Discipleship - August 27, 2017

Matthew 28:19 - Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations ...

What does it mean to be a disciple? We see rather ordinary characters identified as Christ's disciples by the Gospel writers. Throughout these Scriptures, we often get vivid accounts of the disciples acting in very human ways. Those who have read the first four books of the New Testament, even in a casual manner, understand the disciples were prone to constant correction and reproof by the Master. Yet, we recognize a resoluteness as they persevered through three years of seeming vagrancy with this itinerant preacher. During this time, their love was not yet fully consummated for their Lord as it would be after His resurrection. However, they loved Him enough to know they would follow this Man wherever He might lead. Probably not until after Christ rose from the dead and sent the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost did they fully understand what it meant to be His disciples. Up until that time, in some regard, they only knew themselves as disciples by name. No matter how imperfectly they followed Jesus, they nonetheless fulfilled the definition of a disciple as those seeking to adhere to the Lord's teachings and commands.

The transliteration of the word disciple in the Greek is matheteuo. Referring to its context in our lead verse it means to "to follow his precepts and instructions." By following Christ's teachings and instructions during His life upon this earth, the disciples became acutely aware of their inability to emulate their Teacher. However, they persevered until they were endued with power on high to accomplish the impossible. No longer would they seek to be like Christ, but now He lived within them and they could function with the same power of the Godhead which they witnessed before their Lord's departure. From the scriptures, we see Jesus reminding His disciples time after time of their shortcomings while He was with them. The final disappointment to the disciples was the fulfillment of Christ's prophecy where they would all forsake Him. (Matthew 26:31-35) Yet, Jesus knew what was in man and patiently loved His disciples even in their failings. While all forsook Him, He promised He would never forsake His own. (Hebrews 13:5)

Jesus was not a stranger to discipleship. The Gospel of Luke has often been called the "Gospel of Our Praying Lord." Luke mentions Jesus in prayer more than any of the other Gospel writers. Jesus had God's ear and He obviously listened intently as the Father spoke to Him. Isaiah gives us a glimpse into Jesus' prayer life in the prophecy about Christ in the 50th chapter. The prophet states: The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of disciples, that I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple. (Isaiah 50:4) We read in Mark's Gospel where Jesus rose early in the morning to retire to a place of prayer. (Mark 1:35) We can easily surmise from Isaiah's prophecy (and from the Gospels) that Jesus was listening, morning by morning, for the words of His Father. Jesus knew discipleship first-hand for He practiced it daily with His Heavenly Lord. Jesus knew His Father's "precepts," for He grew up to the stature of a man who never disobeyed even one command. However, Christ knew the importance of coming before His Father to hear His "instruction" for that particular day. Embodied in that instruction was a fullness of love and expectation concerning how that love would play out during that day of ministry. Of great significance is what the Lord Jesus tells His disciples concerning His Father's expectation of Himself, as His Father's disciple. He communicates two important truths in this regard from the Gospel of John.

First, we read in John 13:35 regarding the importance of the witness of love. Jesus plainly states the following: By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. Jesus proclaimed that love for one another would be the proof of their discipleship. I can't say this for sure, but I believe He was saying something to the effect as, "You can fake love to God for a season, but not to one another. It will quickly be apparent to all how you treat one another." This leads into Jesus' second admonition regarding discipleship in John the 15th chapter. He tells them the following: My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. (John 15:8) In these two verses, we have the crux of discipleship. First, Jesus reveals that we must love each other, for this is the way the world will see we are are truly His. Second, this manifestation of love can only come by our love for Jesus and the Father and our desire to bear much fruit for God. To love the Lord God with all one's heart, soul, and mind, and our neighbor as ourselves is the true hallmark of discipleship. It shows our ears are awake "to listen as a disciple."

Someone wisely stated "Christianity without discipleship is Christianity without Christ." Jesus Christ Himself gave us the the greatest example of discipleship. If we call ourselves Christians, it is our duty and responsibility to obediently give Him our ears and listen attentively to how we should order our lives. Anything less is going it alone, without the Savior. We must allow ourselves to sit before Him and to patiently wait for His leading in our respective lives. How much of our listening has become dull and lifeless? He promises to once again give us ears to hear, if we will but ask. Are you listening, beloved? He is speaking, even now.

Heavenly Father, give us ears to hear. Disciple us through Your Holy Spirit who lives within. Grant us not only ears to hear, but hearts to obey so we might prove to the world You live within us. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

Divine Forgetfulness - August 20, 2017

Philippians 3:13 - Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead.

