Luke 13:1-9

Luke 13:1-9

Pilate was the wrong kind of ruler for the Jewish people. It is unlikely that anyone would have ruled that Province successfully. But Pilate was in almost constant conflict. Jesus talks of two groups of people who died and the guilt associated with their death. The first group may have been anti-Pilate and anti-Roman agitators. The second group may have been collaborators who were working on Pilate’s Aqueduct project. Of these two who were the greater sinners seems to be a question on the minds of the people. Two groups from opposite ends of the political spectrum and Jesus said they were not more sinful than the rest. Galilean or Jerusalemite, Rebel or collaborator, death by murder or by accident, the point is not to look at any of these two and assign guilt. The point is to see them as a reminder of our need for repentance.

Then Jesus applies this principle with a parable. The unfruitful fig tree. John the Baptist says and Luke 3:8 “Therefore bring forth fruit in keeping with repentance”. In the parable the fruitless fig is given the opportunity, season after season, and the stimulus, motivation, and fertilizer to produce fruit. If after time and motivation it remains fruitless it has but one end. God is patient with us: He gives us time, in some cases years, to produce fruit of repentance. He gives stimulus and motivation in His word, His Spirit’s promptings, the circumstances around us and even the death of all kinds of people to remind us to repent; to produce fruit of repentance. But there is a limit.

We talk about the God of second chances but what we want is the God of unlimited additional chances. At some point there comes a day of reckoning. For the one who rejects with a hard heart God's stimulus to repent God will withdraw the opportunity to repent. We need not concern ourselves with who out there is a greater or lesser sinner. We need to make sure that we are people of repentance.

“God grant me a heart that is truly and honestly repentant. AMEN”

Luke 12:49-59

Luke 12:49-59

So much of Americanized Christianity is narcissistic and focuses on our benefits and blessings. We reserved concepts of judgment for others, for the bad people we know and do not like. We are aware of the Judgment reserved or pornographers or abortionist or those of another political party. But this passage wrecks our comfortable “bless me and judge you” bubble.

Remember the context and flow of this chapter. We begin with the rich fool who is not rich toward God. Then came the command to live in trust and practice radical generosity. Followed by a warning that we are to be held to accountable for that with which we are trusted. Now Jesus talks about judgment!

Jesus did not come to bring peace to the world He came to bring judgment. The picture of Jesus as a cosmic Guru that will help everyone coexist is bunk. He did come to bring peace to the individual by his reconciling work on the cross. But the world, the flesh, and the devil are not part of this peace. Faith in Christ divides because for those that follow Christ are loyal to Him above all else, beyond any natural affections, or family, or business, or political party. Jesus warns us, in the parable of verses 58 and 59, that we all are headed toward an appointment with a judge and we have a losing case. We are wise to settle up with the judge early rather than later.

That is not just a warning and call to conversion. In verse 1 Luke tells us these remarks were directed to the disciples. We will give an account of the life and gifts God has given to us. Part of our daily prayers needs to be a prayer in an old prayer book, "Imprint upon our hearts such a dread of Thy judgments and such a grateful sense of thy goodness to us as to make us both afraid and ashamed to offend Thee."

“Lord, imprint upon my heart such a dread of Your judgments and such a grateful sense of Your goodness to us as to make us both afraid and ashamed to offend You. AMEN”

Luke 12:35-48

Luke 12:35-48

Jesus describes every one of us in this passage. In this collection of short parables Jesus describes two categories that covers every disciple or supposed disciple. There are those who are faithful, loyal and good servants. These experience significant rewards at the Master's hand. Then there are those who fail their Master. They have begun to use the assets and resources of the master for their own agenda. They become petty tyrants and begin to act as if that which is the master’s is theirs. And in the last two verses of this passage we find a chilling warning for those of us who are servants or disciples of Christ.

We have often come to view being a follower of Jesus as a sort of perpetual, upward mobility, with our lives constantly moving toward better and better, richer and richer, more and more, greater and greater life. But Jesus’ picture is that the more you have been given, the greater your responsibility to give. The more you have learned, the greater your responsibility to instruct. The higher you are lifted, the more humbly you are to serve. Ignorance is no excuse if we fail and do not know better; there are consequences to be suffered. But when we have much to offer and we choose not to give we have more severe penalties.

We might be tempted to say, “That being the case it is best to never move in too deep and too serious a service.” But that fails on two points; first, our Master calls us to serve and to reject that call is to invite the most terrible treatment. That is the essence of refusing the Master’s will. Second, the servant who served well is rewarded in unbelievable ways. The description in verse 37 of a master serving his slave was almost unimaginable in the ancient world. That reward itself is too great to risk missing!

“Lord set me free from the gripping power of selfishness. AMEN”

Luke 12:22-34

Luke 12:22-34

It is passages like this that tempt us to want to pick and choose what we want or to take things out of context or say “this is a metaphor” when clearly it wasn't. Building on the negative parable of the rich fool Jesus gives us proactive teaching about wealth. There are three parts to this teaching. The first is a lesson of God's providential care for birds and grass and how anxiety is the ultimate exercise in futility. We are generally comfortable with this teaching. We may not obey it, but we like the idea of God's provision for us. The second part is verses 29 - 33 in which Jesus applies the first point and reinforces our Father’s providential care. The world being bad pursues the wrong things, but the Father has given us the Kingdom and is happy to do it. Again, we have a teaching we are happy to hear and receive.

