Good Morning,
Praise the Lord for this beautiful day. We praise the Lord for this special week in our family as we are getting ready for the wedding ceremony and the celebration of Sunita and Andy. Sunita is home since last Friday. Janice , Jeremy, Micah and Simeon came home Yesterday. Jessica and Tom came home last night. Jane , a very good friend of Sunita flew from Minnesota last night. Laureen is coming home today. She is bringing Andy, the groom along with her. The parsonage is full to the brim with life and holy commotion. Some other friends of Sunita will be coming from Africa and Europe. The wedding will be held at the historic Sarah Jane Johnson Memorial United Methodist church in Johnson City. The church is built by the Johnson Boys , in honor of their mother Sarah Jane. The wedding will be this coming Saturday , September 1, 2007 at 2 p.m. You are warmly and most cordially invited for the celebration and the ceremony. The church is located , at Johnson city, near the Wilson Regional medical center. You can park at the parking lot of the Sarah Jane United Methodist church. We've also been given permission to park at the parking lot of the First Baptist Church , Johnson City, right next door to Sarah Jane UMC. The Congregations of the First Baptist and the Sarah Jane UMC share the Lord and share their parking lots:) Thank you Jesus. The wedding rehearsal will be held on Friday. Sunita and Andy are planning for a big Indian meal for their rehearsal dinner. They are planning on around 100 people and everyone is looking forward to the cultural celebration. My siblings are preparing an authentic Indian wedding feast and are sharing their extra Indian outfits so everyone can dress up for the occasion. We are praying and trusting that the Lord Jesus will be present at the wedding ceremony, worship, and at the receptions as the Host. We become His honored guests. We read in John 2. that the Lord performed His first miracle in a wedding reception in Cana of Galilee.
You have seen the commercials showing someone with a mouth full of cookies, as the question was asked: “Got milk?” Well, the question in the story in John 2, was: “Got wine?” And the answer was: “No!” The wine was gone. A miracle was needed to save the family, and the new couple, the ultimate embarrassment of not being able to provide enough for their friends. They would be forever remembered in this small village as the ones who failed to take care of the needs of their guests. The supply of wine was already running low when Jesus and his five new disciples showed up. They had been invited, but it was putting an added strain on the diminishing supply of wine.
The Gospel of John is full of symbolism and allegory. The story opens with the words: “On the third day. . . .” The story here is heavy with allegory in which John may have been alluding to Jesus’ resurrection after three days. John is preparing us for what he is building up to throughout his Gospel: that Jesus Christ would be buried, and on the third day he would show up, having risen from the dead. He would then make preparations for the great wedding feast of the Lamb of God, when he would gather together all who would be his guests into the Kingdom of God. Jesus’ first sign would point to his final sign by which he would show his glory.
After Jesus and his disciples arrive at the wedding, Jesus’ mother approached him and said, “They have no more wine.” Some believe that the bridal family may have been his relatives, or perhaps it was even the wedding of one of his younger sisters. They believe she was not asking for, or expecting, a miracle, but was saying, in effect, “The arrival of you and your disciples has caused a problem. Please send some of them to purchase more wine.” But I believe the more likely scenario is that Jesus’ mother has known all along who he was and what he was capable of. She understands that his public ministry began with his baptism and the calling of the first of his disciples. She expects that he will do something wonderful. Miracles happen when we understand that Jesus cares about our everyday needs. Jesus’ mother knows that he cares about people. He cares about all our needs, not just our spiritual needs. He cares about people being unnecessarily embarrassed. He cares about people enjoying themselves. Jesus is the kind of guy you want at your party. He knows how to have a good time. In fact, in the New Testament, we often see him at parties to which he has been invited, and he is always the life of the party. He enjoyed himself so much that his detractors called him a “glutton and drunkard” (Matthew 11:19). No one ever accused Jesus of promoting a dour, rigid, emotion-stifling religion — just the opposite. Wherever Jesus went there was life and joy. He stated that his life mission was, as he said, that his joy might be in us and that our joy might be complete (John 15:11). He has come to bring his joy, and there is joy everywhere in our world. He is the God of irrepressible joy, and he has come to share it. He offers the wine of joy to all those who are thirsty for life — for those who will come and drink. He takes care of our needs both great and small. There is nothing too ordinary to pray about. He is just as concerned about the little problems of your life as he is the big problems. If he was a little god he would be able to take care of only the major things, but since he is the great God he is, he is able to take care of all the things in our lives. He sees every sparrow each time they land on the ground. He keeps track of the number of hairs on your head. He calls the stars by name. He is a great God who is too big not to be concerned about the everyday things of your life.
