Without A Word

Posted on October 14, 2010 by Pete

My youngest daughter is enrolled in a ministry internship program at a local church. In addition to living in dorms at the church, working with the church, and attending accredited Bible classes at the church, they are discipled by a vibrant, dedicated set of leaders from the church. She told me one evening at dinner, that one of those leaders takes issue with a quote attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, “Preach the gospel always: When necessary, use words.” His objection, understandably, is that gospel is to be preached . . . with words. Jesus said that He had come to preach the gospel (Luke 4:18), and told His disciples to preach the gospel (Mark 16:15), and, if you look at Paul and the early church, that’s what they did – preach the gospel . . . with words. The concern with the quote then, is to take a view that the church can be silent and somehow proclaim the good news.

And while I agree with the concern . . . and understand the danger of taking an unbalanced view of the role of only “walking the talk” and never “talking the talk” . . . I read in 1Peter 3 of a scenario where someone is won by watching someone else’s life . . . where the gospel is preached without a word.

The general context is Peter’s encouragement to a group of believers to “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.” (1Peter 2:12 ESV) The specific context concerns a believing wife who is called to submit to an unbelieving husband . . . “so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives.” (1Peter 3:1 ESV)

Won over by conduct . . . that’s the spiritual dynamic described here. Not to say a word was never spoken. The husband would know his wife was a follower of Christ . . . she would have proclaimed the good news and have been ready to give a defense as to the source of her hope and conduct (1Peter 3:15) . . . she would have talked the talk . . . but, in this situation, Peter says, in effect, “Preach without a word.” And I can’t help but wonder if there is an application for me in this . . . an application beyond a saved wife and her un-saved husband. I’m thinking so.

That a person can be won to Christ through the conduct of a believer is evident here. And I note the characteristics of that conduct. The NKJV says it’s “chaste conduct accompanied by fear” . . . the ESV, “respectful and pure conduct” . . . the NIV & NLT, “pure and reverent lives”. It’s a life that is lived in reverent awe and fear of God and respectful of others . . . conduct that is undefiled by the world and characterized by a personal purity (3:2).

It’s a life attractive not because of designer clothes, or a “cute haircut”, or well-applied makeup or jewelry . . . it’s not attractive because someone looks cool or rad or whatever today’s term is. Instead, it’s a life that is attractive because of the “hidden person of the heart” and “incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit” (3:3-4). There’s something about authenticity that draws people to the Lord . . . something about emulating the nature of the “meek and lowly Jesus” . . . something about an inner beauty that doesn’t fade with age . . . doesn’t wrinkle . . . but, if anything, radiates increasingly as a believer grows in grace through the transforming work of the Spirit. And that “something” can be the very thing that Jesus uses to draw someone to Himself.

As I think back, God used a powerful combination of a friend who preached the word and his family who lived “beautiful lives” from the inside-out to woo me to Himself. It was the written Word in combination with the “without a word” testimony that was used to bring this sinner to the Living Word.

I agree with my daughter’s mentor . . . the gospel is to preached verbally . . . audibly . . . fervently. But I also think we need to “study up” on the “without a word” approach . . . to continue to submit to the Spirit’s work of conforming us into the likeness of Christ . . . to cultivate pure and reverent lives . . . to be focused on the inner beauty of the heart . . . the outer reality of a gentle and quiet spirit . . . the authentic representation of following Jesus . . . that, as He would determine, some might be won without a word. For His glory . . .

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Identifying

Posted on October 13, 2010 by Pete

So, I’m thinking it is wired into man to want to be part of something . . . to be identified with something. Around us it finds it’s manifestation in everything from bumper stickers to brand name clothes . . . from baseball caps to sports team jerseys . . . from the flag of our country hanging outside our door to the flag of our football team hanging outside our door . . . from colored wristbands to logo’d up t-shirts . . . all of it, a way of identifying with something. And as I continue reading in 1Peter . . . a letter to a people whose experience I have little connection with . . . I identify with them . . . not in their suffering so much . . . but in their calling and their identity in Christ . . .

