A Busy Restful Couple of Days
Mark 1.21 -37
What was the daily life of the Lord Jesus Christ like? What did he do? What didn’t he do? All of have our routines that we follow in our days. We usually get up at a certain time. It might change if we go to work or have a day off, but we generally do things in a specific pattern. Did Jesus have any kind of pattern he followed on a typical day? Let us look at a couple of days in the life of Jesus to see some of the things he did, maybe on a typical day.
Read Mark 1.21 – 22. The days we are going to look at start on a Friday afternoon. We know it is a Friday afternoon because that is when the Sabbath starts in the Jewish tradition. We think of going to church on Sunday morning, when the Jews went to the synagogue service it was on Friday evening – after sunset on Friday. Jesus taught in the synagogue on that day. He was traveling through the area and he was invited to teach the Jews on that day. The people were in for a real surprise – this Rabbi – teacher – taught with authority not like everyone else. And they listened. I can imagine the normal Sabbath service – when the speaker stood up, their minds turned off and maybe they went to sleep, like people here. But this preacher really challenged them with what he said.
The passage does not tell us what he talked about, but in his teaching he said, “Do to others as you would have them to do you.” Do you not want people to cheat you in a transaction? Then you better not cheat them. Do you want them not to gossip about you, then don’t gossip about them. Jesus said seek first the kingdom of heaven, and all of this will be other things will be given to you. The people who were listening were good church people but they were as materialistic as the rest of the culture. I will seek the money and job first, and then maybe give a little to God. Jesus said – I must be first in your life – absolutely first. The listeners were awake and listening because this was very different.
Move with me to the next four verses – Read 1.23-28. Then during the service on of the Jews in the synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit, stood up right there and shouted. It does not often happen that you talk back to me during the service when I am preaching, and I do not think any of you are demon possessed. This man knew who Jesus was even more than the disciple of Jesus knew. Jesus was indeed the “Holy One of God” as this man said. Then right during the service, Jesus did an exorcism – he ordered the evil spirit out of this man. The man was cleansed of this evil spirit.
That was not the end of the day for Jesus. Jesus went to the home of Simon Peter and Andrew. Peter was married and his mother-in-law who lived with Peter and his wife was sick. Jesus healed her – just another miracle. That was the close of that day. Everyone had some supper and when to bed.
Between verse 31 and 32, was most of a day. This was the Sabbath day – the day of rest. We are not told what Jesus and his disciples did on that day, but it could not have been much. They could not do anything but just the minimal amount of work. They pretty much did nothing from the time they got up until sunset that afternoon. We should learn from them – we have to be busy all the time – running here and there – being busy. Not so with our Lord on the Sabbath day.
As soon as they could move around after the Sabbath, the people of the area brought all the sick to Jesus to be healed. Read 1.32-34. This was tremendously exciting for the people. We take our sick to the hospital, but they had extremely primitive medicine if they had any at all. All of a sudden here was Jesus who could heal any disease including demon possession. The people came so Jesus healed the blind, the deaf, those with broken arms or legs – some which had healed wrong. He healed heart conditions, cancers, goiter, and other diseases. He also drove out demons which had invaded men and women. These were people who could no longer control themselves, but were tortured by evil all the time. With the power of God, Jesus spoke and these demons were driven out. This must have been totally exhausting for him. Because of his love for these suffering men and women, he healed them. Maybe hundreds walked home that night relieved of their sicknesses and spiritual torture.
I can imagine the disciples went to sleep that night excited about the day. Their Rabbi was certainly something different – he was a teacher better than anyone could even imagine. Besides that he could heal sicknesses. It must have been hard for them to sleep thinking about the day. But they did go to sleep.
Read 1.35-37. When the disciples got probably at sunrise, Jesus was gone. They looked all around the house and he was not anywhere. Early in the morning or late at night Jesus got up and left house. He went to be by himself to pray. This for him was the most important thing that he did in the last couple of days. People have wondered why God the Son would pray to God the Father – God to God? What would he pray about? For me the answer is very clear. Pray is not just asking for things, but pray at its best is coming into the presence of God – just being there. For eternity, Jesus and the Father had been in constant intimate fellowship. When Jesus was on earth there was a separation that Jesus had never experienced. This time of prayer was a time of filling for him, and he needed that.
What do we learn from this passage? This is what I think – all of this was to build the faith of the disciples. As they watched all of what went on that day, their faith was built up. They must have asked each other – who is this? In the same way we as his modern day disciples have our faith built up as we see what Jesus did. Who is this? The greatest teacher ever. Who is this? The powerful healer from God. Who is this? Jesus Christ the very son of God
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
New Year
One of my New Years resolutions is to do a blog every week in 2009. I will try.
This has been a busy and great couple of months.
The last part of November I flew to Germany and spent time with Hans and his family. We had a great time driving very fast around Germany looking a Dachau and many other places. I got to spend some time with two on my wonderful grandkids there.
In December I flew to Seattle to see Marshall Dean for the first time. They had the worst snow storm in 40 years that weekend so I spent a lot of time holding Marshall. Heidi and I flew back - Marshall was perfect on the flight.
We had a good Christmas topped off with watching the Vikings get beat in the playoff game. I went to Peder and Sarah's and I picked up Heidi and Marshall on the way. How great was that being with two of my kids and two grandkids. I watch Relia interact with Heidi and Marshall - she is so demonstrative in her actions and facial expressions. Wow. The only thing that could have made it better would have been Hans and Rachel and their kids bing there - someday.
Mary and I went to the Strange Case of Benjamin Button - it was an unusual but very good long movie.
Hope you have a good 2009.
Love to all,
Steve/Dad
This has been a busy and great couple of months.
The last part of November I flew to Germany and spent time with Hans and his family. We had a great time driving very fast around Germany looking a Dachau and many other places. I got to spend some time with two on my wonderful grandkids there.
