The Power of Remembering

What is Your Name?

Luke 8:30 – And Jesus asked him saying, What is your name?

                 In this account we have the story of the man we refer to as ‘The Madman of Gadara’. Most of the teaching that we have heard highlights that Jesus addressed the devil by asking, ‘What is your name?’ However, G. Campbell Morgan, in his commentary on the Gospels, pointed out that perhaps Jesus was actually asking the man his name. I find this thought to be inspirational and very instructive. 

          Think of the condition of this poor, tormented man; demon-possessed, self-destructive, running naked in the cemetery, no life to speak of, anguished, no rest, no peace, no friendships. I am sure that whatever family he once had would have been driven away long ago. He is frantic and distressed, but Jesus attempts to rescue him by getting him to remember his name. ‘Don’t you remember who you are? You were born into a family and your parents lovingly named you. You had purpose, dreams, aspirations and friends. Don’t you remember? You laughed and played together with the friends of your youth, you fell in love with a beautiful girl. You learned a trade and worked hard providing for your new family. What is your name? That’s who you are. You are not this raving and tormented lunatic. You are not this violent madman. No! You are a person. You are a man, created in the image of God, created to walk with dignity and purpose. You were destined to engage in society and contribute to others' success. 

         What is your name? It is still your name, it still exists, it may have slipped out of your memory but your name has survived. It’s your name, not someone else’s. It is yours, it belongs to you. You matter. You are missed. You are important. You have a place in this life. You are a person with a name, and you are connected relationally to significant people’. 

          What about us? Have we forgotten who we are? Have we forgotten our name? Have our choices now determined a new name? Are we living with the stigma associated with our condition in life? Has life’s challenges blurred the memory of our identity and our value? We are living in the days of identity theft and it is time to take back our true name. Powerful and life-giving freedom comes into our life when we remember who we were created to be and who named us. The world has tried to define us and re-name us but our Heavenly Father has permanently named us. We are named by God as his children and we must never forget who we are. What is your name?

Mercy Triumphs over Judgement

Luke 17:14 – “…Go show yourselves to the priests…”

    As Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, ten lepers had stood at a distance down the road and cried out for much-needed mercy. Consider the terrible circumstances that these poor men lived in; the sense of worthlessness and rejection upon being forced out of their family and friends. Perhaps the most horrific thing about being a leper was remembering a time when you were not. At one time all of these men were active members of their communities. They had the love of spouses and families. They had meaningful work and the satisfaction of providing for their own. They enjoyed friends and social gatherings and they even had the hope of future good when gathering together for worship. But all of that was lost when the leprosy was discovered. They became, as the Law demanded, outcasts; they were to be separated and segregated; they were immediately torn away from all that they knew and all that they loved. The Law had spoken and mercy stood silent in the background.

    After crying out to Jesus for mercy, the first word they heard was; go. It is a strange thing that all of us hear things through our own inner filters. Sometimes even kindly spoken words are not received as such because they come through our tainted ears into our wounded memories and become part of our distorted conclusions. They might have felt like this was another in a long string of rejections, but we know that Jesus was indeed answering their cry with an instruction designed to urge them forward. Go. Don’t stay in this place. Your leprosy has immobilized you and kept you in a hopeless and helpless state. Now, make a decision and choose to act even if you do not fully understand. Don’t hesitate or try and reason this out. You must do this because no one else can do it for you.

    Go and show yourselves to the priests. Stand before the authority of the priests and don’t hide anything, don’t try to cover anything up. Be completely open, defenseless and vulnerable. This takes a tremendous amount of trust and a great deal of humility, because it is in our human nature to hide from being analyzed, scrutinized and examined.

    One writer has said that the self that we send out to meet God is almost always a false self. And not only with regard to God but, also in our relationship to others, it is very easy to wear a mask and not be completely genuine. Life itself seems to teach us to be guarded and not to be open and sincere. Jesus said that we must become like children if we want to truly experience the kingdom of God. Children, in their innocence, are absolutely real; they have no preconceived ideas or biases and they do not understand the word; false. These ten lepers were instructed to show themselves to the priests. They were not told to build a case for why they should be treated with mercy. They were not told to describe in detail their painful history or how they had been mistreated. They were not told to present their credentials or their educational diplomas. No, they were told to show themselves to the priests. In reality, all we actually have is ourselves; our inner being; our spirit; our soul. One day we shall each stand before the Lord completely alone; without a made-up facade; without sparkling accessories; without props for support; simply our exposed self.

