Point / Counter-Point ...

In the old days of Saturday Night Live (SNL), they used to run a skit entitled Point / CounterPoint during their weekend update news segment.  The humor came not from the topics they discussed, but from the incredibly rude and horribly anti-politically correct language they used to discuss them.  The name calling was most of the fun for viewers, and generally so distracting, that it was hard to pay attention to any real debate or substantive statements made during the verbal brawl.  Humor aside, for any point-of-view, you can bet there is a different point-of-view, a competing point-of-view.  And in the decades that have passed since this skit was in its prime, the name calling and personal attacks, have moved from a clear attempt to illicit laughter, to mean-spirited attacks meant to illicit tears, and break any thought of self-esteem in the other party.  What has changed is how we see each other, and worse, what motives we ascribe to each other.  And when one side believes it has the only truth, it is easy to see any other side as not only wrong, but evil.

This phenomenon did not start with us.  It began in heaven of all places.  God was truth, He is still is.  He has a way of doing things that works, it is also the best way.  It turns out, His ways, are the only ways, that can avoid pain, and even death.  These ways of God were not developed to be punitive.  They were developed because He loves us, He loves the entire universe.  And who would not want more joy, instead of more death?  It is rather a silly comparison.  But Lucifer did just that.  For every way God naturally followed, Lucifer looked closely and set up an alternative way of doing things.  Most of them involved loving self, instead of loving others.

As an example, God creates monogamy to foster intimacy, so that 2 people can come to know and love each other in a way so strong, no one else could come close to understanding it.  Within the bounds of this kind of intimacy and vulnerability and trust, procreation becomes a by-product.  Satan looks at all of this and offers instead his alternative, his counterfeit.  He offers the momentary high of biology.  Reducing others to meat sacks of mutual consent.  Not pursuing intimacy but destroying it altogether, until people mean nothing, and are only objects that can provide a moment’s pleasure.  To have children in this venue, is a risk to be avoided.  A punishment for not thinking ahead and being careful, while you pursue an endless line of self-worth-destruction in the form of others for a moment’s pleasure.  It turns out the “alternative” is not just “different”, it sucks.  It is not happiness packaged in a different way, it is pain, wrapped up to look like happiness, but with no fulfilling characteristics at all.  In short, it is a lie.  But then, when you choose to deviate from truth, where else would you expect to wind up, but in a lie.

And so what started in heaven, by no means ended there.  Satan has been creating counterfeits, and telling lies about God since the very beginning, with no intention of ever stopping, until he is stopped once and for all at the end of all things.  Satan ascribes his own motives on to God, hoping you will believe the worst about God, and nothing about the devil.  Where it comes to the Word of God, Satan has been lying about that since Moses first picked up a quill and parchment to begin writing it down.  Matthew, in his gospel to his contemporaries, in chapter 28 records one really significant case of “point / counterpoint”.  And honestly if I had been Matthew, I might have seen the wisdom of opening by talking to Satan, and saying something like the old SNL skits started … “Satan, you ignorant slut”.  Might still be good for a laugh, but in this case, it is also true.  Instead Matthew takes us back, picking up in verse 1 saying … “In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.”

The women of cast-iron-faith, are again first to go to Jesus, even though He is dead.  They have no reason to do this, at least no logical reason.  Dead is dead.  When a Messiah is killed, that is pretty much the end of it, at least it has always been so.  But for these women where love drives their faith, something naws at them.  They remember His words.  He predicted that He would rise again on the third day.  There is a nagging hope within them that defies logic, and will not go away, and will not be silent.  So women do what men continue to be too afraid to do.  They travel to his burial site, in spite of the fact they are sure to encounter the 100 Roman soldiers, and who knows how many temple guards sent as well.  These women of cast-iron-faith are sure to be surrounded by the enemy, and make no mistake, the enemy sure looks to be in charge.  They have the swords.  They have the spears.  And they have the anger that will not go away.

Matthew continues in verse 2 saying … “And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. [verse 3] His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: [verse 4] And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.”  Here is where a hundred Roman killers are made as scared as a flock of sheep.  All their spears and swords, and pent up cruelty, are worth nothing against a single angel of the Lord.  The stone which took several men to put in place, is rolled away like so many paper towels in a kitchen.  The seal is broken without so much as effort.  But this angel is not there to kill lost souls the Lord was sent to redeem.  The Romans keep their lives.  And the angel takes no threatening posture with his own sword drawn and ready.  Instead he hops up on the stone he rolled away and sits down like a teenager might do.  From here he casually begins talking to the women.

Matthew continues in verse 5 saying … “And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. [verse 6] He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. [verse 7] And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.”  The first evangelists of the Christian faith are commissioned.  The first preachers of the gospel are commissioned.  And they are ALL women.  This had nothing to do with a preference by God, for one sex or the other.  But it had a great deal to do with who faced their fears and went to seek Jesus, despite it not making sense or being logical.  When loves drives the motives, miracles happen.  When love is not in the motives, miracles are prevented.  Women were here.  So women were commissioned.  God works with whoever comes to Him.  He makes no distinction of the sex, or age, or color.  He loves us all.  He will work with us all.  Who of us, will come to work with Him?

The entire gospel message is summed up in what the angel has said.  Jesus is risen.  Go and tell, in this case his disciples.  These women must preach to the future preachers, because the future preachers are hiding allowing their fear to overcome their faith.  They heard the same words of Jesus regarding his resurrection at the same time the women heard them.  But nothing was nawing against the hearts of the disciples except the fear of self-preservation.  Fear can be drowned-out by love, and it cannot be drowned out without it.  When love is an after thought, fear can hold sway.  And so it did.  Love, as what men think of love, was in the hearts of the disciples.  But the Love of Jesus was not there just yet.  Later when that love of Jesus did enter the disciples, they feared nothing, and endured everything for the cause of Christ.  But now, the early adopters, were the women of cast-iron-faith, tempered by the furnaces of love.

