A Rock Concert...

Read Luke 19:20-40

Sometimes on a rainy day like today, children are forced to play inside. As they get more and more rowdy, their parents may ask them to use their "inside voices" or to play the quiet game in order to keep them from getting too loud and out of control. (Does this sound familiar?) This may work for a while, but children are children and it doesn't take long for the noise level to rise once again. That's the thing about children, they can't help being loud and boisterous when they are having fun.

The same should be able to be said about followers of Jesus. Not about being noisy and rowdy, but about boldly testifying of the wonderful things Jesus has done to transform lives. Jesus, the Savior of the world, died on the cross so that those who believe on Him and who follow Him could have life, real abundant life. The joy that comes from this life should be impossible to hold inside...praise and worship should be spontaneous...Christians should never play the quiet game when it comes to their faith in Christ.

As Jesus approached Jerusalem in what is called His triumphal entry, many of His followers and disciples lined the roads shouting and praising God for the coming of their conquering king. Fearing puinishment from the Romans who were occupying the city, the religious leaders urged Jesus to quiet his disciples and the crowd lest there be a confrontation. Jesus understood that the joy that comes from His transforming love is not easy to contain. He replied to the leaders in Luke 19:40...

“I tell you,” He replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” 

Today, far to many Christians play the quiet game when it comes to sharing the hope they have in Jesus with others. Fear of rejection and the unknown paralyze many from being able to be bold in living out their faith. But the love of Jesus is not a secret to be kept!!!

What would it look like for you to be bold and share your faith with your friends and family?

What is the main thing that holds you back from telling other about the hope you have in Jesus?

Prayer Emphasis: Ask God to give you the courage to be bold in telling others about the amazing life you have in Jesus!!

Thoughts on Easter-God is faithful!!!

Downtown Devotions returns today after a short break for Holy Week and some much needed Easter recovery. And, my oh my, what an amazing Easter weekend it was!!!! All through the Lenten season we had been praying that God would come among us and work miracles that we could never take credit for. These prayers were answered in so many different ways!!

First, we asked God bless our attendance for Easter Sunday...not just with numbers but with names, names of friends, coworkers, loved ones, and neighbors who needed to hear the message of hope we have in Jesus.  Well, not only did we have the largest overall attendance in many years, both services were full with many guests who had been invited to come by those who regularly attend our church. What we saw Sunday morning was something that God clearly was blessing.

Secondly, we asked God to speak into our hearts in deep and powerful ways. Each week, God faithfully spoke through our Snapshots of a Savior series messages that would shape and mold us more into the people that God created us to be. For our Easter Sunay message, I sensed that God wanted me to preach the scandal of the Gospel message with full impact. In the days preceding Easter, one person from our leadership team saw my outline and commented that I wasn't planning on "holding back" for Easter...I honestly never considered that the message might be a bold one...it just seemed to be what God was laying on my heart.

So as we turned to the last page of our Snapshots album, we found Jesus walking those final steps to His death on the cross. In order to fullfill His mission, Jesus had to overcome...overcome His human frailty and fear, overcome the torture of the cross, overcome the evil schemes of Satan, overcome the power of sin and death, and finally overcome the grave. Walking through this with Jesus, was certainly a powerful message, but God saved the best for last as we looked at Revelation 12:10-11...

Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. 

Even though Satan thought he had won the battle as Jesus hung on the cross, Jesus had won the battle before time began. From the very beginning of time, it was Jesus' mission to invade His world and redeem His people. Yet, when he came to earth as a human, 100% God and 100% man, He would face the final steps with the power to overcome both death and the grave.

So since Jesus has overcome, Revelation says that we also can overcome by the blood of the Jesus and the word of our testimony. God led 13 amazing people from our congregation to share their testimony of how they have overcome different struggles through Jesus.

And then we celebrated that through Jesus, we have and can continue to overcome!!!