In December I flew to Seattle to see Marshall Dean for the first time. They had the worst snow storm in 40 years that weekend so I spent a lot of time holding Marshall. Heidi and I flew back - Marshall was perfect on the flight.
We had a good Christmas topped off with watching the Vikings get beat in the playoff game. I went to Peder and Sarah's and I picked up Heidi and Marshall on the way. How great was that being with two of my kids and two grandkids. I watch Relia interact with Heidi and Marshall - she is so demonstrative in her actions and facial expressions. Wow. The only thing that could have made it better would have been Hans and Rachel and their kids bing there - someday.
Mary and I went to the Strange Case of Benjamin Button - it was an unusual but very good long movie.
Hope you have a good 2009.
Love to all,
Steve/Dad
Monday, June 9, 2008
June 1 sermon
Dedicated to God
Romans 12.1 – 8
The book of Romans is divided by most scholars into the theological section – chapters 1 -11 – and the practical section – chapters 12 – 16. Paul does this in most of his books – he sets forth the theology first and then applies it to life. That is what he does here.
In Chapter 1 he wrote that the righteous will life by faith.
In chapter 2 he says those who sin apart from the law will be judged and those who sin while under the law will be judged.
In Chapter 3 Paul writes that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
In Chapter 5 Paul wrote that because of his love for us, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
In Chapter 6 we learn that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life.
In Chapter 8 Paul writes that nothing can separate us from the love of God.
Because of all of that, Paul writes that we are to present ourselves as a living sacrifice to God. Read Romans 12.1 – 2. The logical thing to do after all the things God has done for us is to give our bodies, our whole selves, to God as a living sacrifice. God wants all of me and all of you in his service. We used to talk about winning souls for the Lord. God want not just souls, but all of us. As Chrs we do not divide ourselves into parts, but we are whole beings and God wants all of us.
He does not demand that we give ourselves to God, but he urges us to give ourselves as living sacrifices to God. In the OT God told the Jews he wanted them to sacrifice animals to him and thousands of goats and sheep were sacrificed to him. These animals were killed and their blood was given as the sacrifice. God instead of that wants living sacrifices – we are to give ourselves to him to live for him every day. This is a pleasing sacrifice to God.
Have you committed yourself to God? There is a difference between becoming a Chr and committing ourselves to God. There should not be, but there is in practice. God wants all of me to serve him, all of us to serve him. He wants our talents, our love, our time, our money and all of us. Make a commitment to God right now – give him all of you.
Paul then goes on to tell us what this means. He says we are to be changed morally, mentally, and even our motivation. He says, do not be any longer conformed to the pattern of this world. The Chr is too much like the rest of the world. One of my Professors used to say that is alright to have the ship in the ocean, but not to have the ocean in the ship. The church is indeed in the world, but we can not have the world in the church, especially in morally. We need to be careful not to be conformed to the attitudes and actions of the world. Our world says that there is no such thing as sin. We should never judge the actions of any one. What is good for you is fine, but do not tell me what to do. What is good for me is what I follow. I can do any thing I want as long as I do not get caught or break the law. There are no absolutes in our world just choices I make about what makes me happy. At least that is what the world thinks.
I was listening to a radio program by Charles Colson this week. He was talking about two young men who have written a book entitled, Do Hard Things: Rebellion Against Low Expectations. The world expects kids to accomplish very little morally and educationally, but this book calls on kids to do the hard things even if the culture does not expect you to. This is where Chr kids go on mission trips to build a church or school instead of going to the beach and getting involved in sex and drugs. Do not be conformed to the pattern of the world.
The next phrase is “but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Our thinking needs to be changed. Again we as Chrs too often have the same patterns of thinking as the world. We honor the rich and look down on the poor. We like the pretty people and avoid the not so pretty people. We watch the same movies and TV shows as the rest of the people around us. We have time and money for every thing that is a pleasure for us, but not the time or money for serving the Lord.
Our minds need to be renewed for the glory of God. I said yesterday in the wedding I had, there needs to be a transition when we get married from thinking about me to thinking about we, and from I to us. Before we are married a man or woman can think of what is best for me, but when he or she marries, the thinking needs to change to what is best for us. Some people never make that transition. When we become Chrs we need to stop thinking what do I want and start thinking about what God wants me to do and be. Chrs think differently from non-Chrs.
In one of the books I was reading this week, the writer told about his change from an unforgiving spirit and wanting revenge to being forgiving. He and his family had been hit in a car accident by a drunk driver. His wife, his daughter and his mother were all killed, and one other child was injured. He was naturally angry at the driver of the other car. But he said after time he recognized that this anger had changed to wanting revenge – real revenge. He saw that that was based on the unforgiveness he had in his heart. As Chrs we think like Jesus Christ so we can not want revenge. He talked about getting rid of the unforgiveness and revenge. That is having our minds renewed in Jesus Christ our Lord.
When we stop being conformed to the world and have our minds transformed to the mind of Christ, we will as the last part of this section says, “Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” For all of us as Chrs this is what we want more than anything in our lives – to know what the will of God is in our lives every minute. God knows what is best for us and that is to do his will. When we get outside his will we know it and the Spirit of God helps us to know it. When we are living according to the will of God we know that too. God never forces us into his will, but he leads us into that will, and then blesses us as we do his will. I felt very definitely that I was in the will of God on the mission trip to Zimbabwe, but you do not have to go to Africa to be in the will of God. Every day we can be in his good, pleasing, and perfect will. This is what the rest of the book of Romans is about – being in God’s will.
God had given us salvation and righteousness in Jesus Christ. Because of that, we dedicate our lives as a living sacrifice to God. Then we stop being conformed to the pattern of the world and have our minds transformed by the power of God. Then we will be in the perfect will of God again for his glory.
