IT’S WHO YOU KNOW

“But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions -- it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace.”  (Ephesians 2:4-7 NIV)

When it comes to spiritual knowledge, it's not what you know but Who you know.  I experienced the value of knowledge that is up close and personal during the 1996 World Series between the Atlanta Braves and the New York Yankees.  The cleanup pitcher for the Yankees, John Wetteland, is a close friend and gave my son and me tickets to attend a game in Atlanta.  Because we knew John, his name was the key to untold opportunity wherever we went.  It unlocked a hotel room in a city that was overbooked.  It gained us entrance to the Yankee locker room.  It even provided seats on the team bus right next to Reggie Jackson!  My son, Nathan, and I kept pinching ourselves to make sure the whole experience wasn't a dream.  But it was -- a dream come true.

What personally knowing John Wetteland did for us in Atlanta, intimately knowing Christ does for a Christian in this life -- it opens the entrance to eternity; it reserves a seat in Heaven; and it unlocks the treasure house of God's wisdom. 

-- Lenya Heitzig and Penny Pierce Rose in “Pathway to God's Treasure: Ephesians” 

#6488

I WAS BLIND BUT NOW I SEE

“Jesus spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the [blind] man’s eyes. ‘Go,’ He told him, ‘wash in the Pool of Siloam’ (this word means ‘Sent’). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.”  (John 9:6-7 NIV)

After Jesus healed the blind man, others in his town who didn’t understand wanted to debate all sorts of meaningless issues. When several Pharisees accused Jesus of being a sinner, the blind guy told his story. “Whether [Jesus] is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” (John 9:25)

Even though this newly healed man didn’t know enough to debate theology, he was an expert on one topic -- his own experience. He was blind and now he could see. Everywhere he went, this healed man could tell his story to anyone who would listen, and his changed life was proof of what had happened.

We can do the same. Start with these words: “Let me tell you my story.” Then just fill in the blanks. You might have been forgiven for many sins or saved from a life of addiction. Perhaps you were sick and God healed you, or you were searching for something meaningful in life and your search ended when you found Christ. You may have grown up in church and known about God since Elmo was your favorite furry friend, but you only personally experienced God’s goodness later in life. Even if you don’t feel like your story is powerful or dramatic, God can use it. 

-- Craig Groeschel in “The Christian Atheist: Believing in God but Living as if He Doesn’t Exist”

#6419

MOVING BEYOND THE ENTRANCE

“[Christ’s] divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence, by which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire… For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”  (2 Peter 1:3,4,11 ESV)

We come to Jesus Christ and He does for us what He promised; and the thing works out. To our amazement, it works out. And then we settle down. We have had our own first-hand and irrefutable experience. But, instead of opening the windows to the glory of the sunshine so evidently there, instead of being incited to a hugeness of faith by what Christ has already done for us, we can't believe that there can be anything more, or that even He can work, for us, anything better. That first foretaste satisfies us. And so we camp for life out on the confines of the Kingdom, and never press on to inherit what is there and meant for us. 

-- A. J. Gossip (1873-1954) in “Experience Worketh Hope” [1944] 

#6208

SACRED STORIES

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…”  (1 Peter 3:15 NIV)

Everyone has a story. I believe God is in our stories – in the initial experiences, in the encounters along the way, in the telling and retelling, and in the hearing. I have spent the past fifteen years telling my story to pretty much anyone who would listen, with groups ranging from twenty to twenty thousand. Sometimes the telling occurred in a formal setting; other times it happened more casually. I have discovered that by telling my story, others are encouraged to tell theirs. Often I have the joy of hearing them. To tell your story, you must be true to yourself and real about your feelings. You have to be honest, and you have to tell your story in a way others will hear and be encouraged to participate. It’s in the dialogue that we find our way and discover that we can rewrite the endings. The story continues throughout our lifetime. 