But then comes the third teaching. While we agree that we should not be anxious and are happy to see the coming Kingdom we are less thrilled with the practical application Jesus makes in verses 33 and 34. The grammar of verse 33 is not vague. The verb is emphatic; in other words, it is a command. This super generosity of which Jesus speaks is optional for us as His other commands are optional. The moment we say this is a metaphor or this is for specific people with specific calling we do the same with the command to love God. If we're trying to find the loopholes that allow us to accumulate wealth, we are revealing that our heart is more committed to having wealth than committed to the Lord.

This is not a command to advocate poverty, laziness, or idleness. In contrast, we should attempt to acquire as much treasure as possible. We should work hard and become massive producers of wealth, the more the better. Not so we can hold it, but so that we can give it all away, except what is given to us by the Father for food, shelter and clothing.

“God, grant me a heart that is generous like Your. AMEN”

Luke 12:13-21

Luke 12:13-21

It is generally easier to see sin and vice in others than ourselves. This is especially true of sins that are culturally labeled as a virtue. In our culture we have relabeled a number of sins as virtues so completely that we as Christians have bought into those relabeling efforts and behaviors. Not only do we believe these new labels, we also practice them. In verse 15, Jesus warns us to be alert to “every form of greed”.

The Lord makes two points in these four words. First, the word greed means “abundance, more than enough, superfluity.” What is enough? We must have food, shelter, clothing, transportation, etc. But most of us are nowhere near inadequacy in any of these areas. We are often overweight, in large homes, which we use more to store our stuff than for sleeping, we sometimes donate unworn clothes to charity, and our cars are almost never, truly worn out. If we feel that more means a better life, we are part of the lie; we are greedy. And this is to say nothing of the non-essentials we collect!

Which brings us to the second point of Jesus' comment. Jesus apparently thought that there was more than one kind of greed. We generally associate greed with the excess of the super rich: mansions and yachts and outsized compensation. But there are other and subtler kinds of greed available to all of us. Every hobby has an insatiable appetite for consumption. While recreation is healthy and good it will not make life whole. Few of us aspire to a mansion in Beverly Hills, courtside seats for the Lakers, and a birthday party at a five star restaurant. But all of us imagine and aspire to an upgrade here and there and other places as well. Our consumer society and economy is built on the idea of constant, incremental upgrade. And that kind of greed will never, ever make a man rich toward God.

“Lord, open my eyes to the forms of greed that infect my heart. AMEN”

Luke 12:1-12

Luke 12:1-12

In Western and American culture teaching generally works toward the purpose that the student can say at the end of the class or lesson, "This is what that means." Teaching in Jesus' day was more enigmatic often leaving the students to say, “What does that mean?” Such teaching requires the student to think things through. There is a conclusion to be reached and sometimes it is provided, but along the way there is some thinking to be done and this thinking fills out the conclusions. That is the case here. We move from the evil of hypocrisy to being led by the Holy Spirit by way of the value of sparrows.

There's a common theme that we can extract. There is something that will allow us to escape religious and moral play-acting like the Pharisees. It will keep us from being afraid of having our life’s secret revealed. It will cause us to fear God in such a way that we will not be afraid of men. It will cause us to be faithful witnesses even before a hostile audience. It will make us sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading and conviction. The sayings of this passage are not tidbits thrown randomly together, but the out working and manifestation of an underlying and unstated truth.

Our tendency is to want a cut-and-dry packaged answer convenient for mental storage the way we file trivia for later recall. But as disciples we need to wrestle through the implications and mysteries of our faith.

What is the thing that we will discover? It is the loving intimacy with God the Father through Jesus Christ under the promptings of the Holy Spirit, to love God with our whole being and to do so intentionally, tenderly and passionately. Intellectual assent is not enough. We can play mind games with ourselves. Ritual expressions of love are beautiful, but without love they are only noise. The disciple knows the Lord better by meditating on these things rather than just by being told them.

“Lord, protect me from shallowness of thought and faith. AMEN”

Luke 11:37-54

Luke 11:37-54

Was Jesus a bad guest? As we read this passage it appears that Jesus is picking a fight over the ceremony of hand washing. Without a doubt the Pharisees and the religious lawyers had turned the Law into a tool by which they took and maintained control over the religious community. But Jesus doesn't take a live-and-let-live approach. We do not know what the Pharisee says, how he expressed “surprise” that Jesus did not ceremonially wash his hands before dinner. We do know that when Jesus spoke He was confrontational and insulting.