Matthew continues in verse 8 saying … “And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word. [verse 9] And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. [verse 10] Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.”  And just in case you could doubt the word of an angel of God, we have his words reaffirmed by the Jesus they all knew, up close, and in person.  This was the point of the gospel.  This was the love of the gospel made manifest.  Jesus takes the time to personally greet His new evangelists, to appear FIRST to the women.  This was I believe a reward for their faith.  Faith that drove them to move, even when it made no logical sense at all.  Faith that drove them to hope, because they remembered the words of their Lord and trusted in His Truth.  The “Point” goes to God.

Now for the counterpoint.  Time for the ignorant slut to spin his lie.  Matthew continues in verse 11 saying … “Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done. [verse 12] And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, [verse 13] Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. [verse 14] And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you. [verse 15] So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.”  The lie has teeth.  It spreads.  It makes common sense.  It is more logical, and therefore more believable, than say a miracle.  Occam's Razor would side in favor of the lie.  The soldiers risked their lives to spread it, for sleeping on duty, would get them placed on crosses of their own.  The priests vouching for them with Pilate, would be the only way, they “might” escape that fate.  Counterpoint goes to Satan.

And in this situation, ascribing evil motives to the alternative story to the resurrection is understandable.  After all, Satan is evil.  And he has nothing but evil intent.  God’s story is the story of your redemption, and re-creation.  It is the story of your personal reconciliation with God.  You get to go home.  You get to hang out with God, eat dinner with Him, listen to Him, talk to Him, laugh with Him.  God is not just about sitting on a distant throne in heaven, you are a thousand miles away from.  He is about getting close and personal with you, being with you.  God being God, He can do that with you, at the same time He does it with me, and so on, and so on.  Everywhere at once.  This is not a “thousand mile away” proposition.  It is about going home, to be “with” God.  Never parted again.

And what does the counterpoint offer?  Meaninglessness.  Your life is a random accumulation of circumstances that mean nothing.  You mean nothing.  You are all alone.  You will die alone.  And no one will care.  In a thousand years, or ten thousand, you will be a speck in a memory long forgotten.  Your pain, your joy, are all random, and mean nothing.  Your suffering means nothing.  In short, in the counterpoint proposal, you have no meaning to anyone, so … why live?  Take the yoke of morality off of you and swing for the rafters.  Be Hitler if it pleases you.  Or be Gandhi.  But no matter.  Both are dead now.  So what difference do either make?  Counterpoint has NOTHING to offer you, it is based on lies, that would rob you of infinite joy, and infinite life.  It is meant to deceive you, and distract you, to keep you from a faith that overcomes fear, because it is driven by love.  And love does matter.  In the here and now, and throughout the eons of time, love will always matter.  Do not let the lie, rob you of your meaning.  Do not let logic, rob you of the love you have coming, and the love you are capable of sharing.  There is no alternative to truth, only lies that lead to pain.

The gospel allows us to see each other, past the struggles with evil, and to what potential He would bring in our lives.  Instead of ascribing any motives to our brothers and sisters, what if we just loved them unconditionally instead.  What if our love for them, looked like God’s love for them?  Might that offer a reason to seek Jesus in the first place?  The Truth is revealed when Love is revealed.  The Truth is not revealed by debate, by words, but by love in action.  Because of Love, I care more about you than I do about convincing you of anything I believe – except to seek Jesus in everything.  My doctrines can wait.  If my doctrines are truth, then I can trust Jesus to reveal them to you in His time, in His manner, and in the way in which you will come to need to hear them.  That is a wildly different approach, than me trying to cram what I believe down your throat, all the while showing as little concern for you as I do the mosquito biting my arm.  And becoming frustrated if not angry with you, when you refuse to see things the way I do.  That kind of doctrine-based approach to evangelizing should go the way of the dodo-bird.  It does not work, and it does not last.  My beliefs are not as important as my love.  And how I can benefit you will be more determined by how much I love you, than what I esoterically believe about anything.

God has the point.  Satan has nothing.  You can see the truth of it, when you look at the life of Jesus Christ.

 

A Barren Field? A Tired Message? ...

What do our assumptions tell us about our witnessing?  Somehow in the United States, Christians have a view of the world that “mission” lies in a remote village, in a far corner of the globe; a place without electricity, internet, and exposure to traditional missionaries.  We fund endeavors to reach such places from the comfort of our church facilities here in the US.  And we lose the idea of local mission.  The Gospel here in the US, to an audience of the affluent, or the middle class; has either already been preached. or is expected to have little impact.  Missionaries in our country no longer carry that name.  We call them Evangelists.  And they generally move from region to region, with accompanying marketing campaigns.  But the message our evangelism tries there is not the simple gospel, it is one of prophetic interpretations, or fear of the end of days.  We assume shock and awe are the only ways to reach the hardened hearts of Americans long exposed to Christianity, and long hardened to receiving it.

So by comparison, our success in foreign missions, in areas overseas that have had little exposure to the Bible and the Gospel, have much better results, than the work in our own neighborhoods.  People in our back yard are tired of the same old message, and same old messengers.  Fear may put seats in a pew for a while, but inevitably unchanged hearts, and untransformed messengers, tend to pull them right back out again over time.  We begin to assume the United States, and well developed European countries have become a barren land.  Our consumer is tired of the same old advertising.  Our consumer is tired of the visible hypocrisy.  Our consumer is tired of the seemingly infinite number of brands with minimal distinctions, that from the point of view of the non-believer, look horribly unimportant, and no reason to separate the body of Christ.  Even though that is exactly what supposed Christians do when they do not agree on a “critical” doctrine.  And our consumer’s reluctance … is well founded.

