping it as the gods who had brought them out of Egypt, has a way of putting a wrench in the spokes of forward momentum. And so, after some rebuke, after some retribution (think 3,000 dead), after some intercession, the congregation of Israel is ready to move on towards the promise of a land flowing with milk and honey.

But before they do, Moses wants to make sure of one thing. “God, are You coming?” To which God replies, “My presence will go with you.” To which Moses replies, “Yes! Without that, there’s no point in trying to move on. Because that’s what makes us distinct.”

The presence of God. That’s what sets apart the people of God from all other people. God in the midst. That’s what make us special. Flesh and bone residences for the Spirit of God. That’s what makes us unlike anyone else. Possessing a 24/7 open invitation to boldly enter into the holy of holies and approach the King of Glory’s throne of grace. Feeling kind of special? Should be!

That’s our world record. It is the reality of our out of this world connection. That’s our believe it or not claim to fame. That by believing, He has claimed us as His own. The proof of which is found in His presence.

We are unlike others. And that, because of His going with us. It’s not in what we’ve done, or who we think we are, but in who He has redeemed us to be.

In Him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

(Ephesians 2:22 ESV)

A dwelling place for God. That’s our identity. That’s our claim to fame. That’s what makes us distinct.

And it’s not so we can boast, but so we can press on toward the promise. So that after we have stumbled, and His kindness has led us to repentance, and we’ve spit out the bitter dust of our ground up idols, we can keep on keepin’ on.

Knowing His presence will go with us. Knowing that we are His people. A special people. A one of a kind people. A distinct people.

Because of His grace. And for His glory.

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The Sign of Sanctification

Posted on February 6, 2019 by Pete

It wasn’t commanded because God knew that their dust based frame needed regular downtime if it was going to function at maximum efficiency. Though it was founded as an indicator of a work finished and complete, its intent was more than just as a regular religious observance. While there may be practical benefit and theological significance in observing a Sabbath rest, as I encountered in my reading in Exodus this morning, above all it was to be a reminder. A tangible act recalling a divine truth–a truth so easy to forget. The Sabbath was to be the sign of sanctification.

And the LORD said to Moses, “You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep My Sabbaths, for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the LORD, sanctify you.'”

(Exodus 31:12-13 ESV)

For the last 10 chapters it’s been about what to do. Moses has been in a one-on-one with the God of deliverance and redemption and has been given ten commandments, a myriad of laws, and explicit, detailed instructions for building the tabernacle, its furnishings, and the priestly garments. Talk about an out-of-control to do list!

Where do I start? What comes first? Are some the commandments more important than others? Should some of the laws be instituted now rather than later? Maybe getting folks to donate now to the Tabernacle Building Project should be the priority. And then God says, “Above all . . . ”

And it’s not really above all in the sense of do it first, but above all in the sense of, if you do anything, make sure this gets done. Above all in the sense of this is foundational. Do this, and do it in a thoughtful, meaningful, intentional way, and the rest will fall into line. “Above all you shall keep My Sabbaths.”

Why the primacy of a day set apart? Because it was a sign. A reminder. A physical reminder that disrupted daily routine. A physical reminder of a spiritual truth that must never be forgotten if the people of God were to walk in the ways of God as God had commanded. A reminder He is Jehovah, the existing One, and that He had set them apart for Himself.

They weren’t just a congregation, they were the promised congregation. They were more than a nation, they had been carved out to be a holy nation. They weren’t just a people, they were the people of God. Set apart. Sanctified. And thus, setting apart a day from their busy schedules was to be above all for it would remind them of who they were and, Whose they were.

Keep the Sabbath and keeping the commands would come. Regularly remind themselves that they were set apart for God’s glory and His purposes, and obedience to the law would come from love-fueled response and not religion-demanded regulation. Frequently know afresh that they had been brought out of bondage through the mighty works of God, and rallying around building a place for His glory to dwell would be their joy.

The people of God need to be reminded–FREQUENTLY–that they are the people of God. That they are not their own, but have been set apart by the LORD’s goodness for the LORD’s glory.

The thought was reinforced for me in my Acts reading this morning where Paul is having his final meeting with the Ephesian elders and exhorting them to care for the Ephesian flock.

Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which He obtained with His own blood.

(Acts 20:28 ESV)

He obtained the church. Literally, He set it around Himself that it might be for Himself. And this He did by purchasing it with His own blood.

We are not our own. We have been purchased with a price. And a regular, frequent act of breaking from our busy schedules is a sign, a tangible reminder, that we have been sanctified. That we have been set apart for Him. Get this locked in and, I’m thinking, the rest has a way of falling into place. Lose this . . . ignore this . . . don’t believe this . . . and maybe, just maybe, what you get is wandering in the desert.

Thinking this morning that keeping a sign of sanctification “above all” really should be above all.

By His grace. For His glory.

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Clothes Really Do Make the Man (or Woman)

Posted on February 5, 2019 by Pete

Apparently it comes from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. But,while it’s old, if you don’t hear it a lot these days, you certainly see it. That “the apparel oft proclaims the man” is still very much in play. In fact, that “clothes make the man” seems to have been an operating truth for millennia.

Whether it’s taken as a “law of nature” that people will try to express themselves through what they wear, or taken as a mark of shallowness of those who try to fake who they are by what they put on, there’s often a connection between clothes and character, attire and attitude, wardrobe and weirdness, or finery and fakery.

But is the observation biblical? This morning, as I read in Exodus, it occurs to me that, in a sense, it is.

Then bring near to you Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the people of Israel, to serve Me as priests–Aaron and Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. You shall speak to all the skillful, whom I have filled with a spirit of skill, that they make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him for My priesthood. . . . They shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons to serve Me as priests.

(Exodus 28:1-4 ESV)

In past years, when I’ve been in this part of Exodus, I have found myself focused on the intricate detail of how the tabernacle and it’s furnishings were to be built more so than how the priestly garments were to be made. But for some reason this year, I’ve somewhat skimmed the tabernacle instructions, reading them more as a reminder, and instead have been arrested by the directions given for the tailoring of Aaron & Co.’s clothing.

Kind of a big deal being tagged to be a priest of the Most High. And, it would seem, along with the high calling there was to be an over-the-top outfit. Gold and precious stones required for the ephod and breastplate. Fine yarns and twine demanded for expertly sown pieces of outer wear. A golden crown engraved and fitted on a turban for the head, an intricately woven coat of checker work for the body. They were to be arrayed “for glory and for beauty.” Holy garments were required for a holy calling.

True of God’s holy priesthood back then. True of us, His holy priesthood (1Pet. 2:5), today.

But the clothes that make this man are not fashioned at the hands of men. Their material far more precious than gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen. No, the clothes that make this man are the garments of Another. Garments fashioned and freely given by Another.

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation; He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

(Isaiah 61:10 ESV)

Clothed with the garments of salvation. Covered with the robe of righteousness. Clothes not of my own making but designed by the love of the Father, fashioned through the finished work of the Son, and tailored for a perfect fit by the ever-present work of the Spirit. Not because of my worthiness, but because of mercy and grace. Not for my glory and beauty, but to reflect His.

Oh, might I never take for granted my priestly garb. Might I always be mindful of wearing my calling’s clothes. May I be careful of soiling its sacred threads. Grant me the holy determination to, as much lies in me, wear it in a worthy way.

Clothes make the man. Clothes make the woman. Praise God for what He has made of the man and the woman in Christ with the clothes of Christ.

By His grace. For His glory.

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He Heard

Posted on February 1, 2019 by Pete

What were they thinking? Hadn’t they just walked out of Egypt loaded down with Egyptian plunder? Hadn’t they just walked on dry ground through walls of water that once were the impassible Red Sea? Hadn’t they witnessed those same waters come crashing down on their enemies’ chariots, completing destroying those who would force them back into bondage and slavery? Short answer . . . Yes? So what were they thinking?

What were they thinking when they started to murmur against Moses, “Great show last night, Mo. But did anybody think about how we’re going to eat? I’m getting hungry!” What were they thinking as they whispered under their breath, “Does God have any idea what He’s doing? Has He started something He can’t finish? At least in Egypt there was meat and bread to eat. What do we do now?” Did they think that because they muttered it under their breath that God didn’t hear?

