Devotion.al

Tag: evangelize

  • Go and (p)Reach

    Go and (p)Reach

    Psalm 4; Luke 24:36b-48; Acts 3:12-19; 1 John 3:1-7

    The disciples are still struggling with the Resurrection. You’d think they’d have accustomed themselves to Jesus being alive, but they were obviously still struggling. As part of this last appearance, Jesus explained the Scriptures and His place in them. This is not the first time he did this after the Resurrection.

    This time, though, it comes with a command, to preach the Resurrection and a of heart and for the forgiveness of sin. This mission doesn’t start immediately. It has to wait until the heavenly power comes (the Holy at ).

    Waiting in Jerusalem, however, does not mean being inactive. Peter’s healing of the lame man (Acts 3:1-10) opened the door (so to ) to begin the mission. Peter tells his listeners what it is all about, “But this is how God fulfilled what he foretold through all the prophets: that his Christ would suffer. Change your hearts and lives! Turn back to God so that your sins may be wiped away.” (Acts 3:18-19, CEB)Much later, John wrote that we have hope in Jesus as we (progressively) purify ourselves (so as to become more Christ-like). This reflects the changing of hearts that Jesus and Peter made known.

    Jesus’ and Peter’s declarations could also be restated as it is in Matthew 28:19–20, “…go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything that I’ve commanded you…” [CEB]While the passage in Matthew could be interpreted as only applying to the disciples, the passage from Luke cannot be (without serious contortions). The changed heart is also consistent across the Scriptures.

    We are all called to tell the world about Jesus, sin, , and the place of changed hearts in all of that. In the current culture, we are having to learn how to do this well. Sadly, we are in the midst of getting rid of the baggage that we’ve been carrying, and that is painfully difficult. So much so, that most of us no longer have effective tools or methods to reach (and “preach to”) .

    In all likelihood, the Western will have to relearn how to live in a true and deep community. We have all become accustomed to the shallow community of the Western Church, not the Christian fellowship as described in the Scriptures.

    This does not excuse any of us from looking for opportunities to talk about the of Jesus Christ and the change in our hearts. Perhaps, rather than excuse it, it should drive us more.

    ※Reflection※

    • Are you doing anything that resembles telling the world about Jesus in the way Jesus talks about in Luke?
      • If you are, it going?
      • If you aren’t, why not?
    • In regard to telling the world, is it your responsibility or someone else’?

    ※Prayer※

    Almighty God, you gave your only Son to be for us both a for sin and an example of godly living: Give us grace thankfully to receive his inestimable benefits, and daily to follow the blessed steps of his most holy life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. [Third Sunday of Easter Collect, Book of Common Prayer 2019]

  • Gōdspel

    Gōdspel

    Psalm 135; Daniel 6:1–28; 1 John 2:12–17

    If all things were equal, it should be very easy to tell people about , and what Jesus did for them even when they opposed God (Romans 5:6–8). However, in the Western world, and especially in the US/Canada region, it has become difficult for a myriad of reasons. While the of God may have a hand in it and did probably provide some nudges here and there, much of the of Jesus has to do with Jesus’ followers.

    While there has been much talk about it is because the White Evangelical church was predominately (by appearances, at least) pro-Trump, it has more to do with the empty lives that Christians have been . This also isn’t strictly a white Evangelical issue, either. Our brothers and sisters in Christ in the “mainline” denominations have been experiencing decline, for they often watered down Christ for other goals (many of which were worthwhile).

    The Gospel of Jesus Christ hasn’t lost its power or . Western Christians have lost it themselves. Whether it was power or grace, Western Christendom chose one or the other and ended up losing the .

    All of this sounds harsh, and it is. It hurts to read (and write) it. This also is nothing new. On the other hand, living in the power and grace of God doesn’t necessarily mean anything either, and that can get particularly depressing.

    Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were undeniable witnesses of/to God. By their faith and of God lived out, their relationship with God was known and acknowledged. In today’s story of Daniel, this was used against Daniel.

