Left-handed, Left Out, & Leftovers

Posted on August 20, 2013 by chaplaincasey

Kingdom Principle: Being right in the world is not relevant

Jeremiah 1:4-10 Psalm 71:1-6 Hebrews 12:18-29 Luke 13:10-17

For some, right is right and left is wrong. But if “right”, is right in the world, then being left-out of the world is the right place to be. It is well documented many in the world have viewed being left-handed as a shortcoming and this may have been transferred from how we view right and left in religion. This is not simply about the currently cliché statement “I’m not of this world” – is goes much deeper as embracing the desire to be left-handed in a right-handed world, and stepping up to be left out. (It always amazes me the stickers of NOTW that are pasted on the $70,000 vehicles driving down the road, and how we brand ourselves with that “unique” on our clothing….Just my thoughts…) A year ago, the focus of a post was, “If it’s not Right, ask – is it relevant?  there the focus was to accept that life is not always what we expected it to be. Much like living under the unmet expectations of last week’s post. Yet from this place to know that God is just and life is not fair – therefore we must seek to know that which is relevant. This week we are pressing deeper “If is Right, ask – is it relevant? The focus now is to see that when everything is as you expected it to be – it still may not be right.  For most believers, the previous vantage point is easier to digest.  If when things are going “right” or the way we expect them to be we are quick to praise God and think I must be in the Lord’s Will. However if this is your thinking, then when things are not right you must therefore be outside of God’s will. This presents quite a problem when the life to which God has called us is not one of ease and comfort. In fact when we feel most out of control in our suffering– we have found the place where we have the greatest opportunity to let God be in control.

This is where we find Jeremiah throughout his life, God called him while he was still in the womb. (much like John the Baptist will be) Being born into the line of priests, the call of a prophet is one of confrontation and division. The priests of the time were notorious for ignoring social justice and ms-representing repentance all together. So God establishes his righteousness before his earthly father even has a chance at his rights, God declares, “Jeremiah – you are mine”… you are going to go left…. Rather than in the right ways of your father.  God delivers (pun intended) both from the womb and the worldly expectation Jeremiah from what is going to be relevant. But when God promises to deliver Jeremiah, he is not promising Jeremiah an easy life.  The Priests and other prophets will threaten to kill Jeremiah (26:8, 11), King Jehoiakim will kill Uriah for proclaiming a message similar to Jeremiah’s (26:20-23).  The people of Jeremiah’s hometown will plot to kill him (11:18-23).  Many will curse him (15:10).  He will find himself cut off from happy celebrations (15:17).  He will be placed in stocks overnight (20:1-6) and become a laughingstock (20:7).  He will be beaten and thrown in a muddy cistern (37:15-16).  He will grieve over the fate of the people who fail to listen to his warnings (9:1; 13:7; 48:32).  He will not be allowed to marry, and will be lonely.   This is not a difficult life for Jeremiah; in fact to not have this in his life is the difficult… Hear how Jeremiah captures this, “Yahweh, you have persuaded me, and I was persuaded; you are stronger than I, and have prevailed: I am become a laughing-stock all the day, every one mocks me. For as often as I speak, I cry out; I cry, Violence and destruction! because the word of Yahweh is made a reproach to me, and a derision, all the day.  If I say, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name, then there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with forbearing, and I can’t” (Jeremiah 20:7-9)

Jesus in turn blasts the Synagogue leader for being right. Yes – I said the synagogue leader was right… the focus for the time that the Jews gathered in the synagogue was to be God and His Word. Jesus was putting the focus on the woman and the healing brought the attention to him… (Theologically I can argue that Jesus is the Word and the focus remained on God) but look, this synagogue leader was doing the right thing. He was protecting the sanctity of the worship in the synagogue… much like if someone stood up in the church today and wanted to hold a public debate about how the church has wronged them the elders/rulers of the church would kindly (I hope) escort him outside to have the discussion or simply remove him from the church. And the “worship service” would continue. The blast by Jesus is that “you” who do what is right for your ox or donkey.. but not for this daughter of Abraham are wrong.  Untie her from Satan! This may not feel right, but if you do not – you are the ones left out of the Kingdom of God.

As Jeremiah addresses above – to choose what is “right” in the world rather than the calling of God, is like having fire shooting in his bones. This fire will come for God is a consuming fire.  Jesus came to baptize with fire (Matt. 3:11-12, Luke 12:49-50) It is not a fire that destroys, but rather gives life. The fire that destroys is of the earth, the fire that gives life is of heaven.  Therefore receive the fire from the kingdom of heaven that cannot be shaken.

Okay – getting practical!

1. When is the last time you heard God calling you? If you are not hearing God, then you must learn to see the signs. Those who are not hearing God will be more likely to follow the “right” path as offered by the world. For it will seem only right to do what is “right”. Therefore what does approval mean to you? How do you get it? Who do you long for it from?

2. Are you set apart (sanctified) by God – this means you view your life as Holy. If you are set apart, then you can not be in competition with what else God has set apart. Meaning – the Sabbath is to be set a part, that is why it is to be honored (Duet 5:11) and if you are set apart, the Sabbath is not more holy than you, nor is anything that is set-apart by God.  Make a list of the areas of your life where you are aware of their Holiness(set apart) as being more than others. Now ask the relevance of this set-a-part-ness of these areas. Why do you deem them to be more holy and be sure it is not because of something that you are adding to rather than because of God declaring it Holy.

3. Finally – In what ways to you need deliverance? It may be spiritually it may be physically… but try to think holistically about….  Focus on the question – is there any aspect of your life where you feel ashamed? It is God desire that this not be – therefore seek the Lord as you Rock.

Posted in After Pentecost, Year C | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Smothering Mothers with Expectations

Posted on August 13, 2013 by chaplaincasey

Kingdom Principle: The King sets our course; the servants set the race pace.

Isaiah 5:1-7 Psalm 80:1-2, 8-19 Hebrews 11:29-12:2 Luke 12:49-56

Expectant mother receive a promise… they are pregnant and the “signs” point to giving birth to a child. While this hope is yet to culminate, (the deposit is complete- hope is rooted in the past) a “good” mother begins to adjust their life pointing forward to the day that their expectancy will be fulfilled in the coming of the child. However, even before the child has arrived, things can begin to switch and instead of expectancy, all sorts of expectations are placed on the mother (and father). Those expectations can actually smother the mother into grief and sorrow, believing that they can’t do it. There is something truly life giving about living in expectancy verses under the burden of expectations. How do we live in the hope of expectancy verses the burden of expectations? Life is to be lived without being smothered with expectations which kill our faith.

Is Jesus meeting your expectations? Are you meeting the expectations of Jesus? The realities of these questions direct us to failure and disappointment. But I believe that questions like; what is your expectancy when trusting God? What kind of expectancy does Jesus hold for you? Are questions that will lead us to love and acceptance.  Is this simply word play or is there truly something to this….? These second questions open the door of hope to live a life of faith.