Guess what! He heard!

The whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, . . . And the LORD said to Moses, “I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel.”

(Exodus 16:2, 11-12a ESV)

The repetition in the first part of Exodus 16 is deafening. The drum beats again and again. Grumbling . . . grumbling . . . grumbling . . . grumbling!

Eight times in the first twelve verses . . . it rumbles with grumble.

Obstinate in heart, sarcastic in tongue. Talking under their breath against Moses and Aaron, but actually shaking their fists at God. Lack of food the least of their problems given their lack of faith. What were they thinking? Would God really deliver them from slavery in Egypt so that they could die of starvation in the wilderness? I’m thinkin’ not. But how often do our irrational, unbelieving hearts trump the facts that our faith is built upon.

But more than being instructed concerning the hardness of the human heart, I’m more blown away by the response of a gracious God.

So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, “At evening you shall know that it was the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and in the morning you shall see the glory of the LORD, because He has heard your grumbling against the LORD. For what are we, that you grumble against us?” And Moses said, “When the LORD gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the LORD has heard your grumbling that you grumble against Him —  what are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the LORD.” Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, ‘Come near before the LORD, for He has heard your grumbling.’”

(Exodus 16:6-9 ESV)

You wanna grumble? I’m going to show you My glory. Wanna complain about how little I care? You’re going to feast on meat at night and manna in the morning. Wanna whisper behind My back? Come near and I’ll show you My blessing.

Who answers like that? Our God. Our slow to anger, compassionate, grace-exuding God of steadfast love.

He knows our cynical whispering and still moves to meet our need. He hears our ego-centered complaining and doubles down on revealing His glory. He endures our obstinate murmuring and yet beckons us to know Him more.

I know what they were thinking. Cause I’m prone to go there too. To grumble against the God of my deliverance. To question the God who has shown again and again His might. To whisper against, if only in my heart, the God who has given me unfailing promises.

He heard. And He still hears. But He blessed. And He still blesses. Acting to meet our need, show His glory, and invite us to come near.

Grace beyond grace. For His glory alone.

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He Is Our Song!

Posted on January 30, 2019 by Pete

I’ve said it before, I don’t get songless saints. Not judging. Just can’t relate to believers who aren’t compelled to sing. Maybe it’s because part of my salvation story involved thinking I was going to a lose my song when I came to Christ.

I grew up in a non-believing home. But I grew up in a home full of music. My dad was a musician. Can’t ever remember not hearing music and singing. As I pre-teen I’d head to the record store almost every Friday and buy a 45 RPM vinyl record off the Top 30 hits that week. We had so many 45’s that my folks actually bought a jukebox for our downstairs rec room. I remember as a teen punching in a bunch of selections and then laying in front of the jukebox to do my homework. By the time I was 16 I was playing in the band with my dad along with my younger brother. Like I said, music was a significant element of my upbringing. One I am so thankful for.

When I came to Christ just before my 19th birthday, it took only a few months to realize my profession as a musician and my profession of salvation where in conflict. I couldn’t pray about the places I’d play. My job in the band was to increase alcohol sales. My job as a Christian was to promote another kind of Spirit. So, when I stepped away from the band, I thought that was the end of making music, that the song was gone.

Boy, was I wrong! I learned in those early years that God doesn’t take away the song, but with salvation gives you not only a new life, a new heart, a new beginning, a new family, and a new calling, He also gives you a new song.

He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD.

(Psalm 40:3 ESV)

And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the scroll and to open its seals, for You were slain, and by Your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation .

(Revelation 5:9 ESV)

And this morning, as I read in Exodus where the children of Israel passed through the Red Sea and the Egyptian army didn’t, it hit me as to where that new song comes from.

Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the LORD, saying, “I will sing to the LORD, for He has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider He has thrown into the sea. The LORD is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise Him, my father’s God, and I will exalt Him.”

(Exodus 15:1-2 ESV)

This LORD is my strength AND MY SONG. Not only is He the savior of my soul, He is the conductor of its song. Not only has He given me eyes to behold His majesty, He has attuned my heart to sing His melody. Not only has He given me new life, He has also given me a whole new songbook of lyrics. And that, because He has given me Himself. He is my song.

