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Category: John (Page 22 of 31)

Nothingness

March 26, 2012 / / 0 Comments

Nothingness really is a word. It is; I looked it up. It’s not one of these made-up words that college basketball commentators like to throw around during televised tournament games. I’m not sure of anyone’s “sizeability.” I don’t think any player has “longness.” And I’m certain that one cannot describe a coach’s “toughicity” or a power forward’s “reachness.” Give me Verne Lundquist any day. Every day. When words fail, I’ll take his “My gracious!” and “Merciful heavens!” over the made up stuff all the time. By the way, that Kansas pick isn’t looking so crazy now, is it?

Nothingness really is a word.

“I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself.” ~John 5:19

Jesus said that. Really. Jesus says without the Father, he is nothing. He can say nothing. He can do nothing. Jesus claims that he resides and operates in nothingness without God.

But, wait a second! He’s Jesus! This is the Son of God!

Yes, that’s true. But without the Father, he can do nothing.

See, Jesus understood that our God does his very best work in nothingness. Through nothingness, our God does eternally spectacular stuff. Our Father is very consistent on that. Scriptures present this truth very consistently. With God, the winners are exposed as losers and the losers are revealed to be winners. David and Goliath. Gideon. Jericho. The prodigal son and his older brother. The ones who are nothing are everything; the ones who seemingly have it all are actually defeated. Our God is a God of tremendous surprises.

“I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself.”

Christian ministry is conducted in the middle of these great surprises. We work as disciples in the midst of these amazing shocks. We’re standing around in the middle of nothing in particular, doing nothing important, seeing nothing impressive, feeling nothing exciting, when suddenly God sees and does something huge! Right in the middle of all that nothingness, our Father will create something truly substantial and eternal. Something massive!

I sometimes — actually, I should use the word “often” here — slip into a mood of thinking I can do all kinds of wonderful things. I can preach this and I can plan that and I can promote and encourage and teach and lead and write. I can be productive. I can be valuable. I can be important. I can do really good things.

Jesus says he can do nothing without the Father. Me, too. I can do nothing without our God. Nothing. All good gifts come from him in love, all good things I might possibly do are manifestations of his matchless grace and nothing else. I am nothing. My work is nothingness. My potential is nothingness. My abilities and talents are nothing.

And, praise God, that’s where he works. God works in nothingness. Where there is nothing, our Father does something, something big and everlasting. Where I see nothing, our God sees something, something important and eternal.

Jesus told Paul, “My power is made perfect in weakness.” Paul reminded that when we are weak, because of our Father, we are strong.

God is working right now in your nothingness. Lord, please work right now in our nothingness.

Peace,

Allan

Be Careful What You Ask For

January 25, 2012 / / 1 Comment

“Be careful what you ask for…”

You’ve heard that before, right? Maybe you’ve even said it before. “Be careful what you ask for…”

Why?

“…because you just might get it.”

If my understanding of salvation is correct, God’s Holy Spirit is transforming us, changing us into the image of Christ. “Christ in us” is our hope of glory. We are being transformed “into the image of Christ with ever increasing glory.” Paul calls this “being saved.” It’s a process. It’s a journey. It’s a gradual becoming.

And it involves suffering.

Jesus made it plain: “All men will hate you because of me” (Matthew 10:22).

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first” (John 15:18).

Paul knew it, too: “Every one who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12).

See, we don’t normally think this way. We preach and teach, we believe and confess that if the whole world acted more like Jesus everybody would love everybody. If we thought and behaved more like our Lord, people would love us and be attracted to us. The Scriptural truth and the ultimate reality is that if we become more like Jesus, people will actually hate us. It’s unavoidable. If you want a safe, untroubled, comfortable life free from danger, then stay away from Jesus! The danger and risk and exposure to suffering increases in proportion to the depth of our relationship with the Christ.

Maybe this is why we sit back and settle for a casual relationship with Christ and just routine religion in the church. It’s safe at most churches. And, the way most of us do it, it’s actually pretty popular to be a Christian and go to church. As long as we’re pursuing the same goals and values and uphold the same ideals as everybody else in the world, even if we put a Christian label on it, the world’s cool with us. As long as our Christianity looks like the American Dream, we’re not going to have many problems.

But Jesus says, “Everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher” (Luke 6:40).

Our Teacher was mocked and beaten and ridiculed and persecuted and betrayed and murdered. He suffered and sacrificed and bled and died. Do we really want to be like him?

“It has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him but also to suffer for him” (Philippians 1:29).

Peter says we shouldn’t be surprised when it happens. Paul says we should consider it a joy. Scripture upholds that suffering is a gift. Christ gives us a gift — suffering. It’s a blessing. It’s a grace. It’s transformational. It’s life; eternal life. It’s discipleship; being like Jesus. Sanctification; being changed. Salvation; being saved.