    What is troubling is not that people conspired against Daniel. It wasn’t that Darius was deceived by his advisors. It wasn’t even that Daniel was thrown into the den of lions. The most deeply troubling thing was that this witness was not particularly effective. It wasn’t effective at all, really.

    Yes, the witness of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah was ineffective. Their faith was acknowledged. God was acknowledged and even given great accolades. Yet, time and again the Babylonian leaders went against God.

    By the measure of Christian Evangelism, they were failures. It is entirely possible (and even probable) that seeds of faith were planted in Babylon at that time. Certainly, seeds that led to the of Jerusalem (under Nehemiah) were planted. Without the of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah along with their honorable fealty to Babylon, Jerusalem may not have been restored.

    So, why bring up Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah as evangelism failures? We often look at the great ones of the Bible (which these four were) for what they did successfully. We often fail to see what they didn’t do well.

    The opening statements of today’s devotion are about what we haven’t been doing—and continue to not be doing—well. Opening our eyes and hearts and looking at them is fine. We shouldn’t feel bound or weighed down by them. In fact, they should instead provide us the initiative and determination to break these bonds so that we can do as we are commanded, “Go…make disciples…”

    ※Reflection※

    • What other Bible characters can you think of that you only look at one side (good or bad) of their lives? Why do you think that is?
    • Does one’s success at evangelism impact one’s witness? Does one’s witness mean that one will successfully evangelize?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, we are to be your light into the world. Help us to be the light and to not just light the darkness, but draw people to you. Amen.

  • Wolves Invisible

    Wolves Invisible

    Psalm 62:5–12; Jeremiah 20:14–18; Luke 10:13–16

    Do you know the story of “The Boy Who Cried, Wolf”? The boy who falsely cried “wolf” so many times that after some time no one would come to his aid. Of course, as the case with moral tales, the real wolves came, he cried “wolf”, and no one came. He died.

    This could be a tale of bearing false witness (the 9th Commandment). It also could be because not everyone has the same vision.

    We see that all the time from politics, to businesses, to churches, to families. Each person has a slightly different “vision” of the future. Often, we criticize, minimize, denigrate, and insult those that have a different vision. It can be hard, especially if they’re , yet those differences are the “spice” and “flavor” of .

     The 11 Apostles (, one of the original 12 died) received their commission, “I’ve received all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the of the Father and of the Son and of the , teaching them to obey everything that I’ve commanded you. Look, I myself will be with you every day until the end of this present age.” [Matthew 28:18–20, CEB]

    Go into the [whole] world. Such a small thing. It’s kind of like a commencement address, full of a huge concept that sounds awesome and inspiring, then (just like commencement) on the other side, reality hits.

    It is what is on the other side that reveals the foundation of our life.

    The Psalmist that God is “rock and salvation”, a “stronghold”. If indeed humans are nothing but a breath, nothing but lies, and don’t even register on a scale (all from an “absolutist” infinite deity perspective), what little remains of a human’s worth is based upon their foundation.

    Jeremiah mourned the event of his birth. His grief was based on a couple of things. First, he was a “messenger of doom” for Israel. That was pretty rough.

    Second, he mourned the hardness of heart of the Israelites. He couldn’t understand how the Israelites could be so heart- and faith-less toward God. The entirety of the story of Israel revolved around what God did!

    Jesus’ reprimands to Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum echo what Jeremiah said. “Doom is coming. The consequences of your decision to harden your hearts and reveling in that hardness is coming.” (Ian’s summation)

    The reprimand is a result of cities not welcoming the harbingers of the (it’s more of an advance warning for when it happens). The disciples of Jesus were to be completely dependent upon the towns and people they would come to.

    They were not sent with massive amounts of , food, clothing, or protection (no weapons). They were sent as they were. They might have had a drachma or denarius or a few. They had a pair of sandals (which they were wearing). They had the clothes (again, that they were wearing). That’s it.

    And off they went, the commencement of the first missionary event.

    Most of us are uncomfortable with being missionaries. Regardless, the Great Commission is still our mission. You are a missionary right where and when you are now.