    Jesus responded to their cry for mercy by giving them the same instruction that the Law of Moses prescribed to all who were thought to be lepers and to all those who claimed to be cleansed of their leprosy; they were to go stand before a panel of priests. We can only imagine how this must have made them feel. What images were derived in their minds? The last time they had stood before the priests they were found to be unclean and the sentence was harsh and final. Some of us may have had to stand before one judge in a court of law but how many of us have had to stand before a panel of judges? This would, no doubt, be extremely intimidating and they might have asked themselves why would Jesus send us to the priests? We are not healed yet. There is no change in our circumstances, however, Jesus has told us to do this, so we must obey.

   The Law of their religion had removed them and isolated them and even made them feel non-human. That is what the Law of strict religion still does; it does not create an atmosphere of mercy. These ten men, who were labelled as outcasts, met Jesus who is Mercy manifested in the flesh. They instinctively cried out for the only answer for their desperate situation. They wanted mercy and it seemed like Jesus was giving them law, however they trusted the words of mercy; they were willing to throw themselves on the mercy of the court, so to speak. Jesus had said to go and submit to the Law; trust what Mercy has said and the scripture tells us that as they went they were cleansed. Mercy had spoken, it was no longer silent and they responded in faith, trusting in the Merciful One. On that day those men received mercy and this day that we live in, is still the day of mercy. Today, no matter what we may face, we can cry out for mercy and, as always, mercy will eternally triumph over judgement! Thank God for His mercy!

There Will Always be Another King

Acts 7:18 - Till another king arose, which knew not Joseph.

    There will always be another king. One of the tendencies of humanity is that we cannot seem to see very far in front of us and we are also inclined to forget what has happened behind us on the road of history. The stark reality is that we are on this earth for a short season and inevitably succession will come. Nothing in this life lasts forever. Every championship team knows that it is one thing to obtain the status of champions and a whole other thing to maintain it. Just because you won last season does not mean it will happen automatically again this season. The hunger of the challenging team will drive them on in a relentless pursuit of the title. There will always be another king. Successful companies understand that they may be at the top of their industry one year but that is no guarantee that they will repeat their performance again and they may even find themselves struggling the following year. Competition is fierce in the modern business world and new and improved companies are being launched every minute. There will always be another king.

    The verse we are looking at is describing the experience of the children of Israel in Egypt. God gave Joseph favour and wisdom with Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he was promoted into high levels of influence and responsibility. Both the Egyptians and the Israelites enjoyed a season of prosperity and blessing under this king because of his honourable relationship with Joseph. But another king arose who did not know Joseph. That king apparently, did not value the history that Egypt had with Joseph and the Israelites. He did not acknowledge the fact that there were others who had helped him get to this place of power. He did not know Joseph. There is a popular phrase that says ‘It’s not what you know but who you know that counts’, and we sometimes laugh at that idea, but the truth is, entrance into heaven isn’t based on what you know but on who you know. Who you know is all important and has eternal ramifications. Who you know, who you honour, who you acknowledge and who you associate with, will determine your destiny. Sadly, this new king did not know Joseph.

    Another king arose. This other king had a different spirit than the previous one had. He didn’t have a reverence for God and for his people. He did not have a compassionate heart but obviously had a self-serving motive. He was a king of another type than his predecessor. Arrogant pride is persistent; it lurks in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to destroy each one of us. Prideful conceit is the ever-constant enemy of mankind and it is cunningly deceptive by nature. We are deceived when we forget or don’t even acknowledge that many people have sacrificed their lives, their time, their money, their energy; all for someone else’s benefit; all for my benefit. I live in a city which has roads and power and a water system; all of which I enjoy the use of but actually did not contribute to any of it. It was all built before I was born and I must look back to appreciate what others have done for me. I may be sitting in a beautiful church auditorium with my family, enjoying and benefiting from the numerous ministries of the church, and never whispering even one prayer of gratitude for all those who sacrificed to build it. We don’t want to be like this other king, who chose to ignore the hard work done by his forbears long before he rose to power.

