Good vs. Poor Teaching

In Luke chapter 6 Jesus does some teaching. He pronounces blessings and woes upon people and offers instruction on how to live with your fellow man. Specifically he tells his audience to love their enemies and to do good to them even if you are mistreated poorly by them.

Then he uses a parable to contrast his teachings with the teachings of the Pharisees. He says that the Pharisees are blind teachers and because of their lack of spiritual vision are going to fall into a pit and their students will follow right after them.

He also says the Pharisees are blind or visually impaired when it comes to correcting others. They are so busy looking for fault in others that they fail to take a look at their own faults which are huge in comparison.

Teachers are also like orange trees. A good orange tree (Jesus) produces sweet tasty oranges. A sour orange tree (Pharisees) looks identical to a grafted orange tree and the oranges look exactly the same but they taste so bad that they’re worthless.

Pharisees are teachers that are blind, hypocritical and whose teachings will cause their students to be spit out by God.

Jesus on the other had is a good teacher, he can lead you the way he ought to go, his correction is non-hypocritical and will lead you to cause a very sweet taste in God’s mouth.

Preachers and teachers in Christ’s church should be the same type of teacher that Jesus was. One way to tell is to look and see kind of people a church is producing. Are they sweet and ripe? Are they bitter or are they just tasteless? Whatever they are… they are a reflection of their teachers.

James 3:1. Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.

"It's Easier to Believe the Bad Things"

The movie “Pretty Woman” tells the story of a young woman who made some poor choices, went down the wrong road and became a prostitute. One of her customers sees some good qualities in her and tries to get her to see those qualities. She has a hard time believing him and says something that has stuck in my brain for a long time. She says, “It’s easier to believe the bad things”.

Every level of self-doubt and lack of self-worth exists among people; I’m unlikeable because I’m not pretty, because I’m too heavy, because I’m handicapped, because I’m a failure, because I’m not good at anything, etc., etc., etc.

Self-doubt is crippling.

Jesus Christ had the ability to engage with the broken people of society and lift them up. He also empowered his people with the same ability.

People tend to respond positively if they feel that someone truly cares about them and won’t give up on them no matter what.

Encouragement, edification and admonishment are powerful weapons when wielded by someone who truly cares and has demonstrated that care. Otherwise they are just empty words that fall on deaf ears.

Here’s the challenge for the Christian warrior… find the most unlikeable person you can find and make them your true friend. Seek their company. Invite them into your home. Make them part of your lives. Be resilient and patient and don’t give up and the love of God which surpasses all understanding can cause a wonderful transformation to take place in them and in you.

Goodness, Humility and Confidence

In the town of Capernaum resided a Roman centurion. His duties were to keep the peace in that region and to make sure the Jews paid their taxes to Rome. As such Romans were hated by the Jews because they were forced to pay taxes to a false religious system and to fund a gentile nation that did not revere Jehovah.

It was against Jewish law for a Jew to have a Roman for a friend or even to go into a Romans home (Acts 10:28).

While performing the duties of an official of Rome something surprising happened to the centurion… he came to love the Jewish people and from that love built a synagogue for them out of his own pocket

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I’m assuming the centurion came to love the Jews because they were God’s people and reflected the power of God in their lives. The centurion was probably used to seeing how Romans treated each other (murder, false religiosity, perverse sexuality, extortion and idolatry) and by comparison came to love something imperfect (compared to Christianity) but far better than what he was used to.

In addition, the centurion loved his servants (probably Jewish). Imagine that… his servants weren’t just some tool for him to use and abuse. He loved and cared from them and when one of them got sick and was at the point of death he asked for a favor. He asked the Elders (of the very synagogue he had built) if they would go to Jesus and ask if he would come and heal his beloved servant.

The scriptures reveal for us why he asked the Elders this favor. He did not consider himself worthy to even approach Jesus and didn’t feel worthy for Jesus to even enter his home.

The centurion in his goodness probably did not expect anything in return from the Jews and wasn’t helping the Jews with any expectation of some kind of reward. But sometimes in life the unexpected happens and we find ourselves in a need of a power greater than ourselves.