Our God lives and He reigns. He is so personal he promises to live within us if we only ask him. He is so great he is involved in every detail of the ongoing process of life upon the earth. He designs every snowflake. He calls for the storm and then commands it to be still. He whistles to the birds, calling them to their winter home. He holds the world together with his loving and powerful hands. He knows your name and he knows your need. This is the mighty God we serve.
The second point I would like to make about this story is that: Miracles happen when we understand that Jesus transforms our everyday experiences. Jesus did not come to give us information; he came to give us a transformation. He changes things. He has a way of taking the ordinary and making it extraordinary. He did not come to bring new ideas; he came to make new people. The water did not just appear to be wine; it was transformed into wine — the best of wine at that. Some people have trouble believing this kind of miracle, but it is only because they do not understand the kind of God we have. Actually, turning water into wine is something that God does every day.
Our God is in the transformation business. The world wants us to get a new hairdo or a new wardrobe. Society wants us to get a better job or learn a new skill. People want to lose weight or get a face lift. But Jesus does not want to change your looks, he wants to change your heart. He doesn't want to give you a new suit; he wants to make you a new person. He does not want to rearrange you; he wants to transform you. You want to look better on the outside, and he wants to make you new on the inside. And when that transformation takes place, it will show on the outside. When Jesus changed the water into wine, he did not just change the color and fool the people’s taste buds — he actually changed the water into wine. When the water was turned to wine, the shame of the bridal family was turned to joy. The mood of the party was transformed. And Jesus’ disciples were transformed. The Bible says, “He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.”
There is no limit to his grace. What Jesus gives is never just enough, it is always more than enough, with plenty left over. He did not give just enough trees; he gave more than enough. He did not create just enough mountains; he created more than enough. He did not give just enough ocean; he gave more than enough. He did not give just enough life and joy; he gave more than enough. He is extravagant. In very ordinary places he creates extraordinary beauty. Let Jesus touch you, and see if your life is not filled with new beauty and wonder — new flavor and fragrance. See if it is not like wine that gladdens the heart of man (Psalm 104:15). Jesus is in the business of turning water into wine, sinners into saints, fear into courage, sorrow into joy, defeat into victory, despair into hope and death into life.
The third point I would like to make concerning this story is that: Miracles happen when we understand that Jesus extravagantly provides for our everyday requests. There were six jars containing between 20 and 30 gallons apiece. So, at the very least, the jars contained 120 gallons of wine, and as much as 180 gallons. That is a lot of wine. There is no way the guests could have consumed that much wine. Why did Jesus give so much wine? Because he is an extravagant giver. He never gives just enough; he always gives superabundantly. What the guests had tasted cautiously before, they now drank in abundance. This is the same thing Jesus did when he fed the multitude. He multiplied five loaves and two fish so that 5,000 men and their families were fed. And when everyone had eaten their fill, there were twelve baskets of bread and fish left over. He gave them more than they could possibly eat. But that is the way God gives.
Paul experienced this kind of extravagant grace, for he said, “Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 1:13-14). Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). We may be poor according to this world’s standards, but we are rich toward God. We may have nothing, but have everything. For we have an extravagant God who lavishes us with his blessings. I like the way The Message translates Psalm 145:16. It says, “Generous to a fault, you lavish your favor on all creatures.”
