Dealing with Dust

In Luke chapter nine, Jesus gives his disciples some rather strange instructions. First, he commissions them to go into the community and minister. Then he tells them in verse 3 to "Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.” That makes sense. Maybe he did not want them to become encumbered with a lot of stuff as they traveled or possibly he wanted to stretch their faith. But the strangest piece of instruction followed. “Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them." Why is Jesus preoccupied with dust? I think the answer can be found when you look at its definition. According to the dictionary it is “fine bits of dirt or other matter that hangs in the air and settles on surfaces.” When you think about it nothing is more aggravating than dust.  My wife battles it constantly in our home. It settles on floors, furniture, clothes, and especially your shoes. It builds so silently so imperceptibly.  But we know that Jesus has more in mind here than mere fallen particles that settle on sandals.  If that is not the focus then what is? The answer can be found in a question.  “What happens to us when we face rejection?”  Back in the early days of my ministry I did a lot of door to door evangelism.  When I faced rejection it would inevitably leave me with two impressions; fear of going to the next house, or anger because I thought the treatment received was totally unjustified. Either feeling made it difficult for me to move to my next assignment.  Why? I had been offended. So in essence Jesus is telling the disciples to “shake off the dust that is the residue of offense and move on.” If they let it build it would only get worse. They could not successfully go to the next community until they had left the last. Experience lets us know you cannot embrace the future while being bound to the past. They may not have understood the principle immediately but they soon learned that you get the best results if you adhere to the words of Jesus. Effective ministry can only transpire as we learn to “DEAL WITH THE DUST!”

It Might Be You

Don’t you love it when you can be the bearer of good news? A few days ago I shared the story of Tiny, the little dog we were trying to rescue.  If you remember he showed up on the front porch of an empty house beside our church seemingly out of nowhere.  All our efforts to rescue him had left us exasperated.  No matter what we did he avoided our attempts at trying to provide for him a safe and comfortable environment.  With the approaching cold days being forecast by the weather man, we became even more concerned about his welfare.  How would he survive? Then the miracle of miracles happened.  One of our neighbors was walking his little dog on Saturday when I happened to see Tiny following him. I could not believe my eyes. He had been so withdrawn and anti-social.  As I watched further he even made his way up the steps near the door of the guy’s apartment. Later when sharing with Art what we were attempting to do I asked if he would be willing to try and befriend the little fellow in an effort to catch him.  He agreed. Little by little over the next four days they began to bond until finally it happened.  Tiny went inside his apartment and stayed.  Needless to say we were overwhelmed with joy—the rescue was successful.  And you might be interested to know as I write this he is laying in his own bed next to my recliner. 

Also you might be asking “What is the point here?” Simply put, just like Tiny there are friends, family, and sinners abroad that are in need of rescuing.  While you have utilized every option in an effort to win them to Christ success has eluded you.  That’s the reason God calls individuals from every spectrum of society brings them into the kingdom and diversifies their gifts. He called a miss-fit Moses, a reluctant Gideon, a fiery Peter, and a loving John.  He commissioned witnesses with every personality type and from every strata of the economic scale. He knew one person’s failure would be another’s success.  What the rest of us could not do, a tender-hearted neighbor did with relative ease.  Consider the fact that there may be someone who is watching your steps whom others have tried for month’s maybe years to rescue but have met resistance.  Just think you may be the one who holds the key to their surrender. Why not lend a helping hand; it just might be you! 