On 9/13/11 I wrote “Expectations cause us to compromise the Peace & prosperity we have received from God in the Kingdom of Heaven.” Today’s post, picks up that concept and builds on what I wrote and a year ago… “Kingdom Servants are to enjoy peace and prosperity as a way of life.” (9.18.12). But this must not be interpreted without the clarification given on 10.2.12, Justice and Righteousness supersede Peace & Prosperity as a way of life. Because of this understanding we addressed the reason why all relationships are renewed through the lens of religious covenant and rights with God. To live in covenant is to live in expectancy, this is life based on a promise that was made. To live in control is based on expectations, feeling the burden of failure rather than the call of love and grace. It is this experience which redefines our expectations when it comes to being in relationship with God. When we incorrectly understand or view who God is – we end up with Unmet Expectations. This began in the Garden, and continues on today. I began to address some of our misconceptions of God in our pursuit to be WITH God. When we approach God in these ways (From, Over, For, & Under) we end up living with Insecurity, Loneliness, Hopelessness, & Irritability (respectively).  God’s expectancy for us is a life of Celebration, Salvation, & Reconciliation (found on the path of life). This week our focus is on the unmet expectations that plague God’s people and Jesus unwavering stance to clarify the very expectancy of the Father, rather than to be burdened by the expectations of the world. (Matt. 11:28-29)

The passage of Isaiah pictures beautifully both visually and poetically the unmet expectations of God–First, is the imagery of a Vineyard owner (Husbandry – John 15) who diligently prepares the land and vineyard for prosperity, yet it only produces sour grapes. But further poetically, in Verse 7 it is clear that God was looking for justice, but found only bloodshed, and in looking for righteousness He found cries of distress. In Hebrew (the original written language) there is only one letter difference between the words justice and bloodshed, and again one letter variance between righteousness and cries of distress. So while God was looking for one thing, from a distance the people may have said, “it’s not so far off”, but when you look closely it is the furthest thing from his desire.  A sentence in English that demonstrates this is: God’s justice prevents brokenness, Israel perverts justice in brokenness. Further…. Israel’s form of Justice is far from Justice.

How do we remove unmet expectations? I believe the roots of our unmet expectations are all established in relationships (God, self & others). Overcoming or removing them is also found in relationships of Grace and Truth.  The text this week in Luke demonstrates Jesus unwavering commitment to grace and truth. As set out above, while peace is to abound in the life of a Kingdom servant, it is not the highest pursuit of faithfulness or righteousness. Many Christians do not expect Jesus to say, “I did not come to bring peace, but a division.” We think he doesn’t really mean that, yet it is further clarified in that he has come to bring fire to the earth, and that this division will tear apart families much like a fire can burn down a house. This suffering and trials of life is not new to those who follow the King of Kings… those who are the heroes of Faith faced such a life; death by stoning, being sawed in two, killed by sword (Hebrews 11) etc…. this life was a pursuit of happiness, yet it remained a life crowned by joy and celebration marked by thanksgiving. For us today – to be heroes of faith – we must fix our eyes on Jesus, trusting in the hope of the resurrection. (Both His and ours) We do this by throwing off everything that hinders us and the sin that so easily entangles us. (Hebrews 12) That which hinders us – is anything that slows us down while we are running the race course, set for us by the King. The pace that we run will be determined by weight we bear and the sin that entangles. Throwing off sin that entangles maybe easier to see, while things that hinder are not such obvious sin, they are simply accumulation of this world. . (Greed and Idolatry cause us to accumulate and value that which hinders us in the race.) Another way to look at that which hinders us is anything that gives us peace or prosperity which does not hold value in the Kingdom.

This is where Jesus’ message gets to division… if your family members do not value and invest their lives in the Kingdom of God – they must not be allowed to place expectations on you. (This does not mean you “cut them off” or else God would do well to cut us off.) Rather we are to highly value the kingdom that any expectations they have fail to control our lives. This is a life of long-suffering and prayer. Not all expectations of your family are to be tossed, but review the difference between power and authority.  We are to remain in relationship with our families – living out our authority, but drawing only from the power of King rather than being drawn to the power of our earthly families.  So in general anything which causes you to deviate from living into the expectancy of the King we are to identify as a threat to our freedom.  I call this expectancy the basic building blocks of life They are: Listening – intimately in the Presence of the King; Living – identified by the Principles of the Kingdom; Loving – inspired for the Purposes of Kingship. Everything in this blog is about coming along side you on this journey. I hope in the Power of Jesus Name to confronting the chaos of your life which leaves its mark you your life causing Insecurity, Loneliness, Hopelessness, & Irritability.

Posted in After Pentecost, Year C | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

God doesn’t tell knock-knock jokes or ding-dong ditch

Posted on August 7, 2013 by chaplaincasey

Kingdom Principle:  Faithful actions are anchored in hope not religious repetition.

Isaiah 1:1, 10-20

Psalm 50:1-8, 22-23

Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16

Luke 12:32-40

Knock, Knock…. Who’s there?  It’s Jesus.  Jesus who? You see that’s the problem.  When people forget who Jesus is, or simply disregard Him all together you know things are not going to turn out well. Further,  Did you hear about the boys that rang the door bell at the heaven’s gate  and ran away (ding-dong ditch)? – When found later, they said “they were lost”. (Terrible jokes) But both take you through the motions of getting to a punch line, only to be disappointed.  This is where God finds himself when looking at the motions of his people as they perform their religious rites and rituals. It is not the rite or ritual which is the problem it is that once they go through the motions, God is left thinking this is not funny – in fact it is not a laughing matter.

We are just over half way into the season called After Pentecost – This season is also called ordinary time which moves from Pentecost (end of  Spring)until Advent (beginning of Winter).  We began in Luke with stories of faith and the power of healing  that takes place in faith. The last few weeks in Luke:  We looked at right actions verses self-righteous attitudes (Good Samaritan, Mary & Martha), and that prayer is the only true righteous action. Then Last week we saw that being rich toward God is contrary to being rich in the world.  

The last few months in the Epistles: We began in Galatians (2:16) discovering that the law cannot save, rather we are justified only by Faith.  In Colossians (2:6-7) it was made clear that true life is found only in true faith in Christ.  Now in Hebrews, the questions is being posed, “Do you have this true faith?”

We saw in the lives of the Prophets of Amos and Hosea that the people of the Israel, did not live a life of faith in Yahweh, rather they turned to their possessions and that which possessed them for comfort and control abusing and neglecting the poor and needy. Now we arrive at the most major of Prophets – Isaiah – and the attention is turned to Jerusalem, to which her deeds are said to be worse than Sodom and Gomorrah. This city is the navel of the earth, the center of God’s activity and dwelling place of His People, yet while they perform their religions duties, their hearts have gone away from the LORD.  