“But you are a CHOSEN GENERATION, a ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, a HOLY NATION, His own SPECIAL PEOPLE that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now THE PEOPLE OF GOD, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. Beloved, I beg you as SOJOURNERS and PILGRIMS, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul . . . as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as BONDSERVANTS OF GOD.” (1Peter 2:9-11, 16)

I look at that list of capitalized words . . . that catalog of descriptors . . . that inventory of “tags” . . . and I think any one of them would make a great logo on a t-shirt or a baseball cap. Each of them, for the believer, would be a badge of honor to wear . . . a life’s mission statement to try and live up to. Talk about identifying with something . . . talk about being part of something bigger than yourself.

And while they all really grab me, one kind of stands out above the rest this morning. It probably isn’t the one that lends itself to the most creative t-shirt design or most witty tag line . . . but it so describes where my identify lies . . . it so clearly states the “something” that I am part of . . . I was not a people, but now I am THE PEOPLE OF GOD.

How’s that for an identity? A people-group of God’s own choosing and creating and re-creating. Common ancestry . . . born of God through the Spirit. Common language . . . the Word of God. Common anthem . . . the song of the redeemed. Common currency . . . treasure in heaven. Common mission statement . . . live for glory of God. Part of a people that transcends any earth-defined culture . . . brothers and sisters scattered throughout the world all claiming the same identity . . . the people of God. David wrote, “I am a companion of all who fear You, and of those who keep Your precepts.” (Ps. 119:63)

The People of God. It’s an exclusive club . . . but it’s open to all who would enter. It’s free to join, the price already having been paid in full . . . but membership will cost you your life. There’s a rewards program . . . investment in it now, pays huge dividends in the future — an eternal future. But there’s no boasting in this identity, save for boasting in the cross . . . no place for pride or self-promotion for all members are but sinners saved by grace.

Oh, what privilege to be counted as the people of God.

And it’s not a t-shirt or ball cap or rubber band or bumper sticker that identifies and seals us. No, it’s the living Spirit of God which has been given to us as a seal of His ownership . . . an indicator of our authenticity as His people . . . a deposit guaranteeing that the best is yet to come (Eph. 1:14). That’s the “God wear” that I am to put on . . . that’s the evidence I am to display . . . the living Spirit of God showing forth . . . identifying me as part of the people.

Oh, that it would be more than just an identity . . . that it would be reality . . . by His grace . . . through His Spirit . . . and for His glory . . . amen?

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As Living Stones

Posted on October 12, 2010 by Pete

That God is in the midst of a building program is clear in Scripture. He is the architect . . . the developer . . . the sub-contractor . . . the tradesman . . . and, He even supplies all the material. It’s re-cycled material . . . all of it, at one point, soiled . . . all if it, apart from the re-cycling program, damaged goods . . . but all redeemed and renewed such that it is now suitable for God’s design and purposes. Material which cost the Father dearly to secure . . . but which He delighted to purchase for this one of kind eternal structure. Material which is laid in the context of a Foundation which is perfect . . . a chief cornerstone, elect, precious . . . a Living Stone chosen by God. Material which has been reconstituted to take on the properties of the Foundation . . . to be like the Foundation . . . to be, just as He is, living stones.

This picture in 1Peter 2 always grabs me . . .

“Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1Peter 1:4-5)

Man! What a building program . . . what a high and lofty structure . . . a living, breathing sanctuary . . . a people-building designed to function as a God separated priesthood given the sacred occupation of offering up spiritual sacrifices to the Father through His Son. In Ephesians it say that this structure has been architected such that each member is fit together perfectly so that it grows into a holy temple . . . being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit (Eph2:20-22). And the materials? 100% re-cycled.

I, along with every believer through the ages, am a living stone. Purchased at great cost. Having no “textile” quality of myself but given new “properties” suitable for building with when I was made a new creation in Christ. I’m a living stone just like THE LIVING STONE . . . redeemed into the likeness of Christ for the purpose of being conformed to the image of Christ . . . to be incorporated as part of the building whose foundation is Christ.

A living stone being built into a spiritual house. I’m a piece of the puzzle . . . a small piece of colored glass in the mosaic . . . a measure in the opus . . . a face on a multi-faceted diamond. A living stone shaped, as He has determined . . . placed exactly where He wants . . . incorporated into an eternal design for the purpose of offering up spiritual sacrifices to the One who alone is worthy to receive honor . . . put together for the glory of God.