God’s grace means that he is generous to a fault. This means that you can ask him for anything. The Bible says he gives “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20). He loves to bless, or as the hymn says, “He comes to make his blessings flow.” To a dying thief on a cross he gave the gift of paradise. To a woman caught in an immoral act he gave the gift of God’s amazing grace and forgiveness. To a grieving father he gave back a child from the grip of death. To the one who denied him he gave the keys of the kingdom. He is lavish with his gifts. And to us who come with our requests, he gives the promise of abundant life here and now, and beyond this world, eternal life.
You remember in the story that when they filled the jars, they filled them to the brim. And when the master of the banquet tasted the wine his eyes lit up. He could not believe what he was tasting. He said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now” (John 2:10). Jesus always saves the best till last. The world puts its best up front and things go downhill from there. But when God shows up things go from good to best. John wrote: “From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another” (John 1:16). We have been filled to the brim with the blessings of God. One day as we enter his kingdom we will be treated to sights we never dreamed possible. Absent will be everything we have feared, and present there will be the best of everything here and much, much more. Heaven is where the deepest longings of our lives will be met. We will hear him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant. . . enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (Matthew 25:23). Rapturous joy will overtake us and we will say, “You have saved the best till now!” The Bible assures us, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). The best that the world has to offer now is only a hint of what is yet to be. The difference will be as different as water is to wine.
It is interesting that Jesus waited until their resources had run dry before he performed the miracle. Only when the people came to the end of their supply were they ready to receive what Jesus had to give. when you come to Jesus you have come to the right place, for he is the God of abundance and life. He gives extravagantly.
Happy 40 something birthday to Seanne, a faithful servant of Jesus.
We extend our sympathy to the family of Ann Simser, she passed away on Saturday. Ann and her husband were married for 65 years. Ann was a beloved wife, mom and grandmother, and a sweet servant of Jesus. Blessed are those who die in the Lord.
We are planning for our annual trip to Radio City Music Hall for the Christmas Extravaganza on December 3rd, 2007. We have chartered a bus. The total cost for the bus trip and the show is $65. We have some seats open. If you can join us please let me know---we'd love to have you.
Have a blessed day,
Brown
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Monday, August 27, 2007
Brown's Daily Word 8/27/07
Good Morning.
I trust that you had a beautiful weekend of rest and worship. Praise the Lord for the days of our lives on earth. As we make our journey here on earth we realize that we are limited in many ways. Our days are limited. Our resources are limited. Our health is limited. Our gifts and our talents are limited. The Good News is that our Lord is boundless and measureless in every way. Jesus said, “Everything is possible to him who believes.” The Lord provides the faith factor. In it we find our new dimension in living.
On August 6, 1945, at precisely 8:15 AM, a uranium bomb exploded over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Within seconds, the entire city lay in ruins. Seventy thousand people were dead and another seventy thousand seriously injured. Jesus said that His disciples would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them (Acts 1:8). They would be "clothed with power from high," He promised (Luke 24:49). Paul echoed the same thought when he prayed that his readers might know and experience the mighty resurrection power of Jesus in their lives (Eph. 1:18-20). For Paul the message of the Gospel itself contained power, the very power of God (Rom. 1:16). The Holy Spirit is a Spirit of power! He IS quite capable of doing "immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us" (Eph. 3:20). Yet perhaps the most amazing thing of all is His ability to demonstrate quiet power in ways often unnoticed by man. One such amazing aspect of the Spirit’s work is His ability to give power in suffering. Several years ago, the well-known German pastor and theologian Helmut Thielicke was asked during a visit to America what he considered the greatest problem in the US. He surprised many with his unexpected