    If you think there is no one that you are and are to be a missionary to, pray that God gives you the spiritual eyes to see who is before you. Perhaps why the is so weak right now isn’t because we are “” or are “unimportant”. Perhaps we have long forgotten that we are to not just be missionaries to the world; we are also to be missionaries to each other (the “bible-ish” word is edify).

    Many of us are looking for that special answer or that perfect argument. Others of us want to be an example yet realize that compared to Jesus we are not much to look at.

    We are called to cry, “wolf”, and the world doesn’t believe us. It’s hard to explain the wolves coming that they cannot see.

    ※Reflection※

    • When we looking for the special answer, perfect argument, or being the example, what is the real foundation of that?
    • Why is it necessary to be missionaries to one another (to edify)?
    • The example of the disciples’ first missionary journey is not burdened with “stuff”. How can that be an example of our journey? What could be a wrong application of this lesson?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord Jesus, you have called us to go into the world. Help us be the encouragers of others, that all your church—your bride—will reach the world for your name’s sake. Amen.

  • Cast Off

    Cast Off

    Matthew 23:13-15; Acts 15:1–22; Colossians 2:4–13 

    There is no question about ‘ attitude toward the scribes and the Pharisees in this verse. It seems pretty straightforward. What if it isn’t? What if Jesus was instead using their language in a way so as to make a point? 

    The Pharisees, with their belief in the afterlife, would certainly not want to be headed for Hell. They intended to go to Heaven. Jesus told them that while they think they are the bouncers for God, they’re not getting in either. There was probably some dismay there. 

    Jesus piled on with the various traditions (versus Biblical law) that the Pharisees and the scribes held everyone accountable for. Frankly, it was unbearable. That was Jesus’ point. They held onto traditions that made their lives Hell on earth. Jesus made it clear that it also prevented them from Heaven.  

    Jesus knew their hearts were stubborn. His greater concern was not them, but all those they dragged along with them. The concern for people who were now burdened with more than their hearts could bear. What if they decided they would rather be Hell-bound than bound with all the rules and traditions that made the they were living hellish? 

    Sounds extreme, but this was exactly Peter’s point to the elders of the Jerusalem church. They and their ancestors could not withstand the misery. The people that were being drawn to the freedom and of Jesus Christ were being threatened with rules and traditions! Most of them the same that they (of Jewish descent) wanted to be freed from, and who believed that Jesus had done so! 

    often had to deal with the Judaizers who kept trying to bring Jewish customs into the community and imposing them on . It made Paul quite angry at times. 

    You may have run across Christians who try to follow some of the Jewish law (particularly the dietary ones). They were free of the Law before they were born yet seek to be bound by laws that were not theirs to bear. 

    This is also something we need to be careful of ourselves. One of the big lessons of many missionaries was trying to impose Western thinking on non-Westerners. Western thinking got tied into the message of Jesus Christ, often putting burdens (things we would think of as burdens) on people that the Scriptures did not them to bear. 

    The church in the Western world is fading. Ultimately, it must rediscover what it means to evangelize and be missional. Of course, the biggest group to which we must be missional are the people we are already comfortable with. We do not look at them with missionary eyes. We are too close. Even more than the Jews had to cast of their traditions, we may have to cast off much of what “makes” us Westerners so that we can be the messengers of salvation to our neighbors. 

    ※Questions※

    1) What might be your cultural blind spots that weaken your ability to evangelize? 

    2) How does our Western culture in ways similar to the Jewish laws of old? 

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, soften our hearts and open our minds. May we feel your love for and learn to ourselves for the sake of others’ salvation. Amen. 

  • Circle Mission

    Circle Mission

    Acts 16:11–15; Acts 16:25–40

    Rob Wegner states that a missionary is an ordinary person who’s equipped to make new disciples in a new context, and that isn’t first an activity, it’s an . How does that apply to Lydia?

    She has three circles. The first circle is the (Gentile) God-fearing circle. The second is the weaving/ circle. The third circle is her household.

    Each of us has a few circles. Which one are we most passionate about? If, for example, you were totally into putting lipstick on pigs and you were friends with a bunch of about putting lipstick on pigs, then there is your circle.