    Someone has once commented that there are, in the scripture, more commands to remember than any other command. Scripture exhorts us, again and again, to not forget but, to remember. Remember those who have spoken to you the word of God, remember those who are in prison, remember that it is the Lord God who gives you the power to get wealth, remember Lot’s wife, remember that you were once a slave, remember your history, remember God’s faithfulness. 

    Another king will always arise but, will he remember? More importantly, will we remember?

You and I are Never Forgotten by God

Luke 1:13-17 - But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared."

        One life, one person sent from God can have an amazing and powerful impact. Zacharias is told that many people will be impacted by the arrival and the eventual ministry of this child. John’s life was to be characterized by a fullness of the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. Children are never too young to experience God’s presence. They know Him. God is the Father of spirits. We, as parents, simply father their flesh, but God breathes a living spirit into every little babe in the womb. He never gives life without also giving purpose and destiny. Every babe comes into this world with a purpose from God. It is our responsibility to provide the environment whereby children can be nurtured and protected and learn to develop their own relationship with the Lord, thereby discovering their own God-given identity and destiny.

    The influence of John, as described by the angel, was no doubt staggering to Zacharias. How could this little child become so influential? We see a seed, but God sees a tree, or better yet, God sees orchards of trees bearing much fruit, and containing multiplied seeds within. God wants us to be able to see way beyond our present years and circumstances, to see into the future, to get a long-term vision for our lives and for those of our family. Can we see our children and our grandchildren being vessels for the mighty things for God and bearing fruit for generations to come? Can we envision them being a huge blessing; an example and a help to all those that know them? According to Isaiah 54:13, ‘All our children shall be taught of the Lord and great shall be the peace of our children’. All of them, not some of them, not, maybe a few of them, No! All of our children shall be disciples of the Lord, personally taught and fathered by God Himself.

    John was going to have a powerful gift and anointing from God to be able to turn people back to God. To turn something is to set the course of it and to propel momentum in a certain direction. Are we able to get people moving in a certain direction? Can we lead them and influence them to make choices which will cause their lives and their circumstances to change dramatically? That power does not reside in us, but there is the empowering grace of God in our lives that gives us an ability to turn people and influence them toward the will and plan of God.

    Just as Elijah was a powerful force for God, so John was to have a similar spirit and comparable power. This power will be used to ‘turn’ the hearts of the fathers to the children. Notice it is the fathers that are responsible to turn their hearts first. Fathers, do not look for your children to turn towards you, you and I must turn our hearts toward them. Take the initiative and reach out to your children, thereby demonstrating that your heart is for them, and that you are not judging them. Everything we do as parents is for our children. That is why we must keep walking and working and waiting on God. We cannot quit or be discouraged because we have children and grandchildren to influence and to pray for. Why would the heart of any father be turned away from his children to begin with? One of the ways that a father may turn his heart away from his children is when he begins to think that he is not valued. This world mocks and devalues and denigrates fathers. It says we don’t need fathers, they are simply for procreation and then perhaps, for financial provision, but other than that we don’t need them. This world, with its bankrupt philosophies, tells fathers that children really don’t need them. Just leave the child-rearing to your wife, they say. Obviously moms are hugely important and even the world never really argues against a mom. We instinctively know that we need her and we prize our moms, but fathers for some reason are said to be optional. Awake, Fathers, shake off the drowsiness of this lie and reclaim your noble place! Your children need you. Your grandchildren need you. Your family needs you. The church needs you. The world needs you. ‘Watch, stand fast in the faith; act like men. Be strong!’

