Help my students perform a miracle!

I have challenged my High school Bible class to put their faith into action by attempting to raise $1000.00 to help support a worthy cause. The cause is a ministry trip being taken by three of our staff people and one student this coming May.
They are going to Uganda to work in a children’s prison…yes you heard it, a children’s prison. These children are all but thrown away in a facility without so much as a bed to sleep on and healthy food to eat. Our team will be going there to minister through a mission organization called, “Sixty feet” who ministers to many places like these. You can check out the organization on the web.
My students want to help out, although they are not able to go. They want to do what they can to raise part of the funding for the mission.

They have three weeks to raise the money.

This is a photo of the sleeping area of the prison. Thirty eight children sleep here on the floor. No blankets or pillows. But the work of sixty feet and of our staff who are going to help, this can change.

 

Now for some practical information:
1. Where do you teach? The school is called Oakdale Christian Academy. It is a small Free Methodist Boarding school, located in the mountains of Eastern Ky. I’ve been ministering in this area for about 25 years. I’m a pastor, teacher, and Youth Camp Pastor. You can look up Oakdale on the web (Oakdale Christian Academy.org)
2. How do we donate? Send checks to : Erin Cook c/co Oakdale Christian Academy 5801 Beattyville rd. Jackson, Ky, 41339 Please write on the memo line “Bible Class Project” (Erin is the leader of the team. She and Kathy have served there in Uganda before, for several months. They are quite experienced in this ministry.)

3. When is the deadline? All funds need to be in by April 24th.
If you have any other questions leave a comment or email me at mdriskill48@gmail.com

Thanks for your help. Pastor Mark

The exercise

Mark 15:16-20

“and they began to salute him, ‘Hail King of the Jews!'” v. 18

“Well, men I have a special treat for you today!” The commander blared in the kind of sarcastic tone only a military commander can master. We stood there a little unnerved as he went on.
“It seems these mewling Hebrews are bickering again, only this time they’ve handed over one of their Prophets for a little exercise.” 

Whenever our commander says “a little exercise” he says it with a sadistic bite that let’s us all know, somebody’s about to get a beating. I have to be honest, I kind of enjoyed these “exercises”.

I’ve been stationed here in this dirty place for six years now. I patrol the streets of this flea infested country and do what I can to keep peace. I haven’t seen my family or my home in forever, and with all the angry stares I wonder if I ever will again.  I have to watch my back every minute if I don’t want to find a dagger between my shoulders in some alley. 

I don’t speak Hebrew, but curses sound the same in any language. Don’t these fools know we’re here to improve their lives? If only they could see the glory of Rome and her gods, they would want to evolve out of this obsessive, intolerant religion of theirs.

So you can understand my sheer enjoyment when they bring us a piece of Hebrew flesh to butcher.  This one, they say, thinks he’s some kind of king. These Jews and their kings! What a joke. The commander speaks as they bring in the “King”

“Now men, we’re going to have a little coronation today. Just remember we have to keep this one alive because he has a full day ahead of him.” We all knew what that meant. Another stinking body hanging beside the highway. He would be crucified with the others.  

 “let’s get started.” We all had a good laugh watching the commander dress up “His majesty” in a robe and parade him around while we bowed mockingly. Then one of the Centurions made a crown  of thorns and slammed it down on his head with such force blood literally spit out in all directions. There he stood in the center of the pavement while we shouted, “Hail King of the Jews!” For the next hour or so we took turns unleashing our rage on him. He just stood there and took it. This was my chance to unload on these Hebrews and I meant to enjoy every moment of it. But I have to admit this Jew was a little different than most.

Most of the time they either fight back or they scream for mercy. I was kind of hoping he would too. But he just seemed to absorb it all. After awhile I stepped back to let some of the younger recruits get a few punches in, while I tended my knuckles. That’s when things became a little weird. I made a crucial mistake in my business. I started to feel for the guy. And I began to notice to looks on our faces, and what I could see of his.

Years ago when I was a young boy I saw a pack of wolves tear apart one of my father’s sheep. Today reminded me of that. We were a pack of wolves tearing apart an innocent sheep. This is why it’s not advisable to think too much at one of these exercises. Thinking leads to feeling and feeling makes you vulnerable. It’s best to keep up your guard or that lamb might get too close, then you’re done for.