Forgetfulness can be both a blessing and a curse. Many believers burden themselves excessively and unjustifiably with the weight of their past sin. Their memory betrays them regarding what they should forget and what they should recall. These would do well to remember that Christ paid their debt and has removed our transgressions as far as the east is from the west (Psalms 103:12). Unfortunately, the enemy of our souls desires us to look through the lens of guilt rather than to focus our gaze through Christ's filtered light. When we gaze at our past through Jesus and what He has done, then we view the past correctly. Satan is not the only one who desires us to view ourselves outside of God's grace, but often there are those from our respective pasts that will always see us as they perceive -- through eyes that haven't experienced the depth of forgiveness it takes to look beyond their own failings. These often project upon others their own feelings of inadequacies because they are trapped in looking through lenses that are demonically tainted.

Probably no one understood the need to appropriately remember and to forget better than the Apostle Paul. The third chapter of Philippians is a testimony of Paul's ability to look into his own past, yet not be excessively burdened by his former life before knowing the Savior. This man of God knew that it was no longer he that lived, but Christ lived in Him (Galatians 2:20). Therefore, he could look with a sort of detachment at his past, circumspectly seeing a person that held no further sway over his resurrected life. Paul notes his past resume' in Philippians 3:5-6, stating both his favorable accomplishments as well as his past crimes. In verse six he admits to being a persecutor of the church, which was the huge irony of Paul's life for those who knew him before and after his conversion. Our first glimpse into the life of Paul occurs when he attends to the cloaks of those stoning the first martyr, Stephen (Acts 7:58). One might say that Paul didn't actually murder Stephen, but most assuredly he was an accessory to his murder. (Much in the same way that a driver or the "wheel man" of a bank robbery didn't hold up a bank, yet still he aided and abetted the holdup.) We are told in chapter nine that this singular act of hostility against the church was not enough to satisfy the young zealot. Acts 8:1-3 tells us how Paul obviously felt empowered to persecute the church in Jerusalem by having untold numbers thrown into prison. In Acts 9:1 we are told that Paul was "breathing out threats and murder toward the disciples of the Lord". He was undoubtedly much practiced and perfected in the persecution, so much so that he received the "nod" from the Sanhedrin to expand his "business" to Damascus. Scripture does not reveal how many (if any) were put to death through Paul's zeal against the church. However, if they were martyred, then Paul's list of heinous crimes became a point of revelation and sorrow on that fateful day on the Damascus Road (Acts 9:3-8). The horror Paul must have felt when Jesus revealed Himself to the soon to be apostle! He knew then that God had chosen the worst of the worst to represent Him and His message.

I have often wondered what the relatives of those who were imprisoned or martyred through the hands of Paul had to say to the man after his conversion. Especially, those who were not saved and didn't know the gift of forgiveness in their own lives. How would they have treated Paul? Probably with suspicion and contempt, to say the least. No matter what seemingly good things he might do, there would always be some who would see the "Old Paul". But of course this didn't keep Paul from KNOWING who he had become in Christ. While undoubtedly remaining patient with all men, regardless what they saw or didn't see in him, he continued to preach Christ crucified and newness of life to all who would believe. Therefore, he could speak confidently as he did to the Philippians regarding who he was and whom he had now become. Philippians 3:13 tells us that Paul was desirous to forget the past when it reared its ugly head and required justice for his crimes. Paul would simply point to the cross and declare, "I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me". Paul had learned the secret of knowing his past and yet not being in debt to it. The Lord had given him divine forgetfulness regarding his past sins -- a forgetfulness of the guilt and shame, but a remembrance of the price that Christ paid to absolve him forever. This is how Paul can say that he forgets the past laden with regret. In his words, it is now time to reach forward to what lies ahead.

Many of us who have come out of sordid backgrounds will undoubtedly have a few folks that will never be persuaded by our new life in Christ. No matter the distance we put between our lives today and that old way of living, there may be some who will be suspect of our change. If Paul were here and speaking with us, I'm certain he would say it doesn't matter. What does matter is that we don't live under the guilt and shame of a life that has been crucified and buried through the Lord's sacrifice. What He did is sufficient for us all, no matter how awful our lives before Christ might have been. The devil, along with others that don't understand, will desire us to look through that lens of guilt to attempt to atone for our misgivings. It can never happen. Jesus already paid the price for us to view our past with divine lenses that forget the shame and remember only what He has done on our behalf. Are you forgiven in the Lord? Then rejoice that the shame is gone and let no demon or man place it on you again. For we, like Paul, possess Christ's reality about our position in Him -- one that looks not with dread at a purposeless past but one that looks to the future with eternal hope!

