Even If i Walk Alone

Instructing and encouraging you to live your life as a disciple of Jesus

John

Asking for Help

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The New Testament focuses greatly on unity among the believers. Too many of us tend to believe we can do it on our own, and strike out on our path with no companions. This is not the way Christ intended us to live. Following Jesus is extremely relational. We need other followers to travel with us in order to gain from their perspectives and for the times we require assistance. It appears to me that we believe there is some form of merit to be gained if we travel alone and battle through the tough times without aid from someone else. Jesus kept twelve friends close by Him; when He sent His disciples out into the world, He sent them in pairs. Paul took along a companion or two on his missionary trips. We need each other to best carry out the mission of Jesus Christ.

Why are we so afraid to ask for help? We allow our pride to become our downfall. In Proverbs 16:18, the Bible tells us that “Pride comes before destruction”. When we do not ask for help, we are plotting our own demise. Plans fail, fortunes are squandered and relationships are ruined simply because we refuse to ask for help. Jesus said that whatever we ask for in His name, He’ll give it to us (John 14:13). Jesus specifically tells us to ask, and yet still we do not. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness; it is a sign of obedience. Asking for help is not an admission of incompetence, but rather a declaration of humility. By refusing to ask for help we miss out on the beauty of the divine dance, we deprive someone else of an opportunity to gain the blessing of helping a brother or sister in the name of Jesus.

By allowing someone to come to your assistance in a time of need, you not only are showing your own humility, but you are also demonstrating love to the one you ask for help. When you allow them to serve you, you are permitting them to live out their own calling and to exercise their unique gifts. Each of us must work together for the good of the Kingdom. We must come alongside one another, and allow someone to come alongside of us as well. We need to learn to see asking for help as a beautiful part of our mission. When we ask for help, we allow the Body of Christ to act in unity with one another, and this is truly a magnificent site to behold. Jesus prayed that His followers would be one, just as He and God are one (John 17:22). Can you imagine loving each other in such a way? It will require us to be totally upfront with one another and to put aside all pretenses. It will occasionally involve us getting hurt, and it will certainly be messy at times. However, walking in unity is what Christ commanded us to do, and so we have no option. We must put aside our pride and tear off the masks that hide who we really are. We desperately need one another.

Are you hesitant to ask for help? Are you living in unity with other followers of Jesus? Don’t miss out on the blessings of sharing your life with someone else. True followers of Jesus do what Jesus did, and Jesus kept twelve close friends around Him all the time. He mingled among the crowds and touched those in need. Once again, we have a beautiful example of what our lives should look like. How are you doing? Do you still harbor too much pride? I know I struggle with this frequently. Let’s trade our pride for humility and submit our lives fully to Christ. Let’s come clean and admit we desperately need help, that we simply can’t do anything on our own. Jesus stands ready to act on your behalf; our brothers and sisters long for the opportunity to serve Christ by serving you. Release your fears, lower your defenses, and throw away your pride. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Satan’s Worst Nightmare

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It has long frustrated me that followers of Jesus (which would certainly include me) seem so hesitant to follow Jesus through uncertain or turbulent waters. As long as our path is fairly smooth and our direction is somewhat certain, we have no problems dedicating our lives to Jesus. When uncertainty enters the equation, however, we hesitate. When following Him means giving up some sense of our security, we flinch and falter. We become fearful of the unknown. Of what are we truly afraid? The God who walks with us through the good times is the same God who will be there in the bad.

The fear comes from the enemy. When we are compelled to walk along the narrow path, through darkness and uneven terrain, Satan is there to immediately cast doubt on our ability to traverse the chosen path. He injects worry, fear and anxiety into our minds. He does not want us to move forward, as he realizes this will bring defeat to his intentions. When you feel most paralyzed by fear, rest assured that your obedience has placed you on the cusp of accomplishing something significant for the Kingdom of God.