Chew on that for a bit!!!

The God of power and might, the God of our deliverance, has not only redeemed us; hasn’t just rescued us; but He has amazingly reconciled us to Himself. And, in that, He gives us Himself. The fellowship of the garden again possible. Intimacy with the Creator again attainable. And thus, He Himself is our song.

He is the subject of every verse. He is the inspiration for every tune. His Spirit providing the notes and arranging them in glorious melody. His Son, as Head of the church, our Maestro as He directs His bride in an offering pleasing to His ear, “a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name” (Heb. 13:15).

Oh sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth! Sing to the LORD, bless His name; tell of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples! For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised . . .

(Psalm 96:1-4a ESV)

Sing, saint, sing! For He has given us Himself. He is our song!

By His overwhelming grace. All for His eternal glory.

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Prove Me, O LORD!

Posted on January 29, 2019 by Pete

Sitting in my daughter’s apartment in Los Angeles and feeling full after an extended time of reading the Word and chewing on God’s goodness. This afternoon I read of God’s mighty hand of deliverance from Egyptian slavery and of His amazing provision for His people through the Passover Lamb. Then was reminded that the Lord of the Sabbath was also the prophesied Servant of Isaiah. That He who rules over all things in might and majesty, humbled Himself in order to be gentle toward us–careful not to break the bruised reed nor quench the smoldering wick. And then in Acts, reminded that for those who listen to His word, who search His word, who desire to know if “these things were so,” He reveals Himself as Christ and Savior.

But what grabbed me in particular were a couple of verses I consumed, as I did a double portion this afternoon in the Psalms, which seemed to put a bow on some recent struggles I’ve been having.

Prove me, O LORD, and try me; test my heart and my mind. For Your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in Your faithfulness.

(Psalm 26:2-3 ESV)

I know these verses hit home because they been my portion over the last several weeks. A decision to be made which, really, was a non-decision. The way of obedience clear from the beginning. However, though my will was bowed to His, my heart and my mind had some catching up to do. While I knew what was the right action, God wanted the right attitude, too.

So He proved me. His Spirit graciously shining a spotlight on my heart. The Counselor engaging my mind. The Helper helping to show me that better than cold obedience is the the obedience fueled by the fire of His steadfast love.

The obedience that’s willing to venture out into the journey though we may be going without knowing. Willing to do so, not because of our capability, not because we have it all figured out, not because we’re pretty sure we know how it’s gonna turn out, but willing to do so because, by faith, we delight in walking in His faithfulness.

Don’t know if the right word is submission, but in the last couple of days, through clarity of insight as to my heart and my mind, the Spirit brought me to a point of submission. A point where doing the right thing was going to be done for the right reasons. Not grudgingly, but gladly. Not for my benefit, but for His glory.

And the songwriter’s song this afternoon but a bow on it. Because God’s love is steadfast. I can count on it. And He wants it to flow through me.

And because He is faithful. The works He begins, He finishes. The ask He makes, comes with the enabling. Our willingness to walk in His ways possible because of His presence, His provision, and His power.

Won’t be the last time this heart of mine needs to tested. Nor the last time this over-active mind will need to be tried. But if, in the proving of this work in progress, there are continued baby steps towards being fashioned into the likeness of His blessed Son, then I will sing with the psalmist:

Prove me, O LORD, and try me; test my heart and my mind.

By Your grace, LORD! For Your glory!

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A Sign of Friendship

Posted on January 25, 2019 by Pete

Every so often I come across a song that I think needs to be tweaked a bit. Not very often, but once in awhile. The reason? I don’t think the lyrics are quite right, or, someone else has pointed out to me the lyrics may not be as theologically correct as they could be. Case in point–As the Deer (more a case in point for us boomers, you gen-whatevers and millennials may need to check out a Christian music museum).

There’s a line in the song that says, “You’re my friend, and You are my brother, even though You are a King.” I modified that lyric on my acetate overhead (again, check out the museum) so that we sung, “You call me friend, and You call me brother, even though You are a King.” The crowd I hung with back then thought that saying Jesus was our friend was not only perhaps in danger of becoming too familiar with the King of Glory but also wasn’t quite what the Scriptures said. They pointed out that nowhere does Jesus say He is our friend and that we should refer to Him as such. Instead He is the Master who has determined to relate to us as friends.

