Archive January 2011
Wow! What’s Wrong with Jesus?
Ever have that thought? What’s wrong with Jesus? I must confess I have a time or two in my first few readings through the Bible as a young believer. It has happened when I stumbled across an event in Jesus’ life where he responded in ways I initially thought to be inexplicable, like the time when he made a whip and ran the money changers out of the temple, turning over tables and opening the pens of sacrificial animals. How about in the final week of his life when he cursed a barren fig tree? Cursing fig trees?? Come on! Talk about having a bad day!
Fresh back from Costa Rica, I met with my Life Team this morning. We never have an agenda, and our conversation can head in any direction imaginable – all in the same morning! Today we talked about our personal lives, our businesses and ministries, our kids and marriages, our hopes and fears and – I can’t even remember.
I was just getting ready to head out when someone said,
“Got time for a Bible question?“
“Sure!“
We had already talked about how cool it is for the whole church to be reading through the Bible together this year. Anymore, we don’t even have to ask who is reading and who isn’t. Topics of conversations in Sunday school classes, family dinner tables, car pools and over coffee in Portico in the KCBT lobby have a way of pointing back to what we have been seeing in the Bible.
Him: You know that story we just read in Matthew about Jesus and the Canaanite woman who begged him to do something about her demon-possessed daughter? Jesus refused to talk to her and the disciples wanted to send her away. Then, Jesus called her a dog.!
Me: Oh, you mean in Matthew 15. Yeah, that’ s kind of tough, isn’t it? I used to wrestle with that myself. There is an explanation, however. In fact, not only was that our Bible reading Monday, I was just reading about that same story the other day as I was reviewing my Perspectives reader and saw a phrase used in explanation that I really liked. Jesus is once again emphasizing that his kingdom is for all peoples and not just his own people the Jews. Let me show you how the context flows.
We went to Matthew 15 and I showed how Jesus was embroiled in another controversy with the Pharisees and scribes. This time they were upset because Jesus’ disciples did not wash their hands before they ate (or sang their music too loud, or didn’t dress like “Christians,” or … ). Jesus was very direct in saying that they were honoring God with their lips, but heart was distant. He then lowered the boom by saying that it isn’t what goes into the mouth that defiles us, but what comes out, because it reflects the content of the heart.
The disciples take Jesus aside to get him to crank down the volume a bit.
Jesus, don’t you know that you offended these guys?
Keep that in mind.
Jesus’ answer was not very comforting to them. “Don’t you get it either?” He then went into greater detail to explain his point. And, no, they really weren’t getting it.
After this encounter, Jesus headed straight for the beach! The beaches of Tyre and Sidon. This is where this Canaanite woman approaches him about her demon-possessed daughter. He totally brushes her aside, won’t even speak to her. She just keeps insisting.
The disciples were concerned he had offended the scribes and Pharisees, but they are probably glad to see he is pretty good at offending this bothersome gentile woman. After all, she is just a gentile and everyone knows that they can be a real problem.
Jesus, send her away! She’s making a scene.
So, Jesus turns to her and lets her have it both barrels blazing!. (You want offensive? THIS is offensive!)
It’s not right to take the children’s bread a toss it to dogs.
Say what?! Jesus calls this woman a dog!
What they don’t realize is that they are being set up. Jesus is ready to pull the rug out from underneath them.
As I offered this explanation this morning, I couldn’t remember exactly who had written what I had rolling around in my mind, but I went home and looked it up. The author was Don Richardson and the excerpt is taken from his well-known book, Eternity in Their Hearts. Here it is.
“It is not right to take the children’s bread.” Then He added the crusher – “and toss it to their dogs!” “Dogs” was a standard epithet Jews reserved for Gentiles, especially Gentiles who tried to intrude upon Jewish religious privacy and privilege. In other words, Jesus now complements his earlier “insensitivity” and “inconsistency” with even worse “cruelty.”
Was this really the Savior of the world talking? No doubt His disciples thought His reference quite appropriate for the occasion. But just when the chests were swollen with pride of race, the Canaanite woman must have caught a twinkle in Jesus’ eye and realized the truth!
“Yes, Lord,” she replied ever so humbly, not to mention subtly, “but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table!” (see also Mark 7:26-30).
“Woman, you have great faith!” Jesus glowed. “Your request is granted!” No, He was not being fickle! This was what he intended to do all along.
From offending the very self-righteous scribes and pharisees, Jesus goes to praising the faith of a Canaanite woman!
As we reflected on this remarkable event, we all agreed that we want to draw close enough to Jesus to see the twinkle in his eyes.