    The disobedient or unbelieving ones do not see their need to change or turn direction. They do not see that the righteous have any valid wisdom. The disobedient, quite often, may even have a note of scoffing or mocking in their stance. The world likes to think that they already have wisdom and that the church certainly doesn’t have it. The unbelieving, disobedient mockers think that the church is foolish. Unbelief hardens us to God and to His voice, which is true wisdom. The disobedient have a faulty heart attitude. It is an issue of posture and approach. Disobedience is another word for unbelief, and can also be translated unpersuadable, which is a conscious decision, a refusal to believe or be persuaded. This mind-set is illustrated by Thomas when he said emphatically, ‘Except I see…I will not believe’. Later Jesus responded to Thomas when he showed him his hands and his side and said, ‘Be not faithless, but believing’, in other words, it is a choice to believe. I like the way that Hannah Whitall Smith puts it in one of her books, ‘put your will then over on the believing side…insist upon believing, in the face of every suggestion of doubt that intrudes itself.’ The Lord sends people into our lives to influence and turn our attitude to one of pliability and humility towards God. If we humble ourselves, faith is never an issue and we will appreciate and prioritize the wisdom of walking in God’s way of righteousness.

    Be encouraged, my friends, even though Zacharias and Elizabeth experienced delay and disappointment, they were not forgotten by God. God had heard their prayer and He came specifically to them and assured them of His promise. Even so today, God has not forgotten any of us. Hold on to the promises of God in His Word and watch Him bring it to pass!

His Heart through our Hands

Matt.8:15 – And He touched her hand and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.

    Jesus had just come into Peter’s house and, when he did, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying down with a fever. Doctor Luke in his description says she was ‘taken’ with a great fever, which in the original language pictures one who was held down and constrained under the power of a life-threatening fever. She was so debilitated by it that she was completely out of commission but Jesus, as always, was immediately aware of her condition. There are several different things occurring here that are worthy of our attention and consideration.

    He touched her. Touch implies connection, closeness, and tenderness. Isn’t this what everyone needs? We all so desperately need the touch of Jesus. He is always ready and ever reaching out to touch humanity. There is no one outside the scope of His touch; there is no one too sinful or too damaged. The touch of Jesus heals the sufferer; the touch of Jesus cleanses away all sin; the touch of Jesus restores dignity and destiny. He touched her.

    He touched her hand. His hand made contact with her hand. He didn’t grab her roughly and lift her up; he didn’t lay hands on her fevered brow; no, he simply touched her hand. This seems to suggest a calmness; a respect; a dignity with which Jesus ministered; he, himself, had dignity and he preserved her dignity by not creating great fanfare. Her hand was what brought her joy. It was her hand that gave her the ability to serve in a practical way to others, and she had used her hands all of her life to bless and nurture her family; she had found her niche in life by extending her hand to those around her. He touched her hand.

    The fever left her. It almost seems to imply that the fever had personality; it knew that it must respond. The fever was aware that a greater power had arrived and, just as when light enters the room, darkness must flee. The touch of Jesus always causes the enemy to leave. The touch of Jesus always triumphs over every work of the adversary. When the fever left, health came flooding back in; the hindrance to health and strength was dealt with. The fever left her.

    She arose. She didn’t stay in bed. She didn’t say, ‘I must rest and recuperate’. She didn’t even look for any sympathy. She had no reason now to be in bed. ‘The fever that held me down is gone so I will arise’. She arose by an act of her will. Moments before she was under the power of the fever; completely incapacitated; without options; and now she has a choice and she used her choice to arise and be a part of the household and a contributor to her community. She arose.

    She ministered unto them. What a beautiful picture of a grateful lady. I’m sure that this desire to serve was not new to her; she had always served. Like many of the women we know, she worked hard in so many ways; cleaning, cooking, helping, serving, always putting others ahead of herself. That is why it is significant that Jesus touched her hand. That was part of her gifting and her place of joy and service;  to use her hands. She did not use her restored health for self-serving purposes. She didn’t go to the mall, so to speak. No! She used her renewed strength to serve in menial ways to others. She put others needs ahead of her own. She ministered unto them.