The formula for the centurion was goodness, humility and confidence in Jesus Christ. That formula still works today

Beatitudes

Luke gives his version of the Beatitudes (Mt. 5: 3-11) in Luke 6:20-26. There are some stark differences between Matthew and Luke’s account. Matthew offers 9 blessings and no woes. Luke records 4 blessings and 4 parallel woes.

Luke offers no blessings for those who are meek, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers or those who are persecuted.

Luke’s blessings are contrasted directly with woes. The physical conditions are described as happening “now”. The blessings and woes shall occur in the future.

1. Blessed are those who are “poor” but woe to the” rich” who already have their reward. These are not the ones in some sort of spiritual poverty because if so those who are rich would have to be interpreted as possessing spiritual wealth which would not earn a “woe”. This is contrasting earthly wealth/poverty. The followers of Jesus who were poor would inherit all the “wealth” associated with a life in Heaven. Those who love money and the things money can buy have bought their way into Hell.

2. Blessed are those who “hunger” but woe to those who are “full”. Those who don’t have food on a daily basis will be filled in their new life in Heaven. Those who are full of food now and who had great feasts for their friends but who ignored the hungry will be hungry in the after-life.

3. Blessed are those who “cry or weep” but woe to those who “laugh” now. Their positions will be reversed in the after- life. There won’t be any crying in Heaven but there will be plenty of it in Hell.

4. Blessed are those who are “hated, and spoken evil of” (for Jesus’ sake) but woe to those who are “spoken well of” (like the false prophets of old). Jesus’ people would be hated and people would talk bad of them but when that happens they should be happy because that is evidence that they have become who Jesus wants them to be. However, those who reject Jesus and are favored by the enemies of Jesus will inherit the woes of eternal condemnation.

There are some differences between Matthew and Luke’s account of the Beatitudes but they both give the same message. Jesus gives great hope and encouragement to his people on earth who are spiritually minded but who live in adverse conditions. Those who live for the moment and who live like there is no after-life are in big trouble.

Faith and Fishing

Luke 5 records the story of Jesus calling Peter to become a “fisher of men”. Peter was by occupation a fisherman. He was the son of a fisherman and probably knew everything there was to know about fishing on a lake.

Peter and his crew had been fishing all night long and come up empty handed. Jesus (the carpenter), who had been teaching from Peter’s boat to a crowd of people on the bank, advised Peter to go out a little deeper and lower his nets.

Peter, having fished all night and having just cleaned those nets, replied (to the carpenter)… we fished all night and caught nothing but will do what you say. That’s the kind of language that suggests Peter didn’t really want to do it.

Peter caught the most fish he had ever caught before. He caught more fish than anyone could even make up a story about. He had so many fish that the nets began to break and his boats began to sink. It was a lot of fish.

Peter’s reaction? He fell down on his knees before Jesus and called him Lord and asked Jesus to leave because he was a sinful man. Peter fell on his knees another time also. When Jesus was transfigured and the voice of God proclaimed Jesus to be his Son. Long story short… Peter knew he was in the presence of deity and was afraid and humbled.

And then those immortal words… fear not, follow me and I will make you fishers of men.

Peter could not have known what that meant until Jesus gave him the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven (Mt. 16:18) and allowed him to open that wonderful door by proclaiming the Gospel message on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:41). On that day 3000 souls were baptized into the blood of Jesus Christ. The nets were breaking and the boats were sinking (figuratively) on that day’s great “catch”. Peter had become a “fisher of men”.

Jesus makes a lot of promises to us. Don’t ever under estimate Jesus and don’t ever be afraid. With just a little bit of faith he can bless you beyond your comprehension and expectations and make your house great. Just “follow” Jesus and see what happens.

Helping Beggars

There was a discussion recently on a Veterinary group email that I am a member of and one of the Veterinarians wrote the following. I was impressed and hope you will be too.