The extra rules and regulations and staged rituals of the religious elite were not about bringing people close to God. They're about the glorification of the man who wrote the rules and those who acted them out. The religious elite’s hypocrisy in keeping the Law was evident and it created a barrier for everyone who took time to notice. They were obsessed with ridiculous additions to the Law, the legal loopholes and the phony faith in this lifestyle of religious game playing. They are like the person in role-playing games that becomes so immersed in the game they begin to lose touch with reality. Like the video gamer that plays the game so much their real life relationships fail. Jesus was not a bad guest, but He could not watch people ruin their lives with fake religion and not confront them.

Why was Jesus so confrontational with the religious elite and so gentle and shepherd-like with the tax collectors and prostitutes? Both were going the wrong way. The common sinners were going the wrong way in their own person. The religious were going the wrong way in the name of God. To paraphrase C. S. Lewis, that is why the self-righteous church goer up may be closer to hell than the porn star but clearly it is better to be neither one of these.

“Save me Lord from ever playing religious games. AMEN”

Luke 11:29-36

Luke 11:29-36

How much is enough when it comes to evidence that just says Jesus is the Messiah and that the claims of Christianity are true? Belief is as much a matter of the heart as it is a matter of the evidence. At this point in His ministry Jesus has healed scores of sick people, fed multitudes with almost no food, driven out demons and raised the dead. We would think that would be evidence enough that Jesus could be believed. But the people wanted another sign. A heart that is unbelieving is a heart that will ask for a sign, but will never be satisfied. It will want a sign today and another tomorrow and another the day after that.

In contrast, the heart that is responsive will respond to the message. At a base level the Word of God penetrates and lodges and moves the heart. The Queen of Sheba and the people of Nineveh didn't receive signs, but rather they listened and the Word of God moved in their hearts.

The condition of our heart is a result of the act of our will. The light of the truth is available for us, but if we choose to be in the dark we will miss the truth and move deeper and deeper into the darkness. No one begins in the most grotesque forms of sin. They move into the dark beginning in the twilight. While there is still light, a conviction and desire for God, I must move towards the light. The act of the will to believe, to move towards the light, and to repent is where we must begin. It is not much but it is enough of a beginning.

“Lord, shape my will to conform to Yours and bring me into the light. AMEN

Luke 11:14-28

Luke 11.14-28

A friend of mine used to say in response to critics who complained about growing Ministries, “I like the way we are doing ministry better than the way you are not.” I think that is a summation or paraphrase of what Jesus said to His critics in Luke 11:14-28. When we face criticism in the midst of effective ministry it might be a good thing to say this to those offended by meaningful ministry.

Anytime there is meaningful and productive ministry there will be critics and opposition. We need not imagine or assume that these critics will come from the enemies of the church. More often than not it will come from supposed disciples and people within the church. It is a mistake of titanic proportions to believe that we can fulfill our calling as a disciple without the opposition and criticism of lukewarm disciples. Write it in stone, “If you have an effective ministry you will receive false and unfair criticism from some quarter within the church.” If the leadership of the church rebukes that criticism you have good leaders. If it is allowed, supported, or comes from leadership in the church you are most likely wasting your time. Do not give one second trying to work within that system. The goal of such bad leadership is to protect their comfort and the status quo. The status quo will make you as ineffective and lukewarm as they are. Have you noticed by the time we get to the 11th chapter of Luke we almost never see Jesus in the synagogues? He had moved His ministry out. The effective ministry of Jesus resulted in criticism and false accusations. If you have been in a bad church and your ministry began to have positive results you very likely experienced this as well.

My deepest personal regret in Ministry has not been the failed projects. I have several of these; bold, creative, and exciting flops. In measurable terms they were a waste of time, energy, and resources. I regret these, but only a little. My biggest regrets are the occasions when in the midst of dramatically growing ministry I faced opposition from those who were threatened by the growth and who were supported by, or in many cases were, church leaders. In attempting to work with them, grow beyond them, or leave graciously, I only allowed the ruin of the good things the Lord had done. I misunderstood what “peaceful” meant and trying to prevent collateral damage to new believers I would acquiesce and walk away. Of the five churches I served in which this happened, the result was not the protection of new believers or sustaining of the ministry. Four of the churches followed bad leaders and have closed the doors and the other has become what I call a religion club*. If I could go back and have a conversation with my younger self, we would study this passage together and I would tell my younger self, “When good ministry produces opposition from within the church that is when the good fight for the gospel really begins.”

“Lord, give me the kind of ministry that will offend those who are lukewarm. AMEN”

BONUS MATERIAL

*A word concerning the difference between the church and a religion club. In short, the church concerns itself with making disciples and fulfilling the great commission. A religion club is only focused on it own members. A religion club is a group of people who gather consistently, typically on Sunday morning, for their own good pleasure. They will study religious documents, typically the Bible, some religious music and will perform a few rituals. Religion clubs generally do not want a minister who focuses on reaching lost people. Religion clubs do not want a Shepherd or Pastor that will tend the flock and do the unpleasant task of disciplining wayward sheep. Religion clubs prefer a chaplain, someone who will hold their hand in moments of difficulty, tell them they're really wonderful people, and assure them that everything is just fine. The chaplain’s primary job is to meet the wishes and whims of every member of the religion club so that their religious experience can be pleasant on every occasion. The point of the religion club is primarily about making members feel comfortable about themselves and the club. The conversation of religion clubs generally circulates around how the people outside their religion Club are bad, in contrast to what good people the members of the religion club are. The religion club gives lip service to the idea of growing its membership, being a positive influence in the community, and bringing renewal to the moral character of their world. But this is more pipe dream than reality. There's little or no genuine repentance of the religion club members for even the most egregious of behaviors. Should the chaplain frequently speak about the sin of hard-heartedness or the selfishness of the members of the religion club he will soon find himself unemployed.