What a privilege . . . what an undeserved, grace wrought privilege. To be counted a living stone fit for His sanctuary . . . to be recruited into a holy priesthood with such a high and holy calling . . . to be cemented eternally with His Son to form a house of eternal praise . . . it really is a bit overwhelming. And who’s up to the task? Not me in my own power . . . not me in my own strength and determination. But the life I now live as a living stone, I live by faith in the Son of God — THE LIVING STONE — who loved me and gave Himself for me (Gal 2:20). And the textile strength I possess as fitting for such a unearthly structure is that of the indwelling Spirit of God — the power of the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead (Rom. 8:11). And the “right” I have to consider myself suited for such a grandiose building program is the right I have as a child adopted by the Father (Gal. 4:4-7).

A living stone . . . who woulda’ thought? God . . . the God who is in the midst of a building program . . .

Thank You Father!

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Don’t Ask If You Already Know the Answer

Posted on October 11, 2010 by Pete

It’s one of those stories that just makes you cringe. You read the account and you know this is not going to turn out well. One of those cases where it would have been better if they had never said a thing rather than stand up and speak up in some pious manner. But they did . . . and I cringe . . . and it’s a warning to me . . . don’t ask if you already know the answer.

So here’s the deal . . . Jerusalem has fallen to the Babylonians. They have destroyed it . . . a lot of people have died . . . many more have been taken captive back to Babylon . . . a remnant of the poor have been left in Judah and given land to tend . . . and a governor has been put in place to watch things for the king of Babylon. There’s been a coup where the governor has been overthrown . . . and a counter coup re-establishing some level of stability in Judah. But they are still under Babylonian control . . . and the leaders think it’s time to take things into their own hands and head to Egypt for protection.

Queue the question . . . “Then all the guerrilla leaders, . . . and all the people, from the least to the greatest, approached Jeremiah the prophet. They said, ‘Please pray to the LORD your God for us. As you can see, we are only a tiny remnant compared to what we were before. Pray that the LORD your God will show us what to do and where to go.’ ” (Jeremiah 42:1-3 NLT)

Fair enough . . . sounds good . . . desperate uncertain times call for divine wisdom and guidance. Jeremiah comes back and says, “Ok, but know that whatever the LORD answers you, I will declare it to you. I will keep nothing back from you.” (42:4) And the people’s response is, “You bet. Bring it on. Whatever He says we will do . . . wherever He directs we will go . . . that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the Lord our God.” (42:5-6)

God, through Jeremiah says, “Stay in the land under Babylonian rule and it will go well with you.” The people say, “No way! Are you kidding me? That’s not what we were expecting or wanting to hear? That makes no sense. Jeremiah, you’re not speaking God’s word . . . you’re speaking falsely. We’re going to Egypt! That’s what makes sense to us . . . that’s what God really wants us to do.” (43:2-4) They didn’t like the answer . . . it didn’t line up with their thinking . . . it didn’t suit their view of what God’s will had to be . . . they asked the question . . . but they already knew the answer.

And the problem is diagnosed by Jeremiah, “For you were hypocrites in your hearts when you sent me to the LORD your God, saying, ‘Pray for us to the LORD our God, and according to all that the LORD your God says, so declare to us and we will do it.’ ” (42:20)

They were playing the God game . . . they were going through the motions hoping the answer they wanted would be the answer God would give them. They weren’t being honest with Jeremiah . . . or God . . . or themselves. The were leaning to their own understanding and were hoping that God would endorse it . . . that they would find a verse in the Bible to support it . . . that they could do their own thing with God’s blessing. And God, through the prophet, calls them on it.

And so I cringe. It would have been better to have just done their own thing than to have tried to act under a pretense of “desiring God’s will for me life.”

He knows the answer . . . I need to ask the question . . .and, in asking the question, sincerely want God’s voice . . . and His mind . . . and His answer . . . even when it’s not what I would have thought the answer to be. How I need to have a true heart that desires my “Plan A” to be His plan . . . for my well being . . . and for His glory . . .

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Rechabites Among Us

Posted on October 8, 2010 by Pete

Jeremiah 35 records an interesting object lesson. It was a lesson for the people of the time . . . it is a lesson for the people of this time. And what grabs me about it, is a promise that God makes to a group of men at the time of Judah’s demise which is having an impact on some family, somewhere, today. If I’m reading it right, there are Rechabites among us . . .