Make me a servant; Lord, make me like you.

Be careful what you ask for.

Peace,

Allan

Madison’s Lesson

January 19, 2012 / / 1 Comment

Someone named Donny Hunt was at Madison’s funeral here at Central Monday. He had never met Madison or anyone in the Knebusch family. But one of his children goes to school with Londen, so Donny’s been getting regular facebook and email and dinner time updates on Madison’s condition for almost two years. So he was compelled by a mix, I think, of compassion and curiosity to attend Monday’s memorial service.

And it moved him. It taught him. And he wrote about it in a little article that’s making swift rounds throughout our church family.

The love that was shown during that Monday afternoon service, the faith that was expressed, the gratitude that was voiced, it all moved him. All these Christians — Mr. Hunt estimates a little over 500 people in our worship center; it was more like 1,200 — worshiping together during this very difficult time inspired him. He admits he rarely, if ever, attends any church services anywhere. But being here at Central Monday didn’t intimidate him at all. It moved him. Donny admits that, when facing death, we only really have what we believe. And if “believing in God makes your life more fulfilled, if it inspires you to be a better person, to give of yourself and leave the world a little better than you found it, how can it be bad?”

Donny writes that because of the love he witnessed and experienced here at Central on Monday, he realizes that faith in God is good.

Because of “the love in that church,” he says.  

Donny also writes beautifully about Madison’s sweet spirit, her great courage, and the eternal impact she’s had on everyone who knew her. You can read the entire article by clicking here.

Donny experienced our God with us here at Central Monday. His experience moved him to seek our Lord, to consider his own relationship with this God he doesn’t totally understand.  He’s searching now in a way that he wasn’t before Madison’s funeral. And Donny wasn’t moved closer to God by our particular doctrines or theological positions. He wasn’t inspired by our stance on baptism by immersion or our policies on church organizational structure. Donny’s heart wasn’t touched by our big worship center or the slick audio/video presentations. And he doesn’t care about our Restoration roots or our interpretations of 1 Corinthians 11.

It was “the love in that church” that grabbed him.

While she lived here with us, Madison taught us all many lessons. The day of her funeral reminded me of one of the more important ones.

“Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this, all men will know that you are my disciples; if you love one another.” ~John 13:35

Peace,

Allan

Faithful Among the Stumps

October 1, 2011 / / 0 Comments

Of all the really cool stuff in Isaiah — the servant songs, the allusions to Christ, the prophesies about the Messiah, the comfort passages — the words at the end of chapter six about preaching to people who refuse to listen are the most quoted in the New Testament.

Jesus uses Isaiah’s words in Matthew 13 after telling the parable of the four soils. Same thing in Mark 4 and Luke 8. Jesus says, man, this is how Isaiah must have felt.

In John 12, right after Jesus predicts his death, God’s voice thunders down from heaven for the benefit of the people in the crowds. But they’re not listening. They don’t understand. They refuse to change. And, again, Jesus uses the Isaiah 6 passage to account for the blind eyes and stubborn hearts.

Paul’s near the end of his life in Acts 28, under house arrest in Rome. And he’s failed to make a dent in the sight or the hearing or the hearts of the religious leaders who’ve come to hear him preach. Nothing. And he quotes the Isaiah 6 passage. Same thing in Romans 11. “It’s still happening!” Paul says, “To this very day!” Paul’s a failed preacher in pretty good company.

The point of the last half of Isaiah 6, and the reason the passage is repeated so many times in the early history of God’s Church, is that we are called to be faithful to our Father and to his mission, regardless of where it takes us. No matter how bad it gets, no matter how many people reject the truth, we are called to keep preaching the truth.

The point of Isaiah 6:8-13 is that if we trust God, if we’ll remain faithful to him, he’ll do something with those closed eyes and plugged up ears. Those stumps (Isaiah 6:13). Isaiah and Jesus and the apostles are reminding us that God does his best work in the middle of a desolate field of worthless stumps.

God created the universe out of nothing. He raised a mighty nation out of a 90-year-old barren womb. He pulled a young boy from the bottom of a well and made him a powerful ruler of the most important nation in the world. He uses the death of a preacher and the persecution of his Church to spread the Good News of salvation from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. He delivered forgiveness and righteousness to all mankind through a cruel wooden cross.

There’s more happening in horrible situations than we ever realize. These awful circumstances are holy. God does holy things with faithful people in a field full of stumps.

“The holy seed is its stump.” ~Isaiah 6:13

Peace,

Allan

Back To Work

July 7, 2011 / / 0 Comments

Yesterday was really more of a catch-up day. Today, I really am back to work. Today I’m in my study. Working. While you’re slaving away at the office or the construction site or the airport or the hospital, I’m at the church building doing God’s work. Right?

