Spiritual Cripple or Spiritual Giant?

On the occasion of Jesus taking the Last Supper with the twelve disciples, Jesus informs Peter that Satan has asked for permission to “test” Peter. Jesus granted that permission and told Peter that he would not pass the “test”. That, in fact, despite Peters assertion that he was willing to die for Jesus or be imprisoned with him, Peter would do neither of those things but would, In fact, deny that he even knew Jesus. Jesus, additionally, informed Peter that even though he was going to fail… his faith did not need to fail and he had prayed to God that it would not. Furthermore he charged Peter with strengthening the other disciples after his failure. A few points… Satan saw a weakness in Peter and wanted the opportunity to exploit it. Jesus granted that because he knew Peter would be made stronger for it. Sometimes failure can lead to a loss of faith. Satan wins twice; he wins by creating an episode for failure and he wins when we become so despondent by our failure that our faith becomes crippled. And then we need a spiritual ”handicapped parking sticker”. There are three medicines for faith problems that Jesus employed 1) He predicted Peter’s failure. That’s huge. If someone wiser can identify the results of unrighteous behavior for an individual, the individual can look back on those words and think “if only I had listened”. 2) Jesus prayed that Peter’s faith would not fail. Christians should be active in their prayer on behalf of others. It worked for Peter and it can work for your loved ones. 3) Jesus gave Peter a job to do… strengthen the other disciples. Wait a minute, wasn’t Peter the one who needed to be strengthened? Yes he was but we are made stronger when we are helping others. Know someone whose faith has been crippled? Get them back to work for God. Work makes us strong. Sitting on our rear ends makes us weak. Satan’s tests can make us stronger even if we fail them. They did for Peter and Jesus allowed those tests because he needed for Peter to be stronger. He needs for us to be stronger too.

Good Neighbors: Borrowing and Lending

I’ve reaches the age where I don’t really like to borrow things from people. Oh, I’m a good lender… and if you borrow from me I’ll make you feel like I’m your best friend… but me borrowing… that’s a different story.

Today I was riding my lawnmower and noticed that it was gouging my yard. I didn’t really want to go buy another lawn mower so I called my friend Juan. Juan repairs small engines and he and I have developed a friendship. He’s one of the few people I will borrow from. So I called Juan and told him about my problem and asked him if he had a riding lawnmower I could rent. Juan replied, “I’ve got one you can use”. That’s Juan-talk for he won’t take any money.

I mowed my two acres with Juan’s riding mower and when I was finished I blew all the dust off of it, sprayed it down with a pressure washer and filled the gas tank up all the way. I’m returning that mower better than I received it. That’s being a good neighbor. Be a good neighbor when you borrow something. Don’t return borrowed equipment back with only one drop of gasoline left in it and so caked with dirt you can’t recognize it.

I know Juan won’t take money from me but I’ll tell him something like… “take your wife out to eat on me” or if that doesn’t work I’ll give him some flea products for his dogs (he’s got 14 of them). Good friends take care of each other.

Problems with the Disciples

Jesus had a big problem… his disciples. He had chosen them, lived with them, instructed them and prepared them for the day when they would be without him but even on the brink of his crucifixion they still a nagging issue that plagued them. Let’s look at the record to see what the issue was. The day after Jesus was Transfigured on the mountain the disciples were arguing with each other about which one of them was the greatest. To be fair, Jesus might have played a role in that. After all he invited only Peter, James and John to go up on the mountain with him. Nevertheless, Jesus on this occasion taught the disciples that if they truly wanted to be great they would have to be servants to each other. It didn’t really sink in. A few days later two of the Transfiguration attendants, James and John, approached Jesus and asked for the two highest of positions in Jesus’ Kingdom… to sit at his right and left sides. When the other disciples heard about this they became very indignant. Jesus again calmed the storm by stating that if they wanted to be great they had to serve each other. Still it didn’t really sink in. At the Last Supper when Jesus informed them that one of them would betray him they started wondering who it might be and then that discussion morphed into a discussion on… you guessed it… who would be the greatest… Division and acrimony between the disciples just days before he would be crucified. Again Jesus answered with his same answer. If you want to be great then you must learn to be servants. But then Jesus did something truly magnificent. He got on his hands and knees and washed twelve pair of feet. What words alone had not been able previously to accomplish was accomplished now with words reinforced by action. Never again would the disciples argue about who was the greatest. Finally Jesus was able to pray to the Father that his disciples would have a oneness with each other that mimicked the oneness between Jesus the Son and God the Father. A oneness that would be the primary evidence that Jesus came from God. Imagine, if the disciples had been continually trying to one up each other and to exert authority over each other, what the church would look like. Thank God for his transforming message and its effect on his Apostles.

Big Weekend... Very Big.

It was a big weekend in Houston at my mom’s house. Scott, Greg and I met up at mom’s house to meet up with my cousin Mark Perkins who had some appointments at MD Anderson for his cancer therapy. While we were in Houston Scott’s two youngest were baptized into Christ. Charlie and Charlotte have been talking about being baptized and my brother Greg is an essential ingredient in that recipe. He has done a lot for them spiritually including financing their way to FC Camp. It’s quite an interesting story.

Thursday afternoon we went to a gym and were playing Volleyball and Basketball. We met a young man named Seth who had known Greg from FC Camps (Greg is a counselor at the junior camp). He has been in Houston for a week and would be attending at Bellaire Church of Christ. OK? Park that piece of information for a moment.