I watched him in the midst of that pack. It was like he literally absorbed our hate for this people and their god. I found myself sinking back to the perimeter of the mob. All I could do was watch them toss him back and forth, sending his blood spattering on their faces. There wasn’t a man there who wasn’t covered in his blood.

I found it easier to stand in the back ground and join the chanting, “Hail King of the Jews!” but I found myself losing my sarcastic edge. I just kept saying it and watching him. “Hail …King…of the Jews!” Hoping this frenzy would soon end I chanted with an unexplainable sense of empathy, like I was starting the believe it. “Hail…King….”

Why was I weeping now? “Hail King…” My heart felt weak. I feared being noticed, so I made my way to an outer room. I looked down at my bloodied hands trying to understand what was happening to me. Weeping broke into a torrent of unexplainable sobs. I’ve done these “exercises” a hundred times. But this time I couldn’t escape the eerie feeling that something really terrible and powerful was happening.

Regaining my composure, I rushed back to the pavement, hoping no one saw my reddened eyes. The frenzy had stopped. The commander ripped off the mock robe and dressed him. All the soldiers stood there exhausted, some smiling, others maybe a little shaken. As they led him out I just stood in the back repeating those words, hoping no one would notice the change in my tone. “Hail King of the Jews!”

I spent the next hour cleaning up and trying to shake myself back to normal. I had been assigned to the execution in the afternoon. I tried to prepare, but nothing could prepare me for what would happen next.

Promises are easier kept around the table.

Mark 14:66-72

“And he broke down and wept.” v. 72 

Promises are easier kept around the table than before the fire. The one Yeshua had named the rock, now lay in pieces in an alley outside the courtyard. The accusing roosters scream tore into his inner ear with unrelenting mockery. There’s a kind of weeping that is so deep that it makes your whole body convulse until you vomit up burning grief from deep places you had no idea existed. Peter was discovering depths of sadness that tore his soul to shreds.

“I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me…” He had said. “One who dips his bread with me…” 

Writhing on the ground Peter felt like a serpent impaled with a spear. All he could do was relive those horrible moments.

He had been standing by the fire warming himself, not sure if he should fight or run. He knew for sure he would be arrested for assaulting that servant, so he considered going into hiding. But he was unable to move. Suspended helplessly between his concern for Jesus, and his instinct to avoid further trouble, he warmed his hands while his synapses raced for a plan. Then she approached.

She didn’t bring any accusations, just a simple statement. Why does it seem our greatest temptations come wrapped in plain brown paper, almost unnoticeable until too late? She casually mentioned, “You were with that Nazarene.”

Fearful that she would point him out as the one who assaulted the servant, he tried to protect his cover,

“No, sorry, you’ve got the wrong guy lady.”     

The Rooster crowed.

Peter reasoned to himself, “I wasn’t denying him, just my association, in case they’re looking for me.”

Not only does temptation come in plain brown paper, it finds an opening and keeps coming.

Enter the servant girl again, only this time she told all the bystanders.

“Hey this is one of the disciples of that Nazarene.”

Fearing this time they would surely report him, he denied it.

“I’m not denying him, just my association with him. I can tell them later after all this blows over.” He assured himself.      

Then another chimed in, “Hey I can tell by your accent, you’re a Galilean. I know you’re one of them!”  Temptation also plays hard on your fears, and Peter was fearful of more trouble.

“_______it! I don’t know this Nazarene you’re talking about.” He shouted.

Almost immediately the rooster cut through the night with a menacing indictment. At this all his rationalizing and reasoning fell into a million scathing pieces. Peter ran into the night, oblivious to the laughing crowd behind him.

The sound of his master’s warning couldn’t be drowned out by his convulsing heart.

“Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” Yeshua had said.

Promises are easier kept around the table than before the fire.

Satan delivered a package in brown paper and Peter received it first class.  What do you do when the promise you gave the Lord at the table, fails the test of fire?

Through the torrents of emotion Peter could only think of his dear friend, betrayed by those he had given so much to. Flashes of memory cascaded into his consciousness compounding his grief.

Every word Yeshua had spoken, every deed he had done hovered over Peter with a crushing heaviness. Glimpses of walking on water, passing out bread, and opening blind eyes hammered  him with unstoppable force.