reply. "The biggest problem," he said, "is an inadequate view of suffering." He went on to explain that, in his view, the American dream of perpetual progress had led many to believe that any and all problems could be solved with a minimum of effort or discomfort. Unfortunately, he insisted, this is simply not the case. There are, and always will be, certain burdens in life that cannot be eliminated. In Thielicke’s words, "These burdens obviously pitch the American into such helpless embarrassment that he either capitulates, to them or represses them or glosses them. Unfortunately, the German pastor’s words have as much relevance for many Christian’s view of life as for society at large. In the popular mind of our age, it is assumed by many that power always leads to pleasure. Adversity and suffering are certain signs of weakness. Given this attitude, the Holy Spirit’s power is measured by his ability to make life easy for the believer. Health, wealth and success are the true signs of the Spirit’s blessings. Adversity and suffering, on the other hand are the companions of spiritual weakness. For many the Holy Spirit is powerful enough to enable a believer to escape adversity, but not strong enough to sustain him in it. Such an attitude is far removed from the teachings of the Gospel. Nowhere does Jesus promise His followers an easy life. Quite to the contrary, Jesus insisted that the path of discipleship is straight and narrow and the way hard (Matt- 7:13-14). Rather than rejecting adversity as a sign of spiritual weakness, the early Christians rejoiced that they were counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name" (Acts 5:41). Paul even taught that suffering was an expected part of the Spirit-led life (Romans 8:14-27). Dr. Paul Brand, world-renowned leprosy specialist, provides some enlightening background for this spiritual truth from his experiences with the lepers of India. Dr. Brand tells how he discovered that contrary to once popular medical opinion leprosy does not directly cause the deterioration of the flesh of its victims. The disease simply deadens the nerves of the body’s extremities. Eventually the leper looses all feeling in his fingers and toes. The afflicted person can burn his hand and never feel the pain. Infection and even gangrene can eat away at his flesh with out ever creating the slightest discomfort. In fact, in certain villages in Africa and Asia the town leper is given a unique job because of his inability to feel pain. Such insensitivity soon destroys the leper’s flesh. After years of working with lepers, Dr. Brand learned to rejoice in the sensation of cutting a finger, turning an ankle, or stepping into a too-hot bath. Pain itself, the hurt of pain, is a gift. "Thank God for pain!" writes Dr. Brand.
This is precisely the attitude of scripture toward adversity of every sort. Such a view, however, is not simply a Stoic acceptance of fate: "we might as well live with it. There is nothing we can do about it anyway.’’ Not at all! The Bible insists that adversity is not simply something to be endured. It is a tool of God used to teach us much needed lessons (Romans 5:3-5; James 1:2-4). Adversity is like a cloud. It may block the sunlight for a time, but it also brings the rain. Both sunlight and rain are needed for growth. As C. S. Lewis phrased it, "God whispers in our pleasures, but shouts in our pain." Phillip Brooks must have understood this spiritual truth when he wrote, "Do not pray for easy lives, pray to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers; pray for powers equal to your tasks. Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle but you shall be a miracle. Every day you shall wonder at yourself at the richness of life which has come by the grace of God." The Holy Spirit can and does bring power to God’s people. But because He is the Lord of the valleys as well as the God of the mountain tops, His power often brings the quiet strength needed to endure adversity and not simply the power to escape it. A second unexpected power of the Spirit is the power to love. Again, in-the eyes of the world, loving and forgiving are measures of weakness not strength. When abused or attacked the strong reply in kind. Vengeance, not forgiveness, is the law of life. Only the coward or the man too weak to fight fails to retaliate. He commanded them to love their enemies, not just those who were kind to them. Going the second mile, turning the other cheek, and forgiving without limit were to be the true signs of spiritual power for Jesus’ men and women. The Lord knew, as His modern disciples must learn, that real power never needs to hate or destroy. Only a man unsure of his strength needs to prove it. A truly strong man can look hate square in the eye and