That night we ate at Pappadeaux’s we had an engaging young waitress and when she served our meal Mark asked her if she would like to pray with us and asked me to lead the prayer. During the course of the meal Mark started talking to her about Jesus and she accepted an invitation to come to mom’s house for a Bible study. Lo and behold she showed up the next day and Mark did his lesson “The Big Picture”. Greg commented to her that she was very daring to come to a stranger’s house for a Bible study and she replied she had been praying to God for help and saw it as an answer to her prayers. She was not ready to make a commitment at that time because, as she put it, she had some things in her life she wasn’t ready to give up yet.

The next day, Greg, Scott and I were working outside on some projects that mom had for us and Mark did his Bible study with Charlie and Charlotte. To be fair, Charlie and Charlotte had been talking about being baptized but hesitated to because they didn’t have a way to church. After the lesson Mark came to where we were and said that Charlie and Charlotte wanted to be baptized but were hesitant because they didn’t have a way to go to church services… the same problem.

Now get this… Mark said he had talked to Seth (the basketball player we had met the day before) and he had agreed to give them rides to Bellaire. He made a quick call to Seth who confirmed that he could give them rides. Then we went next door and baptized them in the neighbor’s pool.

That my friends is “5 Talent” thinking. Mark knew that Charlie and Charlotte were interested. He met the guy at the gym, got his phone number and mentioned he might need a ride for Charlie and Charlotte and then engaged Charlie and Charlotte in the Bible class. Mark was told a year ago that he had 1-2 two years to live. With your prayers and the doctor’s treatment he is doing much better. He said he went from preparing himself to die to preparing himself to live. My brother Scott says the best thing about Mark’s illness is that the three brothers are getting together again on a regular basis and of course Mark is like a fourth brother. Thanks you God for blessing Mark and for the great things he is doing for our family.

Non-Saving Faith

John 12:42-50 describes an interesting situation… some of the Jewish leaders believed in Jesus and had faith in him but would not “confess their faith”. They were afraid of the consequences that would come from confessing faith in Jesus, i.e. they would be unable to participate in Synagogue activities. Later in the text Jesus says that those who do not “confess their faith”… will be condemned in the last day. Imagine losing salvation because you love the Synagogue and its activities. Don’t be fooled by the people who say you are saved by “belief only” or “faith only”. Jesus said you must be willing to confess your faith to be saved. The text explains that “confessing faith” is the same as “keeping the words” that Jesus teaches. Confess your faith by living the teachings of Jesus and receive Eternal Life. Have belief and faith and live how you want to live and receive Eternal Condemnation.

Let's Party

In Matthew 24 Jesus’ disciples asked him when he would come again and what would be the signs of his coming. He told them no one knew the exact time but all would need to be ready when that time would come. Then he told a few stories to illustrate what it meant to be ready.

He described a wedding feast with 10 young women whose job it was to wait for the groom to come and lead him in with oil fed lamps. Five of these brought extra fuel and five brought only what fuel was in their lamps. They didn’t anticipate correctly when the groom would come. The five who had prepared themselves with extra fuel were allowed into the feast the other five were not.

The next story revealed that people have different amounts of ability. Those who are faithful and used their abilities received blessing and reward. Those who were not faithful in their abilities were cursed and sent into “darkness where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth”.

Then Jesus described a scene where he was seated on a throne and all of humanity was gathered before him. He proceeded to separate them into two groups; those who had treated strangers with hospitality, fed the hungry, tended to the sick, and visited criminals in prison and those who… had not. Those who had not would be cast into “the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels”

Like the 5 young women we have to have our lamps well supplied with oil (fuel). That oil is “Treating strangers with hospitality, feeding the hungry, tending to the sick, and visiting criminals in prison.” We manufacture that oil by living sacrificial lives of service to each other according to our ability. We cannot produce that oil for a set period of time and conclude that we have enough oil to enter into the wedding feast. As long as we are on this earth we must be producing oil, according to our ability, to fuel our lamps.

You don’t want to miss out on the “Wedding Party” that God has prepared for us.

Linda Magana Funeral

I had the opportunity this morning to attend the funeral of Linda Magana at Kostoryz Road Church of Christ. Linda was 58 years old… same as me. I didn’t know her very well but know her parents, Salvador & Ruth Magana, quite well. Of course Ruth and her daughter Doris were members at Parkway many years ago.

I love the Hispanic culture. I love the South Texas ranching culture, the Mariachi bands, the food, the people and the pride that they take in their heritage. I like listening to Tex-Mex as it flows from Spanish to English in the same conversation. There was standing room only at the funeral today. I got to see a lot of old friends some of whom have been members at Parkway like Tony & Sulema Vasquez and Adolfo & Yole Lerma and Raul & Gina Torres. I got to see some of our friends from Cheyenne street Church of Christ like Luis & Sylvia Torres and Jesse & Ophelia Guzman… and many others. I got to see Eddie “Poncho” Rodriguez who preaches at Norton Street Church of Christ.

I also like that at Parkway we have Anglo, Hispanic, Black and Asian people. For me it illustrates what God’s Word does… it makes it so that people don’t look at the outside physical characteristics but inwardly at the hearts of people. That’s how God looks at people and that’s how God’s children look at each other. It’s a wonderful testimony to Christ’s deity… the miracle of changed lives. I’m glad I got to go. God bless the Lord’s church and God bless the Magana family.