Peter spent hours sitting in the corner of his home, arms folded around legs, rocking back and forth. “He gave me a life, and I gave him death. Oh God have mercy. His blood is on my head.”

But somewhere in the night something clicked. “Yeshua knew this would happen. He warned me. He wasn’t surprised. He knew I would falter. But he didn’t send me away.”    

That thought seemed to give him some hope, although he didn’t know why.

He knows that much of what we say at the table doesn’t make it past the door of the upper room, much less to the fire of trial. Yet he still calls us to be with him.   That’s the gospel.

Just stay awake and watch.

Mark 14:32-42

“My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.” V. 34

Sometimes you can feel the darkness. The black night sky pours out thick oil on your shoulders, smothering any semblance of daylight. Andrew dug in just far enough from the master to hear his faint groaning’s mingled with haunting night sounds, harmonizing with an eerie sense of foreboding.  There’s a kind of hypnotic effect that comes over a weary soul, in the late hours, blurring the lines between consciousness and sleep. You don’t really know how much is real, and how much is just in your head. This is one of those nights that make you long for something to happen, good or bad. You’d just about welcome anything at all to shake you out of this limbo.

Andrew wanted to stay awake but his eyelids fused into iron with every creeping moment, and his head was drunk on darkness and firelight. To stay awake he tried to nail his eyelids on his master who was in prayer a few yards, seemed like miles, away.

In the past three years he had seen Jesus angry, sad, joyful, frustrated, and even a bit perplexed on occasions, but never like this.  It was a bit unnerving to see him shaking so violently. His whole body seemed to quake and totter constantly on the edge of an abyss. A momentary flash of firelight revealed what looked like a foreboding stream of blood priming Jesus ashen face.

Andrew found himself running to Jesus with a long sword slashing and cutting away at a fierce dark beast, which was jabbing a makeshift crown full of thorns onto the Rabbi’s head. Then there were bats with red mocking eyes coming at him from all sides, spitting fire at Jesus. Andrew was swinging wildly, but then his sword grew heavy. He tried to run, but couldn’t move his legs. Another dark beast shoved a spear at the master, piercing his rib cage. Andrew tried to fight but was too weak to lift his hands. He screamed out echoes of terror into the night sky.

The next thing he felt was a hand on his shoulder, shaking him. “Wake up! Andrew! Wake up. You’re dreaming! The master is coming.”

Trying to rub the embarrassment from his eyes, Andrew stood up with the others, letting the cold night air resuscitate him.

“Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Jesus’ words cut into Andrew’s heart leaving him fumbling in vain for a response. His weary frame dipped back against a tree watching Jesus enter the ring for another round.

Seeing his teacher rock back and forth with the world perched on his shoulders, its crushing claws sinking deep, Andrew wanted to do something. But what do you do when the world seems to be suffocating in darkness, and even God seems powerless to stop it? He decided in such a time all he could do was try to stay awake, and keep his gaze riveted on his teacher, no matter how hard it became to see him. There must be some battles that only Jesus can fight. So  Andrew kept telling himself, “Stay awake and watch. Just stay awake and watch. Just stay awake and watch.  Just stay awake….”

Watching signs or directing traffic?

Mark 13:3-13

“and the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations.” v. 10

As you await the coming of Jesus, are you spending your time watching signs or directing traffic? Too many of us are wasting the closing hours of this age speculating about peripheral matters when we ought to be directing people to the savior. The return of Christ is linked to the great commission. Jesus was asked, by his disciples,  “Tell us when will these things be and what will be the sign when all these things will be accomplished?”

From there he went on to list what will happen between his resurrection and his return. In this section we see a short list, most of which has already been fulfilled:

1. False Christs appear.
2. War, famine, earthquakes.
3. Christians on trial for their faith.

If you notice these signs grow in levels of intensity or severity as the time of his appearing draws nearer. But there is a dramatic shift in intensity after verse 10 “The gospel…proclaimed to all nations.” It seems like once the gospel has reached every nation the reaction of darkness increases exponentially. We move quickly from general persecution and trouble to;

4. Betrayal by family.
5. Worldwide hatred of the church.
6. The rise of the antichrist.
7. Great time of tribulation before Christ returns.

I’m not interested in affirming or negating anyone’s millennial perspective. What I want to do is show that the centerpiece of it all is the fulfillment of the great commission. It seems that once the gospel has finally touched every tongue, tribe and nation it’s as if the short fuse is lit, the switch is flipped, the accelerator hits the floor of time and Christ appears in glory and power as he promised. Why is this important?

