Reconciliation & other thoughts

     Met again with two precious brothers yesterday morning. S & S are faithful men in the Lord Jesus. Initially I discussed disciple making with one of them- the practical "how-to's" that I have learned the hard way through personal experience. One key is that there is a distinct difference between mentoring and disciple-making. Another is that the people God gives us to work with are His disciples not ours. A third is the necessity of commitment. If a person is not able or willing to prioritize getting together on a very regular basis you are wasting your time. Pray to God for someone who is willing to commit.
    When the second "S" arrived we switched to a brief study of the theme of reconciliation using the following verses: Romans 5:10-11, 2 Corinthians 5:18-20, Ephesians 2:16, and Colossians 1:20,22. Key themes are that God reconciled us to Himself; we did not reconcile ourselves to Him. He initiated this process when we were His enemies. He did this through Jesus Christ, His death on the cross. He put to death the hostility between His original chosen people, the Jews, and the non Jewish Gentiles. Praise Him for his merciful kindness towards us.
     The home where I live has a long, steep driveway like climbing a hill. Having discovered that this provides better exercise than my previous walks I am now ascending and descending this for over an hour each day. While this may seem mindless- a long walk to nowhere- it provides opportunity to pray. Thank you, Jesus.
     Perseverance is underrated. Walking up and down the driveway twenty-five times improves my physical condition. Studying Portuguese one and a half hours a day is slowly improving my ability in the language. Walking with Jesus over decades also requires perseverance. "Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." (Hebrews 12:1b NIV)

M, M & M

     Candy? No, actually the three letter M's above are the initials of three brothers with whom I met last night. I met these men several years ago, have been in regular fellowship with them since the fall, and last night invited them to explore discipleship with me. About a month ago we went on a men's retreat together where i had the opportunity to teach on the subject of discipleship. Subsequent to that delighted in an opportunity to spend more than five hours straight with two of them searching the Scriptures and praying. Since that wonderful (and sadly rare experience) God has been challenging and convicting me on the imperative to disciple others.He has used a young author named David Platt, two of whose books ( Radical and Follow Me) I have read, and highly recommend, in that process. Last night I proposed a vision of discipleship which all three embraced.
     Let's look at how the Holy Spirit used Paul to describe this to Timothy. "You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also." ( 2 Timothy 2:1-2 NKJV) This agrees with what he writes to the Philippians. "The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you." ( Phil 4:9 NKJV)
     The vision that i offered was of a intentional pouring out of what God has worked in me over many years and tribulations into their lives. It involves commitment, caring, the Word of God, prayer, and application of what we learn. It is a two, not one way, street. We emphasized them in turn giving to others what they learn and grow in. We looked specifically at our new identity in Christ, and i gave them a little homework assignment. Thank you, God, for answering my prayers, and giving me men to mentor and teach in accordance with the words of Jesus in Matthew 28: 19-20. May we go to the nations and fulfill your will.

Saturday Morning Reflections

Last night the second suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing was captured and transported to an area hospital in serious condition. As mentioned in a previous post, i have resided in the Boston area for over three decades. One would not deny the courage of the officers who entered house after house knowing that they could be booby trapped, and that they were facing someone who had murdered others and could kill them. Specialized training, weaponry and teamwork helps but does not eliminate the danger. May we Christians also exhibit  courage to tell a perishing world about Christ. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. ( 1 Corinthians 1:18)
     The situation also showed again that the US is not immune from the terror that has struck other countries, like Israel. I believe it represents God's judgment on us for our unwillingness to repent of our disobedience to Him. Two men paralyzed a major city, killed or wounded almost two hundred and caused the equivalent of martial law.
     While the citizens applaud the law enforcement people now, it is a sobering example of the coercive power of the government which will eventually be used against the true Christians in this country. As Jesus said, "All will hate you on account of My Name. (Mark 13:13) May we endure to the end.
    On a lighter note, some Old Norse words which have come into the English language through the Danish and other Vikings who settled in the east of England are "they", "them", and "their." Also sky, skill and skin, as well as anger, husband, wing, thrive, egg, bread, and die. ( The Vikings by Robert Ferguson; Penguin 2009 pg. 238)

California Report

A week ago I departed home for my annual trip to California. There used to be a nonstop flight between these destinations which no longer exists. So I got up at quarter to four in the morning, received a ride from my friend Bud to the airport, where he works, waited for several hours, and finally boarded a plane to San Francisco. Unfortunately the Bay Area is about 450 miles ( 700 kilometers) from my ultimate destination. After waiting there for several more hours I made the final leg of the flight, rented a car and drove through rush hour traffic for ninety minutes to my friend Bill's house. He and his wife Ileana greeted me. I've known them since the Jesus People Movement days of the 1970's.