“You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.”

(John 15:14-15 ESV)

So technically it’s true, Jesus said “I have called you friends.” He doesn’t say, “You can call me friend.”

But I ran across this same idea of friendship with God in my reading in Psalm 25 this morning. And it’s got me thinking . . .

The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear Him, and He makes known to them His covenant.

(Psalm 25:14 ESV)

The friendship of the LORD. That’s what I’m chewing on this morning.

Not all translations render it that way. Other translations say that “the secret counsel” of the LORD is for those who fear Him (CSB, NASB, NKJV). The NIV renders it, “The LORD confides in the those who fear Him.” Both make sense, don’t they? For isn’t a sign of friendship the sharing of secrets?

The idea is that of such familiarity and intimacy that the heart is opened between a circle of people and their innermost thoughts are exchanged.

Isn’t that friendship? And isn’t that what God has done? Revealed His heart? Shared His ways which are above our ways, and His thoughts which are above our thoughts (Isa. 55:8-9), concerning us, our sin, and His longing for redemption and reconciliation? Made known His promises? Brought us into the secret counsels of His unfathomable grace? I’m thinkin’ . . .

Each morning when I open my bible it should be a reminder of the friendship of God. Every time the Spirit brings to mind something from His word that puts something in my life into context, it should again bring to remembrance that, though I am blessed to be but His bondservant, Jesus treats me as a friend, making known to me what His Father has made known to Him. Whether I know a little or a lot of the counsel of God through His word, it’s all a reminder of the friendship of God. That though He inhabits eternity, He chooses also to hang with those who are lowly and of contrite heart (Isa. 57:15).

Still not sure I’m comfortable with calling Him my friend. Don’t think I’m gonna go and change back the lyrics on my overhead. But blessed this morning by God’s sovereign determination to bring His people into His holy counsel as part of making way for us to enter into His holy presence. Blessed by this sign of friendship.

Blessed by His amazing grace. Blessed for His everlasting glory.

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A Tale of Two Meetings

Posted on January 24, 2019 by Pete

The juxtaposition of the two meetings in Acts 15 hits me like a ton of bricks. The first meeting (15:1-35) involved Paul and Barnabas along with the apostles, the elders, and, it would seem, the whole church at Jerusalem–many of whom didn’t really know one another that well. The invitees to the second meeting in Antioch (15:36-41) were just Paul and his faithful ministry partner, Barnabas, “son of encouragement” (Acts 4:36)–two men who had been through thick and thin together and had partnered well to plant churches and encourage new believers.

The agenda for the Jerusalem meeting centered on deep theological questions which would have a foundational impact for the church for centuries to come. At Antioch, the question was simply one of who should go with Paul and Barnabas for the next couple of months as they visited the churches they had established and see how things were going. In Jerusalem there was consensus of opinion, unity among the participants, and a confidence that what seemed good to them was because it seemed good to the Holy Spirit (15:28). But in Antioch, these two brothers couldn’t agree as to whether or not another brother should join them on their planned follow up tour.

And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

(Acts 15:39-41 ESV)

What?!?! Sharp disagreement? Literally, “contention contention” or, “irritation irritation”? (We get our English word paroxysm from the original word, meaning “a sudden attack or violent expression of a particular emotion or activity.”) How could this be?

And they separated!?!? Each so entrenched in their position that they find new ministry buddies and head in opposite directions?

And did the church take sides too? Nothing is mentioned of Barnabas being sent off with the blessing of the church at Antioch, but Paul is “commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord.”

After the triumph of the theological council at Jerusalem, after the clarity and unity and certainty that the Spirit had led, how does the Antioch planning meeting seemingly go so south? No clarity. No unity. But I’m guessing the same Spirit.

So what are we to make of this? Is it intended to show Paul’s clay feet? Or evidence that Son of Encouragement had his limits? Did the Spirit of God not fill them that day? Was this totally an outcome of the flesh?