1. It shows us God’s desire to save people from all nations. Many speak as if the gospel were a luxury offered to only a select few. But God is calling people from every nation, every tribe, every language to repent and believe the gospel. Of all the signs of the end of the age this is the one I believe we Christians should be most concerned about. Which leads to the next point.
2. It shows what our Lord wants us putting our energy into in the mean time. When you hear a great number of believers talk about the end of the age they seem to focus on a host of things;

– Who is the antichrist? Go online and see how many presidents, popes, and rock stars have been given this title throughout history, better yet, don’t.

– What nations will do what? Everybody wants to know what nation is going to start world war three. What’s going to happen to the United States? Israel? Russia? There’s a theory for every persuasion.

– Will there be a rapture? Are we going up in a flash, or down in a flush? Will we escape tribulation? Or will we all fall away?

– What about the millennium? Are you Pre, post, or A millennial? It’s almost amusing the way people will measure your spirituality by your answer to that question. Some will even question your salvation if you don’t answer correctly. Seriously?

Why don’t we all step back from our charts and theories for just a minute and think. While there may be a place for asking the questions listed above, it seems to me that the greater issue is the great commission. After all, when Jesus ascended he didn’t say, “Go therefore and build a bomb shelter.” He didn’t say, “Go therefore and expose the antichrist.” He said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…”

Listen. I think I speak on good authority when I say this. Understanding the signs of Christ’s return is important to help us see how close his return is. But the sign that we should be most concerned with is the movement of the gospel to all nations. Are you helping make that happen? Let’s be honest, it’s easier…

…to figure out which nations will go to war with each other, than it is to go to war for the nations, on your knees.

… to ask people about their millennial views, than it is to ask if they have eternal life.

… to build a bunker for the “apocalypse”, than it is to build a church in a needy community.

…to sit in our rooms, scanning the internet for the antichrist, than it is to get out into the world and preach the coming Christ.

The Lord gave us clear instructions about what we are to do with our lives. Every believer is called to help get the gospel to those who have yet to hear it. Instead of asking God what he’s going to do about all those who haven’t heard, ask yourself what you’re going to do. God will handle his part. Your job is to pray, give, and go until he comes. When our Lord comes, will he find you watching signs or directing traffic?

Unholy holiness

Mark 12:35-40

“Beware of the scribes…” v. 38

There is a kind of holiness that is repulsive to God, in fact it only appears holy until you go beyond outward appearances. We see a hint of it here in Jesus warning about the scribes. Is it possible to be so right, you’re wrong? From Jesus warning about the scribes it would appear so.

First, who were the scribes? In Jesus day, they were the Bible scholars. They would study and interpret the law for Israel. If you wanted an answer to a Bible question, or wanted to know what certain laws meant, you would ask a scribe. The equivalent in our day, professionally speaking, would be a theologian or a Bible professor, or perhaps a teaching pastor. The people of Israel had a high view of scripture and it’s teachings. They would fit in nicely in a church that views the Bible as a source of authority. But there was a problem with the scribes, that gave Jesus reason to say, “Beware.” “Watch out!” “Don’t go there.” In today’s passage we see three criticisms Jesus makes of these men, who had become so Biblical they were unbiblical. They were so holy they were becoming unholy, so righteous they were unrighteous. It happened to them and it can happen to us.