WRONG!

We are all doing God’s work, together, seven days a week.

Sometimes we speak in ways that make what I do as a preacher “full-time Christian work” and what you do as a member of the Body of Christ “part-time Christian work” or “weekend Christian work.” You must know that you are a full-time Christian banker or plumber or homemaker. You are a full-time Christian truck driver or repair man, administrator or salesperson. When we are at our work, we are at the same time at God’s work. Just like our Lord Jesus.

You realize that most of what Jesus did he did in a secular workplace: in a farmer’s field, in a fishing boat, at a wedding feast, in a cemetery, at a public well, on a country hillside, in a court room, at dinner with friends and family. Sometimes in the Gospels, Jesus shows up in a synagogue or at the temple. But he mostly spends time in the workplace.

John identifies Jesus as a worker 27 times in his Gospel. He quotes our Lord as saying, “My Father is still working, and I also am working.”

You work does not take you away from God; it continues the work of God. God is always in his workplace, your workplace, working. And once we recognize that, we more easily see ourselves — all of us — working in our workplaces in the name of Jesus to his eternal glory and praise.

Peace,

Allan

A Den of Robbers

June 9, 2011 / / 2 Comments

“Is it not written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.'” ~Mark 11:17

What made Jesus so mad that day at the temple? What riled him to the point of flipping tables and scattering coins and driving out doves and sheep? We generally speculate that pilgrims and travelers were being ripped off. Religious officials were probably cheating worshipers on the exchange rate between their Roman coins and the temple-approved currency. Sellers of cattle and sheep were overcharging and taking advantage of those who had come so far to sacrifice and whose animals had been harmed or blemished in some way along the journey.

Those things may very well be true. And if they were, that would surely upset our Lord. The only problem is that none of those things are attested to in Scripture. We have no scriptural evidence that anybody was being cheated out of money. The Gospels don’t speak or even hint at any economic wrongdoing.

We get the idea, I think, from Jesus’ statement about the temple being turned in to a “den of robbers.” But I believe we’ve missed the point. Jesus is not talking about money or possessions here. He’s quoting the Prophets. And if we go to the passages he quotes, it’s pretty clear what’s got him so angry.

Isaiah 56 is about God’s holy provision for those outside the nation of Israel. God loves the whole world, not just the Jews. And he’s going to take care of them, too. Isaiah 56 promises the “foreigner who has bound himself to the Lord” that he will never be excluded from God’s people. Eunuchs who keep God’s commands will always have a place “within my temple and its walls.” All foreigners who love the Lord:

“these will I bring to my holy mountain
and give them joy in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house will be called
a house of prayer for all nations.” ~Isaiah 56:7

God has provided a place at his temple for Gentiles to gather and worship. God has promised covenant to these Gentiles and has sanctified a place for them to participate in the community life of God’s people. Gentiles, too, can experience the glory of God. Gentiles, too, can make sacrifices to God in faith that he will accept the offerings and forgive them of their sins. Gentiles, too, have a place in the Kingdom of God.

But it’s in these very temple courts — the Gentile courts, the Court of the Gentiles — where religious leaders are setting up shop and selling animals. They would never allow the inner parts of God’s temple to be turned in to a noisy, smelly, chaotic mess. They would never do anything to disrupt the expressions of praise and sacrifice from their own people in their special places. But these Gentiles? Yeah, let’s sell the animals there.

They are interfering with the divine provision of God. They are compromising God’s promises to the world. They’re messing with God’s plan. They’re depriving people of the space God has given them in which to worship. It’s a house of prayer for all nations, not just for people who look like me and talk like me and dress like me and behave like me. It’s not just for people who worship and sing and pray just exactly like us. It’s for everybody!

No wonder Jesus was so angry.

So, what’s it like at your church? Are the Hispanics relegated to an upstairs classroom in the back of the building? And is that classroom cluttered with leftover chairs and three ice chests from the youth trip? Where do the deaf worship in your church? Is it just understood that the homeless and the jobless and the “unchurched” won’t fit in? So nobody really tries?

Forget about the actual physical space for a minute. Do the ones who are not just like us — the new members, the move-ins, the poor, the young people, the old people, the divorced, the minorities — have a forum in your church to express their praise to God? Are they stared at, talked about, isolated, and discouraged from worshiping God? Or are they smiled at, hugged on, sung with, and encouraged to worship? Sometimes our haughtiness and complaints, our snide comments and dirty looks, our letters and threats rob our own brothers and sisters in Christ of their God-sanctioned forum and venue for giving him thanksgiving and praise. As Jesus says in John 2:16, “How dare you!”

“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” ~Romans 15:7

Peace,

Allan

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