How can you tell if yours is a church or a religion Club? You might find these questions helpful:

#1 Do the members of your congregation want to be challenged or comforted by the worship and the sermon of the weekly gathering?

#2 Do more than half of the events on your monthly calendar focus on activities for the membership or those outside of the church? Is there a general expectation that new people will come to the church building and join in scheduled events?

#3 Is it more important to avoid change for the comfort and ease of members or is it more important to endure the discomfort of change in order to more effectively reach those who are outside of the church?

If yours is a religion club here is what you should do:

Go out to the curb outside of the church; vigorously shake you left foot then your right foot. Once the dust is off your feet use those feet to walk away!

Luke 11:1-13

 Luke 11:1-13

Perhaps the most valuable tool to a mature faith is the ability to understand Scripture in context. Several of the verses in this passage have been pulled out by themselves and misapplied.  The individual sayings in this text are part of the flow and are to be understood in the greater whole or context.

Jesus is teaching His disciples to pray and gives a pattern for prayer not an empty ritual. Think of each line as a theme for discussion with God or meditation. This prayer can be said in less than 15 seconds without much thought or it can be the springboard to lead into lengthy conversations with God.

Jesus follows this with two short parables, which lead to dramatic conclusion. The two parables are both about the priority of persistent prayer. In verses 9 and 10 Jesus says we will receive what we are pursuing. This is taken out of context and disreputable teachers try to make it say you can have whatever you want if you pray enough. This is a false teaching. No matter how hard you pray, “God, help me find an exciting and disease-free, illicit lover,” He will never answer that prayer with a “yes”. Verses 9 and 10 must be taken with the last part of verse 13 for the person who earnestly pursued the will and the guidance of God, the Father being good, will give the supreme gift namely the Holy Spirit. We do not hear the Spirit’s leading because we do not ask or if we ask we are asking half-heartedly and weakly.  Often we say we want the Spirit’s leading, but our prayer life reflects it's something else we really want.  You can tell what you care about by examining your own prayer life. If you make a list of things you actually honestly pray about with deep heart conviction and have honest conversations with God concerning these then you will see what you care about.  If the direction and leading of the Holy Spirit is not on that list then we're really don't care about God's will in our lives.

“Lord, give to me a spirit and determination to pray and seek You. AMEN”

Luke 10:38-42

 Luke 10:38-42

Mary and Martha give us a mirror for our own discipleship. Martha was not being evil she was being distracted. She was busy with her plans to honor the Lord with the feast.  But a couple of key questions escaped her. First, did Jesus want a big banquet? In the context of going to Jerusalem was a fancy celebration what Jesus wanted or would He, at this time, have preferred thoughtful conversation? A second question, which would have been harder for Martha to formulate because of cultural expectations would be, should service be divorced from the Word of God? Martha was fulfilling the expected cultural roles perfectly. In terms of cultural expectations Mary was the one who was out of line. But no culture has ever been very good at recognizing the priority of God's Word. That is our constant battle.

Jesus appears to offer a double meaning in verse 42, "…Only a few things are necessary really only one."  At first he seems to be saying, “We only need one dish for the meal.” But there seems to be a deeper meaning:  “The Word, the learning of a disciple is all that is necessary.” Service that is devoid of the Word of God will have no lasting impact. In so much of the life of the church we are like Martha busy with many things. We act as if the Word made flesh is not enough. We are so busy trying to satisfy our members or attract new people via a dog and pony show that we have lost the ability and the value of just listening to Jesus.

“Lord forgive me for being so busy that I am not thoughtful. Amen”

Luke 10:26-37

Luke 10:26-37

We have heard the story so much and it has become a part of our culture and language so that we are sometimes tempted to forget that it's not about the story, but it is about the application. A person would have been foolhardy to travel the road from Jerusalem to Jericho alone. But in this parable four people do this very thing on the same day. We must suspend reality for a moment to get the story to work. But if we do not overemphasize the story and focus on the application there is a gem for us.

The lawyer comes to tempt or trap Jesus. The lawyer was hostile and hoped to make a fool of Jesus. The question is, “How do I inherit eternal life?” The lawyer knew the answer to the question before he asked. Jesus tells him plainly, “Love God and love your neighbor.” The parable is not going to answer the question of how to inherit eternal. The parable is in answer to the attempted self-justification of “Who is my neighbor?” The lawyer was looking for a loophole, a way out. Jesus is not telling the parable to teach salvation by good deeds. Jesus is telling the parable to force the lawyer to confront his own failure.