say, "In Jesus’ name I love! I forgive!" The Spirit also provides the power to serve. As with suffering and loving, service is not often a mark of power in a fallen world. In fact in our world a man is esteemed if he no longer is forced to dirty himself with the menial tasks of life. A powerful man is to be served not serve. Ruling, controlling, manipulating the lives of others--these are the marks of power. Jesus taught His disciples this same lesson again and again. Only a week before the Upper Room Jesus cut short an argument over His disciples positions in His Kingdom with a startling truth, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave--just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Matt, 20:25-28). Paul encouraged this same attitude when he wrote, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus “ (Phil. 2:3-5). The inability to accept such a concept of Christian servant-hood was the very problem that created the disastrous confusion over the work of the Holy Spirit at Corinth (1 Corinthians 12-14). Apparently many in the Corinthian church had decided that whatever power or abilities the Spirit had given them were for their own personal benefits. Paul insisted otherwise. Every gift of the Spirit is for the "common good," taught the apostle (1 Cor. 12:7). No individual member of the body dares look upon himself as the master of the church. Each is a servant of the rest. To use a gift of the Spirit for any other purpose than loving service for others is to destroy their very value to the body (1 Cor. 13:1-3). Who are the most spiritually powerful Christians today? The eloquent evangelist? The famous faith healer? The brilliant scholar? The wealthy benefactor? Perhaps, but not necessarily. The most powerful Christian may well be the lowly widow with the cup of cold water. In the kingdom, power is measured, not by prestige, or position, or wealth, but by selfless service! Suffering, loving, serving---that’s not power! Miracles, raising the dead, healing the sick--that’s power! In fact, that’s the only kind of power that will cause our world to sit up and take notice. That is the power of the Spirit that we need today! The power to love and serve and suffer is not likely to impress our kind of world very much. But that shouldn’t surprise us. The world has seldom understood or readily appreciated the ways of God. As Paul stated long ago, “the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world--and the things that are not --to nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before him” (1 Cor. 1:18, 27-29). God still bestows power on His people, just as He always has!
In Christ,
Brown
Encounter With Jesus at a Restaurant
An Irishman in a wheelchair entered a restaurant one afternoon and asked the waitress for a cup of coffee. The Irishman looked across the restaurant and asked, "Is that Jesus sitting over there?" The waitress nodded "yes," so the Irishman told her to give Jesus a cup of coffee on him.
The next patron to come in was an Englishman with a hunched back. He shuffled over to a booth, painfully sat down, and asked the waitress for a cup of hot tea. He also glanced across the restaurant and asked, "Is that Jesus over there?" The waitress nodded, so the Englishman said to give Jesus a cup o hot tea, "my treat."
The third patron to come into the restaurant was a Redneck on crutches. He hobbled over to a booth, sat down and hollered, "Hey thar ;sweet thang. How's about gettin' me a cold glass a Coke!" He, too, across the restaurant and asked, "Is that God's boy over thar?" The waitress once more allowed as how it certainly was, so the Redneck said to give Jesus a cold glass of Coke, "on
my bill."
As Jesus got up to leave, he passed by the Irishman, touched him and said, "For your kindness, you are healed." The Irishman felt the strength come back into his legs, got up, and danced a jig out the door.
Jesus also passed by the Englishman, touched him and said, "For your kindness, you are healed." The Englishman felt his back straightening up, and he raised his hands, praised the Lord and did a series of backflips out the door.
Then Jesus walked towards the Redneck. The Redneck dropped his crutches, jumped up and yelled, "Don't touch me...I'm drawin' disability!"
I trust that you had a beautiful weekend of rest and worship. Praise the Lord for the days of our lives on earth. As we make our journey here on earth we realize that we are limited in many ways. Our days are limited. Our resources are limited. Our health is limited. Our gifts and our talents are limited. The Good News is that our Lord is boundless and measureless in every way. Jesus said, “Everything is possible to him who believes.” The Lord provides the faith factor. In it we find our new dimension in living.