Romans 12.1 – 8
The book of Romans is divided by most scholars into the theological section – chapters 1 -11 – and the practical section – chapters 12 – 16. Paul does this in most of his books – he sets forth the theology first and then applies it to life. That is what he does here.
In Chapter 1 he wrote that the righteous will life by faith.
In chapter 2 he says those who sin apart from the law will be judged and those who sin while under the law will be judged.
In Chapter 3 Paul writes that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
In Chapter 5 Paul wrote that because of his love for us, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
In Chapter 6 we learn that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life.
In Chapter 8 Paul writes that nothing can separate us from the love of God.
Because of all of that, Paul writes that we are to present ourselves as a living sacrifice to God. Read Romans 12.1 – 2. The logical thing to do after all the things God has done for us is to give our bodies, our whole selves, to God as a living sacrifice. God wants all of me and all of you in his service. We used to talk about winning souls for the Lord. God want not just souls, but all of us. As Chrs we do not divide ourselves into parts, but we are whole beings and God wants all of us.
He does not demand that we give ourselves to God, but he urges us to give ourselves as living sacrifices to God. In the OT God told the Jews he wanted them to sacrifice animals to him and thousands of goats and sheep were sacrificed to him. These animals were killed and their blood was given as the sacrifice. God instead of that wants living sacrifices – we are to give ourselves to him to live for him every day. This is a pleasing sacrifice to God.
Have you committed yourself to God? There is a difference between becoming a Chr and committing ourselves to God. There should not be, but there is in practice. God wants all of me to serve him, all of us to serve him. He wants our talents, our love, our time, our money and all of us. Make a commitment to God right now – give him all of you.
Paul then goes on to tell us what this means. He says we are to be changed morally, mentally, and even our motivation. He says, do not be any longer conformed to the pattern of this world. The Chr is too much like the rest of the world. One of my Professors used to say that is alright to have the ship in the ocean, but not to have the ocean in the ship. The church is indeed in the world, but we can not have the world in the church, especially in morally. We need to be careful not to be conformed to the attitudes and actions of the world. Our world says that there is no such thing as sin. We should never judge the actions of any one. What is good for you is fine, but do not tell me what to do. What is good for me is what I follow. I can do any thing I want as long as I do not get caught or break the law. There are no absolutes in our world just choices I make about what makes me happy. At least that is what the world thinks.
I was listening to a radio program by Charles Colson this week. He was talking about two young men who have written a book entitled, Do Hard Things: Rebellion Against Low Expectations. The world expects kids to accomplish very little morally and educationally, but this book calls on kids to do the hard things even if the culture does not expect you to. This is where Chr kids go on mission trips to build a church or school instead of going to the beach and getting involved in sex and drugs. Do not be conformed to the pattern of the world.
The next phrase is “but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Our thinking needs to be changed. Again we as Chrs too often have the same patterns of thinking as the world. We honor the rich and look down on the poor. We like the pretty people and avoid the not so pretty people. We watch the same movies and TV shows as the rest of the people around us. We have time and money for every thing that is a pleasure for us, but not the time or money for serving the Lord.
Our minds need to be renewed for the glory of God. I said yesterday in the wedding I had, there needs to be a transition when we get married from thinking about me to thinking about we, and from I to us. Before we are married a man or woman can think of what is best for me, but when he or she marries, the thinking needs to change to what is best for us. Some people never make that transition. When we become Chrs we need to stop thinking what do I want and start thinking about what God wants me to do and be. Chrs think differently from non-Chrs.
In one of the books I was reading this week, the writer told about his change from an unforgiving spirit and wanting revenge to being forgiving. He and his family had been hit in a car accident by a drunk driver. His wife, his daughter and his mother were all killed, and one other child was injured. He was naturally angry at the driver of the other car. But he said after time he recognized that this anger had changed to wanting revenge – real revenge. He saw that that was based on the unforgiveness he had in his heart. As Chrs we think like Jesus Christ so we can not want revenge. He talked about getting rid of the unforgiveness and revenge. That is having our minds renewed in Jesus Christ our Lord.
When we stop being conformed to the world and have our minds transformed to the mind of Christ, we will as the last part of this section says, “Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” For all of us as Chrs this is what we want more than anything in our lives – to know what the will of God is in our lives every minute. God knows what is best for us and that is to do his will. When we get outside his will we know it and the Spirit of God helps us to know it. When we are living according to the will of God we know that too. God never forces us into his will, but he leads us into that will, and then blesses us as we do his will. I felt very definitely that I was in the will of God on the mission trip to Zimbabwe, but you do not have to go to Africa to be in the will of God. Every day we can be in his good, pleasing, and perfect will. This is what the rest of the book of Romans is about – being in God’s will.
God had given us salvation and righteousness in Jesus Christ. Because of that, we dedicate our lives as a living sacrifice to God. Then we stop being conformed to the pattern of the world and have our minds transformed by the power of God. Then we will be in the perfect will of God again for his glory.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Zimbabwe trip sermon
Brothers and Sisters in Christ
James 1.1-4
I want to begin by saying thank you for praying for us while we were in Zimbabwe. I could feel the power of God working in all of us and his protection while we worked there. In about 9 days we conducted an all day VBS, preached 8 sermons and taught about 15 lessons in various churches. We traveled 3 or 4000 kilometers and were safe all the time. Thank you.
I bring you greetings from many Chr. brothers and sisters in Christ from many churches in Zimbabwe. Every where we went we met young people and old who wanted to talk about the US. They wanted to know all about this country, and I was surprised at how much they knew about this country. It was not long before I began to see that even though we were separated by thousands of miles and spoke very different languages, we believed the same thing about our Lord Jesus Christ.