    Lydia’s household circle followed her. Much of that was likely cultural and authority (not that it diminishes anyone’s ). Lydia’s God-fearing circle became a focal point, it seems, as it later has become a believers’ hub.

    That leaves the last circle…the weaver/dying circle. We don’t know what, if anything, she did to the members of this circle. As her position remained (owning a household as a woman), she likely continued her trade.

    She was a missionary to the weaver/dying circle. We all have a missionary circle. We must figure out what ours is. It’s easy to default to home or , but those are not, by normal definition, missionary circles.

    A can be a missionary circle, especially if you are the only believer, or if there was a walkout from the . Church shouldn’t be a missionary circle, yet often the people who need the grace and and forgiveness of Jesus the most are in the church.

    Being a missionary is not optional. God is missional. Being a child of God means being missional, too. The more we reflect and model Jesus (the missional model), the more being on God’s mission means being a missionary.

    The pressure is on! However, you cannot be a successful missionary to everyone, nor every circle. You are not God. Which life circle is God calling you to be a missionary to?

    ※Questions※

    1) If circles are better than rows (OOO>|||) what does this tell you about your life circles?

    2) Why is having a missionary focus (like a circle) helpful to being a missionary?

    3) Why do you think you are not a missionary?

    ※Prayer※

    Jesus, you came to earth on a mission to reconcile Creation to you. Help us see our mission as the extension and continuation of yours. The same mission that brought us into your loving embrace. Amen.

  • Evangel

    Evangel

    Evangel

    28 September 2020

    Luke 1:68–80; Ephesians 4:7–16

    Many years ago, there was campaign against man-caused forest fires. The campaign “starred” a little bear cub that, while burned, survived a man-caused forest fire. The tagline for the campaign was, “Only YOU can prevent forest fires.”

    From a strict understanding, of course, it’s not just you that can prevent forest fires. It’s you and everyone else around whose behavior contributes to the amount of man-caused forest fires. Of course, you can only prevent forest fires when you are the contributor of the originating fire.

    That was the beauty of the campaign. Ultimately, it was just you that can prevent forest fires, it was you and your friends and everyone else working to prevent man-caused forest fires.

    What, you may be asking yourself, have to do with Zechariah’s Holy -driven speech over an infant John the Baptist? Re-read it, and where it says, “you, child…” say, “me, [your name]…”

    Just like the campaign starring Smokey the Bear, it wasn’t just John the Baptist who was called to go before Jesus. Each and every one of us is called to “go before” Jesus in our daily lives.

    How that works in each person’s life will, for most, remain a . However, when we live out a faithful life that witnesses to the power, grace, and of Jesus Christ, we go before Jesus. Once we are asked a why or how question about our lives, then we get to announce Jesus.

    You probably never thought of yourself as John the Baptist. That’s probably a good thing, for none of us can be another person, nor did God call us to be that way. We are not called to be John the Baptist.

    You are probably not called to eat wild locusts and honey. Nor are you probably called to wear a hairy coat. We are called to follow in the “spirit of” John the Baptist by proclaiming through Jesus Christ.

    When we think of evangelism, we generally think about sharing Jesus with people who don’t know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Perhaps, however, we are just as called to share Jesus with those in the Body of Christ (the church).

    wrote to the Ephesians about the varying roles within the body. The overarching goal is, “… in the and in the knowledge of God’s Son…” He wrote that to Christians.

    Our (good) desire to reach people who don’t know Jesus may well have obscured something essential. We need to continue to evangelize (i.e., tell the Good News about Jesus) each other.

    ※Questions※

    1) Where and how do you see yourself evangelizing those that do not yet know Jesus? How about those who already declare they know Jesus?

    2) What scares you most evangelizing? Does that fear change depending on whether they are already or not yet believers?

    3) What are some ways evangelizing is (or should be) performed within the body of believers?

    ※Prayer※

    , guide our hearts to always be evangelizing one another. Amen.