Jesus responds to the self justification with the story of the Good Samaritan. The answer to the lawyer’s question is not, “Do good deeds, be like the Samaritan.” We do not inherit eternal life by being good. The parable is told to explode the complex lines of who is my neighbor. The religious elite had a complex system that allowed their misbehavior to be justified. For example, they forbade the helping of a Gentile woman during labor because that would help bring another Gentile into the world. Jesus simplifies the whole “who question” and says to each of us, “Do the same.”

We have often made the church complex, a bureaucracy of power and authority to justify our own agenda, sin and apathy. Being a follower of Christ is difficult but it is not complex. It is complicated but it doesn’t have to be. In fact, there is I believe an inverse correlation between complexity and disciple making. Loving God and our neighbor shouldn’t be confusing because it isn’t.

“Lord, help me love the person in need. AMEN”

Luke 10:17-24

Luke 10:17-24

With the parable of the Good Samaritan coming next we often overlook this section of Luke 10, but this is a profoundly powerful passage.

The ministry expands from 12 disciples to 70 who are sent out. That in itself is important. In the course of a few months, Jesus has equipped 70 ministers to go out and preach. These return having been engaged in pretty heavy ministry. Their message that the “kingdom of God has come near you” has been demonstrated in dynamic power. It is worth our meditation if these preachers did so much with so little, “ no purse, no bag, no shoes”, then why is the church of today, with buildings and paid staff and position in the community seems to be doing so little with so much. The question of “Why is this the case?” It is worthy of our contemplation.

Their power over the demonic was evidence of the coming Kingdom. This powerful manifestation of the exorcism of demons was for these preachers very heady stuff. Jesus gives a keep “first things first” warning. Casting out demons is good but does not call for celebration. They were to celebrate that they were saved. We sometimes become so excited about victories, large and small, that we forget that our personal salvation is a grace and we forget to be thankful for that grace.

Verse 21 is an enigma. In the prior passage Jesus denounced His critics that rejected His message. The 70 are sent out on their preaching tour and return with reports of great success. In that context, Jesus talks about the fall of Satan and the great priority of their personal salvation. When all this is looked at together we see a picture of the power of humility. Satan was once the prince of angels but has fallen suddenly like lightning. Then we see the cities of Chorazin, Bethsadia and Capernium are not exalted. But by their rejection they put themselves below Tyre and Sidon. Both the hierarchy of rebellious angels and the pomp of proud cities didn't understand one key lesson, humility. That humility was manifested in the life and heart of the seventy, faithful, simple people. The power and priority of simple faith and trust in relationship with Jesus causes our Lord to “rejoice greatly in the Holy Spirit”. Before the ruin of every good church and believer there was a walk on the path of pride.

“Lord grant me a humble spirit, and if I am proud break me. AMEN”

Luke 10:1-16

Luke 10:1-16

This passage is worthy of an entire book. While we are often thinking of the books of I and II Timothy and Titus as books for those in ministry, this passage is sort of a primer for those called to ministry. For the Gospel worker there are a number of practical directives for keeping their ministry effective. One that is a bit mysterious is the instruction of verses 5 and 6.

The 70 are being sent out as evangelists to do advance work for Jesus' arrival. The people they are to seek out, as the first contacts, are those people Jesus identified as a “man” or literally a “son” of peace. This does not refer to someone who is already a disciple, rather someone in whose heart there is a longing for the Gospel of peace. Jesus is directing His disciples to seek out and reach those who are already receptive, but are not yet disciples.

Today the church typically focuses most of its efforts on speaking to those who are already disciples. We in the American church often bemoan the decline of the church and we decry the moral decay of our society. But we in the church have failed to link the decline of our evangelistic and disciple making efforts with the church’s decline.

If what Jesus is saying is accurate, which is always the case, there are people in whom there is a desire for the peace of God. These people will respond positively to the gospel and will be a positive influence in their communities. These people do not currently attend church. They will not, most likely, suddenly walk into a church building and come to Christ by faith. They are waiting for the disciples of Jesus to come to them and bring the Gospel of peace.

“Lord, give me Your heart for the lost. Help me find the ‘son of peace’ in my world. AMEN”

Luke 9:51-62

Luke 9:51-62

What caused James and John to have such a powerful reaction? The rejection by the Samaritans was more than a “No Vacancy” sign. It wasn’t a polite refusal. Whatever their rejection was it put the Sons of Thunder in the mind of the fire-from-God type punishment. The fire of God fell on Sodom (Genesis 19:24-25) and it exploded against those who were disrespectful toward worship (Lev 10:1-2 and Numbers 3:4, Numbers 16:35). It fell on the disrespectful soldiers sent to bring Elisha in for questioning. (2 Kings 1:9 and following) While the fire from God is not without precedent it was rarely used and represented only the most horrific disrespect toward God or His called servant. James and John may have been hot under the collar for a good reason. Samaritans had the ability to be thoroughly nasty people. So the rejection by the Samaritan village that was less than gracious might not be unexpected. But these circumstances had the brothers ready to defend Jesus’ honor.