This week’s lesson brings all this to the surface and declares that God is in no need of man’s empty actions, or self-righteous deeds and religious rites and deeds. God does not need the blood of bulls or the meat of calves, rather he declares “sell these possessions and give to those who are in need”. It is not the Law that saves. Therefore, Learn to do right, seek justice, take up the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow…. Be willing and obedient to come before the Lord with thankfulness and acknowledge all that he has done and continues to do in this world. If you do not testify to this, God will call the heavens and earth themselves to testify against you for your selfish ways.  A previous Kingdom principle is that obedience will get you to the door of the Kingdom, but submission is required for it to open. This is a must read post! This week we encounter in the texts, that God is not interested in knock-knock jokes and he is tires of those who ding-dong ditch.  Meaning – if you are constantly stand at the door, knocking for it to open, but refusing to enter or running away when the door is opened God will hold you accountable for such actions.

We are to live and walk by faith. (Habakkuk 2:4, 2 Cor. 5:7, 2 Tim. 4:7) We are to step into the unknown and trust in God’s provision and protection.  Faith anchored in a hope that God will keep his promise (covenant) to his People.  Therefore we seek not to dwell on this earth, but to be aliens and strangers in this land, knowing that our true citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20) and that our hope which is in Christ’s return is our true comfort.  We are to long for the Father’s control, and our call is to dwell and abide in Him (John 15:1-15).

Last week we established that Greed is Idolatry that destroys our lives. Idolatry places “I” at the center of all things, rather than worshiping and serving God, I elevate myself.  Faith is the means by which a God’s people experience His Grace .  (Ephesians 2:1-10) It is our faith that makes wide the portal of heaven to come to earth. Faith is not passive acceptance; it is radical attentiveness and constant readiness for action. This faith is not an exchange of goods; it is in itself the reward of this life, and assurance of what we are yet to see.  Yet it is not our faith alone that saves us, (James 2:19)nor is it our faith which carries us forward – it is our hope upon which our faith it built.

It is my hope that we are on the same page, and I will walk by faith that God will help you navigate this road ahead. Today – Imagine with me – that you were being called into a court of law that is pressing charges against you that you are Not a Christian. (Because in this scenario it is against the law not to be Christian…) What would be your line of defense to refute these charges – Proving yourself a Christian?

Make a list proving your Christianity….

Now imagine the following things as not counting for any worth on your list….

Going to Church, Prayer, Tithing, attending Bible Study, or any list of actions to which you can’t prove to others your heart’s motivation. This was the charge of God against His people because they did all these actions, going through the motions, but forgetting God completely in the process.

Now make a case proving your faith…. (Not about what you believe, but rather, how what you believe is demonstrated in your life. The book “A case for faith” by Lee Strobel is a great book about why you believe, what you believe. But here I am asking you to take it a step further –What is the So What?) Can  you demonstrate that which it true in your heart, not your knowledge, not your actions, simply your heart?  According to Hebrews that which actually demonstrates faith, is that Abraham and Sarah (and others) did not even receive the things they were promised, and their actions did not actually produce what they imagined they get.  (Think though sharing this as your defense – I never got what I expected and I am yet to see what God has promised….)

One more step  – because that last question is really hard, instead of pointing to your faith, make a list of your hope. This expresses why you have faith…  What is your hope in Christ?

 Notice the differences between this list and the list you used to defend your Christianity. What differences do you see? What Does God see when he looks as you?

Posted in After Pentecost, Year C | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Sex, Success & Stuff -Greed Sucks!

Posted on July 30, 2013 by chaplaincasey

Kingdom  Principle: Greed sucks the life out of you, thanksgiving expresses your abundance.

Hosea 11:1-11 Psalm 107:1-9, 43 Colossians 3:1-11 Luke 12:13-21

The reality is that greed will never stop sucking… like a black-hole, greed sucks everything unto itself until it eventually consumes itself.  While I am not an expert on space, gravity or science in general, I do know that you cannot escape a black hole, by feeding it or running away from it….  It is like trying to control our flesh or earthly nature – it cannot be done, the flesh must be crucified (Gal. 5:24)– totally destroyed or else its roots will again bear the fruit of this world.

The answer given this week in the text is that Thanksgiving is counter-part to Greed. Both seek abundance, greed consumes possessions and passions, thanksgiving confesses grace and truth. But you don’t simply wake up and start to be thankful when you have led a life of greed. Let us first discover how deep the roots of greed runs, then how to foster a life of thanksgiving so that we don’t fall into the never satisfied gravity of greed again.

First: Greed is never satisfied – it just keeps accumulating.  There are many expressions of greed. Greed is closely associated with idolatry, because greed places you as the god at the center of all things. The 10 Commandments bookend with revoking idolatry and greed: Thou shall have no other god’s before me and Thou shall not covet. (Exodus 20:3,17)  Greed is a root that thrives in the soil of a wicked heart, where greed is allowed to continue the heart become more wicked. Greed is a sin of excess.  Greed is expressed outwardly in many forms…. The chief sinful expression of greed in the body is sexual immorality. Gluttony and Lust are included in the 7 deadly sins with greed at their root. The chief sinful expression of greed in the soul is impurity of mind and emotion. Wrath and Envy are included in the 7 deadly sins with greed at their root.  Sexual immorality includes anything that “feeds” the desires of the body including but not limited to adultery and homosexuality, pornography to prostitution. Beware any prideful stance (another one of the 7 deadly sins) to speak of sexual immorality as detestable things that  others do (as opposed to you) for this road is paved by generations of individuals who are arrogant, overfed and unconcerned with the needs of the poor. (Ezekiel 16:49) It is for this reason that Sodom was destroy and  we find the focus of the Hosea passage resolving the issues of Israel’s greed. Impurity includes anything that “feeds” the desires of the soul this is often expressed as lustful passion and evil desires.  It is for this reason that the love of money is declared to be the roots of all kinds of evil. (1 Tim. 6:10) This is the focus of the Luke passage. Yet as we connected last week – God established his Covenant with his people, and Coveting while violating the relational rights, does not destroy the promise.  Adam’s sin was rooted in greed, in that the fruits of the tree were seen as pleasing to sight… (Gen. 2:9, 3:6) the act of being seen as pleasing and desirable is the root of greed. Will you live out based on God’s will or succumb to your wants….  I want, I want, I want it now – regardless of the cost.

While Greed always accumulates, Thanksgiving need ever stop – it just keeps appreciating. (there is certainly a word play on the word appreciate, speaking both of the increased of value of an asset as well as unpacked in the 2LAF approach to listening and relationships.) Since greed is taking more than you need or require, the way to eradicate greed is by re-establishing what your needs are. This is captured in Col. 3 as by being raised with Christ and setting you hearts on things above. In this our old ways (flesh or sin nature) is taken off, and the new self is renewed in the image of Christ. The LORD satisfies and fills the one who is wise and ponders the loving deeds of the God. (Ps. 107:8-9, 43)

The Church of Acts understood the solution to being overcome with greed, the tangible outcome was they sold their possession and gave to those who had a need and were filled with thanksgiving. (Acts 2:42-46) The rich man whom Jesus spoke of in the parable today completely missed it. He obsessed in his abundance, and attempted to store it away for later, yet never saw  the purpose of his labor or his live. What are we to do today?