Costa Rica Wrap
Perspectives Class #2
Tonight was my second and final class for Perspectives here in San José, Costa Rica, the reason I am here. There are 15 classes in this university level course. I now leave it in the hands of those who will follow me each week. The first week of something can be hard to absorb not knowing what to expect. Last week went well, but this week it seemed that people got a true sense of the magnitude of what they have signed up for. The feedback was electric, both written and verbal. Already people are seeing their perspective on the world begin to change. With constant tweaking since 1982, this course is truly an amazing experience.
When all is said and done it looks like right at 50 people will be enrolled. The cutoff is tomorrow morning. This is far more than I personally expected and the quality of students is impressive. It was announced tonight that we are offering the intensive version at KCBT in conjunction with The Summit next month and already two people are seriously interested in coming. One lady is already shopping plane tickets and another was getting very serious about it this evening. It’s a pretty powerful thing. Really. If you want to know more, hop over to kcbt.org.
So, around noon tomorrow I begin my journey home. Back to winter. I have been spoiled while here and loved every minute of it! Daily Coffee Tours with Montse have been a blast. Her mom is an amazing cook and they have made me feel like family. Thanks for coming along with here and I hope that I was able to provide a little cyber warmth to get you through the cold, those of you who have been shivering in Kansas City. See you soon!
Our Daily Bread
So, how are you coming in your daily read through the Bible? If you are keeping up, more or less, you’ve already survived some of those dreaded spots in Genesis that are lists of names. There are more to come. Yikes!
It’s OK to cheat when you get to the begetting and begotting part. You can just kind of let your eyes glance across the page acknowledging what is there. Look for verses that pop out to give a short commentary and stand in contrast to the list of names. Don’t worry if you don’t see the point right now. Spend more time that day in Psalms, Proverbs, Matthew or whatever. Or, use that time to catch up if you missed a day or two – or not.
Here’s what hit me in our Matthew 14 reading today. After the wild boat ride in the storm with Jesus walking on the water and all that, the Lord and his gang of twelve arrive to the other shore of the lake. People are waiting there for Jesus and beg him to just touch the hem of his garment. They do that and are healed of their sicknesses. They go away content.
A lot of people are content just to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment and be saved from their sin. I’d much rather be in the boat with Jesus! I want it all!
Costa Rica Update!
This summer as I was preaching through The Mission, Montse had organized a couple of study groups in her house to go through the study with us. I thought she was teaching from the notes we passed out in the services. No. They were gathered around the TV watching me teach in Spanish via the Internet. So, these young professionals had been waiting for me to arrive. Some of them are now in the Perspectives class. Some are actively making plans to serve God in cross-cultural situations around the world. It’s pretty exciting.
Students from The Mission with KCBT's own Myika on the right who is here studying Spanish
These students of mine hired a chef to cater in a fabulous meal last night as we met at the scene of the study. We sat around for quite a while afterwards as I told them stories of some of the things that God is doing around the world that I can’t share in an open public setting. We had a blast and ended with a season of heartfelt prayer.
This morning a couple I married years ago in El Salvador picked me up for breakfast. He is an executive with Habitat for Humanity and they have lived in Venezuela, Bolivia and now these past five years in Costa Rica. They now attend Montse’s church.
Me, Montse, Pastor Jorge
Back at the house for lunch, Montse’s pastor came and we spent the afternoon together. We talked and talked and discovered that our approach to the Bible, ministry and life is scary close! We both felt an immediate chemistry – a click! His church is part of a
On the Coffee Tour
group of about nine churches here that come from a mother church pastored by an ex-soccer player. As it turns out, he was preaching in Montse’s church tonight and I got to meet him, too.
Loved the service tonight (Saturday). Honestly, I felt like I was right at home back at KCBT. The worship was great and to the heart. The preaching was passionate and biblical from Joshua 1 and 3 about the art of making transitions. Yea God! This is the first time in a long time that I have been able to walk into a church service as a regular person and just soak it up. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed that!
I mentioned the video that Montse put together the other night when I spoke to the students. Here is the link to her FaceBook where she has it posted. I think this will work if you click here if you would like to see the short 3 minute video. The photos are her own that she has taken various places where she has worked around the world. The music is original, Dime (Tell me)and on the CD released by the youth band La Calle of her church and used by permission. The text is from Lamentations, Is is nothing to you? Check it out.
Dear God, I LOVE Young People!
Today's Coffee Tour!
I have several passions that all flow from one that is basic – a passion to bring glory to God. Because of that passion, I am supremely passionate about making disciples among the nations of the world. I am passionate about teaching people the Bible. And, I am passionate about youth. Passion is an overworked word today, but I don’t know what other word to use and I am really passionate about this stuff!
Our three services on Sunday morning are totally different one from the other. The only common thread is me and what I preach. I am passionate to preach in all three of them, but guess which is my favorite? That’s right! The third service that oozes over with youthful energy. My whole week moves toward that time.