The story’s pretty simple. God tells Jeremiah to go to the house of the Rechabites, and invite them over to the temple and then give them some wine to drink. Jeremiah extends the invitation . . . they RSVP in the affirmative . . . they show up . . . he serves up . . . and they close up . . .

“Then I (Jeremiah) set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites bowls full of wine, and cups; and I said to them, ‘Drink wine.’ But they said, ‘We will drink no wine, for Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, saying, ‘You shall drink no wine, you nor your sons, forever. You shall not build a house, sow seed, plant a vineyard, nor have any of these; but all your days you shall dwell in tents, that you may live many days in the land where you are sojourners.’ Thus we have obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, in all that he charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, or our daughters, nor to build ourselves houses to dwell in; nor do we have vineyard, field, or seed. But we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us.’ ” (Jeremiah 35:5-10)

And these boys, and their families, become God’s example to a rebellious nation of what He desires. They had been instructed by their dad on how they were to live . . . and they listened . . . and they obeyed . . . and even when sitting in the temple of God, before a prophet of God, and told to drink, they said, “Uh, no. We have determined to do what our father asked of us.” And the Lord, through Jeremiah, says to the people of Judah, “Will you not receive instruction to obey my words like the sons of the Rechabite, Jonadab?” (35:13-14)

In their simple, unpretentious, “as for me and my house” willingness to follow the instruction of their father, these boys and their families are held up as a divine object lesson of the obedience the Father of the family of believers desires. An object lesson for Judah . . . an object lesson for me . . . the Father requests obedience. He wants His people to incline their ears to His word . . . to prepare their hearts for it to be planted . . . to steel their wills with holy determination to follow . . . to know the blessing of the enabling power of the Spirit . . . and to experience the joy of abiding in the will of the Savior of their souls. God desires obedience among His people.

And what’s captured my imagination is a promise God makes through Jeremiah to this family of tent dwelling teetotalers, “Because you have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts and done according to all that he commanded you, therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not lack a man to stand before Me forever.'” (35:19)

There are, therefore, Rechabites among us . . .

Generation after generation . . . through the millennia . . . God has placed a special protection on the line of this family . . . all because of their willingness and desire to obey. And I can’t help but be challenged by the importance the Father places on obedience from His children . . . the joy it gives Him when I say, “Yes Lord” . . . “Thy will be done Lord” . . . “By Your strength Lord” . . . “Because I love you Lord.”

These Rechabites . . . they walk among us . . . oh, that by God’s grace we might walk as one of them . . . for His glory . . . amen?

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The Jesus Diet

Posted on October 7, 2010 by Pete

I don’t do well with diets. Not because I can’t be disciplined . . . but because I like food . . . I enjoy eating . . . I like taste. Sugar-free, fat-free, taste-free just doesn’t do it for me. And I like variety. No-meat or only meat . . . no carbs or only carbs . . . just salads . . . only vegetables . . . that won’t work for me either. I like a variety such that even a favorite food can turn into a “I’m done with it” food if I eat it day after day after day. I’ll admit it . . . I like to eat . . . I like food. So that’s why, for me at least, the best way to keep my weight in check, to some degree, is to make sure I eat the right food (and try and get in some regular exercise, but that’s another devotional thought). I think it’s somewhat ironic that I finally find myself living a 5 minute walk away from a Mickey-D’s and it’s no longer on my list of things I want to eat (oh, what I wouldn’t have given for easy and quick access to the golden arches a few years ago).

And what’s got me thinking about food . . . and the right food . . . is a conversation Jesus had with His disciples . . .

“Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, ‘Rabbi, eat.’ But He said to them, ‘I have food to eat that you do not know about.’ So the disciples said to one another, ‘Has anyone brought Him something to eat?’ Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish His work.'” (John 4:31-34)

My Lord knew what it was to enjoy food. He augmented the feast at the wedding in Cana of Galilee with some out-of-this-world wine (John 2:1-12). He served up a massive fish fry on a hillside for 5,000+ people from just five barley loaves and two small fish at His disposal (John 6:1-14). One of His last desires before the cross was to make sure He sat down with His closest associates for a final meal (Luke 22:14-20). After His resurrection He served up breakfast for His friends at the seaside (John 21:1-14). And one day, He is going to host a feasting table unlike any every set or imagined when all who are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb are invited to dine with Him at the marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:5-9). But while Jesus only serves up the finest fare, there is another food on His menu which He delighted to partake of . . . and desires that I do the same . . . the food of doing the will of God.