First let me clarify that ownership of possessions is not the demise…. ownership by possessions is the derailment.  When your possessions and passions own you, your flesh is your master.  Therefore if you can’t tithe for fear of the bills that will come, or working so hard to make the money you need, that you have no time to talk with a neighbor are forms ownership by possessions. Your stuff owns you, not the other way around….  Take 10 minutes and walk around your house,  look at what you own, and what emotionally or financially owns you. (Anything that you are in debt with on owns you, as well as possessions that you can’t bear to part with from a certain outfit to heirlooms) And since no one can serve two masters (Luke 16:13) we must declare to the world in whom do we trust. There is no real security in wealth, but there is wealth in real security.  Trusting in the provision of the LORD is the only true security. Real security is discovered by being satisfied in God’s deliverance.  If you read all of Psalm 107 you discover the pattern, either you are thankful for what you have in God, or you are focused on what you want, which leads to rebellion and suffering. To which God will intervene for His love endures forever, and he will reject his Covenant.  Yet this intervention is not always pleasant, and often it is a painful reminder of the selfish coveting/greedy choices you have made and the consequences that follow. Discovering that the Lord has not left you but delivered you always bring an expression of thanksgiving.

Let’s make it simple: Stewardship and Generosity root out Greed… which is marked by Thanksgiving.

Stewardship is the call to manage, invest and leverage all that God has made you a steward (manager) of…. In this a true steward know and declares, none of this is mine, (this includes your children, your work, your success or your failure) but I have been entrusted to its care and use.  Stewardship is a call to Obedience.  (Luke 16 & Matthew 25)

Generosity is the call to give, distribute and bless using all that God has place at your disposal. In this God is the giver and you are the steward, your must constantly check-in with the Holy Spirit to know how much and to whom to give, but your call is not to first meet your own needs, but rather trust in God to be your shepherd and care taker.  And in the same way God calls you to do the same for your brother or sister. Generosity is a call to Compassion.  (Luke 14:12-34, 21:1-4, Matthew 20:1-16)

May Stewardship and Generosity become your redeemed story to tell.

Posted in After Pentecost, Year C | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

Renewed Religion

Posted on July 25, 2013 by chaplaincasey

Updated 7/22/16

Kingdom Principle: Relationships have Rights, Religion has Rules….

Christianity is a religion that redefines your rights based on the rule of the King.

Hosea 1:2-10 Psalm 85 Colossians 2:6-15, (16-19) Luke 11:1-13

The lectionary texts this week are rooted in the rights of a relationship.  But I don’t want you to confuse that with the often quoted ,yet in-effective quip “Christianity is not a religion it is a relationship. The relationships that are addressed this week are ones which establish rights that lead you to a deeper understanding of the rule of God.

If you can take the time, read these past blogs to lay a foundation for the Kingdom principle of this week. The kingdom is constantly in motion (the concepts of flow & favor in relationships) posted May 3, 2013 Knowing God’s purpose gives us our purpose (the concepts of covenant and relationship) posted July 16, 2012 Justice & Righteousness supersede Peace & Prosperity  (the concept of how under God’s rule you don’t always get what you deserve) posted Oct. 2 2012.

It’s the time of year where over 30 new relationships are formed in my life in a matter of less than a week. This infusion of expectations, associations, complications, and exchanges is compliments of A.Y.S.O. – as I am the coach of my three boys – so in one week, 30 plus families will enter a “contract” relationship with me for the next 3 months. These relationships are not personal… I have not chosen then, with the exception of maybe one or two, nor did they choose me. However, I have a role to play and so do they. If we all fulfill the roles and expectation then our relationship will be successful, if we do not – it can fail.  I used to think, that if I was a great coach, and went out of my way to love the players, serve the parents, it would result in building outstanding relationships with these new families. My hope was not a secret, I desired to maintain these relationships as a witness for Christ, beyond the soccer season. I can not say who is watching from a distance, but I can say that in over 5 years of this year infusion, I can count the number of families that we are in regular social contact is less than 5….  The reality is that we entered into a contract for 3 months and once that contract is fulfilled, the relationship is optional. God does not enter contracts, he established Covenants.

Many believers attempt to live in relationship with God based on a contract understanding….  Where both parties have obligations to perform duties and expectations to fulfill and if someone breaches the contract then the relationship is nullified. It is for this reason, that I no longer see Christianity as a relationship rather than a religion. The current view of relationships is so fractured and weakened that to defend the faith as a relationship is no longer a cultural advantage.  (I’m not going to take the time to defend this, but a few minutes  on social media and understanding texting as a form or communication, further David Kinnaman has de-mystified why 20-somethings are no longer getting married, finding careers, moving out or buying homes and having children… and you can read another excellent article  on religion vs. relationship  …)  The modern view (coming out of the 60’s & 70’s) of religion is that it is a set of rules and regulations establishing a life of do’s and don’ts in order to earn your way to heaven.  This lead evangelicals to establish and separate Christianity as distinct from other religions….  While I get this thinking, I have also over the years of increased community relationships, come to engage regularly with Hindus and Muslims, Agnostics and Atheists…. I am yet to meet anyone of faith or even without faith who is anti-relationships when it comes to how they approach God and faith. Meaning that those who are practicing religion are doing so in a relational way.  (There is a truly long tangent emerging here…. Let me return to topic)

Covenant is a relationship that can not be broken; it can be violated, but again not broken.  Covenant is an aspect of Religion. While I have said elsewhere that Covenant establishes authority that is based in relationship, the Covenant itself is not simply a relationship it operates like a religion. I think people today are crying out for religion, because relationships are failing often and terribly in so many aspects of their lives. I think this is a deeper source of contention to the debate on same-sex marriage, (another tangent) and the reality of a divorce rate being greater than 50%)  To the texts this week:

Hosea is called by God in to a covenant relationship with Gomer…. It is not the relationship alone that validates it is the Covenant or else the names of those children would not be so grievous…. In Psalm 85 we see that God is in relationship with the land as much as the people. This relationship with the land, goes beyond the people that dwell on the land but includes them based on the Covenant.  In Luke we see the concept of prayer and community…. the underlying principle being presented by Jesus is just how foolish it would be not to lean into and trust the relationship that can not be broken, that is the Covenant  relationship of the Holy Spirit. So ask, seek and knock – the door will be open. In Colossians, Paul establishes the foundations of this covenant. It is here that we can get lost theologically, then be tempted to simply the religion into a set of steps or “water down”  the relationship, saying “All you need is to be forgiven by God, and all you have to do is ask”.  Rather – here  I want to see that we need to enter into the fullness of the relationship, and Paul shows us the bookends of the relationship in verses 13-15. Forgiveness and Heaven. This is the doorway of Christianity as a relationship, but the door was intended to be entered, not simply monitored.  To be in relationship with God is to be forgiven, and to be in relationship to bring heaven to earth.  If we see this as the need to be in relationship, then we leave everything else as a matter of choice. The Covenant bridges the gap and fills in the process between the bookend, or helps you to walk on the other side of the door.  The Covenant is found in the Psalm – Love and Faithfulness, Righteousness and Peace… these concepts are to rule your life – these aspects are the backbone of True religion. In previous generations– religion was outcast as information, while relationships were to be sought as important, however today religion is being rediscovered as intriguing and relationships are being sought which are intimate.  The true intimacy of being in relationship with the King is found in the religion of Christianity, which redefines all relationships.  To overcome the pressures and challenges of this life you are going to need to be rooted and built up in Christ, knowing him as Lord (religion) then you will overflow with thanksgiving enjoying the relationship with him which is intimate.