1. They know about God, but don’t know God. In verses 35-37 Jesus points out that the scribes call Jesus the Son of David, being his descendant, which is actually true, but refuse to call him Lord, which David called him, in the Psalms. So they are all about David being the ancestor of the messiah, but ignore what David said about him, before Jesus was even born. The scribes had God all figured out, on the surface. Even today it is possible to be so devoted to your ideas about God, biblical though they may be, that you never experience more of God than you know right now. For some people God is no larger than a set of doctrines. At best this limits your experience of God. At worst it becomes idolatry. Do you spend too much time arguing for a particular doctrine? Are you more known for your opinions about God than your service to him?
2. They use God rather than being used by God. Second, Jesus warned of the scribes, who love the privilege of being treated with honor by others. In other words they love being scribes because of what they get out of it personally in terms of popularity and prestige. For the scribes, it was all about the show. I love ministry. I love praying with people. I love preaching. I even love being known as a minister of the gospel. But herein lies the danger. I can be so caught up in what I get out of ministry that I love it more than I love people, or God. When I find myself clutching on to my position or privileges, or protecting “MY ministry” I know I need to head back to the prayer closet and get some perspective. I don’t want to use God. I want God to use me. What about you?
3. Then they use their religious activities to cover up wicked deeds. They would kick a poor widow out of her home, for some contrived legal reason, then as she was being put out on the street, they would stand and say long beautiful prayers to appear concerned for her. Jesus said, “They will receive the greater condemnation.” There is a kind of pride that is very subtle as Christians grow, and start doing ministry. It’s the kind of pride that says, “I’m a servant of God, so I can indulge myself in ways, others cannot.” This is repulsive. The minster who thinks his years in service give him license to entertain sin is in for a rude awakening some day. The Christian who mistreats people all week long, who does crooked business, or acts deceitfully, then comes to church, lifting up hands in worship, singing, ” I surrender all ” is no better than the scribes, who destroy people then hide behind long prayers. Nothing I do inside the church can hide what I am outside the church for long.

Jesus warned us to beware of the scribes. We must beware of people who are so right, they’re wrong, so good they’re bad, so Biblical, they’re unbiblical. We need to watch out for the scribes out there, lest they mislead us into thinking that being a Christian is all about appearances. But more important than watching out for the scribes out there, is the need to watch out for the scribe that lurks inside all of us. We all have the tendency to limit God to our ideas, to use God for our own self promotion, and to use our faith to cover up what we do in the dark. We all must come to the cross each day and ask our Lord to help us keep it real. Watch out for the scribes today.

Loveless love

Mark 12:28-34

“…the second is this; You shall love your neighbor as yourself…” v. 31

There is a kind of love that is not love at all. We have been telling ourselves that to love people means to require nothing from them. We want to love our neighbor as Jesus said, but we are forgetting that there is a greater command even than this. And that is why we are so confused about what love is. The greatest commandment of all is to Love God completely. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” Jesus teaches us. Then he goes on to say the second greatest commandment; “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” If you had a scale on which to weight them and could put all the commands and doctrines of Christianity on one side, and the two greatest commands on the other side, the latter would outweigh the former. The command to love trumps every other command or doctrine. I don’t think anyone, who has even a remote understanding of the faith would argue with that. God’s command of love is the foundation for every other command. Even those who are not Christians understand that our faith has a great deal to do with love. Today a great deal is being said about love being the greatest command. Sadly, a great deal of evil has been endorsed in our nation in the name of love. If you want to be quickly scolded, with the words, “Love your neighbor!” just try making a stand against immorality or anything God has commanded us not to do, that we want to do and you will be quickly reprimanded; “Stop being a hater! You’re supposed to love! So stop judging me!”

It becomes even more sad when those who promote a feel-good gospel proclaim, “Jesus just wants us to love each other. Keep it all positive, Don’t use words like, sin, or repentance. Just say this prayer brother, Jesus loves you anyway.” And we lead them deeper into darkness. I think, in our desire to be loving and avoid beating people up with the gospel, we’ve lost something important. We’ve forgotten that the command to Love your neighbor is the second, not the first, great command. In fact I would say that, the Bible bears witness to the fact that you cannot truly love your neighbor without first loving God completely. In other words, the best way to love my neighbor as myself is to begin with a whole hearted love for God. This means a love for God that will not allow me to water down his truth to please my neighbor. The best way to love your spouse, child, parent, neighbor, or country is to love God more than you love them. Because if you do you will be the kind of person who leads them to eternal life. Everyone likes false prophets, who come with a feel good message, that is, until judgment comes. When I talk about judgment I’m not just referring to the last day. We have days of judgment that come in this life.

– When the overly permissive parent ends up raising her grandchildren.

-When the guy that didn’t want to be a snitch is standing by his best friends casket after an overdose.

– When the feel good preacher has everyone feeling good, but no one doing good.

These are  examples of people who misunderstand the commands of love. Love does not mean that I abandon you to your own designs. If I love God first and you second and myself last then I will always care more about God’s opinion than yours. This will help me be objective enough to lead you to him in every circumstance. Second I will always care more about what happens to you than what happens to me. This gives me the courage to risk your rejection when I have to speak the hard truth in love. Loving God first and you second will make me a better parent, friend, teacher and pastor. A short story to close.