Honestly, I had no clue how this would speak into the hearts of our people, but I was trusting God that He would be faithful to speak deeply into our hearts. Again, when we learn to trust God, He will work miracles that we could never take credit for. We will never know the true impact that these testimonies had in the lives of both those who shared and those who were there in attendance that morning...but may we all learn that Jesus died on the cross so that we could have life, real abundant life!!

What an awesome Easter weekend !!!!!(Good Friay Tannenbrae service was amazing as well!) As your pastor at Downtown Fellowship, I am both very humbled and very grateful for what God is doing among us...may we continue to ask Him to come among us and work miracles we could never take credit for!!!!

Face to Face

Another curious thing about the Transfiguaration is the appearance of Moses and Elijah with Jesus here on the mountain. Why did they appear here with Jesus?

When we look closely at the Old Testament accounts of both Moses and Elijah, we find that both had direct meetings with God, but neither were allowed to actually “see” God’s face. Something they obviously desparately wanted to do.

 

First let’s look at Exodus 33:

 

“Moses said to the LORD, "You have been telling me, 'Lead these people,' but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, 'I know you by name and you have found favor with me.'  13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people."  14 The LORD replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."  15 Then Moses said to him, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.  16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?"  17 And the LORD said to Moses, "I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name."  18 Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory."  19 And the LORD said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.  20 But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live."  21 Then the LORD said, "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock.  22When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by.  23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen."    Exodus 33:12 – 23 NIV

 

God would often talk to Moses face to face, but Moses was never allowed to see God face to face.

 

Let’s look at Elijah in I Kings

 

9 There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the LORD came to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?"  10 He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too."  11 The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.  12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.  13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"   1 Kings 19:9-13 NIV

 

Neither of these men who so desperately sought after God were allowed to see God face to face. Yet, here at the tranfiguaration, we see Moses and Elijah standing and talking with Jesus, talking with him face to face.

I believe that Jesus was teaching His disciples that a new age was being ushered in and that with Him, a close intimate personal relationship would now be possible. Moses and Elijah longed to know God and here they are talking to Him face to face. If the disciples are really hungry to know God (remember we think that these were the hungriest disciples), long no further than Jesus Himself. This was all part of the redemption plan.

How much do you desire to know God? Do you long to grow deeper in your faith? Do you want God to "show you His glory"?

Dear Jesus, by invading Your world, we know you made it possible for us to know You on a close personal level. Give me the desire that Moses and Elijah had to truly know you, to see Your face. In Jesus' Name, amen.

 

Coming down from the mountain...

Mountaintop moments are always cherished memories. We all remember when we stood on a mountaintop where we experienced a view that took our breath away...it's a moment we

never forget.

Peter, James, and John had one of these moments when Jesus took them up the mountain and transfigured Himself before them. Their lives were forever changed when Jesus revealed His true nature to them that day.

Peter got very excited and wanted to stay and build monuments for Moses, Elijah, and Jesus. He wanted to make that mountaintop moment last as long as possible.

Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” Matthew 17:4 NIV

Aren't we the same way? We wish we could make our mountain top experiences last more than just an afternoon or a night or a weekend. Yet eventually we have to return to the real world and back to the daily grind of our lives.

Even though I am sure that Peter was sincere in his desire to stay on the mountaintop, Jesus made these disciples come back down the mountain because real life and ministry awaited them back down in the real world.

As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” Matthew 17:9 NIV

When I worked as a youth pastor, I used to take our teenagers to summer camp each year. Summer camp is a week that is all about the teenagers. The whole week is designed to engage the students at the deepest level. It's basically a week long party of great food, great games, great bands, great drama, great preaching, and great fun. (Student Life provides the best camps I ever attended in my 20 years working with youth...and I have been to a bunch!) It's no wonder then that for most of these kids it became a powerful mountaintop experience. By the third or fouth night, these kids were on fire for God and were confessing their sins and talking about how things were going to be different when we got home. As we came back down the "mountain", we would passionately sing worships songs on the bus all the way home.