The paralysis comes from our fear. Yet this fear is totally irrational. Scripture is full of examples of God giving victory over extraordinary circumstances; we need only to trust Him. If God is for us, nothing can come against us. (Romans 8:31) We have everything we need at our disposal, we simply need ask (John 14:13-14). All of Hell itself cannot prevail against the people of God (Matthew 16:18). Again I must ask, “What are we afraid of?” How ridiculous is such fear! As a matter of fact, this fear turns out to be just another lie of Satan. Once again he is subtly altering the truth; he is shifting our focus ever so slightly in a way that blinds us to what is really going on. The truth of the matter is it is Satan himself who is trembling in utter fear of us! The entire time that we are immobilized by fear, it isn’t even our fear we are feeling; it is the trembling cowardice of Satan being reflected into our minds. He knows he cannot defeat a follower of Jesus who is walking in the power of God. It is all too obvious to the devil that he is about to suffer yet another crushing defeat. It infuriates him to lose, so he is in panic mode; he is scared to death that you will stay focused on Christ and obediently follow Jesus.

The key to victory, the key to overcoming fear is to realize from where that fear is originating. Don’t let Satan put the stench of his own fear onto you. Don’t be deceived into believing the lies of the enemy. He tells you that you are not strong enough for the battle ahead. Jesus tells us that in our weakness, through Him, we will be made strong. Satan will tell you that you are too young, too old, too uneducated or too damaged. Jesus tells us that we are the exact person for the job, we are His unique and beautiful creation; He has equipped us perfectly for the task ahead. As followers of Jesus we have access to the power of God. This same power has already repeatedly defeated Satan. The devil cannot win, and he knows it. His only hope is to deceive us into believing that his fear is our own. He is a liar, and we must call him on it. We must obey and follow Jesus; doing so makes us very dangerous indeed to Satan and all of his plans. This is why he is so frightened of us. Don’t be deceived, don’t buy into his lies. Instead, walk in the truth and in the strength of the power of Jesus. Surrender everything to Christ and follow Him anywhere, at any cost; we have nothing to fear, because we have Jesus. Move forward with courage and strength; don’t be paralyzed by someone else’s fear. Reject the lies of Satan, engage in the battle and watch the Kingdom advance as a result of your obedience. Satan fears an obedient disciple of Jesus more than anything else, so follow Jesus; doing so will cause you to become Satan’s worst nightmare!

Throw the First Stone

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Why do we as Christians have such an unhealthy reputation to the world outside of our church walls? It has long bothered me that Christians claim to love others and seek to fill the needs of their community, yet we are distrusted, dismissed and even despised. Something has gone terribly wrong; there is a disconnect somewhere of colossal proportions. How did it come to this, and what can we do to correct the situation?

In John 8 (verses 3-11) we find the familiar story of Jesus saving the life of a woman caught in adultery. The religious people of the day had seized the woman, and dragged her into the place where Jesus was teaching. Beyond this obvious humiliation, these same religious folks were preparing to put the woman to death by stoning her. As they stood there, perhaps with rocks in hand, Jesus calmly knelt beside the woman. He then said some of the most powerful words in all of Scripture: “Let the one with no sin throw the first stone.” When faced with their sinfulness, the people dropped their stones and went away.

Before Jesus changed the dynamics of the scene, the crowd of people was refusing to admit their own sinfulness. Instead of showing grace and forgiveness to the woman, they stood in judgment over her. We tend to do this often because it makes us feel better about our own failures. It’s far easier to condemn someone else than to confront your own weaknesses. I think the modern church still suffers from this affliction. We are so intent on judging others that we overlook our own sins. We refuse to admit that we too have issues and that we too deserve death. We don’t want to appear as anything less than “perfect Christians”; in the process we demonstrate our hypocrisy. This is what the world finds so unappealing about us. We need to show ourselves as broken people, a work in process. Instead of judging the sins of others, we should be pointing out our own failures. When the church at large begins getting real and walking in genuineness, I believe the world will respond. As long as we refuse to admit our own shortcomings and are content to target and judge the sins of others, we will continue to drive a wedge between us and those who so desperately need to hear the message of Jesus.