-- Celia Whitler in “On the Way to Somewhere: Stories and Songs for the Journey”

#5601

NEAR-SIDE CHRISTIANS

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”  (1 John 1:2-4 NIV)

Oliver Wendell Holmes, former chief justice of the Supreme Court, once made a perceptive distinction between two kinds of simplicity: simplicity on the near side of complexity and simplicity on the far side of complexity.  He said, “I would not give a fig for simplicity on the near side of complexity.”

Many Christians settle for simplicity on the near side of complexity.  Their faith is only mind deep.  They know what they believe, but they don’t know why they believe what they believe.  Their faith is fragile because it has never been tested intellectually or experientially.  Near-side Christians have never been in the catacombs of doubt or suffering, so when they encounter questions they cannot answer or experiences they cannot explain, it causes a crisis of faith.  For far-side Christians, those who have done their time in the catacombs of doubt or suffering, unanswerable questions and unexplainable experiences actually result in heightened appreciation for the mystery and majesty of a God who does not fit within the logical constraints of the left brain.  Near-side Christians, on the other hand, lose their faith before they’ve really found it. 

-- Mark Batterson in “PRIMAL: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity”

#5518

SIMPLICITY AND COMPLEXITY

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1)

Oliver Wendell Holmes, former chief justice of the Supreme Court, once made a perceptive distinction between two kinds of simplicity: simplicity on the near side of complexity and simplicity on the far side of complexity.  He said, “I would not give a fig for simplicity on the near side of complexity.”

Many Christians settle for simplicity on the near side of complexity.  Their faith is only mind deep.  They know what they believe, but they don’t know why they believe what they believe.  Their faith is fragile because it has never been tested intellectually or experientially.  Near-side Christians have never been in the catacombs of doubt or suffering, so when they encounter questions they cannot answer or experiences they cannot explain, it causes a crisis of faith.  For far-side Christians, those who have done their time in the catacombs of doubt or suffering, unanswerable questions and unexplainable experiences actually result in heightened appreciation for the mystery and majesty of a God who does not fit within the logical constraints of the left brain.  Near-side Christians, on the other hand, lose their faith before they’ve really found it. 

-- Mark Batterson in “PRIMAL: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity”

#5407

 

A REDEMPTIVE COMMUNITY

There are, I should say, four elements in a redemptive community.  It is personal, with things happening between people as well as to and in them individually; it is compassionate, always eager to help, observant but non-judgmental toward others, breathing out hope and concern; it is creative, with imagination about each one in the group and its work as a whole, watching for authentic new vision coming from any of them; and it is expectant, always seeking to offer to God open and believing hearts and minds through which He can work out His will, either in the sometimes startling miracles He gives or in steady purpose through long stretches where there is no special "opening".  It may fairly be said that unless one enmeshes oneself in this "redemptive fellowship" of the church, one lessens one’s chances of steady growth and effectiveness, in one’s Christian life and experience. 

-- Samuel M. Shoemaker (1893-1963) in “The Experiment of Faith,” adapted

#5386

CHRIST LIVING IN US

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”  (Galatians 2:19b-20 NRSV)

The great difference between present-day Christianity and that of which we read in these letters (New Testament Epistles) is that to us it is primarily a performance; to them, it is a real experience. We are apt to reduce the Christian religion to a code or, at best, a rule of heart and life. To these men it is quite plainly the invasion of their lives by a new quality of life altogether. They do not hesitate to describe this as Christ living in them. 

-- J.B Phillips in his introduction to “Letters to Young Churches”

#5372

FOR ME

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." (Galatians 2:20 NKJV)

Every one of us must face the cross. Every one of us needs to come personally. "He died for me." Put the "me" into it. Only when you begin there, will the love of Christ begin to dawn in you. 