Doing the will of God . . . accomplishing the work He has prepared in advance for us to undertake (Eph. 2:10) . . . that is food too, according to my Lord. Within obedience there is flavor and nourishment and satisfaction . . . it is the primary source of the recommended daily does of Christian vitality. To do what God wants me to do needs to be a regular part of my diet . . . needs to be served up throughout the day . . . and when His will is partaken of . . . oh, it tastes so good!

I read this morning in Jeremiah of those who refused the food . . . those who pursed their lips . . . who turned away their heads . . . of whom God says, “They have turned to Me the back, and not the face” (Jer. 32:33). They refused the food of His will and in so doing, the Lord says they profaned His name (34:16). For His people to reject His bread is to defile and dishonor Him who loved them from before the foundation of the world. And, from a personal and spiritual perspective, to refuse God’s will is to assume bad eating habits . . . worse than junk food, it will sap a believers spiritual vitality . . . causing a form of malnutrition which results in no satisfaction . . . no peace . . . no joy . . . and no glory.

The Father places a premium on obedience. The Son models for me the priority it should have in my life. My food too should be to do the will of Him who called me. It’s part of a well-balanced spiritual nutritional plan. By God’s grace I desire to follow and be faithful to the Jesus diet . . . for His glory . . .

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good . . . amen?

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The Music Matters

Posted on October 6, 2010 by Pete

For the sake of unity we downplay it. Hymns vs. modern praise and worship or, as we used to call it, “choruses.” Piano only vs. a multi-piece band. Slow and reverent vs. up beat and joyful. The old songs of the faith vs. new and original tunes and lyrics every week. The way we worship in our different gatherings is truly varied . . . yet, so often, very defining. “I’m of the hymn book” . . . “I’m of Hillsong” . . . “I’m of the Passion movement” . . . “I’m of Jesus Culture” . . . “I’m of Gaither” (yes!!!) . . . “I’m a little bit country . . . I’m a little bit rock ‘n roll” (maybe not so much) . . . but you get the idea . . . how we worship is as different as we are. And so . . . and I think rightly so . . . we downplay it for the sake of unity . . . cause it’s not really about the music . . . or at least not about the music we produce externally.

This morning, I’m reminded that how we worship matters . . . that, at it’s core it really is not left up to our preferences or different tastes. In fact, I read again this morning that God seeks “true worshipers” . . .

“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:23-24)

First of all, I’m blown away that God seeks worshipers. God who needs nothing . . . who is Creator and possessor of all . . . this God is on the lookout for true worshipers. They are the worshipers He desires . . . those He craves . . . those He longs to find. Oh, to think that there would be anything which puny mortal man could offer which would be something that the High and Lofty God of eternity would desire is a point to ponder (and enjoy) in and of itself. God loves worship . . . His heart is set on finding worship . . . His eyes comb the earth looking for worship . . . but not just any worship . . . in a sense, the music matters.

And it’s the music of authenticity and reality . . . the music of veracity and of the heart . . . the music of spirit and truth.

The woman Jesus talks to in John 4 tries to deflect Jesus’ probing into her personal life by talking of worship. Where was the right place to worship — the mountain where her people worshiped or Jerusalem? . . . which was the right way to worship — the way of the Samaritans or the way of the Jews? And Jesus used the opportunity to talk about “the music.” The Samaritans passionately pursued their worship but it was false worship . . . worship mingled with pagan practice . . . worship fashioned after their world . . . it wasn’t worship in truth. The Jews, on the other hand, sliced and diced and offered at the temple as God had commanded them . . . but it was about going through the motions . . . checking the boxes . . . seeing it as a measure for how “good” they were in their “obedience” . . . how worthy they were because of their actions . . . they drew near to God with their mouths and honored Him with their lips but their hearts were somewhere else (Matt. 15:8). But, says Jesus, true worship must be in spirit . . . transcending the physical motions, it must emanate from the very being of a man or woman . . . it must be reflective of the very essence of the person and be offered into a realm beyond what is seen or heard . . . for God is Spirit.