God’s Covenant relationship is based on a religious paradigm of do’s and don’ts. This Covenant is upheld by God’s faithfulness, yet if we are unfaithful then we will not enjoy the fruit of the relationship. God’s Kingdom has come and redeemed all things that are covered by his rule and reign. This again is a religious understanding of right standing.  In fact, in this right standing anything you ask for is granted…

This week –

Take account of your relationships…. Who are you in relationship with? Who have you lost contact with? With whom are you in relationship that does not share your faith perspective?

Take account of your religion…. The Bible calls us to practice Religion that God considers pure and faultless (James 1:27)… this is to look after orphans  and widows and to keep ourselves from being polluted by the world.   How else do you practice religion – is attending Sunday service religious for you, do you pray religiously…. If not why not? Is there something that sets your relationship with God apart from every other relationship? If so how would you explain that to another?

Posted in After Pentecost, Year C | Tagged , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Diarrhea of the mouth

Posted on July 18, 2013 by chaplaincasey

Updated 7/12/16

Kingdom Principle: Leading with your ears is thwarted by your mouth

Amos 8:1-12 Psalm 52 Colossians 1:15-28 Luke 10:38-42

James 1:19 says that we are to be quick to listen and slow to speak…. Over the last two weeks we have focused our efforts on being quick to listen, this week we focus on being slow to speak.  If you have read the Gospels , this concept is not new when encountering the power of Jesus, however it is rarely understood or applied.  There have been many explanations as to why Jesus told many of those he healed and his disciples not to tell others what he had done or that he was as the messiah.  (Mark 3:12, 5:43, 8:30; Luke 8:56, 9:21, Matt 8:1-4, 16:20, John 7:1-5) The most erroneous explanation came early in the 1900’s called the Messianic Secret stating that Jesus himself did not know that he was the messiah and therefore he wanted to keep his “power” or messiah features a secret. The more common and contemporary explanations range from theological explanations of God’s desire to conceal the truth from the “wise” not wanting the plans of God to be revealed before their time, to the need for Jesus to conceal his power so that people did not rush to him for healing, or for political revolution. These might  cause Jesus’ fame to become so great that he would not be crucified as a criminal. But let us not forget that Jesus is the very image of the invisible God… in this there is no act of concealing, rather the act is revealing. It is for this revelation that Jesus was sent to dwell on earth with humanity.  The reasons given above are selfish and fearful, neither of which are in line with the Character of God.  As I presented in the last post, leading with your ears is an act of love.  Therefore could it be… just maybe…? That Jesus was telling his disciples and those he healed to lead with their ears… by telling them to close their mouths. The reality is the thing that most prevents you from leading with your ears is your mouth.

Abraham Lincoln said it well, “It is better to remain silent and thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt.”  Keeping your mouth shut, gives you a fighting chance to win over those who seek to destroy you.  Those who are rooted in the Spirit will use the power of the tongue to proclaim hope, but as we, this week we see in Amos that Israel brought about their own judgment by saying….  We care not for the poor and needy, nor do we care for the feasts and festivals of God. God reminds them of their frailty and desire to be in control while they refuse to listen to God. Therefore he says, I will speak to you no longer, “a famine of hearing the words of the Lord” will come because you do not listen to me. They are quick with their mouths and slow with their ears – the exact opposite of what James proclaims.  The Psalm is more direct, with regards the tongue,  saying those plot destruction and do not turn to God as their stronghold seek to destroy others with their tongues (the same root word in verse 2 &7). Finally and explain of leading with your ears or opening your mouth is found in an even more debated and in my opinion often misunderstood passage is the story of Martha and Mary.  Is this a passage about the elevation of the role of women as disciples? (for Mary sat at his feet, a place reserved for men) Is this a passage to highlight our need to “be” and not “do”? (for Mary choose what is better to sit and not be busy as Martha did) Is this a passage to demonstrate that service is good, but it must be done at the right time or that we all must discover our gifts? (for Martha was merely fulfilling her call to service and Mary was still discovering her call) Regardless of the potential truths in all the above… what is revealed through the lectionary this week is that when Martha opens her mouth she fails to lead with her ears, in fact, she goes so far as to become the instructor of the Lord, telling him what to do and say.  If Martha never opens her mouth, how does the story unfold, we will never know – This is not to say that we are to simply “shut up and stuff our frustrations” rather we discover that when your mouth open, your ears are closed.  Martha may very well have been listening to the message of Jesus, but look back as last week’s errors in listening. Martha made them all. (I confess, I had never connected what I wrote as the errors of listen with this passage, but now the connection established. I was simply not listening as well as I needed to be.) Each of Martha’s errors line up with the errors of listing with one’s mind, emotion or will, rather than being rooted or anchored and listening in the Spirit. Being distracted is revealed when listening with your mind, being worried or anxious is revealed when listening with your emotions, and being upset or irritated is revealed when listening with your will.

To close this week, another quote by Saint Francis of Assisi, “”It is no use walking anywhere to preach, unless your walking is our preaching.”  If the leper suffers for having a disease, how much more does the healed leper suffer when they proclaim they made whole and no one cares or worse wishes them to be ill again. These are wounds of the soul, mind will and emotion.  Let us have no need to proclaim the flesh, rather let it be crucified, let us walk in the power of the Spirit. Let our walking be our preaching, know that this does not silence us, rather it empowers us to lead with our ears and respond with our heart. This certain man who was a Samaritan (last week) and this certain woman who sat at the feet of Jesus lived a life of Love;  one in action and contemplation,  one male and female, one Gentile and Jew, both leading with their ears….. Jesus is revealing his reconciliation of all things. Paul declares that it is God how has chosen to make known the glorious riches of this mystery, not him.  He and we are to disciple and teach others so that all are mature in Christ, let us learn to do so by closing our mouths and opening our ears.

This week when you have the desire to tell someone something that you know to be true, or good advice, seek to lead with your ears rather than your mouth.

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Lobes of Love

Posted on July 8, 2013 by chaplaincasey

Updated 7/8/16

Kingdom Principle: Leading with your Ears is act of Love

Amos 7:7-17 Psalm 82 Colossians 1:1-14 Luke 10:25-37

While your brain is divided into four lobes and your heart has four chambers… the true lobes of love are those of your ears. Last week we spelled out the first three steps of 2LAF (Listen, Accept, Forgiven)…. And if you do not move through this means of listening to the Spirit then it is as if your ears are filled with mountains of ear wax.  And yes, the LORD can melt that mountain. (Ps. 97:5) But this is not about having lovely lobes, it is how we use those lobes to love others. We are called to Love with our ears.

