Luke 12:35-38
Jesus said to his disciples, "Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves."
The opening sentence of this passage catches my attention: "Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit;” This sentence along with another: “Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert…” Convey a sense of urgency. I think that urgency has become something that is lost in our day and age. For most people, urgency no longer has any meaning because everything is now urgent. We have to answer the cell phone. We have to check email and respond. We have to answer the phone at dinner time. We have to…We have to… We have to.
I a world in which we feel we have to respond to each and everything, then nothing truly takes on a sense of urgency. When we are going 24/7/365 and there is no down time, then we might just miss the sense of urgency that comes from the call of the Spirit within our lives. In the Old Testament, there are several times that the voice of the Spirit is referred to as “a still small voice.” In most of our lives, we don’t hear still, small voices because there are so many busy and loud voices seeking our time and attention.
How busy is your life? Are you vigilant and ready for action or are you always acting at full throttle. There is a balance that we need to achieve in our relationship with God. Some of us need to get more alert and some of us need to slow down and listen. Which one are you?
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Someone at My Side
Luke 10:1-7a
After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house!' And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the labourer deserves to be paid."
This passage offers a lot to discuss. However, what strikes me most is the concept of the Lord appointing persons to go ahead of him in pairs. Ministry is often seen as a Lone Ranger type of profession. The vast majority of pastors tend to be solo pastors. Some might have part time staff, but in most churches, the pastor is the chief cook and bottle washer.
What caught my attention in this passage was the choosing of 70 to help him in spreading the word and the fact that when he did send them forth he sent them in pairs—not as solo ministers. Perhaps this is something that we should take a closer look at in the church. This scene is reminiscent of the Old Testament story of Moses. He, too, was acting as a solo pastor. One day, his father in law, suggested that he was taking too much of the burden upon himself. He needed to find other men to help him settle the disputes that were continually coming up among the Israelites. Moses listened to the wise counsel of his father in law and got men to help him.
I think that pastors need men and women that are willing to come along side them and help them with the tasks involved in ministry. If anyone wants to help, just give me a call. I’ll find some way to integrate you into the ministry of the church so that you can do effective ministry and so that the church might prosper in it’s ministry.
After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house!' And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the labourer deserves to be paid."
This passage offers a lot to discuss. However, what strikes me most is the concept of the Lord appointing persons to go ahead of him in pairs. Ministry is often seen as a Lone Ranger type of profession. The vast majority of pastors tend to be solo pastors. Some might have part time staff, but in most churches, the pastor is the chief cook and bottle washer.
What caught my attention in this passage was the choosing of 70 to help him in spreading the word and the fact that when he did send them forth he sent them in pairs—not as solo ministers. Perhaps this is something that we should take a closer look at in the church. This scene is reminiscent of the Old Testament story of Moses. He, too, was acting as a solo pastor. One day, his father in law, suggested that he was taking too much of the burden upon himself. He needed to find other men to help him settle the disputes that were continually coming up among the Israelites. Moses listened to the wise counsel of his father in law and got men to help him.
I think that pastors need men and women that are willing to come along side them and help them with the tasks involved in ministry. If anyone wants to help, just give me a call. I’ll find some way to integrate you into the ministry of the church so that you can do effective ministry and so that the church might prosper in it’s ministry.
Monday, October 16, 2006
Judgment Awaits
Luke 11:29-32
When the crowds were increasing, Jesus began to say, "This generation is an evil generation; it asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be to this generation. The queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here! The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here!"
As I read this passage, I cannot help but notice the word judgment. In our day and age of political correctness, it is a word that is not often heard. When it is heard, it bears negative or pejorative connotations. None of us like to be judged. None of us like the feeling of being put under the microscopy and closely examined and in the end found wanting or lacking. Yet, judgment is a part of the process. God must act as a righteous judge and hold us accountable for our actions.
The last time I looked, my actions were not all that good. I try to be a godly and upright man, but still I lose my temper or do something that is less than Christ like. I look at myself and think of judgment and shudder.
Then, I remind myself that the judgment for my sins has already been accounted for. My Lord, Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins and removed the weight of judgment from me. I stand now not as a quaking sinner before an angry God, but as a follower of Jesus Christ before and loving heavenly Father.
The Good News for you, is that you to can replace judgment with forgiveness. It starts with accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. If you want more information on how to do that, then start a thread to the blog and I will be glad to converse with you about the subject.
When the crowds were increasing, Jesus began to say, "This generation is an evil generation; it asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be to this generation. The queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here! The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here!"
As I read this passage, I cannot help but notice the word judgment. In our day and age of political correctness, it is a word that is not often heard. When it is heard, it bears negative or pejorative connotations. None of us like to be judged. None of us like the feeling of being put under the microscopy and closely examined and in the end found wanting or lacking. Yet, judgment is a part of the process. God must act as a righteous judge and hold us accountable for our actions.
The last time I looked, my actions were not all that good. I try to be a godly and upright man, but still I lose my temper or do something that is less than Christ like. I look at myself and think of judgment and shudder.
Then, I remind myself that the judgment for my sins has already been accounted for. My Lord, Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins and removed the weight of judgment from me. I stand now not as a quaking sinner before an angry God, but as a follower of Jesus Christ before and loving heavenly Father.
The Good News for you, is that you to can replace judgment with forgiveness. It starts with accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. If you want more information on how to do that, then start a thread to the blog and I will be glad to converse with you about the subject.
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