         

In Search of Happiness

This week we will celebrate Happy Valentine’s Day. While we take it all in, the question that will be asked most is, “Where can I find happiness and satisfaction?” Someone or something will be missing. Many may have the experience of the lady in the following story. “A young woman was taking an afternoon nap. After she woke up, she told her husband, "I just dreamt that you gave me a pearl necklace for Valentine's Day. What do you think it means?" "You shall know tonight", he said. That evening, the man came home with a small package and gave it to his wife. Delighted, she opened it. Inside she found a book entitled "The Meaning of Dreams". Don’t you know her day ceased to be a “Happy” one at that moment? You see it takes more than a necklace, a romantic card, a nice dinner, a dozen red roses, or a box of chocolates to attain happiness.  It takes more than wealth and fame. So many people are in pursuit of happiness but are failing to find it.  I think it is good to study the life and writings of Solomon, a man in biblical history that sought for the same but came up empty handed. And it’s important to note that he was not just any man. He was not a novice. He was the wisest and the richest of his day. When reading about his life you find he sought for happiness in knowledge, pleasure, and achievement.  He found he could not learn enough, drink enough, romance enough, earn enough, or create enough to make him happy. The same applies to us. A new town, a new car, a new house, or a new job will not give happiness; the reason being, it comes from the inside.  It has to do with an emotional and spiritual adjustment not a material, positional, or financial one. So, where does happiness come from? Solomon found that it came by his relationship with God, a truth his own father referenced in Psalm 144:15 when he wrote, “Happy are the people who are in such a state; Happy are the people whose God is the LORD!”  If your search has left you empty and the answer remains an elusive secret, why not try God. He can touch your heart making this occasion a real Happy Valentine’s Day!  

The Only Way

We have just closed out the football season with another Superbowl. Isn’t it amazing that coaches and teams spend weeks in preparation for the big day?  They watch films, study playbooks, and talk about their strategy in order to find the ultimate secret that will result in victory.   However, when the final whistle is blown signaling--game over, what is it that we hear? As is the case with most games commentators, coaches, critics and thousands of fans talk about the one play that decided the outcome--it’s called the game changer. Maybe it was a run, a pass, or going for it on fourth and one. When I think about it the same could be said in relation to our salvation. Of all the things Jesus did, his victory came down to one play—the garden of Gethsemane. You might say he was on the fifty-yard line and things could have gone either way. But at that moment Jesus decided to go for it; the reason, that was the only way. He refused to call upon the aid of angelic offensive linemen and refused to punt the ball into the hands of someone else. No, he called the play; “Father if it be possible let this cup pass from me, but not my will let yours be done.” That call was the game changer people have been talking about for centuries. It allowed him to win victoriously. The great preacher Clovis Chappell tells a story in his book “Questions Jesus Asked” that helps solidify my point.  “A few years ago a father was plowing in the field while his two small boys were playing nearby.  Suddenly he looked up from his work to see a huge dog coming toward the boys.  He recognized at once that the dog was mad.  Therefore he rushed to meet the oncoming beast, urging his boys to take refuge in a cotton bin.  Thus the boys were saved, but the father was bitten from his face to his feet. So completely was he poisoned that medical skill could do nothing for him.  But I am told that as the end drew near, in moments when he was free from delirium, he would smile into the face of his wife and say: “Don’t you take it too hard.  Remember that the boys are safe and that there was no other way.”  By his sacrifice, Jesus stayed in the game took the beating and won. The win was more than a game and more than a single battle; he won our future. Although it results in winning many question the decisions of a player or a coach because in the heat of the moment they do not understand. Not dissimilar was the experience of Jesus, yet He called the play because that was the only way.  