My oldest son, during a week of youth camp, in which he was in charge of a group of young boys, had one camper who needed a great deal of correction during the week. My son sometimes felt bad that he had to continually reprimand the kid. At the end of the week, as the two were talking. The child said to my son, “I love you.” Jack asked ,”But I’ve been fussing at you all week.” The boy replied, “Yeah. I got more attention from you this week than I ever get at home.” My son loved God enough to love that boy enough to lead him in the right way, when it would have been more convenient to just ignore his actions. But Jack understands what love is. It’s not some gooey, careless fake positivism. It’s the same kind of love that hangs on a cross for the sake of righteousness and love. It’s the kind of love that stays faithful to God’s commands even when the crowd wants you to water them down. So let’s love one another, but love God first. Then you’ll truly be lights in a dark world.

Keep them dreaming about bread

 

Mark 10:13-16

“and they were bringing children to him that he might touch them…” v. 13

 

“hey dad!” my then, four year old son, John, said one morning, “I had a dream last night about bread.” –When I was four my dreams centered more around things like monsters and space people threatening to take me away, or worse, play with my toys. –But on this day John was having dreams about bread. I was curious, so I asked him to tell me about it. He explained, “People were honoring bread…” I didn’t even know he knew words like “honoring”, yay home school! Anyway, he went on. “People all over the world were honoring bread. There were crowds cheering for it, and a big plane carrying a sign about it, and it was on TV. Everyone was loving it. But when the children wanted some, the adults got mad and wouldn’t let them have any….” That’s where the dream stopped. They loved celebrating the bread, but weren’t willing to share it with the children who were seeking it. Wow. Let that settle for a minute. Turn it over in the oven and let it cook. Sounds an awful lot like the scripture today. Sounds an awful lot like life, if we aren’t careful.

The disciples thought they were helping Jesus out. People were bringing their little children to the living bread, so he could bless them. The disciples saw a nuisance and tried to stop it, so Jesus could do the serious adult work of the kingdom. What they would soon learn was the opposite. Jesus responded to their misguided zeal with these words.

   “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.”

 Not only were the children welcome into the kingdom, Jesus went on to make them the heroes of the kingdom.

“Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom like a child shall not enter it.”       

So in one afternoon children went from nuisance to nobility.  They were elevated from problems to prophets. Jesus promoted them from the mailroom to the executive suite.  

While we spend our time telling children they have to become adults before they can enter the kingdom, Jesus is telling us just the opposite. Adults have to become children before they can enter the kingdom. 

It saddens me to see the way we honor bread but keep it from the children. How do we do it? We do it by spiritual neglect.

– In our schools we encourage them to learn about everything and everyone…except Jesus.

– In our homes we train them to run all sorts of technology by the age of eight, and play every sport available, but not how to read the Bible and pray.  They know more about how to win on X-box, playing “call of duty” than their duty to the call of Christ.

– We want them to make the grades, pass the tests, win the ball games and wear the pageant crown. We will cross land and sea to make it happen because we love them. But we don’t teach them to grow in faith, win the race, and run for the forever crown.

– We work tirelessly to prepare for our own retirement, juggling our 401K’s to prepare for the future. But when it comes to the spiritual condition of our children in the future, we just hope it works out.  Something is terribly wrong when we believe for ourselves but don’t pass the bread on to our children.

How long before we see the connection between lack of spiritual nurture and the increase on depressed, anxious and angry young people coming along?     

Our Lord shows us today that the well being of children is high on his priority list. When I think of all the crimes against children, slave trade, abuse, abandonment, and simple neglect my heart is broken. No doubt yours is too. But the greatest neglect is the neglect of the soul. You can give your child all the affirmation, protection, and opportunity in the world, but if you don’t teach them about the savior all your efforts will ultimately come to nothing. Your child needs more than a scholarship to college, they need a relationship with God. The best way to honor the bread is to give it away, especially to the heroes of the kingdom.   

Yesterday my college freshman son came up to me before church and said, “Dad I’ve been thinking about theology.” We had a great discussion on some of his emerging beliefs and how they are shaping his life. Glad to see that he’s still dreaming about bread.      

You don’t look good in millstone.