-- H. S. Vigeveno in “Jesus the Revolutionary”

#5327

EXPERIENCING GOD’S ATTRIBUTES

The Bible tells us who God is. He’s our fortress (Psalm 18:2), our hiding place (Psalm 32:7), our portion (Psalm 119:57 NASB), our deliverer (Psalm 70:5 NIV)… among other things. But how do we really know for sure until we experience these attributes in real-life situations? Author Ron Mehl says it beautifully:

“How do I know He’s my Fortress until, with arrows flying all around me, I run with all my heart into His open gates? How do I know He’s my Hiding Place until I hear the enemy crashing in the brush behind me, feel his breath on the back of my neck, and cry out for a place of refuge? How do I know He’s my Portion until all I treasure and hold dear is suddenly threatened or taken from me? How do I know He’s my Father until I feel orphaned and abandoned and left alone in the storm? How do I -- like Peter -- learn that He’s my Deliverer until I step out of the boat and plant my foot on fifty fathoms of frothy sea?”

It’s one thing to be told something is true. It’s another thing to be shown. God established His Word to tell us who He is, but He uses circumstances to show us. 

-- Mark Atteberry in “Free Refill: Coming Back for More of Jesus”

#5186

GLIMPSES OF TRUTH

“Jesus said to the people who believed in Him, ‘You are truly My disciples if you remain faithful to My teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’”  (John 8:31-32 NLT)

Soren Kierkegaard once said that reading the Bible is like coming to a street corner and waiting for the traffic to pass before crossing the street.  And while you are waiting, you overhear the conversation of the two women in front of you.  They are oblivious to your presence, but as they talk, you realize that the conversation is about you.  And what they say reveals to you things that you never suspected about yourself.

When I read the Bible in the power of the Holy Spirit, it's just like that.  Though it was not written to me, I sense that it was written for me.  I don't hear just what the Bible says to people in places long ago and far away.  Rather, I feel as though I am overhearing messages that were meant just for me.  In my devotional reading of the Scripture, as distinct from my times of study, I feel my soul being opened up to glimpses of Truth that are incredibly personal. 

-- Tony Campolo in “Following Jesus Without Embarrassing God”

#5172

SPIRITUAL FORMATION

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”  (Romans 12:2 NLT)

Being a people in mission is not merely a matter of strategies and methods; it is a matter of spiritual formation. Being in mission requires us to have a trusting relationship with God and ourselves that is more than the mere learning of facts. Formation is a process through which a relationship develops and shapes our very personality. Out of that deep personal experience, values and commitments originate and love grows. 

-- Bishop Raymond Schultz, ELC in Canada

#5083 

KNOWING THE SHEPHERD

“The Lord is my shepherd…”  (Psalm 23:1)

A famous actor was an after dinner speaker at a big fund raising function; and apparently he was well known for his voice because when he stood up to speak, he invited his audience to choose a poem for him to recite. There was a long silence until an older preacher raised his hand and asked for Psalm 23.

The actor was slightly taken aback, but agreed to read the Psalm provided the preacher recite it after him; which the old man reluctantly agreed to do. So the actor recited Psalm 23 and received a standing ovation.

Then the preacher recited the Psalm, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Upon seeing this reaction from the crowd, the actor went over to the older preacher and said to the guests “Do you know the difference between his version and mine? I know the 23rd Psalm; but this man knows the Shepherd.”

The difference between the two men in that story is that one knew about the Lord and the other knew the Lord. The reason why the old preacher’s recitation of the psalm moved people more than the actor’s is that it was obvious to them that the old preacher was not simply going through the motions but was actually familiar with the Shepherd of whom he spoke.

-- Author Unknown


#4655

INVITING PEOPLE TO FOLLOW JESUS

“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve.”  (1 Corinthians 15:3-5 NIV)

Paul is a prime example of the radical new ways followers of Jesus would spread God’s truth. He had not been among Jesus’ earliest followers, and in fact had persecuted the first believers. But after miraculously experiencing the presence and resurrection power of Christ, Paul devoted the rest of his life to proclaiming the dual call to love God and serve Him through a life of disciple making: “But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 NIV)

At great personal cost, Paul traveled throughout the world of his day inviting people to follow Jesus and then encouraging them to go out and invite others to do the same: “So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me His prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. He has saved us and called us to a holy life -- not because of anything we have done but because of His own purpose and grace.”  (2 Timothy 1:8-9a NIV) 

-- From “Side by Side: Disciple-Making for a New Century”, Steve & Lois Rabey, General Editors


#4450