Master the Ordinary.

Isaiah, inspired by Holy Spirit, wrote (55:11) So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

   I know two men who the Lord saved later in their lives, more than a year ago. I've encouraged both to begin reading their bibles, suggesting that they read the Gospel of John first. One has made multiple commitments to begin, the other has begun reading the New Testament at a rate of just a chapter or two a day. The first continues to promise himself he's about to begin reading, but is stalled without ever starting. The man reading daily is growing and thriving in the Lord, the other is stuck -- an inch past saved.

   When I observe the diverse group of Christians I know, this pattern repeats itself en mass. Those who have mastered the simple feeding strategy of daily bible reading and daily prayer prosper. Their peace increases, their humility increases, and they begin to become a living image of the scriptures they've been reading and the Lord they've been talking with in prayer. Those who attempt to rely on fellowship activities and Sunday messages plateau, stall, then drift back toward submission to their flesh. This occurs in my life too -- when I let my spiritual routine breakdown for any reason.

    John Spurgeon wrote -- Remember, Christ's scholars must study upon their knees.

   When we view God's Word as a book to be intellectually conquered or prayer as a required ritual, neither will open a pathway to fellowship with Christ. But when we view both as conversations with a loving Father, Friend, Savior, and Counselor  our faith is multiplied and our hearts prosper as God understands prosperity. It's almost too simple and it seems to require too little, and yet God's Grace eludes so many. 

   The formula for spiritual growth is very simple. Master the ordinary. Ingest scripture and spend time with the Lord in prayer daily. 

   

Copyright 2014 Mission of the Master Ministries, Inc. May be reproduced in whole or in part without prior written permission if a link is provided to  http://wordworkswednesday.blogspot.com    

   

 

 

 

Four, Three, Two, One....Easter!

Matthew 27:50 -- And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.

Mark 15:37 -- And Jesus cried out with a loud voice and breathed His last. 

Luke 23:46 -- And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. Having said this, He breathed His last. 

John 19:30 -- So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished." And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. 

     The bible is unique among literature. It is an anthology that took over fifteen hundred years to write, contains the work of 40 writers from three continents, and was written in three languages. An anthology with these attributes would certainly contain divergent messages and many inconsistencies, but the bible does not. How is this possible? 

   The writers of the four Gospels quoted above also differed greatly. Luke and John were disciples from a Jewish heritage who had walked in the dust of the Lord's footsteps for several years. Mark was a scribe who got much of what he wrote through Peter's recollection, and Luke was a gentile physician. Although three were Jewish, their cultures extended from Galilee to Jerusalem, making them as disparate as Americans from Brooklyn and New Orleans. The thread that kept their accounts unified is named Holy Spirit. By His inspiration all wrote. 

    Four left us witness accounts. The only one we know was close enough to hear Jesus' words was John (see John 19:26-27) whom He assigned, immediately prior to His own death, the job of caring for His mother, Mary, who was also present. John was an eyewitness. The others may have been in the group of followers watching from a distance (Luke 23:49), but we aren't clearly informed. Only John informs of of the Lord's final words, It is finished. Maybe only John stood near enough to hear them. While the accounts differ in details, they never conflict. 

   Three recall His loud cry. I wonder if it was startling to see the man who had commanded the wind to quiet, the demons to flee, and the dead to live cry out like one of us. He was like one of us, fully human, and he was nothing like us at all, fully God. 

   Two saw Him breath His last breath. I wonder if, until that moment, the were expecting Him to instead suddenly free Himself, heal Himself, lower Himself from the cross and begin to reign as King of the Jews. 

   One spirit was yielded or given up -- His spirit. Yielding and giving reflect intended decisions. Diminishing the focus on His final breath, and rather refocusing on His decision to let that breath be final, a decision that rescinded his physicality and returned Him to spirituality. Death is often imposed by sickness, or accident or bad human intention or error. This was imposed by a loving Father, watching one child suffer as He saved millions of others. For me, that One saved this one. One Holy God saved one unholy Steve. And while His Spirit was yielded, that decision yielded for humanity the constant presence of Holy Spirit. 

   As we enjoy our Easter traditions, remember that Emmanuel, God with us, initiated Easter not for family dinners, chocolate rabbits or Easter egg hunts but as the day of the final Passover sacrifice of the lamb of God so that Holy Grace can reign over darkness, and to initiate a new exchange, Holy Grace for human faith, joining the hearts of heaven to the hearts of humanity forever. 

   Happy Easter. 

   To the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all those who have known the truth, because of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever: (2 John 1:1-2 nkjv)

    Relevant has apparently become a church buzzword. I looked at many contemporary church websites and found it used and maybe even overused. They advertise relevant teaching and relevant preaching. Webster's Dictionary defines relevant as -- Pertinent; applicable. The testimony is not relevant to the case. The argument is not relevant to the question. [This is the sense in which the word is now generally used.] 

   So, if some churches are relevant are there others that are not relevant, irrelevant, un-relevant, anti relevant? If there are, they don't choose advertise it. This word, so popular with churches, appears to be used to mean less different from your culture than you might think. It appears to refer primarily to style, and less to content. 

    Opponents to Christ and His church often argue that Christianity is no longer relevant. They

mock God and any thought of a being higher than a human. They proclaim that in modernity we have grown past the need for God, whom they call a mythical figure. All forms of human excess are proclaimed as good. Any thought of an abiding Truth, proclaimed by a loving God is dismissed prior to investigation and even mocked. By academics, secular humanists, and all who have found and love and have devoted themselves to something God calls sin, God and His Word have been declared irrelevant. It seems we live in a culture that screams, "How is God relevant to my life?" when they should be asking, "How is my life relevant to God?"

   In today's verse, John writes the opposite. He writes under the inspiration of Holy Spirit  -- To the elect lady and her children  (the church and Christian believers) -- whom I love in truth... John acknowledges that there exists a singular, relevant Truth, and he proclaims his love for all those who have found and latched on to this Truth. He makes it clear that he isn't just expressing his love to his friends at his home church -- but also all those who have known the truth... 

   This Truth John speaks of is both inclusive (another popular church buzzword) and exclusive saying -- because of the truth which abides in us. The Truth John speaks of is the Truth of a Father in heaven who so loved the world that He sent us Jesus to pay with His own life for our own sin. Its a simple truth, but more than many can bear. It is also exclusive, excluding many, but not by God's choice or through His wrath, but by their own choice through their rejection of the Gospel. It is not just to be included as equally relevant, but rather it is exclusively relevant. It always was relevant, is relevant, and always will be relevant. 

John wrote that the Truth of Christ -- will be with us forever. Truth lasts forever. Who Jesus is and what He has done for us will last forever. Who we are and how Jesus loves us and guides our lives deeper into His Truth will last forever. Bob Dylan wrote -- The times they are a-changin'. He was right. Most of what we can see with our eyes are temporal things, and temporal things (the times) they are changing and always will. Styles change. Social norms change. Our culture changes too, but the Truth as expressed and left for us in the bible, never changes. It will be with us forever. 

 Hold onto temporal things with a gentle grip. When they begin to slip away, let them. Latch onto eternal things, and never let go. If you do --  Grace, mercy, and peace will be with you from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. (v3)

 Copyright 2014 Mission of the Master Ministries, Inc. May be reproduced in whole or in part without prior written permission if a link is provided to http://wordworkswednesday.blogspot.com