discipleship

Pragmatic disciples are so quick to miss a beautiful thing.

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6 Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, 7a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. 8And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.” 10But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. 11For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. 12In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. 13Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”  Matthew 26:6-13

Every pragmatic, highly committed, value driven disciple needs to keep this woman in mind.

Jesus knows us!

Timing matters.

Sometimes extravagance is exactly what the moment requires.

We can’t always predict these moments, especially if we are not in the know. Especially if we have an operation to run.

But she had a plan. And she followed through.

She knew what love and devotion for Jesus was motivating her to do for Him.

For Him.

A beautiful thing.

That’s what the pragmatic disciple is likely to miss.

Lord help me!

Caught between God and the opinions of people

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27 And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, 28and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?” 29Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.” 31And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 32But shall we say, ‘From man’?”—they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet. 33So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”  Mark 11:27-33

Its easy to miss the moral dilemma here. Its easy to say, “Oh that’s not me!” But, this interaction between Jesus and the authorities of Jerusalem illustrates the mess we are in.

Jesus made a scene in the temple. He made room for the nations in the Court of the Gentiles by stopping “business as usual” for the day. Jesus’ actions aligned Him with our Heavenly Father’s heart. God wanted Israel to be a blessing to the nations. God wanted communion with people.

“And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 16And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. 17And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.”  Mark 11:15-17

These leaders were offended and outraged. Jesus kept acting like a person with authority. So they wanted to know who gave Him the right to do and say these things. They weren’t going to like Jesus’ answer, for his authority came from His identity as the Father’s Beloved. But that wasn’t Jesus’ concern.

Jesus’ concern is for the alignment of hearts with God’s heart. So, His question about John’s baptism is designed to draw out the duplicity of their hearts. Truly they were concerned for themselves. They needed the power, position, and prestige granted to them by people. And this kind of authority could only be theirs if they managed the impression that they were really “on God’s side.” But being “on God’s side” would require a humility and a submission to God’s strange work through John and through Jesus.

Yuck! That’s the mess we are in if we are managing the opinions of people. It is possible to be with God and for people. If you doubt this, just take a close look at Jesus’ life. However, when we are doing life for ourselves we are going to end up using both God and people.

Jesus will call us out.

Take care that you do not desire the applause and admiration of people over the applause of God.

The most important intention for your day

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I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.   John 15:5

The most important parts of your day are the parts where you acknowledge Jesus Christ. These are the moments when you are…

mindful of His presence with you.

giving thanks for His redemptive Gospel.

aligning your attitudes and actions with His agenda.

entering into your identity as His dearly loved child.

accessing the wardrobe of your new nature in Him.

seeking wisdom and guidance for leading.

fortifying your courage to follow Him.

Perhaps you have neglected these moments for meeting Jesus. Its time to build them into your day… (the options are endless and varied)

when you roll out of bed and your feet hit the floor.

when you open God’s Word and in-form your life with truth.

when you practice the verses you are memorizing.

when you pray with a meal.

when you greet that first human.

when you open your computer.

when you write that first text of the day.

when you read that first Facebook post.

when you make a transaction.

when you wash the dishes.

when you share a meal.

when you enter a room for a meeting.

when you wait on transit.

when you…waste your life… Hey! Jesus is there waiting for you to be mindful of Him… don’t waste your life.

Busy is not necessarily full of lasting fruit. Be intentional. Pick some moments. Abide in Jesus.

 

 

Asking for the Holy Spirit

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9And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 11What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”  Luke 11:9-13

Our Heavenly Father delights to give for the life and benefit of His children. So, ask. So, seek. So, knock. He knows how to give good gifts! When it comes to gifts, He will even give Himself. Jesus says our Heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.

So, I’m asking for the Holy Spirit who

  • brings me into God’s love and assures me that I am His. (Romans 8:12-17)
  • animates the Gospel of Jesus and lifts Him up. (John 16:4-15)
  • empowers me for the work of Jesus in the world and leads me into it. (Acts 1:4-8)
  • equips me for the benefit of the Body of Christ. (1 Corinthians 12)
  • grants me wisdom for decisions. (Isaiah 11:1-3)

 

What if you lose your job?

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29And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. 30For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you. 32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.  Luke 12:29-34

Yesterday I phoned up a friend who lives in Alberta. Eight years ago he moved from Vancouver and our church where we had shared the beginning years of his family’s discipleship journey with Jesus. His job was secure, but with the downturn in the price of oil, he like many others has lost his job.

What do you do if you lose your job?

Well no doubt its been hard. The internal struggles where apparent in his voice. But what he said next stuck joy in my heart.

He is pursuing Jesus.

He is studying God’s Word. He is taking Biblical studies classes.

He is assisting weekly with an outreach to students on a university campus.

And of course he is looking for work, not with panic, but with an ear on the heart of our Heavenly Father.

He showed me the delight of having Jesus as our treasure! In Jesus all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden (Colossians 2:3). Nothing can compare to the incredible worth of knowing Him. Jesus calls us out:

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.  (Matthew 13:44-45)