Interestingly, Jesus rebukes James and John but not the city. Jesus apparently had nothing to say to or about the Samaritans, but rebuked His loyal followers before moving on.

This is nearly the opposite of how we in the church respond. Often times the church seems incapable of reproving, rebuking or correction of its own. We will allow the most egregious behavior within our own while at the same time offering the most aggressive condemnation of those outside of our own little group. Let’s be honest we would rather call fire down on people who are different from us than to carefully examine our own lives and attitudes. Before I call fire down on anyone I need to check my own heart and see if I might need a little purifying myself.

“Lord, grant me a grace filled heart toward those who do not know You, and vigorous aggression toward the sin in my life. AMEN”

Luke 9:37-50

Luke 9:37-50

From the mountain top experience to a “life is the pits” experience is what happens to Jesus and the three apostles with Him. After the Transfiguration they have to first face a stubborn demon. The spirit did not come out at the disciples’ command. We get the idea that chaos was about to erupt in the crowd. When the boy is brought to Jesus the spirit seizes the boy. The word used here was used of Olympic boxers who delivered a knockout punch. Jesus heals a boy and three related events occur. First, everyone is amazed and marveling at God's great blessings. Second, Jesus begins talking about going to the cross and the disciples did not understand Him. Third, an argument breaks out among the disciples about who is going to be the greatest, at which point, Jesus sits the child beside Him.

While these are not unrelated events, though at first glance that may seem to be the case. The power of God being manifested and the support of the crowds cause the Twelve to think of the coming Kingdom. In their mind, that means a political kingdom, it means political power and they all want to have an important role in that Kingdom and a part of that power. Jesus emphasizes the cross, but the disciples could not understand how that would fit into the Kingdom plan. They are driven by their own agenda. They could not comprehend the Lord’s agenda. Jesus places a child at his side. Remember the place of honor and power is beside the king. Power in the kingdom is derived from the cross not from popular support. Power in the kingdom is expressed in service not in the ability to command. Power in the kingdom is not for the benefit of those in authority but for the benefit of the helpless. The only way not to lose sight of our calling as disciples is to constantly focus on the cross.

“Lord, never allow my agenda to cause me to loose sight of the Cross. AMEN”

Luke 9:28-36

Luke 9:28-36

There is so much in the Transfiguration that you could develop a book solely for its study. But there's a single phrase that we might overlook that has application for us. In verse 33, we read, “…not realizing what he was saying”. Peter wasn't babbling incoherently; he was saying what was on his mind but what was on his mind didn't make sense!

He didn't like the idea of a suffering Messiah and after the great confession said as much. From his perspective this is much more attractive, more enjoyable, more marketable option. Rather than a cross, Peter prefers a mountaintop experience of glory and celebration. Like a TV producer Peter wants the grand show of the glorified Jesus with two supporting celebrities-no less-to continue.

The “Tabernacles” was a reference to the Feast of Tabernacles, the most joyous Feast of the Jewish year. It was sort of weeklong party combined with a family reunion and Thanksgiving banquet. Let's be honest, that sounds a lot better than a torturous death on the cross. Between the two, the choice seems pretty simple.

Add to this a bit of desperation and we can see Peter’s earnestness. Luke says, “They were parting.” It appears that the departure of Elijah and Moses was gradual not sudden. Peter sees that they are leaving and in desperation proposes a way to keep the celebration going.

Peter's not knowing what he was saying was not incoherent nonsense; but rather, he did not know what the Lord wanted. He didn't understand the will of God. Yes, there is glory and celebration and a righteous party. But it is on the other side of the Cross. When Jesus says, “I'm going to suffer,” He knows what He's talking about. Listen to him!

Much of the church today is like Peter. We want a faith that is perpetually a party. Instead, we need to listen to Jesus accepting the invitation to the cross.

“Lord, grant me the grace of suffering for my Lord as you suffered for me. AMEN”

Luke 9:18-27

Luke 9:18-27

For Christ and the disciples there is an unbreakable link between the confession and the cross. It is in the great confession that Jesus begins telling most directly about what will happen at Calvary. The conversation flows seamlessly from “the Christ of God” to “let him deny himself”. This is the hardest part of the Gospel. To deny oneself is not some special level of discipleship for a select few, it is the core of being a disciple.

Certainly the end of slavery in the western world has been a good thing, but with the loss of the institution we have lost an understanding of how completely one person could own another. The slave is completely the master’s, an extension of the master without rights, dreams, possessions and aspirations of his/her own. As disciples, we deny our rights, our dreams, our possessions, our aspirations and ourselves. We not only die to the world we die to ourselves. This complete self-denial is perhaps the most rare thing on earth. Paul describes it as being crucified with Christ, it is indeed rare.

How much of our lives revolve around the simple words, “I want”? We have tasted the innocent and sweet gifts of God, good things He gives for our benefit and blessing and having enjoyed them we have pursued them as our goal for life. No disciple can look at another to judge if the other disciple is denying self or living under the cross. However, we must all do that for ourselves everyday.