So while the number of instruments doesn’t really matter . . . and whether the words were written in 1810 or 1910 or 2010 doesn’t really matter . . . the “music” of spirit and truth does matter. The melody needs to originate from the heart (Eph.5:19) and the lyrics must be penned in God’s defined reality. We can go through the motions just as easily singing out of a hymnal as we can singing off the screen. Fake worship can be offered whether we’re singing to a piano, a five piece band, or no band at all . . . the creation being praised above the Creator. What God seeks is the music of the heart . . . and the lyrics of truth. Package it with whatever genre of music you prefer, but oh, that God’s people, would pursue worshiping in a manner which delights God . . . which honors Him and Him alone . . . which is sourced in the reality of hearts won by the Savior and humbled by His grace . . . which is presented in the context of His living Word and the truths conveyed from it . . . which is sought by Him for His honor and pleasure . . . for His glory alone . . . amen!

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The Thoughts

Posted on October 5, 2010 by Pete

Any way you look at it, they were there for the long haul . . . seventy years. Jeremiah’s letter (chapter 29) . . . a word from the Lord . . . promised a return to Jerusalem . . . but it would not be for 70 years . . . the promise was literally a lifetime away. It didn’t matter what age you were when you heard the promise, you would be old . . . really old . . . if you were still alive . . . at the fulfillment of the promise. If you were a child of 5 years old, then you’d be 75 when the opportunity came to go home . . . if you were a young teen of 13 . . . then they’d be pushing you back to Jerusalem in a wheelchair as an 83 year old . . . and, if you were a thirty-something . . . forget it! . . . welcome to Babylon . . . for life!

And it’s in the context of this promise of God to the exiles of Judah that we find one of the most encouraging verses of Scripture: “For I know the thoughts I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

Huh? Really? What exactly are those thoughts? How does seventy years in Babylon . . . a lifetime in a foreign land . . . a promise that maybe my children, but more likely my grandchildren, will only see . . . what kind of future and hope is that? So, I ask myself, what exactly are those thoughts? Are they just the thoughts of returning His people to Babylon . . . or, are they more the thoughts God has of returning the hearts of His people to Himself.

“Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:12-13)

That’s what I think the promise was about . . . not about returning to Jerusalem, but about returning to the Lord. It wasn’t about the getting back to the comfort of familiar surroundings, but about getting back to the reality of a familial relationship with the Father. It wasn’t about a quick trip to the woodshed to get whooped for their sin . . . it was about a journey to an extended stay facility where they would experience open heart surgery . . . and where the lust for other lovers would be purged . . . and where the taste of idolatry would be replaced with a hunger and thirst for the God of heaven, and Him alone.

The fact that it would be seventy years in Babylon was not inconsistent with the thoughts God had toward them . . . it wasn’t at odds with His intent to give them a future and a hope . . . Babylon was the means. It would be there, in Babylon, that the Daniels among them would purpose in their hearts to not defile themselves with the kings meat (Daniel 1:8) and would be drawn to be faithful to God even in the midst of a culture which didn’t know or fear God. It would be in this crucible of foreign values and thought patterns and worldly ways that the dross would be skimmed away and the pure silver of a people devoted to their God would be formed. It would be in the fire of a king who demanded to be honored as God, that the sheep of Israel would be strengthened to stand fast declaring that there is only One God . . . their God . . . Jehovah God . . . the “I AM” God . . . the God who makes new hearts . . . and promises a future.

So I’m a 15 year old boy when I’m hauled off to Babylon. For most of my life, my religion’s been a joke . . . it’s been temple time on the Sabbath, along with idol worship throughout the week. I wear the prayer shawl, but I also burn the incense to the wooden statue on the mantel. But in Babylon . . . though I will likely live out my life there and never return to Jerusalem . . . in Babylon is where God will lead me to know what it really means to live. It is there that He will reveal His thoughts to me . . . there that He will set my eyes on a future that transcends any place on earth . . . there that He will work in me such that I desire Him . . . such that I will call on Him believing He is there and will answer . . . such that I will seek Him . . . and search for Him . . . search for Him will all my heart. And then, says the Lord, “I will be found by you, and I will bring you back from your captivity.” (29:14a) And therein, lies the blessing of the promise . . . therein lies the thoughts He has towards me . . . “I will be found by you.” That’s the future . . . that’s the hope. God found . . . the captivity of sin and struggle and alienation removed . . . relationship established . . . hearts thirsting for Him alone . . . God being the focus and the reality . . . even in Babylon . . . for a lifetime . . . for His glory.

