A SURPRISING SAVIOUR...
Follow Jesus and if your serious about staying close, you'll soon be constantly surprised! Just when we thought God was created in our image, He does something, says something, deals with something - in ways completely other.
The problem with following Jesus closely is that it gets uncomfortable! He wants me to respond to people in surprising ways. Just when I want to hit someone - He leads me to follow Him into blessingthem with a surprise gift! Just when I want to be alone and rest - He leads me to follow Him to a lonely, weary, faith-battler and surprise them with encouragement and time. Surprisingly I feel invigorated every time I follow this Surprising Saviour. It's when I follow from a distance that I experience distance with my Saviour (just like the Apostle Peter did).Matt. 26:58 And Peter was following him at a distance...
Just when I thought following Jesus was a walk along a tropical beach (I learned this from the famous "Footprints In The Sands" photo) - I'm surprised to discover that I must follow Him at times over jagged rocks. I can tell I'm following Him because I have to place my feet in the blood-stained footprints of my Surprising Saviour as we walk along the path of trial. Then I'm surprised when He wanders up the slopes of self-discipline and I have to choose each step I make - even though I usually don't want to. It seems like every second step up the slopes of self-discipline is lands me on a temptation. These steps flood my mind with very appealing invitations. "You're tired, skip your devotional reading tonight...you can read it tomorrow." "You haven't got time to pray now, there's people waiting to see you...just pray when you get an uninterrupted minute." "Don't force your faith or beliefs on this non-Christian...you'll be offensive." And so on.
To my shame, I have to confess, I often slip on the slopes of self-discipline. I'm surprised that my Saviour still reaches out to me at these times and admonishes me to stay close. Unlike the admonishing of others, I'm surprised that the Saviour's sharp rebuke doesn't injure me. Rather it heals me. His disciplining of me somehow surprisingly empowers me to keep climbing up the slopes of self-discipline. Then as we ascend, the Saviour begins to lead my up steps that very very personal! He challenges my diet! He challenges my hobbies! He challenges my commitment to His Cause! It seems like He makes me aware of the struggles of my brothers and sisters who are also venturing up the slopes of self-discipline. Just as I revel in my smug spiritual arrogance by feeling justified in sharing my newfound insights of the failures of others, I am surprised by my Saviour who locks eyes with me and says gently with a strength that doesn't need volume: "Love covers a brother's failings." (Prov. 10:12; 17:9; Genesis 9:23)As I struggle up these slopes of self-discipline I am frustrated by those who seem to outpace me. But then I surprised to realise that it's not those who have been following the Saviour longest who travel up with the most ease - it's those who follow closest.
Where You go, I'll go
Where You stay, I'll stay
When You move, I'll move
I will follow...All Your ways are good[Written by Jason Ingram, Reuben Morgan and Chris Tomlin]
All Your ways are sure
I will trust in You alone
Higher than my side
High above my life
I will trust in You alone
Have you been surprised by the Saviour? His original disciples were. Herod was. Pilate was. James was. He is a surprising Saviour who can lead us in surprising ways, bring surprising people into our lives, and call us to surprise people with acts of undeserved kindness.Ps. AndrewFather, we want to follow Your Saviour-Son. We want to be surprising to a world used to giving as good as it gets. Help us to follow this Surprising Saviour closer, in Jesus' Name, Amen.Eph. 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
I recently heard of this type of complaint from a pre-Christian about a group of Christians. For the moment, I don't want to mention what this group of believers had done, but it is certainly a common complaint. Of course, the complaint can sometimes be justified: Christians do sometimes behave badly and the world knows it! When Christians behave badly they bring shame to the Cause and Body of Christ. To have this highlighted by the world is a negative moment. But even this moment can be turned around into a positive opportunity.
Thus, this presents an ideal opportunity to winsomely correct this misapprehension about what a Christian is. Using a paper-napkin you could write the word "D O" on the serviette to sum up what they said to define a Christian. You could then ask them if it would be OK to give them the definition that the Bible used? If they consented, you could then add " N E " to form the word: " D O N E ".
This week I had a troubled soul come and see me. We conversed then I asked the question I've just championed:What is a Christian? In summary their answer was a " D O " answer. After sharing with them about the grace of God through Jesus, and explaining that the only One invited into God's Presence is Jesus and that unless you are "in Christ" you can not go to Heaven or be reconciled to God for eternity, I asked them if they would like to become a Christian. They said, with tears flowing, "Yes I would." We prayed together and the work of the Spirit in this person's life starts a fresh new chapter.
"Be filled with the Spirit" the great apostle wrote. "Wait until you receive the Holy Spirit" said Christ. An apostle and the Messiah. Both great exponents of truth taught that the Christian life is empowered by mere knowledge. Neither is it empowered by religious effort. No, it is initiated, activated, and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Becoming a Christian is not like joining a religious club. It is an utter transformation of the heart. This radical transformation is not achieved by wishful thinking, New Year resolutions, or religious devotion. It is initialised when the Holy Spirit opens a person's spiritual eyes and ears. When this happens, a person sees their true spiritual condition before God and realises their dire situation due to their bankruptcy of soul. They will then find that their previously deaf spiritual ears begin to hear the soft, gentle, voice of God calling them to come and follow. Jesus said that when the Holy Spirit initialises, He would convict of sin, reveal the righteousness of God, and convince of the Judgment to come (John 16:8).
After the Holy Spirit has activated new spiritual life within a new worshiper, He leads His new host to the river of empowerment and invites them to bathe. This Baptism in the Holy Spirit empowers the new worshiper to confidently share their newfound life. One of the surest signs that a person has been baptised with the Holy Spirit is their desire to share the Good News with others. The Holy Spirit within them compels them to reach out to those crippled by their burden of guilt and sin.
Other evidences of the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, known as the Baptism with the Holy Spirit, is the activation of spiritual gifts beyond the activation gift of salvation. In Mark 16, Jesus announced that these gifts included speaking in tongues, casting out demons, and healing the sick. Mere religion or positive thinking can not compete with this offer.
In one of the most of the seemingly bewildering stories found within the Gospels, we meet the Christ cursing a fig tree on His way with His disciples into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:22). Christ was hungry. A fig would do. Alas! No figs! Just leaves! By the next morning the fig was dead to the roots.
Instead of these glorious laws being the basis for Israel's witness to the nations, Israel lost sight of its mission and regarded the laws as the reason why God had chosen them (forgetting that He gave them these Lawsafter He had redeemed them). The point of the laws - to show the nations that God is "good" and "faithful" God, became lost. The point of the ceremonies became lost on Israel - they were all anticipatory displays of the Christ and His coming work - and instead, Israel incorrectly felt that these ceremonies (involving animal sacrifices) were about purifying them from blame. All of this took place despite the prophets warning Israel that it was happening-
Israel was called to bear 'fruit' - just like a fig tree. Thisfruit was meant to show the nations who their 'Gardener' was. This fruit was meant to draw the nations to God. Israel was supposed to have been a light to the nations, teaching them how to know and love God and each other.
God calls His people His "planting" (Isa. 5:7). He expects His plantings to bear fruit - that is, to be a witness to the nations of God, His wonders, His ways, His will and His Word. The goal of this witness is that people may come to know the Lord and join in His program of redeeming the world through Christ.
The cursing of the fig tree by Christ was typological (symbollic) of God ending His Old Covenant with unfruitful, unfaithful Israel. Instead of Israel being God's fig tree to the nations, Christ would be model Israel- the truly fruitful and faithful Servant of the Lord. He would shine His Father's light to the nations - through His New Covenant people, the New Israel of God: the Church(Gal. 6:16).