But in truth, it is not so much our doctrines that are unattractive.  Our beliefs are not the real reason we drive away the unbelievers.  Our lives, and our way of living is.  Our Gospel is all twisted around.  We define our hope and our way to live in His perfection, as ONLY something that can be achieved AFTER death, or in a far-off future where the Second Coming occurs, and everything is falling apart at the seams.  And we define Hell as a punishment baked in flames that torture the wicked FOR everything they have done, and only again AFTER death, in a far-off future even past the Second Coming when “judgment” is meted out by a vengeful God bent on our destruction.  But the truth, the real Gospel is neither of these.

John the Baptist had it right.  The kingdom of God is at hand, meaning, it is here.  The Kingdom of God is in the here and the now.  It is a way of transformation that impacts your current life, and the way you currently live it.  It is the basis of a testimony only you can carry, about how Jesus took the sin from you, took the desire to sin from you, and replaced it with a passionate love for others, you can now, no longer live without.  This transformation is a road to perfection in the here and now.  No waiting.  No future, far-off thing, but right now, at hand, for you.  Embrace it, and the hypocrisy of calling yourself a Christian dissolves into the reality of being a Christian.  All of the sudden, your life looks different than those who still refuse the hope right in front of them.  All of the sudden, there is a difference in the life of the messenger.  Hypocrisy on the decline.  Hypocrisy becoming an endangered species.

John the Baptist had it right.  Repent.  Submit yourself to something greater than yourself.  Humble your ego to Jesus and realize you could indeed be living better.  Understand that what you repent from is THE punishment all of us want to avoid.  Hurting self.  Hurting others.  Hurting God because we engage in the love of self that lies at foundation of the definition of every sin, is the problem.  It causes us to hurt everything around us.  It damages our lives, cuts them short, and makes existence less than it could be.  THAT is the definition of Hell.  Not some far off punishment for what we HAVE done.  Hell is the punishment that comes from what we ARE doing, in the here and now.  The pain we cause, the ripple effects that it spreads are the Hell we would all avoid if we could choose to.  But our choice is locked up in 6000 years of bad genetics, and bad choices of our ancestors.  Our very DNA is presupposed to the desires and behaviors we are unable to escape from ourselves.  Repentance only reminds us of this reality, and points us to a divine source able to re-write our very DNA to avoid the Hell we must otherwise endure.

Our land is not barren.  Our old gospel of self merely leads to barren results.  A new gospel based entirely upon Jesus and our submission to Him, leads to new results entirely.  And “mission” becomes the image in your mirror, and at the extensions of your own front yard.  The field is no longer barren, but yearning to know this kind of transformative truth.  Our consumer is not waiting to hear these words, but to see them acted out in your own life.  Our consumer is not waiting for you to preach about what you have seen others do, but to witness with a first-person testimony about how they work in your life.  Perfection is not the tale.  But the journey to perfection decisively is the real story you can relay.  And the only way it could have been achieved or started began with a simple concept that John the Baptist so forcefully preached all those years ago, namely … Repent.

But don’t just take my word for it.  Let us examine what Matthew recalls about the opening of the ministry of Jesus Christ.  Just after the great temptational fire, and near death experience in the desert.  Jesus recovers.  You would expect Him to now, finally, head to Jerusalem to be blessed by the current church leadership.  At least that is what the current church leadership expected.  Without their blessing, all His efforts were sure to be fruitless, or heretical.  But Jesus saw His Father as the Real church leadership.  And He was most interested in keeping the real Gospel alive.  The Gospel John started, not the one based on doctrinal debate found in the Temple.

So Matthew begins in chapter four of his gospel, picking up in verse 12 saying … “ Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee; [verse 13] And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:”  Jesus hears that John has been cast into prison by Herod Antipas.  And the first thing He does, is to travel into largely Gentile territory, into tribes considered Samaritan land.  The ten tribes of Israel had dishonored God by breaking with Judah and Benjamin.  The kingdom of Israel had been split in two from that time on.  The north had its own kings, its own temple, and its own ideas about worship free of the order at Jerusalem.  The south remained traditional, if not always faithful.  But all fell to the hand of Nebuchadnezzar and the captivity.  And all were returned by Cyrus some years later.  Even then, the north was regarded as lesser-than from its history.  A reputation they were somewhat content to carry.

Jesus however, immediately breaks down these kinds of barriers.  He travels first to what every Jew in the south would call barren land spiritually.  He goes to tribal areas of Zebulun, and Naphtali.  There is no barren land in the mind of Jesus.  Matthew continues in verse 14 saying … “That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, [verse 15] The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; [verse 16] The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.”  Matthew is ever cognizant that his gospel is to bridge the Old and New Testaments through the life of Christ.  He calls us to remember the prophecies that bring hope to the Samaritans as much as to the Jews of the south.

You would think, that a study of Isaiah, might help reduce the prejudice of the time.  If the Messiah was to bring His great light into barren territory, then perhaps the territory was not so barren after all.  Perhaps all it needed was to see truth, instead of see religion packaged as truth, but absent any love in the process.  Flash forward 2000 years.  American Christians are very good at packaging doctrine, rolling it up into the brand management of a particular denomination, and then attempting to sell only that version to the listening ear.  But this approach seems only nominally effective at stealing one Christian from one brand and making him loyal to another.  It is because we lack passion for others, that we would leave unbelievers to their fate, while we argue among ourselves as to who is the Samaritan, and who is the purist.

But there is truth greater than our distinctions, upon which all of salvation is based, and all of hell is avoided in the here and now where the Kingdom of God is at hand.  And Matthew identifies it for us as he continues in verse 17 saying … “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  Jesus Himself continues the ministry of John the Baptist.  The need for that message did not disappear at His first arrival, and it does not disappear throughout His ministry, after His sacrifice, or after His ascension.  The need remains.  Because the mechanism for how we are transformed remains, and immediacy of the impact upon how we live remains.  Repent.  And why you ask?  Why the immediacy?  Because the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

This is not a statement about our mortality.  It is a statement about our transformation.  This is a statement, a truth, about how the REAL gospel works.  It is based on Jesus, and our submission to Him.  It identifies a continued need to repent, to submit to a higher power than ourselves, to Jesus Christ who alone is The Truth, and can save us from us.  The sin we would otherwise long to commit, can be taken from us, not just the actions but the longing itself.  The hell we cause ourselves, the separation from God we choose to endure need not be so.  All of it can be repaired right here and right now.  No future waiting.  Right now.  At hand.  Today. Tonight. Tomorrow.  No after death, end of the road, promise when so much time is wasted between now and then.  That is the message Jesus Himself continued to teach from the start to the end of His ministry.  It is the real gospel, that leads to real results.  It transforms a life, and makes that life a living witness, with a living testimony, unique to a single person.