On August 6, 1945, at precisely 8:15 AM, a uranium bomb exploded over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Within seconds, the entire city lay in ruins. Seventy thousand people were dead and another seventy thousand seriously injured. Jesus said that His disciples would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them (Acts 1:8). They would be "clothed with power from high," He promised (Luke 24:49). Paul echoed the same thought when he prayed that his readers might know and experience the mighty resurrection power of Jesus in their lives (Eph. 1:18-20). For Paul the message of the Gospel itself contained power, the very power of God (Rom. 1:16). The Holy Spirit is a Spirit of power! He IS quite capable of doing "immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us" (Eph. 3:20). Yet perhaps the most amazing thing of all is His ability to demonstrate quiet power in ways often unnoticed by man. One such amazing aspect of the Spirit’s work is His ability to give power in suffering. Several years ago, the well-known German pastor and theologian Helmut Thielicke was asked during a visit to America what he considered the greatest problem in the US. He surprised many with his unexpected reply. "The biggest problem," he said, "is an inadequate view of suffering." He went on to explain that, in his view, the American dream of perpetual progress had led many to believe that any and all problems could be solved with a minimum of effort or discomfort. Unfortunately, he insisted, this is simply not the case. There are, and always will be, certain burdens in life that cannot be eliminated. In Thielicke’s words, "These burdens obviously pitch the American into such helpless embarrassment that he either capitulates, to them or represses them or glosses them. Unfortunately, the German pastor’s words have as much relevance for many Christian’s view of life as for society at large. In the popular mind of our age, it is assumed by many that power always leads to pleasure. Adversity and suffering are certain signs of weakness. Given this attitude, the Holy Spirit’s power is measured by his ability to make life easy for the believer. Health, wealth and success are the true signs of the Spirit’s blessings. Adversity and suffering, on the other hand are the companions of spiritual weakness. For many the Holy Spirit is powerful enough to enable a believer to escape adversity, but not strong enough to sustain him in it. Such an attitude is far removed from the teachings of the Gospel. Nowhere does Jesus promise His followers an easy life. Quite to the contrary, Jesus insisted that the path of discipleship is straight and narrow and the way hard (Matt- 7:13-14). Rather than rejecting adversity as a sign of spiritual weakness, the early Christians rejoiced that they were counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name" (Acts 5:41). Paul even taught that suffering was an expected part of the Spirit-led life (Romans 8:14-27). Dr. Paul Brand, world-renowned leprosy specialist, provides some enlightening background for this spiritual truth from his experiences with the lepers of India. Dr. Brand tells how he discovered that contrary to once popular medical opinion leprosy does not directly cause the deterioration of the flesh of its victims. The disease simply deadens the nerves of the body’s extremities. Eventually the leper looses all feeling in his fingers and toes. The afflicted person can burn his hand and never feel the pain. Infection and even gangrene can eat away at his flesh with out ever creating the slightest discomfort. In fact, in certain villages in Africa and Asia the town leper is given a unique job because of his inability to feel pain. Such insensitivity soon destroys the leper’s flesh. After years of working with lepers, Dr. Brand learned to rejoice in the sensation of cutting a finger, turning an ankle, or stepping into a too-hot bath. Pain itself, the hurt of pain, is a gift. "Thank God for pain!" writes Dr. Brand.