Or, is it a reminder that God in His sovereign purposes and mysterious ways uses jars of clay to accomplish mighty purposes. That He determines to use works in progress to accomplish the work of the kingdom of heaven. That He multiplies workers for the harvest even through disputes on how best to steward the harvest.

I don’t know. But it seems worth chewing on. Seems kind of profound that the same men who walked away from Jerusalem likeminded concerning the implications of grace were unable, by that same grace, to come to a meeting of the minds on such a simple matter as who should accompany them on their church strengthening road trip.

Maybe it says something of legitimate differences of opinion and perspective. Paul seems to have held the mission up as the greatest priority and didn’t want to risk Mark bailing on them again (Acts 13:13). But Barnabas, perhaps being true to his name, wanted to encourage Mark and give him a second chance, placing the man and his restoration above the mission. Maybe it’s not that the Spirit was absent in their deliberation, though it would seem to have gotten somewhat heated as some point, but that the Spirit’s fingerprints are all over it. Using these men and how they were wired to accomplish what He had purposed. Working all things–even heated, divisive argument things–for good, for these brothers who loved the Lord Jesus and were both called according to His purpose (Rom 8:28). Maybe.

I’m sure I’ll be noodling on this some more.

By His grace. For His glory.

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He Knows the Heart. He Cleanses the Heart.

Posted on January 23, 2019 by Pete

I recently had the chance to help a sister in our church with the latter parts of a move she was making from a home that she had lived in for years. In this case, “latter parts” means “dump run.” That part of the move where everything that’s gonna be transferred to the new place has been, and all that’s left is the junk to be gathered up and tossed away.

When we got there, the organizer of “dump run day” showed us all that had to go and then directed us to what he called a particularly “nasty” job. A pile of wooden slats that had been left outside for I don’t know how long. Though covered with a tarp, the tarp only served to provide a rain free environment for the city of termites that infested the wood pile. Our job (should we decide to accept it . . . too late!), was to pull the pile apart, cut it to length so it could fit in the bed of a pickup truck, and haul it off to the dump. We could glove up, but there was no way to avoid getting down and getting dirty and getting to know our termite friends.

We knew the job was dirty. But went at ‘er. Cleaned it up. Mission accomplished.

That recent encounter of the messy of kind comes to mind this morning as I read in the book of Acts and am reminded of another dirty job.

And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as He did to us, and He made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.

(Acts 15:8-9 ESV)

Context: the Jerusalem Council. The founding church being gathered together to seek wisdom on how to view the expanding church. Died in the wool Jews, who had come to Christ, dealing with the growing reality of Gentiles who were coming to Christ. The question they wrestled with? How Jewish did these non-Jews need to become? Some said it was necessary for them to be circumcised and ordered to keep the law of Moses (15:5). Paul and Barnabas disagreed . . . strongly! Thus, Paul and Barnabas met with the apostles, and the elders and church at Jerusalem, to work through the matter.

After much debate (15:7), Peter speaks. And in addressing the issue, and pointing out the Jews inability themselves to bear the yoke of being Jewish (15:10), Peter gives this insight as to the dynamic of salvation. God knows the heart. God cleanses the heart.

God sees the pile of junk we accumulate through lives lived according to the flesh. He is fully aware of the infestation that can take place under the darkness of a cover. Isn’t repelled by the rotting material. Isn’t surprised by the smell. ‘Cause a God who knows everything, knows the heart.

But our God is also willing, when invited in by faith, to dig in and cleanse the heart. The “heavy lifting” already accomplished through the finished work of the cross of Christ. The sin-cleansing blood of the spotless Lamb of God shed as the once for all fulfillment of the law under which “almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Heb. 9:22).

God not unaware of the mess. God not shying away from, or seeking to avoid, the mess. But God providing a way for the mess to be dealt with. The mess hauled off to the dump, as it were, and cleaned up forever. For “as far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us” (Ps. 103:12).

He knows the heart. He cleanses the heart.

No job too dirty. No junk pile too big. No infestation too nasty. For Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners and deal with the mess. Even the chief of sinners, even the worst of messes (1Tim. 1:15).

All through His abundant and all-sufficient grace. All for His pleasure and everlasting glory.

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