I remember here in the church when I was a teenager; Max Ward Randall came to tell us about flying from South Africa to Rhodesia to open up a mission field there. I asked around some and three or four of the older Chrs had seen Max Randall and knew the churches he started. So the mission money this church sent to the Randalls a half a century ago help start churches in the country now called Zimbabwe.
The passage of scripture I want to use this morning is from James 1.1 – 4. Read. James is writing to fellow believers who he had never seen, but they were his bothers and sisters in Christ. I think we need to understand that. There are fellow believers all over the world speaking hundreds of languages but all worshiping the same God.
The most exciting thing I experienced was participating in the Lord’s Supper in Zimbabwe. The first Sunday I was there I was dropped off at the Town Church in Gweru. The congregation has a new brick building that is not finished, but will be very nice when it is done. The leaders greeted me – mostly in English. There were about a hundred people there when we started, but more came in as the service continued. Most of the service was in the Shona language – the songs, prayer, and announcements. (By the way, they use some of the western songs and tunes, but in the Shona tongue.)
I sat on the platform with two other men and on the table before us were a holder for the small cups and a plate for the bread for the Lord’s Supper. At the appropriate time, one of the elders of the church stood up and read from John 6 just as we did today and then prayed in Shona. I did not understand any of what he said, but I knew we were joining together to commune with God. As they served me and all the others in the church I had tears running down my face. I was the only white person in the church building, but all of these people were indeed brothers and sisters in Christ worshiping God through Jesus Christ.
The next Sunday we were in the western part of Zimbabwe at a church in Hwange. At that service the elder of that church stood and read from John 6 and then prayed in the Tonga language. Again I was overcome knowing we were joining together to commune with God. I also thought about you meeting 7 hours later to partake of the Lord’s Supper as we were doing.
Then my mind went all over the world. Sunday starts in the east. I do not know what country comes first, but somewhere about 9 or 10 in the morning in country after country elders read maybe from John 6 and then pray in hundreds of languages in thousands of churches. Japan, New Zealand, Australia, the Philippians, Korea, China, Burma, India, Russia, Europe, the middle east, Africa, South America, North America, and all the way to the last country before it become Monday. We are part of a huge fellowship of God worshippers.
There are a lot of Chrs in Zimbabwe. The churches buildings we saw are generally small, but they can put 2 or 3 hundred people in a very small place. They are going though very difficult political and economic times. They had an election over two months ago, but the President did not release the results for over a month. He lost, but there needed to be a run-off election between the two top vote getters. The constitution says it should be held in three weeks, but it will be delayed until June or July. No one knows if it will be held or if it will be fair or rigged. The Mugabe government has been extremely repressive and violent and it continues to be that. (White farmer we stayed with.)
Economically it is a disaster. A lady told me that in 2002 you could get 60 Zim dollars for one US dollar. When we got there it was 204 million Zim dollars for one US. When we left it was 250 million to 1. (I have a number of $50 million dollar bills to give way – making you instant millionaires.) It almost does not matter because there is little to buy there. The shelves in stores are empty. We had to go to 2 or 3 different gas stations to get fuel. It was $650 million per liter or about $10 a gallon. We had electricity less than half the time – we had a lot of candle light dinners and they were not very romantic. We talked to a couple of retirees who had a pension when they retired, but with the inflation, their retirement money is worthless. They live on nothing now.
But these believers are tremendously dedicated to God. They enjoy their faith, they love to worship – it is lively and loud – singing and dancing. I have some of it on video in the back. They enjoy their fellowship and share their faith with others. They give at offering time even though they have little for themselves. Their faith has been tested over the years, but as the scriptures says, the tests have produced perseverance, and that perseverance is producing maturity. I enjoyed talking to the few older people in the churches – they with great smiles on their faces proclaimed that God had been faithful to them for 40, 50, and 60 years. There are fewer middle aged members as AIDS has taken a terrible toll on that age group in Zim. There are a lot of kids and so many eager teens in the churches.
They have a Zimbabwe Chr College in Harare and it is educating good young men and women for the ministry. There were about 40 students on campus plus over 100 taking courses by correspondence or by extension classes. These ministers seem to be dedicated to serving the Lord and their congregations.
Again I say thank you for praying for us. You were an essential part of this trip. Please pray for me – I am still very tired.
I hope we can learn from the Zim Christians. They have learned to be faithful in times of testing, and are a model of what the Chr faith can do for people.
Finally, they are indeed brother and sisters in Christ – we worship the same majestic God. Join me in praying for these people as they live the Chr life.
James 1.1-4
I want to begin by saying thank you for praying for us while we were in Zimbabwe. I could feel the power of God working in all of us and his protection while we worked there. In about 9 days we conducted an all day VBS, preached 8 sermons and taught about 15 lessons in various churches. We traveled 3 or 4000 kilometers and were safe all the time. Thank you.
I bring you greetings from many Chr. brothers and sisters in Christ from many churches in Zimbabwe. Every where we went we met young people and old who wanted to talk about the US. They wanted to know all about this country, and I was surprised at how much they knew about this country. It was not long before I began to see that even though we were separated by thousands of miles and spoke very different languages, we believed the same thing about our Lord Jesus Christ.
I remember here in the church when I was a teenager; Max Ward Randall came to tell us about flying from South Africa to Rhodesia to open up a mission field there. I asked around some and three or four of the older Chrs had seen Max Randall and knew the churches he started. So the mission money this church sent to the Randalls a half a century ago help start churches in the country now called Zimbabwe.
The passage of scripture I want to use this morning is from James 1.1 – 4. Read. James is writing to fellow believers who he had never seen, but they were his bothers and sisters in Christ. I think we need to understand that. There are fellow believers all over the world speaking hundreds of languages but all worshiping the same God.
The most exciting thing I experienced was participating in the Lord’s Supper in Zimbabwe. The first Sunday I was there I was dropped off at the Town Church in Gweru. The congregation has a new brick building that is not finished, but will be very nice when it is done. The leaders greeted me – mostly in English. There were about a hundred people there when we started, but more came in as the service continued. Most of the service was in the Shona language – the songs, prayer, and announcements. (By the way, they use some of the western songs and tunes, but in the Shona tongue.)
I sat on the platform with two other men and on the table before us were a holder for the small cups and a plate for the bread for the Lord’s Supper. At the appropriate time, one of the elders of the church stood up and read from John 6 just as we did today and then prayed in Shona. I did not understand any of what he said, but I knew we were joining together to commune with God. As they served me and all the others in the church I had tears running down my face. I was the only white person in the church building, but all of these people were indeed brothers and sisters in Christ worshiping God through Jesus Christ.
The next Sunday we were in the western part of Zimbabwe at a church in Hwange. At that service the elder of that church stood and read from John 6 and then prayed in the Tonga language. Again I was overcome knowing we were joining together to commune with God. I also thought about you meeting 7 hours later to partake of the Lord’s Supper as we were doing.
Then my mind went all over the world. Sunday starts in the east. I do not know what country comes first, but somewhere about 9 or 10 in the morning in country after country elders read maybe from John 6 and then pray in hundreds of languages in thousands of churches. Japan, New Zealand, Australia, the Philippians, Korea, China, Burma, India, Russia, Europe, the middle east, Africa, South America, North America, and all the way to the last country before it become Monday. We are part of a huge fellowship of God worshippers.
There are a lot of Chrs in Zimbabwe. The churches buildings we saw are generally small, but they can put 2 or 3 hundred people in a very small place. They are going though very difficult political and economic times. They had an election over two months ago, but the President did not release the results for over a month. He lost, but there needed to be a run-off election between the two top vote getters. The constitution says it should be held in three weeks, but it will be delayed until June or July. No one knows if it will be held or if it will be fair or rigged. The Mugabe government has been extremely repressive and violent and it continues to be that. (White farmer we stayed with.)
Economically it is a disaster. A lady told me that in 2002 you could get 60 Zim dollars for one US dollar. When we got there it was 204 million Zim dollars for one US. When we left it was 250 million to 1. (I have a number of $50 million dollar bills to give way – making you instant millionaires.) It almost does not matter because there is little to buy there. The shelves in stores are empty. We had to go to 2 or 3 different gas stations to get fuel. It was $650 million per liter or about $10 a gallon. We had electricity less than half the time – we had a lot of candle light dinners and they were not very romantic. We talked to a couple of retirees who had a pension when they retired, but with the inflation, their retirement money is worthless. They live on nothing now.
But these believers are tremendously dedicated to God. They enjoy their faith, they love to worship – it is lively and loud – singing and dancing. I have some of it on video in the back. They enjoy their fellowship and share their faith with others. They give at offering time even though they have little for themselves. Their faith has been tested over the years, but as the scriptures says, the tests have produced perseverance, and that perseverance is producing maturity. I enjoyed talking to the few older people in the churches – they with great smiles on their faces proclaimed that God had been faithful to them for 40, 50, and 60 years. There are fewer middle aged members as AIDS has taken a terrible toll on that age group in Zim. There are a lot of kids and so many eager teens in the churches.
They have a Zimbabwe Chr College in Harare and it is educating good young men and women for the ministry. There were about 40 students on campus plus over 100 taking courses by correspondence or by extension classes. These ministers seem to be dedicated to serving the Lord and their congregations.
Again I say thank you for praying for us. You were an essential part of this trip. Please pray for me – I am still very tired.
I hope we can learn from the Zim Christians. They have learned to be faithful in times of testing, and are a model of what the Chr faith can do for people.
Finally, they are indeed brother and sisters in Christ – we worship the same majestic God. Join me in praying for these people as they live the Chr life.
Monday, March 17, 2008
sermon 3/9/08
God’s Economics – the Widow’s Mite
Mark 12. 41 – 44
The message today is taken from Mark 12. This is the last section of public teaching by Jesus before his death. He would teach his disciples in the upper room, but this was for the religious leaders of his day. In the whole book of Mark Jesus has shown that his kingdom and his people will be different than the religious leaders of the day. What they taught and practiced was not what Jesus wanted for his church and his people. Read Mark 12.41 – 44.
This is what this might have looked like – 3 men putting in money in the offering with a lot of show and for the praise of men. One (smiling because it made her happy) putting in just two pennies but it was all that the person had. The people around praised the ones who have been giving a lot of money. They may have made fun of this widow for giving just two cents.
Let’s look at this widow, her gift and what it means to us today.
1. First, her gift was a gift of faith and trust. She gave all she had because she had learned that God would supply her needs. She had learned to trust God for what she needed. All of us need to learn to trust God and learn that he is faithful to supply what we need.
This lady is really dumb or very smart. She is dumb if she gave all she had and did not have anything to buy food or clothes. God does not expect us to starve to death or give everything we have to others. Then we would have nothing and need to depend on others for even our food. She gave what she had and in God’s economics she gave more than all the rest. Would we rather have the two pennies she gave or $200? I believe God can do more with her two cents than the $200.
If it is very clear to you that God is telling you to give everything, then do it. Give everything. But usually God tells us to give a certain amount and he will supply what we need. For the last few years it has been clear to me that God wanted me to give a certain amount – a very specific amount. When God made it clear to me what he wanted me to give, I did not have enough to cover that. But I just said, if you want that amount, then you will need to supply the money, and he has completely every time.
On our money is the motto of our country – In God we Trust. (It is there right now – there are some who what that removed.) As Chrs especially that should be our motto. God, I trust you to supply what I need for myself and to give to others.
2. Next, the gift of the widow was a sacrificial gift. It cost her everything she had to give this gift. The others gave out of their bounty or as one writer said, they gave out of their excess or superfluity. I like that word – superfluity. They had a lot of money and they just gave a small amount of that. Most of the time, we give out of our excess. After all, we need to take care of ourselves, don’t we? We give if we have any left over.
One of the things I have learned about giving is that some of the money I have is God’s money. In the OT the tithe or 10% of the income of the Jews belonged to the God. It was God’s money. It is not my money to spend. It is His money. In the OT God told his people that they were robbing him. They were robbing God in their tithes and offerings. People were using God’s money as if it were their own. God’s money has bought a lot of cars and clothes, and a lot of other things I think.
God owns the cattle on a thousand hills according to Ps 50. He has an unlimited supply of money that he wants used for his purposes. What he does usually is get one of us to be the channel of his money. He says, Steve, I want this money given so you give it and I will supply it. (Too often he gives us money and we just keep it ourselves.) He gives us money so we can take care of what he wants to get done. If we give sacrificially he will supply what we need to give. We need to open channels to him so his money will flow to us and then out from us to do his will.
Lastly, the widow gave a gift of love. She loved God so she gave so his will would be done. The money she gave to the offering in the temple that day was to be used to support the priest and the poor. (I wonder if the poor got their fair share.) Even though she had little, she still gave so his work could be done.
The greatest commandment is Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind soul and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. This widow loved God and her fellow believers and she showed it by giving what she did – all she had. Our giving is an act of love – we give because we love God and we love the people who receive what we give.
Giving sacrificially helps us to know and love God. It is fun to listen to God about our giving and then watch him supply what we need. He does it in some unusual ways. It builds our faith in God as we see him working today – not just years ago. He wants his will to be done and he will supply what is necessary.
Last year the National Missionary Convention was in Cincinnati. Dave and I went to it. On Friday night they had an invitation for all who wanted to commit themselves to full time mission service to come forward. There were a lot of people with eyes full of tears as we watched about 100 people stream down the isles of that auditorium. These were mostly young couple and individuals, but many of them were middle aged and older. They want to go to mission fields to win people to Christ while there is still time to do that. I was thrilled, but I also thought that the churches need to supply the thousands of dollars that is necessary to send them to foreign countries and keep them there. These will need somewhere near $2-4 million a year to go and preach and teach.
Who is going to pay for this? We are in the churches. How? Most of us would claim we do not even have enough for ourselves. How can we give to others? God will supply. But he needs you and me to be willing to give the money.
I have a challenge for you. A while ago I heard a televangelist say – you send me $1000 and if God does not bless you in a special way, I will give you back your money. I am saying, if you give $1000 to mission this year and are not blessed in a special way, I will give you back your $1000 – no questions asked. Will you trust God and give?
Mark 12. 41 – 44
The message today is taken from Mark 12. This is the last section of public teaching by Jesus before his death. He would teach his disciples in the upper room, but this was for the religious leaders of his day. In the whole book of Mark Jesus has shown that his kingdom and his people will be different than the religious leaders of the day. What they taught and practiced was not what Jesus wanted for his church and his people. Read Mark 12.41 – 44.
This is what this might have looked like – 3 men putting in money in the offering with a lot of show and for the praise of men. One (smiling because it made her happy) putting in just two pennies but it was all that the person had. The people around praised the ones who have been giving a lot of money. They may have made fun of this widow for giving just two cents.
Let’s look at this widow, her gift and what it means to us today.
1. First, her gift was a gift of faith and trust. She gave all she had because she had learned that God would supply her needs. She had learned to trust God for what she needed. All of us need to learn to trust God and learn that he is faithful to supply what we need.
This lady is really dumb or very smart. She is dumb if she gave all she had and did not have anything to buy food or clothes. God does not expect us to starve to death or give everything we have to others. Then we would have nothing and need to depend on others for even our food. She gave what she had and in God’s economics she gave more than all the rest. Would we rather have the two pennies she gave or $200? I believe God can do more with her two cents than the $200.
If it is very clear to you that God is telling you to give everything, then do it. Give everything. But usually God tells us to give a certain amount and he will supply what we need. For the last few years it has been clear to me that God wanted me to give a certain amount – a very specific amount. When God made it clear to me what he wanted me to give, I did not have enough to cover that. But I just said, if you want that amount, then you will need to supply the money, and he has completely every time.
On our money is the motto of our country – In God we Trust. (It is there right now – there are some who what that removed.) As Chrs especially that should be our motto. God, I trust you to supply what I need for myself and to give to others.
2. Next, the gift of the widow was a sacrificial gift. It cost her everything she had to give this gift. The others gave out of their bounty or as one writer said, they gave out of their excess or superfluity. I like that word – superfluity. They had a lot of money and they just gave a small amount of that. Most of the time, we give out of our excess. After all, we need to take care of ourselves, don’t we? We give if we have any left over.
One of the things I have learned about giving is that some of the money I have is God’s money. In the OT the tithe or 10% of the income of the Jews belonged to the God. It was God’s money. It is not my money to spend. It is His money. In the OT God told his people that they were robbing him. They were robbing God in their tithes and offerings. People were using God’s money as if it were their own. God’s money has bought a lot of cars and clothes, and a lot of other things I think.
God owns the cattle on a thousand hills according to Ps 50. He has an unlimited supply of money that he wants used for his purposes. What he does usually is get one of us to be the channel of his money. He says, Steve, I want this money given so you give it and I will supply it. (Too often he gives us money and we just keep it ourselves.) He gives us money so we can take care of what he wants to get done. If we give sacrificially he will supply what we need to give. We need to open channels to him so his money will flow to us and then out from us to do his will.
Lastly, the widow gave a gift of love. She loved God so she gave so his will would be done. The money she gave to the offering in the temple that day was to be used to support the priest and the poor. (I wonder if the poor got their fair share.) Even though she had little, she still gave so his work could be done.
The greatest commandment is Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind soul and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. This widow loved God and her fellow believers and she showed it by giving what she did – all she had. Our giving is an act of love – we give because we love God and we love the people who receive what we give.
Giving sacrificially helps us to know and love God. It is fun to listen to God about our giving and then watch him supply what we need. He does it in some unusual ways. It builds our faith in God as we see him working today – not just years ago. He wants his will to be done and he will supply what is necessary.
Last year the National Missionary Convention was in Cincinnati. Dave and I went to it. On Friday night they had an invitation for all who wanted to commit themselves to full time mission service to come forward. There were a lot of people with eyes full of tears as we watched about 100 people stream down the isles of that auditorium. These were mostly young couple and individuals, but many of them were middle aged and older. They want to go to mission fields to win people to Christ while there is still time to do that. I was thrilled, but I also thought that the churches need to supply the thousands of dollars that is necessary to send them to foreign countries and keep them there. These will need somewhere near $2-4 million a year to go and preach and teach.
Who is going to pay for this? We are in the churches. How? Most of us would claim we do not even have enough for ourselves. How can we give to others? God will supply. But he needs you and me to be willing to give the money.
I have a challenge for you. A while ago I heard a televangelist say – you send me $1000 and if God does not bless you in a special way, I will give you back your money. I am saying, if you give $1000 to mission this year and are not blessed in a special way, I will give you back your $1000 – no questions asked. Will you trust God and give?
sermon 3/16/08
Cross Talk
Mark 15.21-39
The cross is an unusual thing for us to talk about and display. It was the instrument of torture and death in the first century. It would be the electric chair or lethal injection equipment and the water boarding instrument all rolled into one. It is strange that we would wear a cross as a necklace or ear rings. Why do we display it in our churches? Because, the cross is absolutely central to the Chr faith. The cross was used by the Romans to execute traitors or terrible criminals. The torture element was that it could take days for the person to die on a cross. The person would struggle all that time in awful pain trying to breathe. Jesus was nailed to a cross and the crowd watched as he struggled to breathe. As he was on the cross different things were said to him and he said some things. This morning we are going to look at four things that were said and see how it applies to us.
Read Mark 15.25 – 30. The place of execution was a very public place – it always was so it would be a stark warning to other people not to do the crime being punished. Lots of people walked by to just stare at the condemned people. Some even shouted at Jesus thinking that they could heap even more disgrace on him. Mark writes that some said, “You who were going to destroy the temple and build it in three day, come down from the cross and save yourself.” Jesus could have saved himself – he could have popped those nails out of his hands and feet with the blink of his eye. The truth is that the nails were not what held him on the cross at all. It was the absolute love for you and me that held him on the cross. He had the choice to either save himself or save us, and he chose to save us by giving his life on the cross. What love! What self-sacrifice he made for us!
The truth is these people and the leaders of the Jews in the next section did not have a clue what was taking place before their eyes. They thought they were seeing a poor God-forsaken criminal getting what he deserved for his crimes. What was actually taking place was a cosmic, universal and eternal drama between God and evil. The pure Lamb of God was being sacrificed once and for all for the sins of everyone in the world. If Jesus would have come down from the cross, there would be no salvation, no hope, and no eternal life for anyone.
Next Mark records some of the things the chief priest and teachers of the law said to him. Read 31 – 32. These men demanded that Jesus be crucified and now they mocked him while he was on the cross. They did not believe he was the Christ – the anointed one. They did not believe he was the king of Israel. To them Jesus was just a man who was an absolute threat to them and their power as religious leaders. And they lied when they said that if he would come down from the cross they would believe in him. These men had seen all kinds of miracles – feeding on 5000 people, healing all kinds of sicknesses, driving out evil spirits, and even raising Lazarus from the dead. A simple miracle like coming down from the cross would not have changed their minds at this time. They in fact did not want him to come down from the cross – they wanted him to die so they would have been rid of him.
Later on the apostle Paul wrote that the Jews wanted to see signs of the power of God, but even the greatest display of power, the clearest display of power would not convince them that Jesus was the Messiah. Jesus did not come down from the cross because he loved these very religious leaders so much he was willing to give his life for them. He was willing to forgive them for what they were doing and saying. He wanted them to have new life in Christ. They wanted a show, a trick. Jesus gave them his life. Jesus gives us his life.
The next section of this chapter deals with one of the most difficult passages of the Bible. Read verses 33 – 38. I think Jesus knew this moment was coming even before he came to this earth. When he would be suffering the most, when all the sins of every one for all time were heaped on him, he would be separated from God. For all of eternity, millions of years, the Father and the Son had shared a loving and joyful intimate relationship. They were together in an absolute unity forever. But at this moment, when he was on the cross, he cried out, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani’ – My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? This was a pray to the father, as many of the other statements Jesus made on the cross. This was an absolute cry of the heart from one who felt completely alone at that moment. I do not understand why he had to be alone right then. It may be that the sin heaped on Jesus at that moment meant that God could not be there. This to me is a profound mystery.
The last statement in this section was made by the centurion, the Roman soldier in charge of the crucifixion. Roman soldiers stationed in Jerusalem probably hated their jobs. They were hundreds of miles away from their homes. They probably hated the religion of the Jews and the petty laws of the Jews. Here he was killing another Jew for some crime that did not make sense. He heard what the people said, and what Jesus said, and concluded and confessed that this man was the son of God. Not just the king of the Jews as the sign over his head, said. “Surely this man was the Son of God.” I do not think even the disciples of Christ at that moment would have confessed what this soldier said. I do not know if this was special revelation from God or maybe he was more spiritually awake than anyone else in the crowd so he could see that this criminal hanging on the cross was indeed the son of God. We confess that this morning – Jesus is the Savior, the son of God.
So here we are. Jesus was nailed to an ugly cross. His own people did not accept him or understand what he was doing. The Messiah, the Son of God, was hanging on a cross. He had breathed his last breath. He was dead. The darkness of that afternoon reflected the darkness in the heart of all his followers. They did not know that it was Friday and Sunday was coming. They did not know that the resurrection was coming. For them hope was gone. For us the cross is a necessary step – the death of Jesus on the cross, but it lead to his burial and eventually to his glorious resurrection – to Easter.
We are going to sing the invitation hymn, “On a Hill Far Away.” Before we do I want to look at this song for a couple of minutes. Turn with me to page 317. (Go through the song verse by verse.)
This morning – do you love the cross? Do you love the dearest and best who died on the cross? Are you ready to give your life to him forever?
Mark 15.21-39
The cross is an unusual thing for us to talk about and display. It was the instrument of torture and death in the first century. It would be the electric chair or lethal injection equipment and the water boarding instrument all rolled into one. It is strange that we would wear a cross as a necklace or ear rings. Why do we display it in our churches? Because, the cross is absolutely central to the Chr faith. The cross was used by the Romans to execute traitors or terrible criminals. The torture element was that it could take days for the person to die on a cross. The person would struggle all that time in awful pain trying to breathe. Jesus was nailed to a cross and the crowd watched as he struggled to breathe. As he was on the cross different things were said to him and he said some things. This morning we are going to look at four things that were said and see how it applies to us.
Read Mark 15.25 – 30. The place of execution was a very public place – it always was so it would be a stark warning to other people not to do the crime being punished. Lots of people walked by to just stare at the condemned people. Some even shouted at Jesus thinking that they could heap even more disgrace on him. Mark writes that some said, “You who were going to destroy the temple and build it in three day, come down from the cross and save yourself.” Jesus could have saved himself – he could have popped those nails out of his hands and feet with the blink of his eye. The truth is that the nails were not what held him on the cross at all. It was the absolute love for you and me that held him on the cross. He had the choice to either save himself or save us, and he chose to save us by giving his life on the cross. What love! What self-sacrifice he made for us!
The truth is these people and the leaders of the Jews in the next section did not have a clue what was taking place before their eyes. They thought they were seeing a poor God-forsaken criminal getting what he deserved for his crimes. What was actually taking place was a cosmic, universal and eternal drama between God and evil. The pure Lamb of God was being sacrificed once and for all for the sins of everyone in the world. If Jesus would have come down from the cross, there would be no salvation, no hope, and no eternal life for anyone.
Next Mark records some of the things the chief priest and teachers of the law said to him. Read 31 – 32. These men demanded that Jesus be crucified and now they mocked him while he was on the cross. They did not believe he was the Christ – the anointed one. They did not believe he was the king of Israel. To them Jesus was just a man who was an absolute threat to them and their power as religious leaders. And they lied when they said that if he would come down from the cross they would believe in him. These men had seen all kinds of miracles – feeding on 5000 people, healing all kinds of sicknesses, driving out evil spirits, and even raising Lazarus from the dead. A simple miracle like coming down from the cross would not have changed their minds at this time. They in fact did not want him to come down from the cross – they wanted him to die so they would have been rid of him.
Later on the apostle Paul wrote that the Jews wanted to see signs of the power of God, but even the greatest display of power, the clearest display of power would not convince them that Jesus was the Messiah. Jesus did not come down from the cross because he loved these very religious leaders so much he was willing to give his life for them. He was willing to forgive them for what they were doing and saying. He wanted them to have new life in Christ. They wanted a show, a trick. Jesus gave them his life. Jesus gives us his life.
The next section of this chapter deals with one of the most difficult passages of the Bible. Read verses 33 – 38. I think Jesus knew this moment was coming even before he came to this earth. When he would be suffering the most, when all the sins of every one for all time were heaped on him, he would be separated from God. For all of eternity, millions of years, the Father and the Son had shared a loving and joyful intimate relationship. They were together in an absolute unity forever. But at this moment, when he was on the cross, he cried out, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani’ – My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? This was a pray to the father, as many of the other statements Jesus made on the cross. This was an absolute cry of the heart from one who felt completely alone at that moment. I do not understand why he had to be alone right then. It may be that the sin heaped on Jesus at that moment meant that God could not be there. This to me is a profound mystery.
The last statement in this section was made by the centurion, the Roman soldier in charge of the crucifixion. Roman soldiers stationed in Jerusalem probably hated their jobs. They were hundreds of miles away from their homes. They probably hated the religion of the Jews and the petty laws of the Jews. Here he was killing another Jew for some crime that did not make sense. He heard what the people said, and what Jesus said, and concluded and confessed that this man was the son of God. Not just the king of the Jews as the sign over his head, said. “Surely this man was the Son of God.” I do not think even the disciples of Christ at that moment would have confessed what this soldier said. I do not know if this was special revelation from God or maybe he was more spiritually awake than anyone else in the crowd so he could see that this criminal hanging on the cross was indeed the son of God. We confess that this morning – Jesus is the Savior, the son of God.
So here we are. Jesus was nailed to an ugly cross. His own people did not accept him or understand what he was doing. The Messiah, the Son of God, was hanging on a cross. He had breathed his last breath. He was dead. The darkness of that afternoon reflected the darkness in the heart of all his followers. They did not know that it was Friday and Sunday was coming. They did not know that the resurrection was coming. For them hope was gone. For us the cross is a necessary step – the death of Jesus on the cross, but it lead to his burial and eventually to his glorious resurrection – to Easter.
We are going to sing the invitation hymn, “On a Hill Far Away.” Before we do I want to look at this song for a couple of minutes. Turn with me to page 317. (Go through the song verse by verse.)
This morning – do you love the cross? Do you love the dearest and best who died on the cross? Are you ready to give your life to him forever?
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