This is precisely the attitude of scripture toward adversity of every sort. Such a view, however, is not simply a Stoic acceptance of fate: "we might as well live with it. There is nothing we can do about it anyway.’’ Not at all! The Bible insists that adversity is not simply something to be endured. It is a tool of God used to teach us much needed lessons (Romans 5:3-5; James 1:2-4). Adversity is like a cloud. It may block the sunlight for a time, but it also brings the rain. Both sunlight and rain are needed for growth. As C. S. Lewis phrased it, "God whispers in our pleasures, but shouts in our pain." Phillip Brooks must have understood this spiritual truth when he wrote, "Do not pray for easy lives, pray to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers; pray for powers equal to your tasks. Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle but you shall be a miracle. Every day you shall wonder at yourself at the richness of life which has come by the grace of God." The Holy Spirit can and does bring power to God’s people. But because He is the Lord of the valleys as well as the God of the mountain tops, His power often brings the quiet strength needed to endure adversity and not simply the power to escape it. A second unexpected power of the Spirit is the power to love. Again, in-the eyes of the world, loving and forgiving are measures of weakness not strength. When abused or attacked the strong reply in kind. Vengeance, not forgiveness, is the law of life. Only the coward or the man too weak to fight fails to retaliate. He commanded them to love their enemies, not just those who were kind to them. Going the second mile, turning the other cheek, and forgiving without limit were to be the true signs of spiritual power for Jesus’ men and women. The Lord knew, as His modern disciples must learn, that real power never needs to hate or destroy. Only a man unsure of his strength needs to prove it. A truly strong man can look hate square in the eye and say, "In Jesus’ name I love! I forgive!" The Spirit also provides the power to serve. As with suffering and loving, service is not often a mark of power in a fallen world. In fact in our world a man is esteemed if he no longer is forced to dirty himself with the menial tasks of life. A powerful man is to be served not serve. Ruling, controlling, manipulating the lives of others--these are the marks of power. Jesus taught His disciples this same lesson again and again. Only a week before the Upper Room Jesus cut short an argument over His disciples positions in His Kingdom with a startling truth, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave--just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Matt, 20:25-28). Paul encouraged this same attitude when he wrote, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus “ (Phil. 2:3-5). The inability to accept such a concept of Christian servant-hood was the very problem that created the disastrous confusion over the work of the Holy Spirit at Corinth (1 Corinthians 12-14). Apparently many in the Corinthian church had decided that whatever power or abilities the Spirit had given them were for their own personal benefits. Paul insisted otherwise. Every gift of the Spirit is for the "common good," taught the apostle (1 Cor. 12:7). No individual member of the body dares look upon himself as the master of the church. Each is a servant of the rest. To use a gift of the Spirit for any other purpose than loving service for others is to destroy their very value to the body (1 Cor. 13:1-3). Who are the most spiritually powerful Christians today? The eloquent evangelist? The famous faith healer? The brilliant scholar? The wealthy benefactor? Perhaps, but not necessarily. The most powerful Christian may well be the lowly widow with the cup of cold water. In the kingdom, power is measured, not by prestige, or position, or wealth, but by selfless service! Suffering, loving, serving---that’s not power! Miracles, raising the dead, healing the sick--that’s power! In fact, that’s the only kind of power that will cause our world to sit up and take notice. That is the power of the Spirit that we need today! The power to love and serve and suffer is not likely to impress our kind of world very much. But that shouldn’t surprise us. The world has seldom understood or readily appreciated the ways of God. As Paul stated long ago, “the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world--and the things that are not --to nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before him” (1 Cor. 1:18, 27-29). God still bestows power on His people, just as He always has!
In Christ,
Brown
Encounter With Jesus at a Restaurant
An Irishman in a wheelchair entered a restaurant one afternoon and asked the waitress for a cup of coffee. The Irishman looked across the restaurant and asked, "Is that Jesus sitting over there?" The waitress nodded "yes," so the Irishman told her to give Jesus a cup of coffee on him.
The next patron to come in was an Englishman with a hunched back. He shuffled over to a booth, painfully sat down, and asked the waitress for a cup of hot tea. He also glanced across the restaurant and asked, "Is that Jesus over there?" The waitress nodded, so the Englishman said to give Jesus a cup o hot tea, "my treat."
The third patron to come into the restaurant was a Redneck on crutches. He hobbled over to a booth, sat down and hollered, "Hey thar ;sweet thang. How's about gettin' me a cold glass a Coke!" He, too, across the restaurant and asked, "Is that God's boy over thar?" The waitress once more allowed as how it certainly was, so the Redneck said to give Jesus a cold glass of Coke, "on
my bill."
As Jesus got up to leave, he passed by the Irishman, touched him and said, "For your kindness, you are healed." The Irishman felt the strength come back into his legs, got up, and danced a jig out the door.
Jesus also passed by the Englishman, touched him and said, "For your kindness, you are healed." The Englishman felt his back straightening up, and he raised his hands, praised the Lord and did a series of backflips out the door.
Then Jesus walked towards the Redneck. The Redneck dropped his crutches, jumped up and yelled, "Don't touch me...I'm drawin' disability!"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