On Wednesday trekked to Orange County to see my daughter and son-in-law for the first time in almost a year, and my grandson for the first time. She and I went to the beach and walked down the boardwalk for several hours discussing discipleship among other topics. We had lunch at a sidewalk cafe. The little guy slept, nursed and watched us eat.

The next day Bill & I took a walk in the hills culminating in a vista of the surrounding countryside. That evening I had the pleasure of gathering with the home group that he fellowships with, and speaking for a few minutes on obeying Jesus as his disciples including an emphasis on going to the nations. One brother named Russ, a multi-lingual (4 languages) man, expressed great interest. He had been to a number of countries on previous mission trips. We may travel together in the fall.

Friday and Saturday I took walks around the neighborhood, read and relaxed. On Sunday my grandson was dedicated to the Lord, surrounded by many family members and friends. He behaved extremely well. We then heard a message from Luke 7 about the importance of finding answers to doubts or questions that we may have. Chuck & Cynthia, my son-in-laws' parents, hosted a barbecue at their home in the afternoon. Hospitality is only one of their many gifts. I had an opportunity to speak with Lee & Ed, whom I have known for many years, and with Chuck, who discoursed on his personal road of discipleship naming a number of books that had influenced him, and the opportunities that God has given him to interact with other men. He also spoke about hearing the Lord's voice (cf. John 10:4) Towards the end I finally got to see part of my daughter's wedding video.

Monday was another long and wearing travel day. Got up before 4 in the morning, drove an hour through rather heavy traffic for that time in the morning to the airport, dropped off the car, waited for the first flight, again to the Bay Area, and off at 7. Sat next to a nice couple with a four month old baby with lots of hair who never fussed during the one hour trip. Then I waited again until noon for the longer flight to Boston. The Marathon bombing happened as we took off. The young children on this flight, several of whom sat close to me, were not so happy on this journey. Arrived about 8:15 East Coast time, waited for the luggage, took the subway to South Station, and another to Alewife, where another friend Bill picked me up, and took me to Bud's house. By this time it was about 10 at night, and I did not relish a 2 hour drive west. Slept overnight and came over in the morning.

Many years ago I lived in southern California and the sybaritic, apathetic lifestyle remains the same. May we repent and God deliver us from hedonism and self-absorption.

What Jesus Said

For over thirty years i lived in the Boston area although only about six months in the actual city. Happened to be flying back from California when the bombing at the Marathon happened. The plane was equipped with individual monitors so i could follow the coverage. Many people expressed their thoughts, condolences, and in a few cases their prayers for the victims. The most recent report that I have heard says that three have died, eight more are in critical condition and at least 176 were injured. As i listened i could not help remembering what Jesus said about a similar situation in His day.
     "There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices (i.e. killed them). And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things. I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish." ( Luke 13:1-4 NKJV)
     How radically different is His response? These are the words and thoughts of Jesus. He expresses what is truly important- that we repent and give up our lives of sin and disobedience in order to follow Him.
     But isn't Jesus compassionate and loving? Yes. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!" (Matthew 23:37-39)

Psalm 145:4

About half of the 150 psalms are directly attributed to David. Psalm 145 is one of these. Verse 4 says that one generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts. Each generation has a responsibility to preach the gospel, to speak of Christ, and to express Him to the next. Almost six months ago my daughter gave birth to my first grandchild. I finally saw him for the first time yesterday. This is the reality of living 3,000 miles (5,000 kilometers) apart. He has a very different personality than she did as a baby. He is always active, wriggling and squirming around, rather lean. He shifts back and forth constantly between eating and sleeping. He has a funny toothless smile. May God give his parents wisdom to continue rearing him.
   God has blessed me to stay with friends from the old days in this time. Bill & Ileana are part of a home based group. It is a relaxed, comfortable environment. Bill is a writer, and was able to take time for an early morning walk with me today. It is a rare treat for me to have anyone to do this with. We went up into the hills to see the glory of God's creation. At the top we had a grand vista.
     Yesterday walked with my daughter at the beach. Got a bit of sunburn. Spoke about discipleship and going to the nations. I also brought up the idea of her and her husband adopting a child. When I thought about all the blessings that they planned to bestow on their first born it struck me how God might use them to bless a child whom no one wanted.

Inclusive Jesus?