“Lord, help me take up my cross and die to myself. AMEN”

Luke 9:1-17

Luke 9:1-17

Jesus sent the disciples out with the commission and command to operate on faith. “Ministry with the minimal” might be a way to describe what they did. Verse 3 is a passage that is never quoted in church planting training or any new ministry venture. In the American church we have placed such an emphasis on massive stockpile of resources that it may have compounded our ineffectiveness. We might do well to meditate on the contrast between how Jesus sent his disciples out and what we believe we need to “do Church”. We've become so accustomed to the massive amount of stuff that a church owns that we think it is the norm. Even the smallest of churches has lots of stuff and feels that if they could get better stuff and more stuff they could be more effective.

Jesus essentially tells the disciples they are the tools of the trade. You don't need anything except My calling and My sending. Those two things are all you need. Big church or small church, if we depend on buildings, programs, and materials to be successful we will never succeed and will feel like we need just a little more.

However, we do live in a material world where food, shelter, and clothing are part of the requirements. The story of being sent out without provisions is placed next to the greatest story of Jesus' miraculous provision. But even in this story there is the call for the disciple to “be all in”. They gave their meager resources before receiving God's grand provision. Perhaps what is holding the church and the disciples back in our day is not that we have too few resources, but that we would rely on them too much. So, what do I do as a disciple? What are the positive applications of this passage? Perhaps this is a challenge to my real role as a disciple and disciple maker. Generosity towards serving, missions and out reached is worthwhile. But we ought not wait for another penny to provide provisions to the church. Those resources can get in the way of real ministries.

“Lord, help me to realize Your message and Spirit are all I really need. AMEN”

Luke 8: 40-56

Luke 8: 40-56

Jesus apparently wasn't offended to be the last resort. With both Jarius and the woman it was only when all else failed that they turned to Jesus. Perhaps they had only just heard of Him or they thought the situation would be worked out by means that did not require Divine intervention. For whatever reason, Jesus was the option of the last resort.

Jesus was not offended by their late coming. We see no word of rebuke or indication of exasperation. We do not see Jesus responding with anything that even vaguely looks like a, “What took you so long?” response. They both came to Jesus with a profound faith fueled by desperation that He could save them. That faith was what Jesus wanted from them; it is what He wants from us. Naturally, we can save ourselves much grief and trouble and suffering if we come to Him sooner rather than later. But Jesus appears to be unbothered by the issue of time.

These two people shared nothing in common accept that their situation was hopeless apart from Jesus. Jarius was the ultimate insider having all the advantages a Jewish man could have. The woman was the ultimate outsider. Church tradition identifies her as a gentile. But the desperation of their hopelessness led them to the common Faith and Hope that Jesus alone can save.

The Lord will allow us to experience whatever is needed to come to that same conclusion. The struggles and trouble and grief of today may have more than meets the eye. They may be guides turning us to the one who can rescue us from greater misery. Can we look at each moment with the question, “How could this turn me to the Lord?”

“Lord, help me in my struggles to come to You. AMEN”

Luke 8:26-39

Luke 8:26-39

“Jesus Son of the most high God” is the confession of the demons. If there's a moral scale from perfection to the worst in the universe, demons are very near the worst end. But these demons have a better understanding than a great many people about who Jesus is, including those who are called progressive Christians. The forces of Hell cannot deny that Jesus is the Son of the most high God.

The reality of eternal punishment is the second place where the demon has a superior understanding to the liberal progressives of our day. The very presence of Jesus and the knowledge they will one day face a judgment and eternal reward prompts them to cry out. Here again we have demons with a more orthodox faith than liberal Christianity. The fad of Universalism that seems to sweep the church from time to time has less to do with Scripture than our own sentimental, wishful thinking. We want a sort of fuzzy universalism and so we feel that is what God should say. We need to recall the prayer that includes, “Imprint upon our hearts such a dread of Thy judgments as may make us afraid to offend Thee.” We often offend because we do not fear Him.

Rather than fearing God, we often are afraid to offend the powers of Darkness. The Lord appears, then evil manifests itself, the Lord expels evil and a holy situation is established. What reactions do we see? The locals were gripped with fear. We might expect the eradication of evil would result in joy and celebration. Having become accustomed to the presence and predictability of evil the people are afraid when it is defeated. Those who are not possessed by the demon often want evil around so they can dabble in it if they like. A man may be horrified at the idea of human trafficking, but still wants to occasionally indulge in pornography. A business owner may have a high standard for gross corruption, but enjoy taking advantage of a sharp deal occasionally. When we are confronted with the Holiness that gives no quarter to evil that Holiness frightens us because there are certain evils we want to keep and enjoy.

“Lord, help me not to harbor even the least tiny evil in my heart. AMEN”

Luke 8:16-25

Luke 8:16-25

When it comes to our deepest desires, our words say less than what our condition. A person's actions reflect the deepest level of their heart’s desires not what they say. A student may say, “I want better grades,” but the deeper desire is to take it easy when it comes time to study. One might say, “I want to get up early, but I have a greater desire to stay up late at night or to sleep in.” One might say, “I want to lose weight, but at a deeper level I want to eat ice cream.”