Mark 9:42-50

“and if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off…” v. 43

Today we read, what just may be, the most brutal passage in the New Testament. The prince of peace pulls no punches here as he makes war on our sin. There can be no real peace where we tolerate evil in our lives. We love to make war on the sins of society, but here he calls us to aim the cannon at ourselves, blasting away at the life of compromise. Any delusion of Jesus being okay with sin, as long as we have a nice sentiment toward one another, must die a cruel death in this passage. Let us be as blunt in interpreting as he was in saying these words.

1. You and I are accountable for our impact on others.

“Whoever causes one of these little ones…to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.” (42)

We like to think we can sin in isolation. We’re so into ourselves and our personal freedom we actually think we can live any way we want to and not care how we impact others. Over and over the scripture betrays that lie, telling us not to use our freedom of conscience to cause someone else to stumble (Romans 14). Yet we insist on living however we please with no concern over our impact on others. Jesus gives a sobering warning to a self addicted culture. We belong to God and to each other, not just to ourselves. The gospel calls me to think, not only of my personal views on a behavior, but on how my actions will touch the lives of others.

2. Like it or not, hell is real, and people are going there forever. “where the worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.” (48)

He mentions three times in a row, that it is better to enter heaven with a missing body part, than, ” to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire.” (43,45,47)

Jesus makes it clear, that despite our preferences, hell is the destination of those who live and die in rebellion against God. We want to obliterate the offense of such a horrendous reality, but to do so we must erase a disturbing amount of Jesus teachings. The idea of an eternal hell offends me. I don’t want to believe in such a place. I want to think we all somehow make it to heaven. But God’s justice demands something beyond the scope of my understanding. I cannot fathom such a requirement, because I do not live in such perfect holiness as God. His absolute purity and justice are beyond me. But even this is grounded in an unimaginable holy love. Why is it that we expect to go to a perfect heaven and enjoy a place of perfect righteousness, but deny the reality of its antithesis, a place of absolute punishment for sin? Given this reality, we must live in a way that calls them away from death and into life.

3. If it’s leading you away from God, remove it. “if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off…foot…cut it off…eye…tear it out.”(43-47)

If we were to take this command literally, removing every body part that causes us to sin, we would all be mangled and immobilized by the age of ten. Clearly the point is more abstract, to do radical life surgery, removing anything in our lives that leads us into sin. Jesus uses three images to depict this life surgery. Let’s apply each one.

The hand- Take stock of possessions and activities in your life. You cannot live for this world and the next at the same time. If your best life is now, you have a problem on your hands, pun intended. What are you putting your hand to? Is it leading you to God or away from God.

The foot- Think about the places you are going? Are you going to places that make you more or less inclined to live an obedient life? If you have to spend time convincing yourself it’s okay, you may want to rethink it. If you are going to questionable places because Jesus hung out with sinners, make sure you’re doing what he did when he was with them. He was healing and teaching, not hanging from the rafters.

The eye- What are you looking at? The eye is the lamp of the body, Jesus says. If that is true what kind of bulb are you using? In other words what are you feeding your mind and heart through reading, watching, and internet surfing? Someone once told me, “Whatever entertains you, enters you.” This is so true. How much time are you investing in looking into the word of God? How does that compare with your investment in personal entertainment?

4. You are responsible for what you become and how you impact the world. “Have salt in yourselves…” 49

Jesus warns that you and I can become salt without flavor, good for nothing. As a younger man I always heard, “Don’t become so heavenly minded that you are no earthly good.” I heard that from everyone except Jesus. I look around and see little danger of that happening anyway. The inverse is more likely. We’re in greater danger of becoming so earthly minded that we are no heavenly good. Jesus says to have salt in yourself. While we can do nothing without his help, we are responsible to pay attention to how we live and how we grow up in Christ. Peter tells us to grow in grace, not soak in it. We must actively pursue a life that truly reflects the values of God’s kingdom, knowing it will certainly run in opposition to the values of our culture. It’s a mistake to claim to love God and neighbor without paying attention to how you live your life. Holiness and love are deeply connected. If I love God I will obey his commands. If I truly love my neighbor I will live in such a way that points them to God. Make sure that you are living for his glory today, so that your life will be a stepping stone for some soul rather than a stumbling block. Stay dressed in his righteousness, because you really don’t look good in millstone.