    Peter’s mother-in-law was one of those who ministered anonymously and silently; behind the scenes. She may remain nameless to us, but there is no doubt that she was not nameless to those of her family and those within her circle of friends. They knew her name and they knew her reputation; they saw her self-less service and they benefited from her ministering hands. Heaven also knows her name for no service ever goes unseen by Jesus. He sees the servant’s heart. These are the ones whom the Lord Jesus uses as vessels of His ministering heart. His heart reaches and touches humanity through our hands; His ministering heart through our ministering hands; what a privilege; what a joy; what a life!

Lean Back and Watch God Perform His Promise

Romans 4:21 - And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

    This statement of Paul comes out of a very powerful section of scripture which describes Abraham and his walk of faith. As we read of the life and the circumstance of Abraham and how he was called by God to pioneer a path of faith for all of us to follow, it is no wonder that he is held in such high esteem all over the world even to this day.

    God had spoken to Abraham about the fact that an heir would come out of his own body; he would father his own son. Then God said, ‘Look at the stars and count them if you can; so shall your seed be’. That statement is the promise that is spoken of in this verse and in the light of that, we might wish to reconsider our idea of what a promise is. We’ve heard it said that all of God’s promises are conditional; God promises, we meet the condition and He fulfills the promise. This is our culture’s basic understanding of a promise. We do a similar thing with our children; if you clean your room then you can have a snack after dinner; if you do well on your grades then we will buy you a new bicycle. There is certainly an aspect of this that is correct; there is indeed an ‘if’ in many verses of scripture.

    However, let’s look closer at this particular promise of God. ‘So shall your seed be’. It is not really a promise in the way we normally think of it; it’s actually a statement, an announcement or a declaration. This is the way it is. ‘So shall your seed be’. As Abraham heard that statement, it produced something in his heart; he became fully persuaded. What was he fully persuaded of? He was completely convinced that what God declared, He was more than able to bring it to pass. This took all of the responsibility right out of Abraham’s hands and placed it all exactly where God wanted it; in His hands.

    Anybody can make bold declarations but not everybody can back them up; not everybody has the ability to bring these declarations to pass. Abraham recognized who it was that made the declared promise. God said it; the Creator of the universe was the source of this declaration; God Almighty had spoken, and He is well able to fulfill His promise. Years ago there was a popular saying that went like this, ‘God said it, I believe it and that settles it’, but maybe we should re-phrase it; ‘God said it and that settles it’. I believe that this is what happened for Abraham; he heard God speak; he recognized who said it and he fully relied on the character and the ability of the speaker; that settled it.

    A man by the name of James Stewart once wrote something which will help us here. He said that, ‘The constant watchword of the New Testament is not “We are able”, but what you do find over and over again is, “He is able”, and when [the writers] say it, they are looking away from themselves to God’. God is the one who has all ability, capability, power and might; He is able. We must look away from ourselves and look to Him. This is the persuasive thought that came into Abraham’s heart that produced an unshakeable conviction that this promise of God will surely come to pass. What are some of these promises of God for us today? ‘All your children shall be taught of the Lord and great shall be the peace of your children’, ‘By whose stripes you were healed’, ‘My God shall supply all your need according to His riches’. We are not the performer of these promises; He is. We don’t make it happen; God does. We don’t have the wisdom to make it happen; we don’t have the power to make it happen; we don’t have the resources to make it happen; our Heavenly Father does. Our part is simply to accept and agree with what He promises and let that Word persuade us and keep us calm as we lean back in the arms of our Father and allow Him to fulfill His promise. Thank you, Lord! You are definitely more than able!

For Every Broken Heart That Has Ever Asked Why?

Matt.27:46 – And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice saying ‘Eli, Eli lama sabachthani?’ that is to say, ‘My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?’

    This is one of the seven things that Jesus said while he was agonizingly hanging on the cross. These few, sacred statements from Jesus have proven to be a rich heritage of blessing, strength and comfort to us. Many sermons and books have been written about them and what a powerful and enlightening study it is.