What we say we want and the deepest desires of our heart may not be the same thing. We will act out the deepest desires of our heart, which may or may not reflect what we say. What we say may be nothing more than a vague wish or the socially accepted construct of what is acceptable.

The condition we are in now is because in the past we have wanted the things that have brought us to this condition. They are, of course, other factors involved. If I had no ability to sing I can't overcome that with pure will power and desire. At the same time all the natural talent in the world will lay dormant if desire isn't attached.

This is true spiritually as well. Jesus says in verse 18 that if we have, we will grow in that area; if we are apathetic what we have will have to be taken away. Pay careful attention how you listen. If our attention to the Lord is distracted don't be surprised if we miss the lesson. If I want to follow the Spirit’s promptings then I must obey the prompting I have perceived from His leading.

Where I am at in my spiritual walk is where I wanted to be at some point in the past.

“Lord, give me a heart that desires You above all else. AMEN”

Luke 8:1-15

Luke 8:1-15

We often times rush past the first three verses of chapter 8 to get to the parable of the sower. These verses ought not be ignored. Jesus having been rejected in the synagogue now focuses his teaching in the streets. When church has become a religion club, more interested in its own comfort than proclaiming the Gospel, Jesus’ disciples ought to move out of the building and into the streets.

Luke points out that along with Jesus and the 12 there was a company of women who were partners in ministry. Luke specifically names two women Mary from Magdalene and Joanna. Mary had been possessed by seven demons. The number seven is the number of completion sort of a complete inventory of the spirits, this may also have reflected that she was completely under their control with no respite or relief for peace. Traditionally, she was identified as a prostitute. Scripture never says that specifically. Though prostitution and demonic possession are closely linked. Joanna, on the other hand, was the wife of Herod’s steward. The word “steward” means he was responsible for all of his financial affairs. It was his job to see to it that Herod's financial investments were protected; he was the CFO of the regional king.

Stop for a moment and consider. The wife of a C-level executive and a former prostitute with the demonic history are working together. No sense of superiority or condescension no suspicion or envy apparently marked their lives and relationship. In our world, we are becoming more and more stratified and that is exactly what we would expect when the Gospel and the Lord are absent from our churches.

"Grant to me, Lord, blindness about place and rank so that I can serve You without distraction. AMEN"

Luke 7:36-50

Luke 7:36-50

The contrast in two people could not be more radical than the contrast between the Pharisee and the sinful woman. This event is rather shocking and that the victorious of the hero is not who we expect. The Pharisee is everything we admire and respect and want. He was wealthy, educated, respected, influential, known to and by the movers and the shakers in his world. He was a man who knew and believed the Word of God. He was a man of careful and scrupulous personal morality. He was everything we admire and none of it mattered.

In contrast, the woman was everything we don't like and want to avoid. She was a known immoral woman. We don't know if she was simply a prostitute or a woman who had had affairs recreationally. Most likely, it was the former. She was not well off (prostitutes rarely are), she was poorly educated, she was well known and knew a lot of men, but none would acknowledge her. How many men at that dinner had she served? Poor, ignorant, hated, looked down on, by her customers and their friends and family she has nothing in her life that we would want.

This story is upside down in the end. The Pharisees at the end of the story remains self-secure in his position. The woman is secure in forgiveness. She goes away with God's peace. By our standards this story ends wrong. Which tells us our standards are messed up more than anything else. What I need is to be broken-hearted, a profound awareness of my need for forgiveness, for a rescue, and for someone to heal me. If I think I have all I need and don’t need help then let my heart’s cry be, "God, break my heart and have mercy on me."

“Lord, break my heart for that which breaks Yours. Amen”

Luke 7:18-35

Luke 7:18-35

The sooner we realize there is no pleasing people, the sooner we will be useful for the kingdom of God. John the Baptist’s life and ministry are at their end. He is having the sort of crisis many of us will face asking, “Did I spend this life right?” If Jesus is the Messiah then being in prison and about to die is acceptable, but if Jesus is not the Messiah John's whole life was misdirected. If John was, as Jesus said, the greatest of all those born of women and he had doubts and struggles then my having doubts and struggles from time to time need not wreck my faith.

John was rejected by the religious elite as being a madman. He lived in the wild places and ate off the land. Odd behavior, which by the way, was copied by truly demonically possessed men. Herod and the politically powerful also rejected him. Everyone felt Herod’s marriage was a disgrace, but only John said anything about it. Pleasing people was not high on John's priority list. While John was rejected as being too austere, Jesus was rejected as not being austere enough. Jesus feasted and drank and kept company with disreputable people. During His whole life there was always someone that was not pleased with Jesus.

Most people have a narrow window of approval. If we imagine humility as the color spectrum most people only approve of a very small part of that spectrum, the part in which they inhabit. Our options are to try to please everyone (which is utterly impossible) or find a small niche and select that place as where we will spend our energy. This is, by the way, what many churches have typically done. The third option is to not really care about pleasing men. Love them all, but only care that we please the Father. “In this wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”

“Lord, help me care about Your opinion above all others. Amen”