The life of Jesus was all about serving others. There’s little glory in service and it generally requires us to humble ourselves to do things that we consider to be beneath us. It’s far more appealing to stand in judgment over someone rather than to serve under someone in support of their life. Yet this was the mission of Christ. He did not come to condemn the world, but rather to redeem it (John 3:17). If we would follow Him, this must be our mission as well.

To change how we are seen by the world, we must change how we interact with our world. We must return to doing the work of the mission of Jesus Christ. It’s time to drop our shields, remove our masks, and admit that we need the grace of Jesus every bit as much as everyone else. We must genuinely love and empathize with others. Judgment must be left to God; this is not our calling. Instead of condemning the sins of others, let’s learn how we might serve them in such a way that they can rise above their destructive behaviors. In turn, we just might learn how to rise above our own failings. When each of us begins to love with openness and honesty, when we stop condemning and start serving others, then the world will take notice and their attitude toward the message of Jesus will turn from repulsion to curiosity. People don’t need contempt and judgment; they need healing and forgiveness. This is the mission of Jesus. This is the message of all who would follow Him.

Here’s to Revolution

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The book, “The Hole in our Gospel”, by Richard Stearns, continues to provoke and inspire me. Currently, I’m reading through it for the second time this year, and it’s every bit as good the second time around. This morning I read the following passage in the book (page 244), “The difference between the pre- and post-resurrection disciples was astonishing. Fear became courage; timidity became boldness; uncertainty became confidence as their lives were given over to the revolution that the gospel – the good news – envisioned.” He continues a bit later on page 245, “We won’t really become change agents for Christ just by going to church every Sunday. We will have to make some ‘on purpose’ life choices and then change our priorities and behavior. Only then can God transform us and use us to change the world.” We are called to be part of the revolution that is following Jesus. Let’s break down the words of Richard Stearns as I see them applying to us, God’s revolutionaries.

Fear becomes courage. There is no fear in Jesus. He is capable of deflecting any pain and evil from our life, if He should so choose. Just as He did not call on the angels of Heaven to rescue Him from the cross, He does not guarantee that He will keep us from harm. He does, however, promise to protect us from Satan (John 17:15). We may be hurt or discouraged in this world, but we have the eternal hope of Jesus. No matter what happens to us in this life, if we are His disciples, our eternity is guaranteed to be spent with Christ. Knowing this, what could possibly scare us – Physical pain, emotional trauma, embarrassment, discouragement or simply not fitting in? Every human on this earth is a person just like you and me. No one is intrinsically better than another. If anything can be accomplished, it can be accomplished by you. Jesus was never ashamed of God when He spoke to those around Him; He was never ashamed of those to whom He ministered. Rather, He loved the Father and everyone else with a passionate and unconditional love. He wasn’t afraid to be seen with “sinners” or to touch the sick and dying. He wasn’t afraid to die for our sake. Jesus was courageous in every way. He demonstrated no fear. His power is available for the asking, His courage is available to you.

Timidity becomes boldness. Are you fearful to speak about Jesus to strangers, or even to those whom you know? Perhaps the thought of confrontation makes your stomach turn and firmly ties your tongue. Look at the life Christ lived; he was accused of many things, but timidity was never one of them! Jesus knew His mission well and He refused to be deterred from it. The shortest distance between two points may well be a straight line, but the quickest way to travel between those same two points is with boldness. We haven’t the option to be timid because our time is limited and our days are few. This is why Paul asked the believers in Corinth to pray for him to boldly proclaim the good news of Jesus (Ephesians 6:19). Timidity breeds hesitation, and when we hesitate, the moment is lost. We must never lose another moment. We must make the most of every opportunity that we are given. We can be bold in Christ; if you struggle with timidity, pray and ask Jesus to fill you with urgency and strength of character. Don’t hesitate.