  • Always the Same

    Always the Same

    Jeremiah 16:10–15; Malachi 3:1–7

    Many years ago, in a bible study, an older woman said to the study leaders, “I do not believe in the God of the Old Testament. That God is cruel and unjust. I only believe in the loving God of the New Testament.”

    Many people walked away from the church and/or were deeply scarred and hurt by the church by the incessant drumming of hellfire and brimstone. Far too often, judgmentalism, legalism, and ostracism came with it.

    In to this, and to such people like the woman in the beginning, there has been an overreaction, perhaps even over-emphasis on the of God. Instead of good theology and analysis, it continues (even to this day) to be an overreaction to a time when the church Hell and condemnation at every turn.

    What can become frustrating and also deceiving is that God is only love. God is love. The love of God is a good thing to think about and focus on.

    However, God doesn’t let a good crisis go to waste. Sounds kind of harsh, doesn’t it? As many parents and teachers can tell you, sometimes you can only explain something so many times until teaches a child.

    Most lifelong lessons are gained through pain of some sort. It is, sadly, the way we are. This is also why confronting a false view of the God of the Old Testament is crucial to our Christian walk and to our ability to .

    As the impending doom approaches Jerusalem, and the people why, God in many more words says, “because you didn’t listen the first thousand times I told you!” Yet, that isn’t the !

    God tells Jerusalem that this exile will be as (or more) defining for them than the Exodus was for all of Israel. That’s a big order! It just so happens to have occurred that way, too.

    Some would call this the carrot and stick method, yet it really isn’t. The opportunity for the carrot is gone. In many respects, this is no longer a stick. For the donkey (or mule) that this method is supposedly used on, there is required to be a hostler doing it.

    The hostler (God) left the animal (Jerusalem) on its own to fend for itself in the wilderness. The time for carrots and sticks was passed.

    This does not mean God didn’t love them. Quite the contrary! God knew that they had to on their own.

    For God’s own sake, God put in front of them. For God’s own sake, Judah would not be lost forever. For God’s own sake, he would bring a tempered people home.

    From the opening story, the study leaders stopped the study and gently taught her, “God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. The God of the Old Testament is the same God of the New Testament.”

    God has not changed.

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, help us to recognize your discipline as love, as much as we don’t like it. Help us to look at our pains and trials as something through which you are teaching us and . Amen.

    ※Questions※

    1) Do you tend more toward the “God of Punishment” or the “God of Love”? Why do you think that is?

    2) Do you really learn better or for longer-term through pain or pleasure?

    3) How would you to someone like the woman in the story? How would you guide her through thinking about God being unchanging?

  • Overwhelming River

    Ezekiel 47:1–12, 2 Corinthians 3:17–4:1, Matthew 28:16–20

    This image of the River of spreading out into the world provides us something to reflect upon. The further the river gets from the of God, the wider and deeper it gets. Eventually, it takes the Dead Sea and makes it living water, too. In the case of the Dead Sea, there is an echo of and …from death to life, and not just any life, a Godly life.

    The “four” walls of the building should be so filled with the Holy that it should be overflowing into the community in which it sits. These walls are not meant to be containers, keeping the captive or “preserved”, but enabling each of us to take this concentration of the Holy Spirit out into the world with us.

    If there is to be where the Holy Spirit is moving, why does it often feel as if we are trapped in church? If there is freedom, why do we seem unable (or unwilling) to be able to share it?

    The church (which has been said time and time again) is not the building (though we often act like it). The church is the people. The freedom of the Holy Spirit enables us to freely share the and the love of Christ. However, we continually put on the chains that weigh us down, whether fear or pride or something else. We certainly don’t act free.

    Therein lies the problem. We have been commissioned to take the Gospel to our families, our neighbors, our communities, our cities, our counties, our state, our nation, our continent, our world. It is not a commission we can decline, for God has already commissioned us. We are plan A–Z.

    1) Do you feel free in the Holy Spirit? What does that mean to you?

    2) What are your thoughts about the River of Life being deeper and wider away from the of God? What does that mean in regards to how you live?

    3) You have been commissioned. What is your response to that? How do you fulfill your commission? How do you see others fulfilling their commission?