On Mondays God grants me the privilege and joy of mutual encouragement with two brothers, Sanford & Sandy. This morning we looked at a passage in John 6. In verse 51 Jesus begins to tell his listeners that they must eat His flesh. In verse 52 His auditors clearly understand Him to be talking about cannibalism, something abhorrent not only to the Jews, who were not to touch dead bodies, but to most societies in the history of the world. Jesus does not say that they are misunderstanding Him, but essentially throws it back at them still harder by saying, "Except you eat of the flesh of the son of Man, and drink His blood you have no life in you. He continues to hammer the point in verses 53 through 58.
    It appears that three groups of people followed Jesus in contrast to those who opposed Him. There were the twelve chosen to be apostles, other disciples such as those sent out in Luke 10, and then the multitudes such as the five thousand plus who were fed. In John 6:60 many of the disciples began to doubt. The response of Jesus? "Does this offend you?" (v. 61) He does not try to cajole  or sympathize or even explain Himself. Rather He asks what they would do if they saw Him ascend to heaven. And then He makes the socially incorrect statement that some of them don't believe. I suspect He hurt their feelings.
     Verse sixty-six gives their response. Many went back and no longer walked with Him. Verse sixty clearly says that these were disciples. They had been following Jesus. He does not plead with them or pursue them or try to help them understand. He simply lets them go. Then He challenges the 12. Peter, the spokesman, says "We believe that you are Christ, the Son of the living God." (v. 69) All of the disciples heard Jesus teach, saw Him heal people and perform other miracles, saw Him feed thousands. Only a handful truly believed. The response of Jesus?  "One of you is a devil." (v. 70) How would that go over in a Christian culture which places such a high value on harmonious relationships, and always being nice to one another? I think we would have a hard time with Jesus.
     Thank God for the provision of the Holy Spirit without whom we could please God.

Poland

     In the last several months I have received a new and growing interest in Poland. As a life long history "nut', I have read four or five books about the country to augment my prior knowledge of its history. The twentieth century history is particularly agonizing. After the third partition of Poland in 1795, the entire country was divided up between the German, Russian, and Austrian empires until 1919 with the conclusion of the first World War, which left the country devastated. Independence and recovery during the next twenty years was brutally halted with the Nazi invasion of 1939. It is estimated that Poland lost 21%, more than one in five of its population during the war years. The city of Warsaw alone suffered more dead than the US & Britain combined. Three million Polish Jews and three million other Poles died in the concentration death camps. The Soviet domination of the next fifty years ravaged the country further. It is a testimony to the mercy of God that the Poles have survived.
   Operation World, probably the best resource for what God is doing in the countries of the world, states that in a population of thirty-eight million, there are only about 95,000 evangelicals, and that the  people following various cults is a far larger number. Finally, one of the features of this blog is that it tells me what countries the readers come from. To date, over the four years that I have posted, people from over fifty countries have logged in. The other day, for the first time, someone from Poland accessed the blog.
   I'm not sure what all this is leading towards. I do know that God is speaking to me about going overseas and making disciples.  May I seek Him diligently and follow Jesus.
     Shortly after I posted this I received an invitation to go to a gathering in Poland in the fall, which, God willing, I hope to attend.

Recent Experiences

"Oh, the depths of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!" (Romans 11:33a NIV) God continues to bless and encourage me this week. Sunday I had the privilege and joy of an invitation to a Brazilian church where I taught some aspects of the resurrection of Christ including its central place in the gospel message, the eye witness proofs that it did happen, the reality of human existence if it had not happened plus two applications. The first is the ample NT evidence that the apostles preached the resurrection in their presentation of the gospel. Do we? The second is the truth of the same resurrection power working within us to overcome sin (disobedience to God) in our lives.                                                                                          Monday morning He gave me time with two precious brothers who are receptive to the revelation of the Holy Spirit through the Word of God, men who are teachable, wanting to grow in the truth and love of God. Among other things we looked at the practical realities of Matthew 9:37-38 where Jesus speaks about praying for laborers to send into the abundant harvest.
     Yesterday had deep fellowship around the Word of God as revealed by the Holy Spirit with two other brothers. Mike and Mark are in their fifties, regenerated several years ago, eager to be "rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith..." (Colossians 2:7a NKJV) We had over five hours of solid fellowship in the truth. "Sanctify them by your truth, your word is truth." (John 17:17) We looked at many themes including the ministry of angels, assurance of salvation, free will and God's election. Why does it seem so miraculous to encounter American Christians who actually want to learn and walk out their faith?
     Last night I met a brother named Duane for the first time. What an honor to have fellowship with a faithful  man, who has persevered with God through the ups and downs of life. He is diligent, self-disciplined, eager to encourage and help people in any way that he can. He ministers particularly in the areas of marriage and personal finance, and has seen good fruit in both.
     Finally I received an encouraging e-mail from my mentor Vinci. I continue to study Portuguese, and hope by the time I see him again to communicate more clearly in actual sentences rather than broken fragments.