Crickets, roaches and obnoxious saviors.

Mark 9:33-37

“…he asked them, ‘What were you discussing on the way?'” v. 33

Somebody should write a book entitled, “Great Awkward moments in Biblical History.” The Bible, like life, is stuffed to the hilt with them. We’ve all had those moments when, in the heat of some delightfully heated gripe session concerning the job, the class, or the church meeting. We’re telling our safe group of co-laborers in critique all the things we’re too afraid to say to the people who could actually do something about it, for fear of reprisal-or something worse, like being proven wrong. Just when our gleeful gripefest is at a fever pitch, the person in question walks in the room and says, “What are you all talking about?” We’re listening now to the song of crickets in the awkward forest. With polite smiles and nervous laughter we take out our political mops and try to clean up the mess as best we can. “Uh well, uhm…” Nothing is more irritating than to have your dance in the dark ruined by somebody turning on the lights, just when things were getting good. The roaches run for cover and we all shield our eyes and try to adjust without going blind. Speaking of awkward moments in Biblical history, I’ve got a juicy one for you today.

One day the disciples were walking along, and as often happens on long trips, a debate emerged among them. They must not have been following too closely to Jesus, because they were quite sure he would not approve of the content of this conversation. It’s always a good idea to distance yourself from the Lord when you want to talk about things like, how great you are and how you compare with others. The disciples were ranking themselves in order of greatness. Like I said, any time you want to promote yourself and groom your ego, it’s advisable to make sure you aren’t walking very close to Jesus. It’s kinda hard to focus on him and yourself at the same time. But in the midst of their discussion, just when they were sure they had every disciple ranked and categorized in order of importance. Just when they had finally figured out who would be Israel’s next top Apostle. Jesus stops his steady march to the cross, turns around and waits patiently for his sanctified celebrities to catch up with him. I can hear them as they draw closer to him on the road. “Shut up! He can hear us! Quick! Change the subject.” Just as they finish sweetly singing the last verse of  “Heart of worship” they finally catch up to Jesus. Wiping their moist eyes, with hands lifted high while they sway arm in arm to the beat, signing, “It’s all about you Jesus….” Then asks the question, “So, guys what were you talking about back there?” When the music fades all you can hear is the roar of crickets in the awkward forest.

I hate it when the Lord asks me a question that I he already knows the answer to. Once, many years ago, I was driving along in my car listening to my Christian music like a nice preacher. I may have been humming, “It’s all about you, Jesus…” when I noticed a sign out in front of a church as I drove by. I don’t remember what it said, but the message caused me to say something bitterly critical about it. In all my superior dignity I uttered my cutting words of indignant disapproval. Almost immediately I heard the Lord speak to me, as clear as crystal. “Mark, why do you have to do that?” Can you hear the crickets chirping in my soul? I hate it when he does that. He asked me a question, but he knew the answer. I have to criticize and compare myself to others so I can win the prize on “America’s next top Christian”

I’m not secure in myself, or in the love God has for me, so I have to tell myself I’m more spiritual, more correct and more godly than the next person. If I don’t find a way to put myself in a better light than someone else I have to settle for living in the grace of a God who loves me in my brokenness. That’s too hard. It’s much easier for me to keep telling myself the lie that God only loves me when I’m better than you. So I find it soothing to criticize the church sign, the preacher who is too liberal or too conservative, the song with poor theology, and the sinner who’s apparently more broken than me. But I find the only way I can indulge my need to compare and criticize, is to maintain a safe distance from Jesus. While he moves toward the cross on my behalf I’ll just slow down my pace and linger in my delusions of relative sanctification a little longer. It’s safer back here than up there where my savior is leading me. But you and I both know what’s going to happen don’t we? He’s gonna slow down at some point, wait for me to catch up then ask that awkward question, “What are you talking/thinking about?” He loves me too much to be anything less than obnoxious about such things. He can’t leave well enough alone and abandon me to myself. He knows when to burst in at the worst possible moment flip on the light and send the roaches running back to hell where we all know they belong. I’m just glad he’s not sending me there instead. His love has redeemed and is redeeming my broken soul. So, while these awkward moments of truth can be pretty disarming and honestly a bit frustrating to my sense of “betterthanyouness”‘, I’d rather have him stopping me on the road, flipping on the light and chasing away the roaches, than leaving me behind.