    This cry of Jesus has been called the cry of anguish or the cry of despair and it was indeed a haunting cry. A cry is something deeper than words; it is an expression of the heart which surpasses language. Every person on the earth knows what a heart cry is. It is a cry of instinct more than one of intellect. It is a cry of longing more than one of logic. This heart cry transcends all language barriers; it transcends all belief systems; we can immediately identify with anyone who suffers no matter their culture, speech or nationality. The book of Romans tells us that the entire creation is groaning; suffering under the burden of sin and suffocating from the weight of wickedness. That groan is this very cry which we are considering. Jesus, being the most spiritually sensitive man ever, was acutely aware of this period of abandonment, and he cried and groaned in total identification with forsaken mankind.

    I have heard it pointed out that if you read through the Gospels carefully, you will never see Jesus address the Father as God. He always tenderly addressed him as Father, but in this dark hour of his life He cried out to the God of the universe. Mankind is fallen and has lost his filial relationship with the Father. He cannot truly be called Father by anyone other than His children. He may be God to the entire world but He is Father only to the family. Something mysterious was transpiring within Jesus that was so terrible, so sacred, so beyond description that we must be very careful how we tread here. A thick darkness had covered the land for three hours restricting the onlooker's sight; it may be that God mercifully hid the eyes of humanity from catching sight of things which are beyond our ability to fully understand.

    To ask the question 'why' is to ask the basic question of the fallen race. Why me? Why is this happening to me? Why is life so difficult? Why do I keep repeating destructive patterns? Why are all these terrible things happening in the world? Why? To pose the question 'why' is to inquire about causes; reasons that things are the way they are. We want to make sense out of our lives and circumstances. We want to find meaning and purpose in the midst of suffering. Someone has said that a man can put up with almost any ‘what’ as long as he has a ‘why’. Jesus knew why he had to suffer; he had told his disciples ahead of time that he was going to be killed and rise again, but darkness had encircled the land; darkness had come heavily upon him; darkness had enclosed his heart and now darkness was coming out of him. Why, God, why?

    The question of why that comes from the inside of any man always comes with his own limited perspective; he doesn’t see the big picture and therefore he doesn’t understand. Perspective is what one sees from their point of view; from their standpoint. I read years ago that discussing Bible truths is like climbing a mountain; if you climb up one side you see one view, but if you climb up from another side you see a different view. There are always a variety of views to look at from man’s partial perspective. However, there is God’s unlimited viewpoint and His infinite perspective. There was a specific reason that Jesus was forsaken on that day; the purpose of God was being fulfilled. God was carrying out His great plan of redemption in this sacred and horrific moment. There was a definite and meaningful why.

    Fallen man is forsaken man; he is forlorn man; he is forgotten man. Why have you done this to me? Jesus is representing the entire race of lost humanity who blame God for all their loss and agony. Why did you not protect me? Why are you allowing this to happen? The sense of forsakenness and abandonment is what stands between God and mankind. We sometimes have heard the phrase, ‘a God-forsaken world’, but maybe it is actually the Father God who is forsaken by the world. Maybe He is a ‘world-forsaken God’. The Father God is truly the ultimate sufferer; he loves much, therefore he suffers much. This moment of forsakenness was equally difficult for both the Father and the Son. The Son’s heart cried out in deep distress as He represented every terrible and tragic thing that man has ever experienced as a victim and committed as a culprit. The Father’s heart suffered in silent pain as He watched His Son carry the burden and the crushing weight; the culmination of every wrong choice; the sin and the hurt of the entire world.

    Tragedy, atrocity, calamity, brutality and heartbreak are the sad realities of life on earth. One doesn't have to look very far to see that there is sorrow on every continent, pain in every country and grief in every home. Our deepest consolation comes to us as we understand that Jesus suffered these same things, he experienced the complete range of human emotions and he continues to suffer with us. He understands you, he understands me. Jesus was forsaken, deserted, abandoned and rejected so that we could be fully accepted and lovingly embraced; included in the family and affirmed by the Father. No matter what you may be facing today, however dark and heavy your heart may be, however many questions may be in your mind, I pray that you would cry out to the Father and receive His peace, His strength and His assurance that He is right there, walking with you through it all. He is there, as close as a whisper and He is ready to answer. Amen!

    

Are You a Person Under Authority?

Dedicated to all those who have served in defense of their country...thank you!