Lands we thought barren, were not actually barren to a real gospel, only barren to a religion without any real results.  Lives lived without the pain sin causes.  Lives lived that are happier, and passionate about others, are not founded in wealth and ease, but in reformation Jesus alone can bring.  It is not about looking like pilgrims, living in some sort of twisted self-denial.  It is about looking like someone who knows something others just do not seem to know … because they do.  That kind of passion cannot be faked.  That kind of happiness cannot faked.  It is the “faking” that has been the problem all along.  Real Christianity is based on a real different right here, right now.  The Kingdom of God is at hand.  It still is.  It is still waiting to be reflected in your life, my life, and the lives who sit in pain all around us.  THAT is a truth the entire world longs to hear.  Perhaps even those who sit beside us in pews that we only see once a week.  But for certain in the lives we know are suffering from the pain sin causes us all.  THAT is a new gospel, that is brand new and yet more than 2000 years old.

The gospel of self we have been preaching, needs to be replaced with a gospel of Jesus that yields a reason to change, and the only mechanism by which change can come.

 

So I Have a Brain Aneurism ...

And I could use your prayers.  It is kind of nerve racking to think there is something defective in your head, a kind of time-bomb that if it goes off, so do you.  I discovered this problem while in the shower about 2 months ago washing my face.  All of the sudden it felt like some monster had dug their claws into the right side of my face and was tearing it off of my skull.  The pain was extreme, so bad I thought I was going to pass out.  It seemed to center around my eye so I first went to the Ophthalmologist to seek treatment.  The Ophthalmologist did find a viral infection (non-contagious) in my eye and prescribed drops to treat it.  But every week I kept returning to the eye doctor because the pain was increasing in frequency, and intensity.  The least little thing would trigger it.  If I touched anything on the right side of my face in a downwards direction, the pain would start up.  I could push my face upwards to try to relieve the pain, but down is a no-go.  If I blow my nose, or even touch the right side of my nose, the pain monster returns.

Eventually the eye doctor realized my pain was not from the infection, and thought I might have “tic deleraux” [sp], a rare nerve condition that exhibits symptoms like I describe.  He sent me to a Neurologist for further treatment.  After an MRI, MRA, MRV, and CT Scan to confirm, it appears as though I have a 3.2mm aneurism along the carotid artery in my brain.  I have been given medicine to try to reduce pain incidents and it has worked sometimes very well, sometimes not so much.  The next step is to see the Neuro Surgeon to find out what is the plan will be.  I imagine treatment will be meds to try to reduce it, or surgery to try to fix it.  Either way, the risk remains in my head.  That risk could be fatal in an instant, or it could sit there for a while and do nothing.  Since the pain monster keeps attacking, I have to assume the risk is not a very good one.

So what do you do?  There is not much the patient can do.  I chase doctors to call me back, and testers to schedule me sooner, and produce results faster.  These are things I can do, ironic that I need to do them, considering healing me is supposed to be a top priority for these folks.  But then, I am only one patient in a storm of patients who all have similar needs, some with higher priorities, so really, who am I.  Ultimately you wait.  You wait to hear what is next.  You wait for people to call you back, who promise they will, but somehow never seem to.  You wait with a personal urgency and impatience that health care providers seem not to share.  Thus far, I cannot be too disappointed with my wife’s insurance carrier at Florida Hospital.  They have approved my tests, and doctor’s visits consistently.  The medical staff has all been very courteous, and pleasant.  But when the time-bomb sits in your head, and when periodic pain reminds you it is there.  Waiting is tough.

What do you want?  Seems like an obvious answer, you want to live, much longer, and without pain.  But even as I write this, that outcome could be sadly different.  If for some reason, what I want, is not going to be something I get.  It forces me to ask, what else do I want?  The first thing that comes to my mind, is that I want my wife Laura, to continue her journey of spiritual submission to Jesus Christ, and I want to meet her in that Kingdom that is just beyond our sight.  But this is a bit presumptuous really.  It assumes I will be there, and to date there is no evidence I have earned that fate.  It also wants to avoid the idea that once I am gone, human nature and the need for companionship will kick in, and my wife will find a happiness with another man who may also make it to the heaven we all seek.  What then?  My bomb goes off now and I sleep not having a concept of time.  For me it is one second writing, the next second being escorted to heaven (because I trust Jesus’ ability to fix me spiritually even though I cannot).  I will still love my wife like I did a second ago.  I will be looking for her to resume a life in eternity with her.  But I may find her with someone else, and happy in that situation.  It will take God to fix my heart if that occurs, but I trust Him that much.  Only God can change a heart.

So if eternal intimacy is another outcome that may not go my way, what else can I want?  My next biggest desire is to see my son Alex, find (or perhaps re-connect with) Jesus, and remain with Him until He comes.  My daughter Sabrina find Jesus, and stick with Him.  And my daughter Jennifer remain in the path she already walks.  Again a presumptuous desire on my part.  My parenting skills, and human failures, have left deep scars in the children I lift up to God.  My mistakes have twisted the beauty of having children into something all of my children avoid and do not see a value in.  The grandchildren I would have expected from a marriage I now prize above all else, are absent.  The environment I was a part of in their upbringing seems to have taught them only the lesson of keeping self-sufficient, not to take the risk of loving a little one, who knows only you.  There is no way to avoid responsibility when all of your children share that philosophy.  It has to be my fault in some way or another.  For 2 of 3 of my children to appear to value Jesus much less than I would prefer, or perhaps can see, must also be my fault in some way or another.  My failures must remain keen in their minds and hearts, and His mercy must yet be elusive in their eyes.  How do I plead for the salvation of the children that I damaged (without His forgiveness to even ask anyway)?