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The Spirit Without Measure

Posted on October 4, 2010 by Pete

I’m wrestling a bit this morning with a statement that I know is concerning Christ but I feel like applies to me as well. A truth that concerns the uniqueness of Jesus but which I feel is also true of all believers. A spiritual dynamic that not only played out in the Lord, but that I think is intended to find a greater and greater reality in His people too.

The context is John’s response to his disciples who are getting a bit bent out of shape over Jesus’ ministry which is gaining a following. Having been used to being the only “revival meeting” in town, they are seeing more and more people flocking to see Jesus. Jesus’ following is increasing while the size of crowd that John is commanding is getting less and less. And John’s disciples are struggling with it.

And John responds to His disciples that that is precisely how it should be, “It is the bridegroom who marries the bride, and the best man is simply glad to stand with him and hear his vows. Therefore, I am filled with joy at his success. He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.” (John 3:29-30 NLT). And John goes on to instruct them in the supremacy of Jesus’ ministry as He who has come from above . . . as He who has come to testify of what He has seen and heard in heaven itself . . . as He who has come to speak the words of God . . . as He to whom the Father has given everything into His hands . . . the Son being the way of everlasting life (John 3:31-36).

And in this context, John makes the statement that has caught my attention . . . “For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure.” (John 3:34)

Jesus was unique among men in that He was Immanuel . . . God with us. Embodied in the flesh of Jesus of Nazareth was the fullness of the Godhead (Col. 2:9) . . . Father, Son, Holy Spirit . . . Triune God contained bodily. And, in that sense, God does not give the Spirit by measure. When Jesus was baptized by John and the Spirit descended upon Him . . . though He was seen as a dove . . . a small, finite, vessel . . . it conveyed the unity and completeness of Father, Son, and Spirit in this Man in the Jordan. And so, in a sense, Jesus “received” the Spirit like none other . . . operated in a fashion apart from any man as He, in the fullest sense, was God incarnate. Unique . . . One of kind . . . true statement.

But what of the statement that “God does not give the Spirit by measure?” As a vessel indwelt by the Spirit this morning do I have all of Him . . . or just some of Him. Does God give just a “cup of Holy Spirit” to believers to start with . . . and if we seem to be able to handle ok, He might give us a bit more? Or, is John’s statement a statement of universal and eternal truth? . . . that the Holy Spirit isn’t apportioned . . . not distributed bit by bit . . . but instead, when you receive the Holy Spirit . . . You receive the whole of the Holy Spirit?

Now to be sure, the degree to which the Holy Spirit is seen in a believer’s life increases over time. Unlike Jesus, who was perfect man and posed no opposition to the Spirit’s leading, we sinners-saved-by-grace have the Spirit introduced into a life that needs to learn to crucify the old man and learn to respond to the Spirit more and more. Our old man has a tendency to oppose and resist the Spirit (Gal. 5:17). So I don’t think it’s a matter of how much Spirit we have, but how much room we’ve allowed the Spirit to control. Truly, like John, we need to decrease, so that He might increase . . . but I don’t think we need more of the Holy Spirit . . . God does not give the Spirit by measure.

When Jesus promised to send a Counselor and Comforter to believers in order to lead us into truth and empower us for kingdom living, I’m thinking that, just as the Son came fully upon the place of His earthly inhabitation, so too does His Spirit. He doesn’t measure out an “amount” of Holy Spirit . . . instead He pours out the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:17-18) . . . in fact, He pours Him out abundantly (check out Colossians 3:4-6). The Spirit without measure . . . indwelling this finite man . . . seeking to transform him more into the image of the Son of Man. Oh, that He might increase and that I might decrease . . . that His fullness would be evident in me . . . for His glory . . . amen?

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Up and Down . . .