So, here I am in my beloved Costa Rica, a part of my life since 1974, longer than many of my Costa Rican friends have been alive. Certainly longer than Montse, my hostess this week. When I met her she had a vision burning in her heart to bring the full version of Perspectives to Costa Rica. She wouldn’t take no for an answer. When she asked me to be the first teacher, how could I refuse? This week, I have loved looking at life, looking at God and his mission, looking at so many things through her eyes. I have watched her tip-toe her way through the male-dominated world of preachers, pastors and Christian leaders to believe God to do something when no one else would give her hope, few would even pay attention and others actively discouraged her. Her dream is becoming a reality.
This evening I was invited to speak to the young people at her church. At first I think she wondered if I would really do it. She needs to get to know me just a little bit better! This is what I live for. To talk to a group of young people about God and his mission – there’s nothing I would rather do.
This was not the largest group I have ever faced. I really didn’t know what to expect. I knew I would be fine with whatever God dealt. The praise team led us in some heartfelt worship. It was youthful and it was great. Then, Montse had put together a video of some of her work in various places around the world (she’s a professional photographer) all designed to highlight the challenge before us. She set it to a sound track of an original song by the praise team on a recent CD release that perfectly matched the theme. It was powerful.
Then, I was on. I stepped up to grab the microphone, still not knowing what to expect or even exactly how the message on my heart was going to come out. I had prayed earlier for God’s Spirit to fill me and to put his words in my mouth.
Suddenly, it was just happening. God was there; it was evident. The attention to what I was saying was riveting. The call went forth to consider God’s call. Hands went up, and we went before God in prayer.
There is no way to know what really happens in times like these. The presence of God was palatable.; the sincerity of the youth undeniable. Now, what happens from here is out of my hands. I just know that I love young people. Here are a few reasons why, in no particular order and recognizing that these are general statements and that not all young people have all these qualities or even any of them. But, here’s why I love youth.
- They are usually refreshingly honest and don’t just say what they are expected to say.
- They are not yet cynical about life, God and the church.
- They really believe that God can do just about anything they can trust him to do.
- They don’t listen when older people tell them they can’t do it that way. They trust God to do it anyway.
- They still are broken by the needs in the world around them. They have not gotten used to pain and human suffering and don’t think of those things as business as usual.
Yes. I love youth! Read very carefully the following words from Psalms. This is how I want to spend the rest of my life.
For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments: And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God. (Psalms 78:5-8)
Pharoah, Let My People Go!
Hosni Mubarak
Is it not ironic to you that as we are plowing our way through Exodus in our read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year challenge the world’s attention is riveted on Egypt? Fascinating!
Every time I turn around it seems someone is commenting on what they are seeing in our Bible reading or thanking me for the challenge to read through the Bible. We have approached this task not with legalistic duty mixed with a generous portion of guilt, but full of grace and anticipation. People are looking forward each day to spending time in the Bible.
So, here we are watching history being made in Egypt while we read about God raising up Moses to deliver Israel from oppression in Egypt. I know I’m a Bible geek, but I am utterly consumed listening to the news coming out of Egypt. Consider the following:
The place of Egypt in Scripture
Meeting with God in the scriptures
The power of Kingdom praying
Above all, remember that God is in control and that his ways are not necessarily our ways. This is not really about democracy versus dictatorships, or the Muslim Brotherhood versus more progressive elements of society. This is about God’s love for the peoples of the world, Egyptians among them, and his desire to raise up a people for his name among them.
There was a time when missionaries were expelled from China shortly after WWII, and many Chinese Christians were imprisoned or killed. What a tragedy many thought! God, though, was at work and used that pressure cooker to make China the country where more people come to Christ every day than any other place on earth. Chinese Christians are already becoming a powerful force in God’s mission, and in the next few years you will be amazed at what will be happening in China for the Kingdom of God! So don’t pray from an American perspective but from a biblical perspective.
KCBT has a wonderful family of believers in Egypt. Our key man, W___, just happened to be right here at KCBT as all this began to unfold in Egypt. His wife and two college-aged children remain in Cairo. Pray for their protection and encouragement during this time, and to give W___ guidance and comfort of mind. W___ was present in the third service today, and we prayed specifically for him.
Pray for S__r and A_y, two others of our family who serve much of the time in Egypt. Currently, they are here and safe.
Just about two or three weeks ago I met three young Egyptian men visiting our services on a Sunday morning. I can’t remember their names, and I really don’t know if they share our faith or not. But, I do know that they must be very concerned about the events unfolding in their native land. They obviously have friends and family and they are concerned for them. Pray that God will reveal himself strong to them during this time. We have other Egyptians in our church family who need our love and prayers.