Mat 8:9, 10 -   For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my servant, Do this, and he does it. When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

   This account is well known as being the source for many sermons on the subject of faith. Jesus commended the Centurion in a way that was quite rare and it should definitely capture our attention. What was it about this man and the way he conducted himself that so impressed Jesus? As we study the entire passage and also the description given to us by Luke, we gain an understanding and a glimpse into the character of this unusual man. We see his humility, we see his compassion, we see his generosity and we see several other noble character traits, however, it was his faith that Jesus specifically applauded. Jesus did not praise his humility, or his compassion or his generosity; he praised and affirmed his faith. There was something so unique and different about this Centurion’s faith that Jesus felt compelled to comment; he was amazed; he was impressed. Contrary to some people’s thinking, Jesus is not all that easily impressed. Think about it; Jesus had seen it all, he had ministered to the multitudes and dealt with many fascinating people but never had he seen the quality of faith that this man exemplified. What produced this great faith?

    We have some insight into the kind of thinking and mindset that created the Centurion’s faith by his own comments regarding his understanding of authority. Luke’s account actually gives us a few extra words worth considering. ‘I also am a man set under authority’. The Centurion was a military man and he evidently viewed Jesus also as a man placed under authority similar to the military. The Centurion understood his place in the chain of command; he was both under men of greater rank and he was over men of lesser rank. When orders were issued to him he obeyed without rationale or hesitation; when he issued orders they were also obeyed. Orders are commands and commands are not suggestions. There are only two responses to a command; obedience or disobedience; we either submit or rebel; we either surrender or resist.

    No military man can promote himself; he rises through the chain of command in accordance with his compliance to superior officers and his ability to execute commands. He is set in his rank, he is arranged under others and assigned a particular station. The Centurion became the commander of one hundred men by years of loyal service and experience. There is something about the demeanor of a military man who understands that he is supported by the authority of the nation and also that he carries the authority of the nation. He walks tall; he walks dignified; he walks calmly; he receives orders and he gives orders; ‘Go, come, do this’. These are not requests they are directives. This Roman officer saw Jesus in the same light. He saw him as being supported and backed by the authority of Heaven. He saw Jesus as being a man who understood his place; he was set there by God. He also saw sickness as something inferior and of lesser rank; Jesus could simply speak a word of command and the sickness would have to obey and servant boy would be healed.

    How enlightening and helpful all of this is to us. The greatest commendation and sense of admiration, which ever came from the Lord Jesus, came to a man who was an outsider; a man who the elite religious community would tell us was not welcome or worthy; a military man of Rome who was considered an oppressor of Israel; and yet, his understanding of authority transcended all of the above. Great faith is not something to be pursued by us; it is something that is produced in us. It is a consequence of seeing all things in their proper order. Great faith was produced in this man by taking the patterns and methods of his own life and showing him the parallel to God’s way of operating. He did not have to look far to gain this faith; he did not have to work hard to gain this faith; he did not have to burn the midnight oil in study; he simply saw with clarity the way things are from God’s perspective. Obviously, that clarity of insight comes from God; we don’t unveil these things to ourselves. The Holy Spirit is the revealer of truth and as we position ourselves to hear from Him, He gives us glimpses and enables us to see and understand the Word of God. When that understanding and insight comes, genuine faith is produced within us; the lies and false perspectives of this world fall away and we walk forward into our future and into our destiny with confidence and security. Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift!

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

Acts 20:28 - Take heed therefore to yourselves, and to all the flock, over which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