If He Only Knew

Over the last few days my wife, myself, and a friend have been trying to capture a homeless dog.  He showed up on the front porch of a house beside the church just after the occupant passed away.  It’s rather strange that he seemed to appear out of nowhere.  Since he was nameless and we had no knowledge of his history, Phyllis decided to call him Tiny; a name that is more than suitable for his small size.  In our attempt to win him over we have discovered a few things. He is very fearful, anti-social and lacks trust. Yet, on the other hand his intelligence and survival skills far exceed his stature. We have tried feeding, talking, and trapping in an effort to rescue him but have had no success. When we try to approach him he runs off the porch to the back of the house or to the neighbor’s yard. When we set the trap he avoided it completely as if he knew our intentions.  All our efforts have left us exasperated; we have run out of options. On the way to church this morning Phyllis looked over, saw him in his usual place and gave a heart touching response. “If he only knew, he could live like a king.” Words were never truer spoken.  Any dog that finds itself at the Bewley’s is treated as royalty. Our pets are fed when hungry, nursed when sick, and pampered when in need of attention; “If he only knew.” His world could change with just one act of obedience.  This reminds me of the occasion when Jesus tearfully stood looking upon his beloved people and uttered the following words: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me.” (Matthew 23:37 NLT) Their Messiah wanted to rescue them but they fought the very initiatives that could bring deliverance.  Could not the same be said of us? God reaches out to embrace us, to love us, to save us, yet we pull away in distrusting fear. His only intent is to provide safety and to treat us like kings; “If we only knew!”

It all comes Down to Desire

Do you remember the episode in the Bible where the Disciples miserably failed in an attempt to deliver a demon possessed boy? Jesus accepted the challenge completed the task and moved on. Later his defeated emissaries asked the question that has been posed for centuries. “Why were we unsuccessful?” His response was “this kind only goes out by fasting and prayer.” He goes further to address their lack of faith which I believe addresses a much greater problem and that is “the lack of desire.” Notice how the writer of Hebrews describes the prayer life of Jesus. “While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could deliver him (5:7 NLT). That doesn’t sound like the way most prayers are offered up by believers these days.  Mere listening causes us to confess that our praying often lacks passion, power, and productivity. We hear no pleading, no loud cries, and see no tears. Yet, if we are going to be successful, it requires that we fast and pray with unfettered desire. As E. M. Bounds expresses in his book, Man of Prayer;

        

        Desire gives fervor to prayer.  The soul cannot be listless when

        some great desire fixes and flames it . . .  Strong desires make

        strong prayers . . . The neglect of prayer is the fearful token on

        dead spiritual desires . . . There can be no true praying without

        desire. 

       

John Eldredge in his book Desire states, “We don’t pray like Jesus because we don’t allow ourselves to be nearly so alive. We don’t allow ourselves to feel how desperate our situation truly is. We sense that our desire will undo us if we let it rise up in all its fullness.” So what was Jesus saying to his disciples? Fasting and praying that impacts humanity and gets results is the kind where desire is at the optimum level.  It’s more than ritual or a seasonal exercise. It becomes our heartbeat. It becomes something we want to do rather than a task we are asked to do.  Ministry calls upon us to fulfill a variety of assignments.  However, like the disciples there will be those occasions when we will meet challenges that bring inevitable defeat unless we are filled with unquenchable desire. This desire will allow us to face every assignment without ever having to ask “why were we unsuccessful?”

It’s not just a Ritual

As I write thousands associated with the church world are participating in 21 days of fasting and prayer. Many I’m sure have already been approached by the enemy with the question, “Isn’t this just a temporary ritual that has no lasting impact? Why continue?” If you remember it did not take the devil very long at all to present himself with questions once Jesus was driven into the wilderness. All of which I might add were an attempt to bring doubt and discouragement. However, Jesus remained focused. Why? He knew this act of dedication was far more than a ritual. Quite possibly he thought of the words his Father had relayed to the great prophet Isaiah. "Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.' "If you take away the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, If you extend your soul to the hungry And satisfy the afflicted soul, Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, And your darkness shall be as the noonday. The LORD will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail….Then you shall delight yourself in the LORD; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the LORD has spoken." With this promise it is no wonder the enemy pushed for abandonment. With this promise it is no wonder why Jesus was so resistant and determined. The infinite Savior knew that a season of temporary inconvenience would result in permanent blessings. And we see those demonstrated throughout his ministry. Destinies were forever changed because he obeyed.  The same will be manifested in our lives. Be tenacious in your commitment and know that what you are doing far exceeds the ritual.