Jesus says that whatever you do for the least of these you have also done for me (Jesus).  I believe his story about the good Samaritan really reveals his heart and addresses most of the reasons I have heard for not giving.  The Samaritan found a man wounded on the side of the road.  There were two real scary possibilities as to why he was there: Robbers (maybe still in the area) had done this to him or he was faking so that he could do this to anyone who offered assistance.  The Samaritan ignored common sense and decided to help. 

He did not ask if the man qualified for food stamps or any of the criteria of the local shelter. He gave all that was necessary to care for the man through the crisis.

 

As for questioning what will be done with the money, I have no guarantee that the money I give will be used for God’s purposes whether I give to a beggar or the elders at my church.  But God never asked me to look into how the funds would be used.  He told me to give.  Each of my donees will one day answer to God for how the money was used.  God will never ask me why I gave, but He may ask why I didn’t. 

And let’s face it, God is an enabler.  There is no need for alcohol on this planet but God saw fit to put it here and continues to see fit to put it here.  Alcohol is not the problem. In fact, it can be good for you at the right dosage.  Many over dose.  That’s not the fault of alcohol, the Lord who put it here, the money that bought it or the donor of the money.  Money is not the problem.  The love of money (a money overdose so to speak) is the problem.  God is fine with you being an enabler just like He is.

   

After many years, I have come down to this:  When approached for money, I give all that is in my pocket.  Is that easy?  One day I had a $100 bill and a $20 bill in my pocket and was approached by a man as I was leaving a store.  He said he needed money for food and, if I could spare it, a few bucks for a bed at the Salvation Army.  I reached in my pocket and pulled out the $20 and handed it to him.  He was amazed by my generosity and I was ashamed of my greed.  God gave me the money and I had committed to give it to this man and had not done so.

 

I was scheduled to have my gall bladder removed in a few weeks and had three doctors telling me it was necessary.  I asked this man if he would pray for my health.  He readily agreed and wrapped his arms around me and began praying for my health.  As he prayed I was more and more convicted about the $100 bill still in my pocket hidden from this man and in plain sight of my Lord. When he said “amen” I reached in my pocket and tried to give him the $100.  At first he refused saying it was too much.  I assured him that it was not my money but God’s and that God had instructed me to give it to him.  He took the money and invited me to attend services with him at a local church the next Sunday.  I declined as I am well connected and serve at my own congregation.  The next week I had my preop appointment with my surgeon.  He checked me over and said, “there is no way I will remove your gall bladder.  I can only make you worse.”  Me: “But you said…”  Surgeon: “you have no symptoms to warrant a cholecystectomy. “ 

Jehovah's Bride

Jehovah looked out at all the nations and families of the world and chose one to be his wife. He made a contract with his bride Israel and promised her all of his blessings and favor if she would just subject herself to Him and be faithful to him by carrying out all his laws.

 

He fulfilled everything he promised even though she was not the perfect wife. And then one day his wife Israel started looking and lusting after foreign gods. She committed adultery with them and made them her lovers.  

Her husband Jehovah was incensed and angry and reminded her of her vows and reminded her of all that he had done for her, but she would not listen. After a while Jehovah decided that if his wife loved these foreign gods so much then fine… she could have them.

 

So he allowed the gods of Babylonia and Assyria to have her. They raped and abused her.

 

Jehovah still longed for his wife of old and continued to send messengers to her in an effort to change her behavior. At some point Israel took a long look at her condition and remembered how well she had it with her husband Jehovah and repented and came back to him in great sorrow.

 

Jehovah took her back and cleaned her up but had a bigger plan for her which she didn’t even begin to understand.

 

Jehovah made the ultimate sacrifice… He allowed himself to be killed to dissolve his marriage with Israel so that he could remarry her under new conditions.

 

Jehovah allowed himself to be killed by allowing the sacrifice of his Son Jesus Christ and issued the call to the whole world, including Israel, to be in an intimate relationship with him best described as a marriage. This marriage would have better laws and conditions than the first and was designed to make her better and to create a better appreciation of him as a husband.

 

The church is the bride of Christ. Jesus Christ loves and cherishes her so that she will love and cherish him and be in subjection to him. Let’s not repeat the mistakes of the first wife.