Uncertainty becomes confidence. Left to our own devices, we are never quite sure if we’re doing the right thing or moving in the right direction. We agonize over our many decisions, doing everything we can to minimize the chance of error. Life seems to come at us from all directions and at break-neck speed. We become overwhelmed, lost, and confused. The ultimate GPS (God’s Positioning Service, in our case) is only a prayer away. God never loses His place, and He never loses your place in His plan. Seek wisdom from other followers of Christ, from older folks, and your peers when faced with a decision. Above all else, pray over any decision you must make. Tell Jesus of your desire to serve Him in every way and ask for His wisdom in the situation you face. After this, the next step is easy: choose! Gather what wisdom you can; come clean to God regarding your uncertainty, doubt and confusion. Then make a decision. God knows your heart and He will honor your search for wisdom. Seek Him first, and then relax. Move forward with confidence.

We are the called, we are the chosen; we are the revolutionaries of God. We are to be His agents of change in this world. Let us devote our lives fully to Him. Only then can we follow Him on the path He walks before us. Love God, love people. His power is available to each of us; we must simply ask Him for it. Through His power we can follow Jesus courageously, without fear, with boldness, and with utter confidence. Through His power we can change the world. Here’s to revolution!

The Sheep and the Goats, part 3

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After spending the past two posts (see part 1 and part 2) examining the parable of the “Sheep and the Goats” (Matthew 25:31-46) from a very tangible, physical works perspective, I want to spend the next two posts looking at the same verses from a personal, spiritual perspective. The spiritual teaching in this parable does not negate the physical, nor does the physical render the spiritual less important. As mentioned earlier, we are instructed in Ephesians 2:10 to be about doing these works. At the same time we must never forget that we are constantly engaged in a spiritual battle and so must be ever working on this area of our life as well.

Feed the Hungry. We are blessed to live in an era where there is no lack of information available. The internet has opened up the world for many, and answers to questions are but a few keystrokes away. Yet people still crave more information. They want it quicker and in ways that are meaningful to them. I think behind this desire is a simple search for meaning. People are hungry for truth and seek it in many ways. There is only one truth and that is the love and salvation found in Jesus Christ. We are commanded to tell everyone we meet about Christ (Mark 16:15). People are desperately hungry for the truth. We are spiritual beings and those without Christ are left with a huge ache in their soul. Our job is to feed them the truth of Jesus, the Bread of Life, and the only one who can fill their emptiness. At the same time, those who know Christ continue to hunger for more of Him. It is our duty to instruct them in wisdom and teach them the truth of scripture. We must look after the spiritual needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ; encourage them when they are discouraged, lift them up when they have fallen, minister to them when they are weak. Constantly feed on the Word of God and share with all who ask.

Give the thirsty a drink. Jesus once told a woman that if she would drink the water He offered, she would never be thirsty again (John 4:14). The water He was referring to was His Spirit. People need Jesus in their lives; they need His Spirit to fill them. Look at the world around you: hunger, starvation, desolation, terrorism, murder, rape and looting. This world is desperate for hope, desperate for an answer. There are thirsty people all around you, people in need of the living water of Christ. If you don’t tell them about Jesus, who will? Share the living water of Christ with them; allow them to drink their fill.

Take in strangers. What is the spiritual meaning behind the command to take in strangers? One thing I take from this is to remember to never show partiality toward anyone. We often tend to look down on different cultures and people groups. We have preconceived notions about them, often a result of a lifetime of wrong teaching. Satan loves to make us stumble by having us look past these individuals. We must repent of this and ask God to give us a spirit of compassion and equal acceptance of all people. Satan has gained extensive ground through the use of racism. We must take back the spiritual ground he has seized by correcting our heart attitude towards those who are different from us. There are no strangers in the kingdom of God, there is only family. Do not let Satan gain a foothold in your life through the evil of racism. Reject those thoughts outright and deal a deadly blow to Satan and his demons.

In the next post, we’ll wrap up this series. Your comments are always welcome and appreciated as we work through this passage. We can all learn something from each other. After all, that is what this life is all about. It’s about community. Let’s live in such a way that we are feeding each other with the words of Christ and quenching the thirst of those without Jesus by helping them to understand and receive God’s spirit in their own life. Finally, welcome all to the family of God. We all have critical roles to play, and we all must do our part; we need each other!