Lord Jesus, thank You for Paul's example. Thank You for taking the worst of the worst and making an example that we all can follow. For You took a man full of crimes against You, and turned him into an impassioned apostle of Your grace. Lord, we look to ourselves and know that if You can do this for someone like Paul, You can likewise help us to forget the past and reach forward to what lies ahead with great anticipation. Thank You for Your divine forgetfulness and Your holy remembrance of what You've done for Your beloved. In Your Name, Amen!

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick 

God's Longing - August 13, 2017

Isaiah 30:18 - Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him.

Few things captivate a child's desire as longing for the first day of summer vacation. Once April gives way to May, an anxious girl or boy knows they can make it through those last few weeks to finally experience the bliss of June, July, and August. The only other time that might come close to the anticipation of summer vacation anticipation is Christmas vacation. This, however, is just a short recess in comparison to the eternity of summertime fun that lay ahead of a young child once the school year has ended. I vividly remember one particular last day of school. It was at the end of my 6th grade year. The bell sounded to excuse us from the interminably long last day. I raced out of the building and through the play ground to the grassy hillside leading me through the park to our house four blocks away. On that day I must have been feeling a bit too exuberant because I took a tumble down the hill and realized when I had quit falling that my hand was bloodied by a busted soda bottle. I anxiously ran home where I was rushed to the emergency room for several stitches. My desire and longing for summer and the fun I would have took a turn for the worse that day. While my buddies were joyously refreshing themselves for the next several days at the local pool, I was sulking and feeling like I had been cheated. More than anything, I was angry at myself for not controlling myself and my joyous desire. Within a week, however, my hand was healed and I was resuming my unfettered summer fun, albeit a bit more cautiously.

God has wired all of us to have desires and longings. It might be for a simple childhood wish as the end of school, or possibly a long awaited trip to an exotic destination as an adult. Of even greater importance is the innate longings that we have for one another in our relationships when we are apart. Having been created in God's image, we are merely displaying a bit of His DNA when we have godly desires. The prophet Isaiah wrote in both a poetic and visual manner when describing how the Heavenly Father desires to bestow his compassion on His children. The New American Standard (NAS) version captures chapter 30, and the beginning of verse 18 with poignant drama regarding the original Hebrew. While several versions translate this text as ... the LORD waits to be gracious to you..., the NAS beautifully states ... the LORD longs to be gracious to you ... . The Hebrew word in this instance is chakah (khaw-kaw') which literally means "to adhere to, or to await for with longing". Beloved, if we are in Christ Jesus and have been born again of His Spirit, then we have been welcomed into the family of God. As a loving father that desires nothing but love and goodness for his children, so the Heavenly Father is watching over us with an anxiousness to bestow upon us His eternal compassions. However, there is an important caveat to God's longings -- He desires us to long for Him with a passionate desire that provokes Him to action. When my children were small, they would often get excited when they saw me come through the door after a day at work. Nothing provoked me more to want to sweep them up in my arms when I saw their delight that I was home. Similarly, I see that today in my year old grandson. We have grown very close and I know that there is a longing and desire on both our parts to spend time together. When I enter a room where he might be playing and he sees me, he often squeals with joy and comes crawling toward me with abandonment.

Nothing gives God more joy than when we long for His company. However, life often has a way of keeping us from His presence. Whether it be the necessity of school or work or any number of daily tasks that require our utmost attention, a believer can many times sense a distance between them and God. The Lord understands that we have earthly responsibilities that we must attend to. He merely wants us to long for Him when we sense His absence much the same way that He is constantly longing for us. Everyday, He stretches forth His hands of compassion toward all humankind. His delight is when we reach upward toward Him. James, the brother of Jesus wrote in chapter 4, and verse 8 of his letter: Draw near to God and He will draw near to you ... (James 4:8). It is a spiritual axiom that God will suffer the heartbreak of rejection rather than moving with impunity on a soul that continues to rebuff His love. His greatest desire is for a man or a woman that will desperately seek Him out, longing for His appearing in their respective lives (II Chronicles 16:9). The prophet Isaiah states that we are "blessed" if we have this type of desire for His presence, for God will speedily bring about the justice of His compassion if we will but continue to seek Him (Luke 18:7).