This passion would last for a few week until school started and then most of our students would fall back into the same patterns of sin and unfaithfulness to their faith. Yet, every year, there would be a few students who were clearly changed by their mountaintop experiences and they began to live out their faith with passion and abandon. They were wrecked beyond repair.

Since I am sitting here writing this today, I am going to believe that Peter, James, and John were wrecked beyond repair by what they experienced on the mountain that day. Through their leadership, the church became the most beautiful force of God this side of heaven...and we are here to testify of that power.

Think back in your own life...what have ben your "mountaintop" experiences with God? How did these experiences change the way you view God? How did they help you grow in your faith?

We all need mountaintop experiences in our marriages, our families, in our careers, and especially in our walk with God. It's what Makes life worth living down here at the foot of the mountain.

Dear Jesus, thank you for the times I have experienced Your presence most deeply in my life. Thank you for the way you have changed me through these experiences. Help me to use these experiences to become a whole lot more like You. In Your name, Amen.

Are we hungry to know God more?

Yesterday we took a close look at what is called the Transfiguration by most scholars. The account is found in Matthew 17:1-5...

After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” 

When we look closely at the Gospels, we find that Jesus taught the multitudes, fed thousands, sent the 70 out, discipled 12, closely mentored three, and spent time in prayer with 1, His Heavenly Father. 

But of all of these, it's three He closely mentored who intrigue me the most. 

If I were to ask you to name all 12 disciples, I am reasonably sure that you couldn't (unless you have memorized this scripture). But, if you have been in church long enough, all of you would have Peter, James, and John on your list. These are three that we know more about because they appear most often in the Gospel accounts. 

Why do they appear more than the other disciples? We aren't told exactly, but I think we can make some educated guesses.

Think back to when you were in college (or maybe you are in college now). Think of where the different type of students sit in the room. In general, the farther you go back in the room, the less interested the student is (thought not always).  As a college professor, I know that the students who are sitting towards the front are the ones who are most interested in the course and the one ones who will be most engaged in the lecture.

I surmise that Peter, James, and John would have been sitting on the front row, with Peter driving me crazy with questions. Maybe these three appear in scripture more often because they were more interested and engaged in Jesus' ministry. They were hungry to know more so they pursued Jesus more passionately.

With this in mind, it is easier to see why Jesus chose to take Peter, James and John up on the mountain for the Transfiguration...these disciples wanted to know Jesus more deeply.

Can the same be said of us? Would Jesus chose me or you to go up on the mountain with Him because we are that passionate to know Him more deeply?

Prayer Emphasis: Today ask God to give you a desire through His Holy Spirit to hunger to know Him more.

When Jesus finds us...

What does it cost to follow Jesus?

The man born blind found out the hard way. Once the Pharisees had exhausted themselves arguing among themselves they turned on the man born blind. They accuse him of being a liar and even brought in his parents to testify about his blindness.

After having a very humerous argument with the healed man, they simply turned to abuse.

Then they (the Pharisees) hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.” The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out. John 9:28-34 NIV

The more the Pharisees disrespected him, the more the man began to consider following Jesus. Just looking at how the parents were afraid of the Pharisees, the healed man was very bold in his interactions with the Pharisees. He knew the risks but he woke up blind and after meeting Jesus he could see. The choice was easy.

When Jesus moves into our neighborhood, everything changes. As Jesus brings healing to the broken places in our lives and we are forever changed, we begin the process of choosing Jesus over everything else. When the world forces us to choose between Jesus and the cultural standards on our age, we shouldn't expect that we will celebrated for choosing to live for Him.

When the healed man chose Jesus, the Pharisees threw him out of the synagogue and thus out of the community. A person is Jewish by both race and religion and to be excluded from worship the synagogue would be equivalent to being excluded from the entire community. Following Jesus was really starting to cost the healed man. 

But then we have one of the most beautiful passages in the Gospels...

Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when He found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.” Jesus said, “You have now seen Him; in fact, He is the One speaking with you.” Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped Him. John 9:35-38 NIV

When word got back to Jesus that the healed man had been disgraced and thrown out by the Pharisees, Jesus once again had His mission in mind. He knew the healed man was ready to hear the final part of the story. Healing his physical blindness was wonderful, but that wasn't the real reason that Jesus invaded His world. He came to heal our spiritual blindness. Jesus revealed Himself to the healed man an the man believed on Him and surrendered His heart and life to Jesus. Now he could truly see.

As we head into Easter this year, there are so many people we know who need to hear the beautiful message of the transforming love of Jesus. Who will you invite to come?

Prayer Empha!!sis: Today ask Jesus to give you the courage to invite someone you know needs to hear about His love

 

When God works His miracles...

Yesterday, we talked about how the life of the man who had been born blind had been forever changed.  Having gained his sight, his future was bright, but also uncertain.

The religious leaders were growing weary of the distraction that Jesus was causing and were beginning to plot more sinister things than discrediting Jesus. It was becoming more and more dangerous to be associated with Jesus.

His neighbors weren't sure what to do with him (how about throw a party?) so incredibly they took him to the religious leaders, the Pharisees. Even though the Pharisees were the spiritual leaders of Israel, scripture paints the picture that they led without compassion but were rather focused on following the letter of the law.

It just so happens that Jesus healed the blind man on the Sabbath...a day that a holy day of rest in the Jewish community. Keeping the sabbath day holy was one of the Ten Commandments. Yet, Jesus, as always, cared more about His mission than the letter of the law. Jesus, the living Word of God, clearly trumps the written Word of God. So, He breaks the Sabbath laws to both care for this man and show that He is Lord of the Sabbath as well.

Nevertheless, the Pharisees were focused on the Law instead of the transformation and healing of the blind man. (Seriously, what was wrong with all of these people that couldn't celebrate this?)

They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.” Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.”But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided.  John 9:13-16 NIV

Remember, in today's world, the Pharisees would represent our modern church congregations most faithful members. They represented the "lifers", people who had been in church all their lives. Is it possible that, just like the Pharisees, we miss God's miracles because we are too focused on the way things are supposed to be?

How many church fights have broken out because God was doing something fresh and new among His people? Before we overly condemn the Pharisees, is it in anyway possible that we would act the exact same way? Jesus represented CHANGE in the minds of the Pharisees and they were afraid of change.

They were afraid to lose their way of life they had enjoyed for hundreds of years. They wanted things to stay the way they had had always been; for the status quo to be preserved? Sound familiar?

May it be said of us as followers of Christ that we were willing to change so that God could work miracles among us that we could never take credit for...or explain with our rational human thinking!

Prayer emphasis: Let's pray together today that God will give us the courage to be willing to embrace the moving of His Spirit among us...even if that means that we must embrace change. Let's also pray that God will give us a spirit of CELEBRATION when works miracles among us that we could never take credit for.

When God draws near...

When Jesus moves into the neighborhood, everything is sure to be different. The blind man's life was radically changed the day the Jesus rubbed some mud on his eyes.

Let's think about the different ways his life was changed...

First obviously he could see for this first time in his life. Remember he was born blind so he had never seen anything...ever. This had to be an incredible shock to his system. Seeing everything for the first time must have been quite overwhelming...I imagine that seeing people, especially his parents, must have been the most amazing part.

Secondly, his status instantly changed. Instead of being a poor blind beggar on the side of the road, he became a celebrity.  He went from invisible to can't miss in just a few hours.

His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”But he himself insisted, “I am the man.” “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.  John 9:8-10 NIV

Everyone was talking about this...they were debating and arguing. I think it is sad we don't see a joyous riot break out among his neighbors. The should have declared a feast and celebrated his new start in life

Finally, he got a new lease on life. The stigma of his parent's sin was gone. He no longer had to beg...he could work and earn his own living. He could develop deeper relationships...maybe date and get married. The possibities were so much greater since Jesus healed him.