Last week we focused on the anchor of the Holy Spirit and our listening to God. (Our own acceptance and forgiveness takes root in us here.) This week we will see that in listening to God, we will better able to Love, Appreciate and Forgive others as the LORD leads.  This may be look like the work of the Good Samaritan or the bold Proclamation of Amos. (The best example will be next week in Mary) But it is never from a pedestal or prideful stance, rather it returns us to the acts of a Kingdom ServantLeader.  It is our calling and anchoring of the Spirit of God which motivates love to be a gift given away. We are confronted this week with texts of Judgment. This blog will enter from a perspective that in order for the one being judged to hear the words spoken to them, there must be a relationship established. The Lord tells Amos… “these are my people, yet I will spare them no longer”. The reality is that before the of the words judgement can be delivered… the giver must learn to 2LAF before they seek to speak. This again is why we must first lead with our ears.   In this way we are able to listen to the thoughts and questions behind the spoken question and we remain anchored when someone does something that we presume is stupid or ridiculous – when what you (in your flesh) really want to do is blast them with your opinion, rather than giving them the message of the Lord. As my listening coach (and author of the book recommended last week) says, “listening creates a bridge – that enables the other person to hear you at the “right” times. That right time is when you have earned the “right” to speak as the Lord leads you, not simply as you see it fit.” When we answer another’s problem or give the solution to their situation – it often makes us feel powerful. This power makes it all that much harder for us to die to self. Here we substitute power for authority.

Here’s the problem – Jesus was fully anchored – all the time…. I (and maybe you too) however need some work in this area. Listening as an act of Love is the work we need.  As the Expert/Teacher of the Law asked Jesus a question, Jesus replies with a question to clarify what is being asked. This is further developed as Jesus  appreciates the exchange and the answer that the expert gives. There is no offense or call for the other to defend their question. To this then Jesus teaches by telling a story- again letting the Spirit bring the revelation and truth rather than Jesus needing to show His wisdom or power. With Amos, twice previous to this week’s text, the Scriptures point out that Amos wants God to relent on the judgment against Israel, but here in the third vision, Amos gets it.  But before blasting Israel in Judgment, Amos listens to what Amaziah says and summarizes his words and clarifies the thought so that Amaziah might hear the word of the LORD. This effort of listening creates the bridge so that the intended message is received rather than reacting to Amos as the messenger. This act of listening seeks to appreciate the person and the perspective from which they are coming from.  I personally have failed much in this regard, because for many years I appreciated myself and my wisdom to fix others rather than appreciating the person to whom I was bringing my (Gods’) truth. I was there to declare the truth, rather than to lead with my ears. (Praise God this is dying in me…) The act of leading with your ears is only possible if “I” decrease and the presence of Jesus increases. Remember it is the Spirit which brings conviction, it is the Spirit which teaches, it is the Spirit which comforts, advocates and guides us to truth…. (These were the roots of the rather than the fruit of the Spirit. John 16:8 – bring conviction, John 14:26, 16:13 – guide to truth, Luke 12:12 – teach what to say, Romans 8:26 – help in weakness, Philippians 3:3 – lead us in worship, Galatians 5:25 – move us with confidence.) Yet how often do we get caught up in trying to say the right words and thinking that we must demonstrate God’s truth…. Let us have lovely lobes and lead with our ears.

2 LAF (listen, accept, forgiven, LOVE, APPRECIATE, FORGIVE) is the act of leading with your ears. Yet again all too often we place the emphasis of leading as an act of our mouth. Paul spells out in Colossians the results rootedness of the Spirit; Bear Fruit of Spirit, Growth in Knowledge, Strengthen in power, Increased endurance & patience, thankful living. These results will be markers by which the world around us will be able to know what it “sounds” like 2LAF. But they are not dependent on our words. As St. Francis Assisi is often quoted, “preach the gospel at all times, using words when necessary.”

Listening is the Key to Relationships: 2LAF is the means to enjoying Relationships. Below is an outline helping you to see common errors in listening with your mind, will or emotions rather than with your spirit.

Listening with your mind – reveals you are distracted

Our Error is to:
__Think__    of your response while they speak

__Assume_    you know what they mean

__React__    to one thing you heard them say

__Pretend_    you care or have time if you don’t

Listening with your will – leaves you irritated

Our Error is to:
__Solve____   the other person’s problems

__Share____   similar experiences to empathize

__Minimizing_   their problems for the positive

__Attempt_   to will them to do anything

Listen with your emotion  – increases your anxiety

Our Error is to :
__Express_   your personal concerns, wants and outcome

__Miss__   their non-verbal’s  and history

__Exaggerate__   emotion and emphasis of words

__Fear _   that acceptance of the person equals agreement

Listen with your spirit–  be slow to speak

Our Goals are to:
Acknowledge   another person

__Accept__   another person    (Receive with Respect)

__Appreciate__   another person   (Recognize with Gratitude. )

__Bless___   another person

 

Listen – we are sent into the world as listeners, because the Lord has listened to us

Accept – we are sent into the world to accept, because the Lord has accepted us

Forgiven – we are sent into the world as forgiven, because the Lord as forgiven us

Love – we are sent into the world to love, because the Lord loves the world

Appreciate – we are sent into the world to appreciate, because the Lord appreciates the world

Forgive – we are sent into the world to forgive, because the Lord forgives the world

Posted in After Pentecost, Year C | Tagged , , , , , , | 13 Comments

What the?

Posted on July 1, 2013 by chaplaincasey

Updated 6/28/16

Kingdom Principle:  You must be anchored in the Spirit or you will be blown by the world.

2 Kings 5:1-14 Psalm 30 Galatians 6:(1-6), 7-16 Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

How often do you hear something only to have to ask, “what did you say?” because you truly were not listening. In this week’s text, Elisha can say to Naaman, “I heard you but I’m not listening to you – because  – I am listening to the Spirit of God.” The passages this week draw to the surface the power of listening.  This post and next week will serve as a climatic summary of the posts over the last couple of months focusing on Kingdom Servant Leaders and Anointing.  The Goal of the next two weeks is that we will learn 2LAF. (pronounced “to laugh”) This teaching was given to me my friend Chuck Miller and covers only 2 pages of his wonderful comprehensive (350 pages) study of spiritual leadership and discipleship.

Who has listened to you? Who has accepted you? Who has forgiven you? The person who has fulfilled these three roles in your life has given you a great gift. This lays the foundation of a relationship with you. If you will not listen to someone, that relationship will struggle to grow. Yet even if you do listen to them, but live in judgment over them rather than acceptance, the relationship will never be one of intimacy and joy. While relationships are initiated by listening, there must an  two way engagement of the information. This exchange in healthy relationships will be in an acceptance of each other’s identity.  However acceptance is not the same as approval. This acceptance is to embrace one’s reality with respect, not to judge or to evaluate.. This is not “to hate the sin, but love the sinner”, rather is to see the person regardless of sin or label and know that not one of us is perfect. To declare approval or potentially dis-approval is to have completed the judgement. This is vulnerability is only possible for those who themselves have accepted their imperfections. What must follow in this relationship is the freedom of forgiveness.