It is within both our carnal and spiritual natures to long or to desire after any number of things. God's desire is of course that we would long for Him and the things of His kingdom. As the nature of man is corrupt by sin, the flesh desires a plethora of unholy lusts. Likewise, the regenerate man or woman who is born of the Spirit of God has been given the blessed opportunity to long for and pursue His grace and compassion. Sometimes, in our youthful exuberance we may rush headlong and "bloody" ourselves with our own pursuits as we fall momentarily from grace. Other times, we will experience the Father sweeping us up into His arms as we delight in His presence. The more we long for and pursue Him, the more He will make known His compassion and demonstrative grace within our lives. May we all long for His appearing, both now and at the end of this present age.

Heavenly Father, may we long for You with a passion and a fury not born on earth, but one that is imparted from Your Divine Life. Fill us with desire for your presence. For as we long for You, surely you will reveal the longings of Your eternal grace toward us who would but trust and believe. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Bare Soul - God's Mountain Men - Part II - August 6, 2017

Genesis 22:2 - He said, "Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you."

As a boy, some of my favorite reading were biographies. In particular, I very much enjoyed stories of the western expansion in America. Tales of mountain men such as Jedediah Smith and Jim Bridger would make me dream of running away to the mountains to live as a hermit amongst the savages, selling my fur pelts to the highest bidder. The proverbial call of the mountains can be just as strong as the call of the sea, setting in motion these "dreamers" of a bygone era with hopes to live independently and at the same time strike it rich with the wealth the streams and rivers would offer. Their goals were often to remain fiercely independent with no one telling them how to live their lives. This isolation more often ended up badly for the majority of mountain trappers as they were either killed by Indians, avalanches, rockslides, or an assortment of other tragedies that were symptomatic of their aloneness.

In comparison, we see another "mountain man" who millenniums before heard the voice of God and chose to give up his own agenda for that of the Lord's. Abraham's 600 mile trek from Mesopotamia along with his nephew Lot in chapter 12 of the book of Genesis came to a parting of ways for the two in chapter 13. Abraham saw the wisdom of them separating since their herds had become too large for them to dwell together. The scripture states: So Lot chose for himself all the valley of the Jordan, and Lot journeyed eastward. Thus they separated from each other. Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled in the cities of the valley, and moved his tents as far as Sodom (Genesis 13:11-12). The land of Canaan referred to is a rugged area full of hills and mountains far less habitable than the Jordan valley which his nephew had chosen. Water was not in abundance for the flocks and herds in the hills and the mountains, yet God's promise to Abraham was that He would bless him and make him a mighty nation (Genesis13:14-17). While Lot chose the "easier, softer way" of the valley, Abraham chose the more difficult life knowing that God would bless him regardless.

Abraham was unmoved by mountains because he lived amongst them by choice. Later, when God told Abraham to ascend Mount Moriah to sacrifice his son Isaac, there is no mention of the patriarch arguing with God but he set off with his son in obedience. As we know from this familiar story, God was merely testing Abraham's faith to see if he would truly obey Him in all things. Conversely, we read in Genesis 19:17 that Lot was moved to retreat and hide in the mountains as he fled for his life due to his compromising lifestyle: When they had brought them outside, one [of the angels] said, "Escape for your life! Do not look behind you, and do not stay anywhere in the valley; escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away. God has juxtaposed two characters in this lesson from His word, showing us that those two different embraces -- one of obedience resulting in blessing, the other in compromise resulting in a flight of fear of God's judgment. The end of Lot's compromised state is a sad tale of loneliness and incest while hiding out in the depths of the mountains that he once shunned (Genesis 19:30-38).

As believers, we are continually bombarded with choices in our sensual, sin-soaked western culture. Many of those that would seek to follow the Lord might think that living in the proverbial mountains of faith is a hard life fraught with isolation from the glitz and the glamour of our 21st century living. That would be true. However, once we separate ourselves from the compromise and the allure of the world, then God takes us aside as He did Abraham and He promises His blessings upon our lives. While some might believe this is the life of loneliness, it is ironically the life filled with fellowship and the camaraderie of all those who have likewise chosen a mountain man lifestyle. The striking truth regarding those who seek to live in the comfort and compromise of this world find that they are the ones who will one day, like Lot, seek the shelter of the mountains that could have formed the character they so desperately needed. Unfortunately, for many it will be too late at this juncture. May we all, like Abraham, seek to live as God's mountain man -- not compromising with the world but joyously submitting to God in all instances and watching as His marvelous life blesses not only us and our families but all those whom we would encounter. The choice is ours today.

Heavenly Father, make us true children of Abraham, unwavering in our decision for you. Allow us to shun the pleasures of the rich valleys of this earth and let us learn character by living with You in the mountains of your choosing, producing character and obedience and finding favor in Your presence. For without faith and obedience it is impossible to please You. Allow us Your grace in this endeavor. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick