Blessed?

You  hear folks say it all the time... "We are so blessed..." or "That trip to Hawaii was such a blessing..." and how about "Lord, thanks for blessing us with such a great parking space!" Really? Is this what God is doing? I struggle with the idea of God hooking me up with a spot near the door... because, hey... Lord knows I don't want to walk an extra 20 yards.
I just started on the Beatitudes and each of them start with "Blessed." This made me want to find out what He really meant.
The word blessed comes from the greek word makarios, meaning a joy that is peaceful and untouchable and has nothing to do with the chances and changes of the world. This is way different than "happiness" which, in a sense, ebbs and flows. Happiness contains the root word hap which means "chance." Therefore, happiness depends on the chances and changes of life... It's very volatile.
When we are "blessed" we are attaining something much more significant than a temporary state of happiness or satisfaction (like eating a good meal, taking a trip, or getting a good parking space...) The christian blessing is untouchable, unable to be attacked, questioned or defeated! It is a joy and peace, that once attained, can never be taken from you. "Your joy," Jesus said "no man taketh from you..." John 16:22
The beatitudes talk about a joy and peace which stays with us through our pain, loss, and grief. A blessing which nothing in life or death can take away! The happiness we receive from this life is very fickle, it changes with the wind. But a blessing is consistent and steadfast and it comes from walking with Christ.

Catwoman

So, I was told that, on occasion, we get a handful of celebrities that come into Whole Foods. Being close to Park City and ski resorts, I guess they stop in from time to time. I finally had my first celebrity sighting yesterday. Julie Newmar, the original catwoman from the Adam West Batman days!
I know, it's not Halle Berry... and it's not like I even knew who she was. You could tell, though, that she was someone special. I think she's in her late 70's, she's quite tall,  had on a leopard printed trench coat, huge high heels, and what appeared to be a phenomenal wig. Everyone knows who she is, apparently she's not the nicest person in the world. She comes in all the time and likes to remind people who she is... or was.

"Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. The immediately left their nets and followed Him." Matthew 4:18-22

These fishermen were not scholarly men. They were not of great influence, wealth, or social importance. They weren't necessarily poor, but simple, hardworking men. It seems that Jesus was looking for "ordinary" folks who were willing to give Him themselves. Jesus knew He could do anything with and through people who were available and willing. 

Let's take a look at the traits of fishermen...

Patience: Very rarely do we experience anything immediate in ministry. 

Perseverance: It's important to try and not get discouraged, but diligent and to try, try again. 

Courage: There's an old greek prayer of protection that includes "my boat is so small and the sea is so large..." fishermen have to be among the bravest people out there. Just watch one episode of "Deadliest Catch" on the discovery channel. We must be ready to take risks and "face the fury of the sea..." There is danger in telling people the truth. 

Timing: Choosing the right moment is key. There are times to speak and times to just be quiet.

Choosing the right bait: Paul said that he "must become all things to all men if by any chance I might win some..." Different approaches work for different people. 

There have been so many times that I have been so quick in making up my mind about certain people, only to be completely blown away by what God does in their life. I have also found that most people are just waiting to be invited along... They have all these gifts and talents sitting dormant and just need someone to recognize them to allow these things to bloom. I can say with absolute certainty that God can do anything through anyone... and by inviting people along, we have the opportunity to be part of that. Throughout the gospels, we read that the disciples frustrated Jesus... they weren't perfect, they were human beings. I know for a fact that I have driven plenty of people nuts as well... thank God for patience and grace. 

These fishermen were ready and willing. I have been affirmed time after time that being open and willing to be used by God is one of the most important things in life. Barclay writes a story about an ordinary man, Aeschines, who presented himself to Socrates. "I am a poor man, "said Aeschines. "I have nothing else, but I give myself." "Do you not see," said Socrates, "that you are giving me the most precious thing of all?"

You are invited...

"Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. They immediately left their nets and followed Him." Matthew 4:18-22

Jesus was demonstrating the importance of inviting people to discipleship, community, teamwork, and investment... He also knew that by doing this, that there would be a team of people who carry on His message long after He was gone.
Back in the 9th grade, I was sitting in social studies when a good friend of mine, John Keller, invited me to a spaghetti dinner.  It sounded like fun, so I went. It turned out to be a church youth group event... Thanks for the heads up John. I decided to go along with it and make the most of the evening. That night I met the youth pastor, Greg Krieger. He sat beside me and wanted to know all about my life. Where I grew up, what I did for fun... he was so excited to meet me and was so glad I came. I felt completely welcomed. By the end of the night it seemed like I was friends with everyone there. I couldn't wait to come back.
Greg did a phenomenal job of inviting people. The youth group was small, about 15-20 kids. Having a smaller group allowed Greg to invest in each one of us. I recall spending time with Greg nearly every week. We would work out, go on camping trips, sit at Dairy Queen, and just hang out. Because he had built a trusting relationship with me, he had earned the right to speak into my life, ask me tough questions, and challenge me in my faith. There were times I would drive him nuts though... The first time I ever heard him swear was because of something I did... yikes. Every where we went he would befriend people and love them regardless of where they were at in life. I remember a time we were at Subway and the sandwich artist said "oh my God..." and Greg shouted "Where!?!?!" He would make the most out of any situation. Greg entered my life at a time I was dealing with bitterness over my parents divorce. He, along with my Mom, took one of the most discouraging times in my life and helped me refocus my attention on the fun, joyous and exciting aspect of life. They helped me see and understand who Jesus was and the hope He offered us. It was then that I knew I wanted to have them same impact on people's life. I wanted all my friends and everyone I met to have this same experience. I remember bringing Tom, Zach, Garrett, and Nate to youth group hoping they would experience Christ just as I had. I knew that this was absolutely we had been called to do... to invite people to experience the love of Christ.
This paved the way for me to go to Bethel University to study youth ministry and theology. It's the reason I've been on younglife staff for 12+ years. Because Greg took time to invest in my life, I, through the ministry of YoungLife, have been able to share the love of Christ with thousands of people. All this because John invited me to a spaghetti dinner.

Hark! The herald angels sing...

"From that time on Jesus began to preach..." Matthew 4:17

Uh oh... another one of those words that tends to scare people off. I can't count the number of times I've heard kids say "I don't want to be preached at..." or "If there's just gonna preaching, then I don't want to go..." When people hear the word preach they hear other words like "convict" "boring" or "harass." Even through my younglife training I've been taught to "teach" kids rather than "preach" to them... people within the faith even associate it with negativity. It's too bad really.
The greek word for preach is kerussein, which means "herald's proclamation from the king." A herald is one who brought a message directly from the king himself. There was never any hesitation or doubt in a herald's message. Their message was indisputable. Because they were speaking on behalf of the king, they spoke with authority. They were often the ones laying down the law. Jesus was God's herald now.
Clearly there was a renewed sense of urgency to get the word of God out there. Time, once thought of as a limited resource, had been invaded by eternity, and Jesus wanted to challenge folks to think about where they were gonna spend it.

Pop Quiz

Matthew 4:1-11 continued
There are a handful of things about Jesus encounter with "the tempter" in the wilderness that I think are pretty cool...
1. "After He had deliberately gone without food for forty days and forty nights He was hungry..." I love this... It's one of those verses that make me laugh. It's such a simple and "no duh" kind of statement. I think it's there purely to show us that He was indeed human with real feelings, needs, and emotions.
2. Jesus uses good ol' fashion Old Testament scripture to battle His tempter. "All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17
3. The second test is the one I'm drawn to the most... He was tempted to fling Himself down from the top of the pinnacle of the temple in order for God to send angels to protect Him. The Devil was tempting Him to put on a spectacle so that we would believe in Jesus and His miraculous power. This is definitely one I would've failed.
There are those of us who are never satisfied. We stop at nothing to accumulate and attain more. It's true with material things, addictions, feelings, danger, thrills, etc. We convince ourselves that "if we only had this ONE thing that we would be forever satisfied and would NEVER want anything else..." But as soon as we attain that one thing, or reach that one level, the view seems to be a bit better on top and there's even MORE stuff we find that we want.
If Jesus would've performed this one spectacle, the people would've been temporarily amazed and satisfied that He was indeed Christ... but it wouldn't be long until they expected more. To retain His power and mystique, Jesus would have to produce even greater and greater sensations. Mankind has proven that throughout history.
I think it's only getting worse and worse with us over time. Look how many centuries it took for us to invent the automobile and airplane. We have sped up the production of "sensations" faster than ever... within the same century as the airplane, we put people into space. Look at the iPhone... take that thing back in time 10 years and you would be accused of being some kind of witch... but today we're already anticipating the next bigger (or in Apple's case, smaller) and better thing. Problem is, the things they are creating now, things that are blowing our minds will be next years obsolete. Funny how the folks at Apple seem to have figured this out a long time ago. They certainly know how my mind works and how I'm always wanting the newest gadget.
Jesus knew that a "Gospel founded on sensation-mongering is foredoomed to failure."

Sanctify

I mentioned in an earlier posting that the word Sanctify did a number on my faith. I was trying to think of a way to somehow write about it and then I read something today that seemed to fit perfectly. 
I was reading more on Jesus' time in the wilderness and how he was "tempted" by the Devil. He had just come from being baptized by John... the Heavens opened and the spirit of the Lord descended upon Him! Quite an experience for Jesus I'm sure. After this one of a kind occurrence, Jesus immediately went into the wilderness to be tested by the Devil himself. Yikes.
It seems that it is our lot in life that just after we do a marvelous job of resisting something and have, what many people refer to as, a "mountain top experience," it is then that we nose dive and fail miserably in our faith.
It seems that it is within in our own inmost thoughts and desires that the Devil finds and uses his allies and his weapons, It is where he has an advantage and foothold on our life. It is within our gifts that we are repeatedly tempted again and again. For example... the person with charm will be tempted to use their charms to get what they want and get away with anything. The person with the gifts and power with words will use their command of words to produce slick excuses to justify their conduct or to manipulate others with their power of persuasion. With Jesus, it was His gifts of being all powerful, His faith in God, and unwavering devotion to His mission.
There was time that I thought I would reach a stage in my life where I would be beyond temptation. A stage where the tempter would have no business or power in my life. I would arrive at some maturity where I would have it all figured out. Well... Jesus never reached that stage. From the very beginning to the end He had to fight His battle of being tempted and tested. This is where sanctification comes in to play... To sanctify something is to turn it over and fully give it to God. Farmers sanctified their fields and animals. Jesus even sanctified Himself before His mission. I've found sanctification is a daily appropriation and not something that if done just once is instantaneous and suitable for the rest of your life. It's something you do every morning, day, and night... and is not something you fully arrive at until the day Jesus comes back and we're celebrating in heaven. Once I realized this, it took so much of the pressure off me. I felt like I was continually failing at life and with God. Once I realized that life was indeed going to be a roller coaster and that I would have my good days and bad... It just made following Christ more doable. It made it more adventurous. It made it more real.
Because Jesus dealt with and fought temptation makes Him able to help us fight ours.

Tested... not tempted

Matthew 4:1 "Then Jesus was led by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil..."

Tempt is a funny word. We usually think of it as something negative... kinda like the word critique. Usually when you hear you've been critiqued, your mind instantly goes to all the negative things that person must've thought of. When you are tempted, you're usually tempted with something negative, something to make you stumble or fail. I've been trying to cut back on dairy and sugar, and I've been tempted with cheese and chocolate more than ever these days. Figures.

I found that the word Greek word for tempt in this verse is Peirazein: to test. It is not the kind of tempting or testing to MAKE us sin or weaken us to sin... it is meant to enable us to conquer sin and make us stronger. 

Jesus went to be alone, fast, and then be tested... all before the most significant 3 years of His life. He had been given a mission. God had been preparing Him His whole life. I imagine that Jesus wanted to straighten things out in His mind before He embarked on His mission... so He wanted to be alone.

There's a pretty good chance that we often fail simply because we never spend any time alone with God. There are times where the only sound advice we're gonna get comes from time spent alone with God. We are prone to always acting out and doing. We are tempted (or tested?) to go, and go, and go without taking the time to stop, breathe, and be alone with God.

I believe wholeheartedly that God has SO much He wants to share with us and that a lot of what He wants to share needs to be reciprocated on our end with a willing, open heart and mind. It's likely that we miss a lot of opportunities and make a lot of mistakes because we refuse ourselves the opportunities to just be alone with  God.

Right with God

Matthew 3:14-17 "But John tried to deter Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and do you come to me?" Jesus replied, "Let is be so now, it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented."

There seems to be a lot of hubbub and confusion about why Jesus of all people needed to be baptized... I've read things like "if He was without sin, why did He need to repent?"

Jesus had spent the better part of 30 years waiting, working, planning, and probably visualizing what was about to happen over the next 3 years. He most definitely was learning and practicing obedience and patience.

John 14:24 says "Anyone who doesn't love Me will not obey Me. And remember, My words are not My own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me."

It seems clear here that Jesus us working and speaking on behalf of God and God alone. Even Jesus, who is physically speaking and doing isn't taking credit for the things being done. He wants it to be perfectly clear and understood that God is the one at work here and that He is a mouthpiece and tool used by God.

So It would make perfect sense that Jesus would want to be totally Righteous (right with God) as His adventure was about to begin. He knew what about to take place, so I imagine getting right with God was the important and pressing thing on His mind at the time. And, as usual, Jesus was setting an example of submission to God, Humility to allow John to baptize Him, and Wisdom in His timing.

"The success of any undertaking is determined by the wisdom with which the moment to embark upon it is chosen" William Barclay