I think my parents know I love them.  I think my family does too.  My friends, whether the ones I am connected to on Facebook who I went to elementary school, or high school, or college, or work associates, or just those who accepted a friend request, or sent one themselves … all of you may not know I really feel about you.  It would be easy for me to say I love each of you, particularly in the medical condition I find myself in.  But that might be pushing it a little.  How do you really define love, if you are going to make that statement?  Is love a periodic message to those you knew forever ago?  Is love, reading the posts and status changes of those you want to stay in contact with?  Or does love require something more, something more personal, something more kinetic?  What I can say with certainty, is that I cannot remember a single negative incident or feeling with anyone in my life up till now.  If I ever wronged you, I hope you can forgive me.  If anyone has wronged me, they were forgiven so long ago, I cannot remember the wrong.  I do not feel anything bad towards anyone here.  In fact, I have a great fondness and affection, for so many who peruse Facebook to stay in touch.  I actually like seeing your pics, and watching the your grow, and families spend time together.  My love it appears is lazy.  But today more poignant than days when pain and risk were not so prevalent. 

If this experience is teaching me anything, it is teaching me something I already knew, just not something I did enough of.  It teaches me to love others in a more tangible way, every chance you get.  It teaches me to be a little more inconvenienced in order to meet a need and share a love a little more often.  It should not take a life-threatening issue in your life, to give you the clarity to dispel all the negative thoughts and feelings you hold on to.  It should not take a real risk that any second you could be sleeping in Jesus, for you to find the freedom forgiveness offers.  Spending your time worried about politics, or power, about prominence or wealth, is spending your time on trivia.  None of that matters in the end.  God forbid something like this ever happens to you, but if it does, trust me, what you want, what you really want, will not be to know who wins the election.  It will not be the myriad of things you focus on now.  It will be more personal, much more personal.  When you cannot mandate your own fate, when the illusion of control is finally busted in your own life and mind, what you want is much more about who you love, and how you love them.

Perhaps our mortality has always been that nagging reminder to prioritize our lives better.  Perhaps we were always supposed to love deeper, and find peace in the loving.  If you are reading this, you cannot legitimately say that no-one cares about you, because I actually do.  I hope to see you again, ideally in this world, but if not, then in the next one.  But I continue to believe in the power of prayer.  I would ask that you pray for me, but not just me.  I would ask that you pray for the salvation of my family, and your own.  I would ask that you pray for the salvation of those you are connected here on Facebook with as well.  I would ask that we create a prayer circle like never before.  For there is power in prayer, and I would not wish to be well, and be unsaved.  Nor would anyone I think.  It is us reaching out to each other in love, that is the mission and reflection of our God.  It is that kind of love that melts hearts, changes lives, and makes the world a better place.  Be a part of it, help me be a part of it, help those you love be a part of it.  If there is any further clarity that comes from an experience like the one I am having it is the same old tired mantra that loving others is all that matters.  While that is nothing new, or unique, or profound wisdom from me … it is still the only thing that really matters.  I ask, what do you want?

Your friend in any world,

Kristian

 

Insanity is Contagious ...

If you saw somebody do something crazy, and it worked, would you do it too?  The first time you try something new, some experience you have never had before; you are generally a little skeptical that what others may have shared with you, will also be what you personally think about it.  Take for instance the first time you try a new food.  Others may love it, but you cannot be sure you will, until you taste it.  Now the crazier the “idea” of the food, the more skeptical you may be.  Trying some exotic fruit for example, perhaps like a persimmon, or a pomegranate might not be so unusual.  But sampling some kind of cooked bug, just sounds nuts.  Depending on how adventurous, or perhaps how much you trust the person who recommends the new food, you may decide to taste it, or not.  But food is much easier a risk to take, than something more substantial.  Risking your reputation for example, is not something you can recover from if things go wrong, unlike food whose negative effects are at worst temporary.  Risking your health on some new form of treatment might likewise take even more courage to attempt.  But how about risking your reputation, your health, and your salvation … all at once … against the council of the professionals.

Imagine yourself with a lifelong disability, or perhaps an acute illness that has very limited treatment options.  Because of your condition, “normal” people are going to think less of you to begin with.  After all, the “healthy” cannot sympathize with something they do not suffer from.  And in times past, the first thought as to the cause of your condition, is that “you” must have done something to cause it.  Oh sure, it is easy to connect the dots between skateboarding and a broken arm, or smoking and lung cancer.  But it is much harder to connect the dots between breast cancer and its victim.  A great many conditions that impact our health can well be beyond our control.  Attempting to assign blame for something like breast cancer spans the gamut from genetics, to environment, to diet.  But the farther back in history we go, the higher the inclination to assign responsibility for the illness to its victim.  In the time of Christ, this practice had reached an all-time high.  When confronted with a sick person, the first thought or question in the mind, was usually … “who sinned” and what did they commit, that would lead to this condition.  So in His day, the sick already had one strike against their reputation to start with.

Then comes the importance of community, of belonging.  In addition to the normal societal need to be accepted in the groups in which we live, the Jewish community had interwoven its faith into the core of its societal structure.  Samaritans for example, were not admired, because they did not conform to the traditional thinking that valued only the temple in Jerusalem as the pinnacle of the place of worship.  Gentiles were even lower on the reputation scale than that.  Pagans even more despised.  And Romans scraped the bottom of the barrel.  For a Jew in the time of Christ to achieve the best social standing, they would have to maintain good relations with the temple system based in Jerusalem.  This included general acknowledgement and adherence to the rules laid out by the priests, rabbis, and of course the Sanhedrin.  To stray away from their collective direction, was to risk being ostracized by the faith itself.  Salvation itself would be denied because of this choice to disobey the voice of God as taught by his authorized servants.  So beyond being sick and having one strike against you, to seek healing from Jesus Christ, was sure to be enough to get you tossed out of polite society, and lumped in with the lost.

Now, when you are truly sick, and there is no other option you have ever heard of to get well, you might go ahead and take the risk of seeking Jesus.  How interesting that nothing seems to have changed in our day.  But even if you make this risky choice, you are likely to pursue doing it the traditional way that everyone is talking about how it works.  For example, Jesus is said to have made some mud, and recreated a missing eye.  When He interacts with the possessed He commands the demons to leave them, and they do.  He takes the lame by the hand and they are able to rise.  The short story, is that a personal encounter with Jesus appears to be enough to heal whatever problem you have (and nothing has changed today).  But then comes the crazy.

You will remember from our earlier study (titled “Bleeding and Dying no more [part two]”) there was once a woman who decided on her own, that she only needed to touch the hem of His garment to be made whole.  This level of insanity was a product of her own imagination.  It had never been done before.  And there was no proof it would even work.  But it did.  The story of her decision to live beyond the limitations we impose upon ourselves, had remained in open discussion across the region.  Everyone was talking about how this crazy lady tried the impossible with Christ, and it worked.  What is more, Jesus even called her “His daughter” during His discovery and revelation of her faith.  No matter what the doctors said, no matter what the priests, and rabbis were saying … for those that saw how deep their own need was, there was really only one choice, to seek Jesus.  And this insanity was highly contagious.

Peter recalls the impact of this one crazy lady to John Mark in his gospel in chapter six and picks up the story in verse 53 saying … “And when they had passed over, they came into the land of Gennesaret, and drew to the shore. [verse 54] And when they were come out of the ship, straightway they knew him,”  The fame of Jesus had spread far and wide in this region on the far side of the Sea of Galilee.  A demoniac had been freed from nearly 2000 demons in a single command, and while he had wished to follow Jesus right then and become the next disciple, Jesus had bid him to stay in this region and witness to these people about what Christ had freed him from.  And the man had been a faithful witness, for the entire region now knew who Jesus was, though none of us even know the name of the man who spread this witness.  In addition, the story of the crazy lady who sought only the touch of His garment to be made well, was still a topic fresh in the minds of the people.  It did not take long to connect the dots.

John Mark continues in verse 55 saying … “And ran through that whole region round about, and began to carry about in beds those that were sick, where they heard he was. [verse 56] And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole.”  Entire populations of sick, disabled, crippled, and needy were brought to wherever Jesus was.  They were laid in the street, and Jesus was asked if He would just pass over His garment to make them well.  So great was the contagion of insanity in this area, that now everyone was convinced they only needed His clothing to make them well.  They did not want to trouble the Lord for a personal interaction, they had enough belief to “know” they would be cured if he just got close enough to them in passing, to drag his garment over them.  Forget what the professionals had to say, forget what ridicule other normal people may still harbor; those in need, need a savior.  Those in need will do what seems crazy in the eyes of others.  Those in need find their needs met ONLY in Jesus Christ.

And nothing has changed.  It is crazy to think, that a life of bad decisions, and addictive self-love can be changed by a power outside of our control.  It is crazy to think that the way to see a change in what we want, and what we love, can be performed in us, but not by us.  To be saved by Jesus, in spite of who we know we are today, is just a crazy premise … but it works.  It is not the Shroud of Turin we need to pass over us to make us whole now, it is only our choice to surrender to the “insanity” of being saved from ourselves by Jesus Christ.  The same professionals in our day echo the ridicule of the past, but what do they know?  The salvation of the crazy lady that pioneered this idea was not put at risk in doing so, it was instead cemented with her Lord.  The salvation of the wounded laid on city streets and country roads, was not put at risk in seeking Christ, it was affirmed by Him.  Our Creator is also capable of re-Creation as He proved over and over again.

This story could easily have been omitted in the gospel.  It is only a few verses at the end of an otherwise climactic chapter of miracles and greatness.  Compared with the other events in this chapter alone, the results of one crazy lady and the impact she had on an entire region seem inconsequential.  What difference does it make “how” people were healed by Jesus right?  The important point is that they were.  But I believe this story remains in the gospel, because it does matter “how” we can seek Jesus beyond the norms and conventions of what we have otherwise been taught.  A relationship with Christ is not confined to how others do it, what the professionals say, or how others have one; it is uniquely personal to you.  The faith of this woman who imagined her own healing in an unconventional way of seeking Jesus was rewarded.  In these verses her impact of doing so is recorded to have impacted an entire region.  Many found healing the same way she did, because they found the same faith she did. 

How you interact with Christ may be beyond the normal conventions that others do, and that is OK.  The lesson of this story is that there is no limitations God imposes on how He can interact with you, the only “limitations” that exist are the ones in your own mind that you have placed upon yourself and God.  To think differently is to find and believe that there are no limits on God, and therefore no limits to how He can truly impact your life.  The beauty of the gospel, is that once connected to Jesus, there is no limit to how much God can impact the lives of others, through you.  This is His favorite method of loving others, to love them through you.  It has the added blessing of bringing you joy and bliss in the process.  For to love others has always been the ultimate expression of who our God is.

True insanity, is not to seek Jesus.  True insanity, is to listen to those professionals that will never understand what it is like for you, to be made whole by Jesus Christ, even if that is only ever on a spiritual level.  The kind of “insanity” that seeks Christ beyond the limits of convention, of history, of tradition is the kind of insanity we need to embrace.  It may seem crazy to seek Jesus, but that is only ever the perspective of those who have not personally experienced what Jesus can do in a life.  Once you have tasted of the freedom Jesus can bring, the tables turn on the definition of what insanity is.  Once you know it works, the concept of who is truly the professional where it comes to salvation and how it works, begins to be understood entirely differently.  I would wish to be fully infected with the contagion of Jesus Christ, and if that looks crazy to you right now, just wait …

 

The Ultimate Ghostbuster ...

In a season of Halloween, Americans like to get caught up in costume parties, spooky decorations, and making sure there is enough candy to hand out to the children who will come knocking at night.  This like many other holidays in our modern culture tends to be a Christianized alteration of an older pagan tradition.  The Celtic festival of Samhain was about wearing costumes to ward off ghosts or spirits at the end of summer.  The original Christian alteration was to use this time to remember the saints and martyrs of the past, perhaps lighting a candle in memory of them, and eating a vegetarian diet on the All Hallows Eve.  Other cultures have made further variations on the theme of honoring the dead, in Mexico the colors and festivities are particularly lively.  Often, it is the unknown that frightens us.  Since no living person has any frame of reference to discuss matters beyond the grave, the idea that a departed one might somehow find his/her way back to the land of the living inspires fear before anything else.  Hollywood has done much to capitalize on this notion as nearly every horror film is based on the idea of some supernatural being (generally immune to a real death) wreaking havoc on “normal” people.

And again, as throughout history since the ascension of Christ, Christians tend to take a pagan concept or tradition and alter it for their own purposes.  The popular Christian belief, that hell continues to exist in our present day, and is a destination for those souls who refuse the gospel, immediately upon death makes the idea of ghosts quite reasonable.  A departed soul coming back from heaven to give guidance to the living, becomes a less-scary proposition to those who believe that “good people” go immediately to heaven in spirit form upon death.  The idea that our souls are immortal supports the argument Satan used with Eve in the garden based upon his lie that eating the fruit would NOT result in death.  If Adam and Eve, and every departed soul since, continues to live on in spirit form, then the serpent was not lying and in fact God was.  But every Christian should know this not to be true.  Yet since it’s first telling in Eden, the idea that some sort of existence is possible beyond the grave has persisted in every pagan culture from Eden to America. 

Under this thinking, it is perhaps logical that should a ghost appear, it is likely motivated by an attempt to escape hell, rather than be dragged out of paradise.  So perhaps Hollywood has a point in portraying any supernatural being (immune to the idea of a real death), as being menacing rather than saintly.  And when you consider that the author of this original lie was Satan, any evidence he could manufacture to support this notion would ultimately be based in a desire to inflict as much damage on the objects of God’s love as possible.  It further stands to reason that havoc would follow any supernatural display.  The mission of demons impersonating the dead would be far from anything resembling salvation, or restoration to loving others like Christ loves them.  Instead, the imposters would be bent on giving advice designed to lead mankind in exactly the opposite direction.  If a person is open to the idea of life in spirit form beyond the grave, then they should be susceptible to the ideas of demons who closely resemble the form of departed loved ones purporting to be angels of light, when in fact they are anything but.

The other interesting phenomenon that accompanies Hollywood’s depiction of ghosts, spirits, and beings immune to death … is the notion they are always combated by human strength.  In the war against the supernatural, it is always mankind standing alone, against the powers of darkness.  In some cases, a less evil version of the supernatural, works alongside mankind, against the much darker powers.  But in nearly no cases, does mankind ever rely upon the power of our God to combat evil supernatural beings on our behalf in the Hollywood movies.  Often when priests call on God, they are immediately killed by the much “stronger” evil beings for daring to make such a prayer.  The idea that mankind must battle the supernatural forces of evil alone (without God), is one that only one side of the great conflict would benefit from (that of Satan).  How interesting that Satan is only leveraging the same idea he inserts into most Christian churches of the day as it relates to your own salvation – namely that you alone must fight and conquer your desire to sin to be saved.

But if Hollywood were to make a movie where the true power of Jesus Christ were put against the demons in the darkness, it would have to contend with the scriptural account of what happened EVERY time this conflict came about … Jesus wins instantly.  That does not make for a hit movie.  Instead that makes for a “boring” plot, where evil has no chance of winning, mankind does not have to fight at all, and there is really no danger from supernatural beings because Jesus rules the supernatural world beyond our sight, as much as he rules the one we can see.  Instead of Bill Murray, or Dan Aykroyd busting ghosts based on scientific acumen and a jovial nature; Jesus Christ busts ghosts, and spirits, and even the idea that such things exist 100% of the time.  For in reality, it is the power of Christ that sends demons running, and the doctrine of Christ, that shatters the ignorance that allows a ghost or spirit to exist in our minds in the first place.

Peter recalled to John Mark, an account where just such fear and ignorance were busted by Christ.  In Mark’s Gospel chapter six he began transcribing the story beginning in verse 45 saying … “And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people. [verse 46] And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray.”  Like any good ghost story, this one begins at the end of the day as nightfall is approaching.  The disciples are very tired as they were exhausted from the drain of the people before this day had begun, and during it, there was no rest, only the miraculous imparting of strength from Jesus to meet the needs of the people.  5,000 men and all their families had been fed in the late afternoon, and disciples had witnessed 12 baskets of extra food be gathered when everyone was full.  All of this came from only 5 loaves of bread and 2 small fishes, but replicated in the hands of Jesus, there was more than enough.  At the conclusion of these supernatural events is when our ghost story begins.  The disciples are tired once again, spent from the day’s activities.  So Jesus does, what Jesus ALWAYS does, He puts the needs of His disciples ahead of His own, and commissions them to go across the lake to get some rest.

You will note the disciples, despite their exhaustion did not want to leave Him unattended, or without transportation.  Peter uses the words “he constrained his disciples” meaning He put them in this boat with the target destination over their objections and desire to stay with Him.  Jesus knew these men would need the rest.  He knew if they stayed with Him, they would prevent Him from getting the rest He needed in the intimate communication of prayer He was intending to conduct with His Father.  So Jesus puts His very tired disciples into the boat, and He Himself departs into the stone stadium to pray.  Whether he spent the time hiking up the mountain, or was transported there in an instant (to avoid the desire of the crowd to crown Him our earthly king) is less important.  What was most important to Christ was to get precious time alone with His Father to talk through the mechanism of prayer.

Jesus had to be beyond tired.  The story of the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000+ families does not pause to record where Jesus Himself got some food or rest.  Instead He was spending His time, serving and creating the food for all these people to eat.  This followed a long day of preaching and teaching.  Jesus had to be hungry, and tired, perhaps thirsty as this was conducted in a stone stadium, in a desert meant for isolation not a social gathering.  But Jesus does not look for the closest Olive Garden restaurant (pardon the pun) to eat and revive Himself with breadsticks and salad.  Instead He longs for only one thing, a close communion with His Father.  A close proximity with the Author of Life, has the side benefit of meeting every physical need we think we have.  It was so then, it is so now.  And after His prayers are concluded for the evening, Jesus is ready to rejoin His tired crew.

Peter continues in verse 47 saying … “And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land. [verse 48] And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them.”  As Jesus reaches the sea shore, He sees that His disciples have not reached the other side of the Sea of Galilee yet.  The winds are blowing against their boat, so exhausted as they are, they have to row, instead of sail to reach the other side.  After the renewing time He spent with His Father, Christ decides not to bother His disciples to come back for Him and pick Him up.  Instead He decides to walk across the Sea, enjoy the head wind on his skin, and simply meet them on the other side when they arrive.  Perhaps He elected to walk across this Sea tonight, just because He enjoyed the breeze.  On many other occasions (mostly when the crowds were trying to crown Him our earthly king) He would teleport Himself away to the destination of His choice.  But on this occasion, He elected to walk instead.

Perhaps the moon was full, perhaps it was just a very clear night, and the stars were providing an unusual bright light against the water, but His walk did not go unnoticed.  John Mark continues transcribing in verse 49 saying … “But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out:”  The disciples completely without the influence of Hollywood horror films in any way, began screaming when they saw Him walking across the water.  Their first impulse when encountering something supernatural was that it must be a demon, or a ghost, or a spirit.  But demons they had recently been casting out, so it is less likely they would have feared one of them.  Spirits or ghosts on the other hand would have presented a different problem for them.  If the disciples had adopted a tradition that our souls continue to exist after death, then what presents itself on the water may not be a demon susceptible to being cast away.  Instead it may be a dead person in spirit form (immune from their commands to leave them alone).  Yet despite the 50/50 chance that this departed spirit may be a saint, instead of a demon, the reaction is not one of curiosity or engagement, it is one of fear.  It is in our nature to fear what instinctively we know will not be a positive encounter.  It was the ignorance of the disciples that allowed them to believe that a spirit could exist.  And so their ignorance gave rise to their fear, and logic was abandoned.

John Mark continues in verse 50 saying … “For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.”  And so the ultimate Ghostbuster does what no other can do, Jesus destroys their fear.  They were all troubled, for they all saw Him walking on water.  They were all afraid.  But they were all comforted directly by Christ.  The first thing Jesus does in this situation is alleviate their fear.  He does not begin preaching, or teaching, or scolding them for their ignorance.  He does not use logic to help them understand how foolish their assumption was.  He does not chastise them for STILL thinking in the limiting terms their humanity has conditioned them to think in, even though each of them have been healing people, casting out demons, and performing miracles that defy explanation.  They just left a scene where they helped feed 5,000 families with food that did not exist.  Yet hours or minutes later, they immediately jump to the most negative assumption possible.  But Jesus busts myths, fears, and ignorance, as only He can do.  He does not scold them, He comforts them.

Jesus follows His warm greeting as John Mark records in verse 51 saying … “And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered. [verse 52] For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.”  These men were going through Israel teaching others that the Messiah had arrived.  They had no other doctrine to relay.  They were not reading scriptures, but preaching the witness they had seen as to the identity of the very Son of God.  Yet, when confronted with another miracle, they were still “sore amazed”.  The impact of this event was “beyond measure”.  And it caused them to wonder.  If the account had ended there, this would be a happy ghost story, where Jesus busted the myth, killed the fear, and saved the day once again.  But the story does not end in verse 51, it continues in verse 52.

The disciples forgot the miracle of service they had participated in, in the feeding of the 5,000 families.  Instead, greed hardened their hearts, and they began to think only of what position each of them might have in the new kingdom Christ was sure to establish here on earth.  How like us.  Our God conducts a miracle in our lives, ending pain we could not end, providing healing to diseases we do not even know we had.  And our first response is to turn His gifts inward.  He ends our fears, and instead of using the freedom He provides to love others, we use it to love only ourselves.  No longer in fear of hell, we do not choose to deepen our love to others, instead we use it to excuse our own self-love.  We need not fear the sleep of death, where we will know not anything.  We need not fear the idea of ghosts, or spirits, for there are none immune to the idea of real death.  Even Satan and his demonic hoards will one day face the death of non-existence.  But our freedom from the fear of punishment, is not meant to be used as an excuse to deepen in our own sins.  It is meant to free us from them.

Because Jesus can defeat demons, obliterate the idea of ghosts, and intends to recreate us both physically and mentally is meant to break the chains of our fear.  Jesus has busted every ghost.  Jesus has defeated every demon.  We are not to suffer from the fears of ignorance.  But we are not meant to use our freedom from fear to embrace an even deeper level of self-love.  Rather we should do, what our disciples forefathers forgot to do, we should remember the priority remains on serving others.  This was not supposed to be a change in direction, of focusing on self, instead of focusing on others.  Jesus was not attempting to show His power, for self-glorification.  He intended only to meet His disciples on the other side of the Sea, not requiring them to come pick Him up and work harder to reach the destination.  He was showing concern for their needs ahead of His own, like always.  But the disciples see His power, and think only what it can for them personally.  Let it not be so with us.  Let us see His love and power, and think only how we can reflect it others both now and forever.  Let us not use our freedom from fear to escape service but to embrace it.