    Paul’s address to these leaders, spoken so many years ago, has given many ministers since, much encouragement and guidance. What a treasure to have this rare glimpse into the heart of Paul as he shepherds the overseers of Ephesus, and gives us much needed admonishment and instruction for our lives today. There are some strong words of exhortation and warning telling us that we must take heed. What does it mean to take heed? It means to be aware and alert and to take special note of something. When a sentence is prefaced with these words then unusual attention is required. This word is used elsewhere in scripture warning us to beware. To take heed, then is to beware. What are we to beware of? We are to beware or, be aware of ourselves. First and foremost we are to guard over our own lives as leaders. The obvious tendency, for those who have been charged with the care of a flock, is to put others ahead of themselves. That almost seems correct except that Paul says that is not the way to go. We must have the wisdom to see that if we do not take care of our own lives first, eventually there will be no one to care for others. We can be of no good to anyone if we neglect our personal lives to the point where we begin to breakdown. Call it what you will; burnout, compassion fatigue, running on empty, or just simply worn out, we are not designed to constantly live our lives at break-neck speeds, while bearing the load of ministry. There is another aspect of this, as well; we must take heed that we are not being negligent, lazy or possibly even, over-bearing or dictatorial. Take heed to yourself. Be aware of your own propensities and tendencies. Be self-aware. There is a big difference between being self-aware and self-conscious; one is a blessing and the other is a curse; one will give me the tools that will free and enlarge me, and the other will take those same tools and tighten the chains that bind and restrict me. Self-awareness is a blessing, because if I am not aware of my own patterns, habits and tendencies then, I can never change them.  It is only as I am aware, taking heed, and keeping a close watch on myself, that I can observe objectively and change accordingly.

    George Mueller said something along this line that has pertinence for us today. He said that the first thing that he would do in the morning is take some time to meditate on the word of God. He would do this not for the purpose of preaching but for the purpose of feeding his own soul. He stressed the fact that if his own soul were not well fed then the work of God could be done in a wrong attitude or spirit. This certainly seems to answer many questions for us. How many times has the work of God been done in a wrong spirit and done more damage than good? We are spiritual beings and we communicate not just in words but in spirit as well. Attitudes are transferable by association and contact. Someone has once said that some things are better caught than taught; and of course, in a positive sense, this is great. We catch a right attitude and posture from those around us; however the opposite is also true; we can catch a wrong spirit or attitude from others. As leaders it is so vital that we take heed to our own spiritual health and to keep a right attitude towards both the work that needs to be done and the people that are involved with us in it.

    This exhortation of Paul may also include a broader sense of taking heed to ourselves as a team of leaders. Elders, overseers, board members, department heads, worship teams, home group leaders and all the many volunteers are joined together crucially to facilitate the work and ministry of the local church. Our relationships with our ministry teams are so very important and vital. The enemy is always seeking to divide us and to stir up strife and hurt feelings amongst us. Paul wrote to the Philippians commanding them to, ‘let nothing be done through strife or vain glory’, which, as one minister said, is about how most of the church work gets done. James also said that where envy and strife is there is confusion and every evil work. Take heed; be aware of the strife that will inevitably surface in an attempt to destroy the work of God. Let us not continue to shoot ourselves in our own foot and become, as Jesus said, the foes of our own household.

    After we have paid attention to our own lives, as leaders, then we must not be neglectful of the condition of our flock, who are the ones whom the Holy Spirit has charged us to oversee. In our roving culture and non-stopping society, it has become increasingly difficult to gage the status and spiritual condition of people. Those who are regular and consistent attenders of our weekly gatherings can be more easily cared for because we see them and interact with them every week. However there are those who are not always in our Sunday morning gatherings due to a number of reasons. Take, for one example, the issue of employment. Years ago most of us worked regular daytime hours with at least Sundays off, but now we have a twenty-four hour, seven day work week. For many, there is no such thing as a weekend, the week actually never ends. Soccer, hockey, dance, extra-curricular school activities for the children, keep today’s families on the go constantly. I’m almost getting worn-out just writing about it. The beautiful people and families of our churches are feeling haggard and weary; some through a lack of knowledge; some through pressure from the workplace; but all of it is still a choice. One of the best things we can do for our congregations is continue to teach and preach on Biblical priorities; encouraging and exhorting people to take back their lives and bring them under the authority of God. I have a book in my library entitled, ‘In Praise of Slow: How a Worldwide Movement is Challenging the Cult of Speed’. Just the title alone blesses me.

    Take heed to yourself, take heed to your flock. Whether its eating a meal, a morning devotion, a conversation with your child, or kissing your wife; slow down. Enjoy the journey, stop and smell the roses, pace yourself; the race of life is not a one-hundred yard dash; it is a long distance, cross-country marathon. Let’s be healthy and finish well and let’s finish well together!