Posted on October 1, 2010 by Pete

I had a buddy years ago that just kind of had a way with words. He was a trucker . . . but not with a stereotypical trucker’s mouth . . . in fact, this sinner saved by grace was marked by speech seasoned with grace and he always talked about the Lord and life in Christ . . . and he would talk about it with passion and enthusiasm. He loved the Lord. And, while I recall Him as generally a kind of upbeat person, he had his struggles . . . on many fronts . . . and, far from hiding them away, he wore them on his sleeve often . . . talking about the tough times as well as the blessings in Christ. And one time, in talking about his roller-coaster life . . . and the emotional swings from mountain top to valley floor . . . this buddy of mine . . . who had a way with words . . . put it like this . . . “I’m up and down like a toilet seat!”

What brings such a earthy piece of wisdom to mind this morning is a passage in Jeremiah where the prophet seems to hit the wall with the unpopularity of his ministry. He’s had it with the persecution and derision he’s suffering because of the hard message God has called him to deliver. Here’s how I’d summarize the prophets one-way conversation with the Lord . . .

“Lord, you’ve deceived me . . . I thought serving you would make a difference . . . instead I’m in derision daily . . . everyone mocks me. I speak the word of the Lord because You’ve told me to and all I get is reproach. So I said, “I’m done . . . no more . . . I’m not going to talk about You or Your plans anymore.” But I can’t do that! . . . for Your words are burning in me . . . trying to keep them in is impossible . . . it wears me out to try and hold back. So I will speak . . . my voice will be heard as God wills . . . for the Lord is with me as a mighty awesome One . . . and my persecutors will not prevail. Sing to the Lord! Praise the Lord! . . . Cursed be the day I was born . . . why did I come forth from the womb to see labor and sorrow, that my days should be consumed with shame?” (Jer. 20:7-18)

I don’t know if it really comes out in my summary . . . but as I read it this morning . . . I’m thinking this guys up and down . . . like a toilet seat.

Not judging Jeremiah in anyway . . . instead, sympathizing . . . trying to imagine what it cost him to obey God in the service God had ordained for him. Empathizing with his weariness of rejection . . . understanding his desire to just “shut ‘er down” and seal his lips . . . and then being inspired by the burning passion within himself to speak the word of the Lord. To relate to the flash of encouragement he experiences as his eyes turn heavenward and he’s reminded that awesome God is in his corner . . . to smile and nod my head as, for a moment, his heart sores in praise and song . . . and then, to marvel as he crashes back into his reality and wishes he’d never been born.

Now, to be sure, Jeremiah’s calling and life experiences were pretty extreme and I have no experiential context to truly appreciate the price he paid for faithfulness . . . but there is, for me at least, a connect point with the prophet. A certain level of appreciation of what it is to be “up and down like a toilet seat.” Not to be trite . . . of flippant . . . for the trip is real . . . the roller-coaster ride can be difficult. You can loose your bearings . . . you can get tired and maybe even feel a bit sick to your stomach from the constant back and forth swinging emotion . . . you kind of lose your stability . . . feel like your a flake . . . as you waver from “No I won’t” to “Yes I will” . . . as you flip back and forth from “Praise the Lord” to “Curse the day I was born.” Again, I know Jeremiah’s situation was so extreme, but I’m thinking that the up and down experience is familiar to most, if not all, believers.

And as I’ve stared at this passage and thought on it . . . I’m encouraged by a couple of things. One, the Lord doesn’t let go. Jeremiah wants to give up . . . wants to shut up . . . but the reality of the living word of the living God within him will not be stifled . . . the God reality that Jeremiah knows to be true burns within him and compels him to be faithful. God keeps nudging Jeremiah on. And the second bit of encouragement is God’s grace in reminding Jeremiah that the God he serves is “with me as a mighty awesome One.” Oh, how I need to look up during those down times . . . and see the mighty awesome One through my eyes of faith . . . and know again the promise of Him who is faithful . . . that He is with me . . . and has pledged to never leave me or forsake me . . . to know afresh that He is great and that He is near.

My trucker friend loved the Lord . . . and sought to serve Him to the best of his ability. And though he knew what it was to be “up and down” I recall him as always looking up . . . always knowing that His God was an awesome God. Father, help me when I’m down to look up . . .

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