Has God listened to you? Accepted you? Forgiven you? If so you are in relationship with Him. God hears my cry while I am yet a sinner and His enemy; yet he covers my sin and shame and pronounces me forgiven. (Romans 5:8-11) In this God accepts me for who I am and the sin which once separates now catapults me into a relationship. It is through the act of being forgiven that all barriers are removed. What is more is that God has fully offered this forgiveness prior to my even asking. So the key to this relationship is my acceptance of my need, and the receiving of the gift that God has given me.  This is where the listening must begin, and when we see the beauty of this relationship we can’t help but 2LAF.

LISTEN, ACCEPT, FORGIVEN  – are the first three steps L.A.F.

The first three steps in the relationship are about one’s awareness of themselves. First, I open my ears, then, I open my arms and finally I open my eyes. To open ones ears, a person must be grounded and anchored in the truth of the Holy Spirit. When I am dependent on the other person’s approval or my need to be loved, then my listening will be corrupted. When we open our arms to receive another (in the form of a hug or handshake), you expose yourself and become vulnerable. If I am hiding or covering up my true fears and feelings, then I cannot open myself to the other person. Finally I need to open my eyes to my own need of forgiveness. This step brings us all to level ground. Relationships are complicated, and even more so when people see themselves as standing on unequal ground.  The first 3 steps to LAF are in our own self-discovery.  The ground at the foot of the cross is level.  To open my arms to a loving Savior reminds us just how much we have been forgiven.

Yet this is not enough… We all need  a bit more joy in our lives and to laugh is a good start to a relationship.  But what is more  – we can L.A.F 2x as much. LOVE, APPRECIATE, FORGIVE are the next three steps….   (Next week)

Now to review step 1:

Listen – we are sent into the world as listeners, because the Lord has listened to us

Accept – we are sent into the world to accept, because the Lord has accepted us

Forgiven – we are sent into the world as forgiven, because the Lord as forgiven us

Listening lays the foundation of this week’s passages… if you don’t listen you end up in places don’t want to be.  3 keys to Anchoring (Being Rooted) in the Spirit…

1. Begin to Pray with the expectation that you will listen as much as you talk…. Prayer is communication with God, not to God…  so spend as much time listening in prayer as you do speaking.

2. Hear the Truth! There is more than one spirit, and you want to make sure you are hearing the Spirit of Truth. The best way to do this is through the Scriptures.  Read these Scriptures out loud, and everywhere there is an underlined word or space – read your name there.

3. Practice. This means actually listening – which is hard work.  There will be training offered on this Sunday 9.15.13… 8:00 – 3:00…. Or Read a book that outlines the process….

Posted in After Pentecost, Year C | Tagged , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Poop in the Brownie

Posted on June 26, 2013 by chaplaincasey

Updated 6/23/16

Kingdom Principle: You cannot have a partial anointing of the Spirit of God – you either have it all or you don’t have it.

Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20 2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14 Galatians 5:1, 13-25 Luke 9:51-62

If someone offered you a brownie, and said there was one “chocolate chip” that was really dog poop… Would you eat the part of the brownie that didn’t have the chips? Most would pass on the whole batch, even if you knew that your brownie square did not even have the fecal matter directly in it… It seems that even just a little bit of poop will spread throughout the whole brownie batch. This same idea, flipped on its head is to be true of the Spirit of God in our lives… it is to wholly and completely change (corrupt) the whole matter.  We will drop the metaphor, but look at the reality that you cannot have just a morsel of the Holy Spirit in you – you are to have it all, or you have none at all. The Holy Spirit is spirit and not matter which can be divided up. Yet as the Spirit fills our lives, we often deceive ourselves and attempt divide our lives into that which is good or bad, or that which has the good chocolate chips and that which is not.

The Fruit of the Spirit cannot be separated into parts of the Spirit, meaning that you cannot have one part of the fruit and not the other parts. (Some people consider themselves joyful but not gentle, or faithful but not patient, even loving but lacking self-control.) You have all of the Fruit (singular) of the Spirit (plural if you consider Isaiah 11:2 and Rev. 1:4) or you have none. Most religions of the world seek to produce the “fruits of the spirit” through discipline, good works, and religion. And YES – it works…. You can produce the qualities of the “fruits of the spirit” without the Spirit of God in you. But if you are producing these qualities, you are a slave to the “law” by which you are producing such things. What is being advocated here – is that the Holy Spirit of God produces (does the work) in you, such that the Fruit of the Spirit is expressed fully in your life. The Spirit of God posses you, rather than you possessing it. As my seminary professor (Ray Anderson) used to say, “You may have all of the Spirit, but the Spirit simply may not have all of you.”

While it is obvious when one lives according to the flesh, rather than according to the spirit, it is not so obvious when one becomes a slave to the “law” to produce good works.  This reality is not answered in this week’s Scriptures, rather what is made clear is that God is leading his people like a flock by those who are filled with His Spirit and His Holy ways are not our ways. Further we are to seek the fullness of the Holy Spirit in us, rather than to seek anything of this world. We need to be lead by God and not anything of this world, especially our own flesh. This is why those who belong to Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Living by the Spirit is truly an all or nothing experience. So no matter how good you can make it look, if “you” are producing good works, there is no good in it at all.

Jesus does not mince words with his disciples when it comes to following Him. To follow Jesus is to follow the Spirit, not those who are on this earth, nor those who have walked the path before.  The disciples are merely doing what Elijah did in 2 Kings 1:1-14, but the missed what happened in verses 15. There Elijah demonstrates his sensitivity to the Spirit of God and understands that simply because God does one thing, one time, he always reserves the right to change his plans… (this is why the enemy offers comfort & control… then the plans don’t change.) For this Jesus rebukes his disciples, and what follows is more difficult. We have those willing and wanting to follow but rejected as well. It is clearly that their following is not prompted by the Spirit of God, or at least that the following is somehow rooted in the flesh and its desires. The only true reason to give your live to Jesus, is because you have nothing left to live for, nothing to turn to, and nothing gain – except to follow Him. All things that lead to good other than following Jesus are a burden and a yoke of slavery, this is why His burden is easy and His yoke is light (Matt 11:29-30)

What then shall this inspire us too – surrender our very lives unto the filling of the Spirit. Elisha could not be dissuaded from following Elijah. And when the time came, Elisha knew that if he did not have the Spirit of God in him, the same way it was in Elijah, he had nothing. So he asked…. (In asking for a double portion – Elisha was not asking for more – just the full inheritance possible.) We too are to have the full measure of the Holy Spirit, for that is what Jesus promised to those who follow Him.  Not only can we do more than Jesus, we can do what he has done – this all governed by the leading of the Spirit himself. (John 14:12-14)