This is why it is so important that we know who we are going to invite to church for Easter Sunday services. Jesus wants to move into our neighborhood and heal broken lives and redeem us. 

What would change in your life if Jesus healed you?  What about your friends neighbors and loved ones?

Who will you invite to church this Easter?

Prayer emphasis: Ask God to show you someone who is in need of His compassion and healing. Ask Him to give you the courage to invite them to church so they can hear about the hope you have in Jesus!

Dirty Hands, Seeing Eyes

Once Jesus had corrected the disciples' faulty thinking about the reason this man was born blind, Jesus approached the blind man to change his life forever. 

Let's take a moment and think about the plight of the blind man. Day by day he sits on the side of the road begging for a few loose coins to perpetuate his meager exisitence. He has been there so long that he had become a permanent fixture for most people...like a lamppost or fire hydrant for us. We know its there but we raely even notice.  Take into account the societal belief that his blindness was caused by his parents sin in some way and you have a situation ripe for extreme isolation.

This blind man was ignored, looked over, judged, pitied, and forgotten on a daily basis. We don't find any account that the religious leaders took time to circulate through the city looking for people like the blind man to help.

It is possible that he lived a life of desperation with little to no real human contact. No hugs, no kisses, no human contact. This was the societal reaction to is condition.

Yet, here we see Jesus completely disregarding societal structures and going directly to the blind man. Let's take a look again at John 9...

After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” this word means “Sent”. So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. John 9:6-7 NIV

Jesus approaches the blind man and bends down right next to him. Amazingly, the Savior of the Univese stoops to enter this man's dark world. Jesus has His mission in mind-the redemption of His world. He spits on the ground and makes some mud and TOUCHES the blind man.

I find it quite curious that john does not record any prior conversation between Jesus and the blind man before Jesus rubs the mud on his eyes. Is it possible that Jesus simply starts rubbing mud on the man's eys? No one else will even bend own to engage him and Jesus is touching him. When the religious leaders were unwilling to get their hands dirty, Jesus was there rubbing mud on the man's eyes.

Isn't this what the Gospel is all about? Isn't this what God has called us to do each day? To keep our eyes open for those who are in great need and to get involved...to get our "hands dirty" helping those who have been overlooked by others?

Because Jesus didn't heal him on the spot but rather sent the blind man to wash in the pool, it is poossible that people paid very little attention to Jesus talking with the poor blind man. It wasn't until he came home seeing that the real commotion started.

What about us? Do we have eyes to see those who God wants us to help? Are we willing to get invloved and get our hards dirty if needed to minister to their needs? Are we willing to be Jesus to those who need Him most?

Prayer Emphasis: Ask Jesus today to give you eyes to see those in your life who are in need of His love and compassion. Commit to being willing to really get involved, to get your hands dirty to bring a healing touch into the lives of hurting people.

Just an Ordinary Day...

The blind man in John 9 had no idea that his life would be changed forever the day he met Jesus. It was an ordinary day. He was sitting on the side of the road begging as he did everyday. The plight of people with disabilities was very bleak in the days of Jesus. Because it was a time of little understanding of disease, sickness, and disability from a medical standpoint, conditions like blindness were considered a punishment from God for some sin committed by that person or even the parents. 

Consider John 9:1-2...

As Jesus went along, He saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 

Now Jesus, the creator of mankind knew better. He knew what caused blindness and knew that this moment was an opportunity to turn an ordinary day into an extraordinary day. Take alook at the next verse...

"Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. John 9:3 NIV

Obviously the disciples never considered another option...they just went with the conventional thinking of the day, which was wrong. How often had they done this? How little did they actually understand in the beginning?

What about me and you? What miracles have we missed because we thought already knew the answer? In what areas of our lives do we need to let Jesus work in miraculous ways?

How can Jesus turn this ordinary day into an extraordinary day?

Prayer Emphasis: Today, ask God to open your eyes to see the new answers to old questions and to see Him work miracles we could never take credit for.