While the Fruit of the Spirit cannot be “divided”, we can grieve the spirit or quench it. (1Thess. 5:19-22, Eph. 4:30-32) It is in those areas of our life that the full measure of the Fruit is not expressed.  Is there more grieving or expressing of the Spirit in your life? –or– Do you wonder if you have the Holy Spirit at all? If so – you may not have because you have not asked for it – Luke 11:1-13 tells us how to ask. If you are seeking more awareness of the Spirit (meaning you have asked and received, but the Spirit is not fully expressed) it begins with knowing what to look for…

Are you willing to ask the Spirit to be evident in your life…. If so you will see the Fruit.  But we need to seek the Spirit himself, not the Fruit of the Spirit – (again often seeking in the fruit is a means of the law.) The image I leave with you is “root” verses “fruit”. Without the proper roots, there will be no fruit. And just because there is no fruit – it does not mean there is no roots, but if year after year there is no fruit then we have a problem…. Below is a list of things that demonstrate the root system of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will

John 16:8 – bring conviction

John 14:26, 16:13 – guide to truth

Luke 12:12 – teach what to say

Romans 8:26 – help in weakness

Philippians 3:3 – lead us in worship

Galatians 5:25 – move with confidence

Posted in After Pentecost, Year C | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Out of Control & Dis-comforted – Praise God!

Posted on June 18, 2013 by chaplaincasey

Kingdom principle: Healing removes the damage but not the devil

The enemy offers comfort and control, that’s why we invite him in….

1 Kings 19:1-4, (5-7), 8-15a Psalm 42 and 43 Galatians 3:23-29 Luke 8:26-39

I believe that one of the greatest responsibilities in this life is that of raising up children. This is not to say that if you don’t have children, you are less responsible or contributing less, but it is to say that raising a child to know the Lord and to walk in the Kingdom may have the greatest reward matched by its great responsibility. Unfortunately the standard practice of parenting in this western culture is more often governed by the control of the parents or the comfort of the child. Either of these will lead to damage in the family for they are rooted in the lies of the enemy. As God raised up his children, he guided them in faith, but they were drawn to control or comfort. Control nullifies faith, Comfort numbs faith. Abraham walked with God and through his example we are to become heirs of the promise. (Gal. 3:29) Abraham leads a life of neither comfort nor control, yet walked in righteousness not from the Law, but by faith and become the Father of us all. (Romans 4:13-17, Hebrews 11:8-19) The Law was given 430 years after Abraham to reveal humanity’s desire for comfort & control.  (Gal 3:17)

The Law was given to reveal the sin, not to free us from the sin. The Law is not the enemy, rather it is a tool by which God reveals the damage done when we violate his faith initiated ways. Yet, following the law does not remove your sin, the devil or his desire to devour you. Unless we are perfect under the law, damage will continue, and that is the reason why faith in Christ is the only way to truth and freedom. When we agree with the lies of the enemy we invite his damage into our lives… sometimes that damage is masked to look like comfort and control. While being comforted or in control do not seem like “sin” both are mere illusions of this world to deceive you into missing the Kingdom of God. In fact, anything that does not come by faith is sin. (Romans 14:23) Further it is not “sin” that sends you to hell, rather it is the absence of a life giving relationship with Jesus that precludes you from heaven. So if we are simply looking to be without sin as a means to get into heaven, we remain bound by the Law and we have misunderstood heaven and hell.

In 1 Kings 18, Elijah has confronted the enemy and defeated “him”, but he can not destroy him, in fact – Jesus does not destroy the devil, only his work. (1 John 3:8) It is not until the Final Judgment the devil will be destroyed. (Matt 25:41, Rev. 20:10)  Therefore, as Elijah commands one of the most spectacular victories of the Old Testament, it is followed by one of the greatest depressions and valleys of all the prophets…. (1 Kings 19) This is rooted in a lie that is agreed to be truth. Lie #1- Elijah believes that he is about to die by the sword of Jezebel.  Lie # 2- Elijah believes that he is the only prophet of the LORD left alive. God must un-root these lies if Elijah is to fully live into his anointing and finish his appointing.   Have you every believed a lie, only later to discover the truth? How was the truth revealed to you?

But be not mistaken, the devil is not passively waiting for you to invite or agree with him; he seeks to thwart the will of God and will intrude into your life. (John 10:10, 1 Peter 5:8) However, with this intrusion a great price is paid. First and foremost this price was paid by Christ on the cross, further; it is paid out to you as retribution in the form of Justice.

The Psalms this week – highlights what it looks like to live at peace while life is out of control and there is a lack of comfort. There is much depth in the cry, “Why, my soul, are you downcast” & “Put your hope in God” it is more than simple self-talk, there is a battle being waged between the soul and the spirit within David. The soul longs for control and comfort, while the spirit is only a live when the Spirit of God is directing it in faith through prayer.  It is this life lived in the Spirit let sets us free from the power of the enemy. When we crucify the flesh, (Gal. 5:24) God removes the damage this life, leading us in the way of everlasting life.

Okay – Let’s get practical:

Are there areas of your life where you are in “control”…? What is the role of faith there? Did “control” come by way of anointing or appointing?  If you cannot point to anointing as the bases of “control” then it may be rooted in sin. (that came across really harsh… it may be just for me!)

Are there areas of your life you would describe as “comfort”…  In those areas, are you seeing your faith grow? If someone was to disrupt the comfort, what would be your response?

Finally, where are you “guilty” of seeking control over an issue, or to find comfort? What my God’s will for you be in this season of testing?

God has the authority & power to remove (heal) the damage done by the devil, but if people desire comfort and control more than freedom in Christ, they will simply return to their old ways. The people in Luke 8 saw the power of healing, but chose their old way of life as opposed to freedom. Jesus’ transformation and healing brought up to many new “issues”.  Most people would rather medicate to control, and numb to comfort rather than facing the reality of healing in their lives. This does not need to look like deliverance from demons, it can simply be freedom from lies. Losing your job will take you out of control and increase your discomfort on many levels, but it also may be the first step to discovering the vocation for which God has designed you. It is when you are in agreement with lies which serve as the invitation to the enemy to bring damage, even though it looks like control or comfort. It is this reason that God’s children are called to put on the righteousness of Christ.  In Christ’s righteousness there is no invitation of sin.

  1. Invitation – When we invite destruction through sinful actions or agreement of the body & soul.

God has the authority & power to remove (heal) the damage done by the devil, but the devil wants nothing more than to steal, destroy and kill those who are children of God. When the devil, devours and preys on God’s children, justice will be served. This Justice is both the retribution given to God’s children, as well as vengeance served against the enemy. This is not just future state, this is now and in the present.

  1. Intrusion – When Satan breaks the Spiritual laws violating the rule & reign of the King.

Conclusion – Seek for the kingdom of God and His righteousness – and all things will be added unto you. (Matt 6:33)

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