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Luke 5:27-32: A Gospel party

This short passage contains what  must be one of the most ironic statements in the New Testament (31,32). The Pharisees and Scribes were sick – dangerously so – but just didn’t recognise it. How blinded to reality we can be (6:39). They were in reach of a cure for their terminal condition but just didn’t realise it.

What a lovely thing Levi (Matthew) did, getting his buddies over for a meal to meet with Jesus who had radically changed his life. One church encouraged their people to throw ‘Matthew parties’ where believers and unbelievers get to rub shoulders. You never know what the Lord will do with such a gathering. But religious people don’t like the idea. They will find reasons to take aim and fire. But if Jesus loves to hang out with non- disciples why should His followers be reticent? Admittedly, it stretches you. These occasions are not always easy. But it is great to take some risks for the gospel.

Luke 5:12-26: Some thoughts on prayer.

I am a pupil in Christ’s school of prayer. I feel that I know so little and I continue to be a learner, but Here are some things I have picked up through the years. They are important principles and they are all found in today’s two stories which, it could be argued, teach about prayer. Let me mention some of the lessons and see if you can locate them in the passage:

Prayer must be fervent. It should not lack intensity ( see James 5:17);

Prayer has to be humble – it is not a conversation between equals;

Prayer should be submissive. It says, ‘Your will be done’;

Let prayer be collaborative. It is a beautiful thing when brothers dwell together in unity, and agree in prayer. Sometimes you may have to put yourself out in prayer in order to team up with others to pray for someone in need. It is a practical way we can show sacrificial love. Attending a regular prayer gathering is a way to love others and serve them. We carry our sick and needy together to the Lord Jesus, who alone can speak the gracious word of forgiveness and healing.

Prayer has got to be full of faith;

Prayer will need to be determined. There will often be obstacles to overcome and our requests will regularly have to be muscular. There will be a requirement for staying power. Yes, we bow to God’s will in any and every matter, but unless we know that He has said ‘No’, let’s endure in prayer, persevere in asking. Be determined to find a way through. Pray through to breakthrough!

But perhaps the most important observation to make from today’s reading is that Jesus Himself prayed. He felt the need to pray. This comes out especially in the early chapters of Luke. Dallas Willard, in his book ‘The spirit of the disciplines’ makes the point that it is not enough to tell people to walk in Christ’s steps. he argues that we can’t conduct ourselves as Jesus did unless we first and foremost seek to live the life before God that Jesus lived, experiencing the same pattern of withdrawl for prayer/fasting/solitude etc. That is a most perceptive and important point.

Prayer: Lord, teach us to pray.

Luke 5 1-11: Step by step

Jesus claims ownership of our ‘stuff’, and He issues commands; He doesn’t make suggestions. He is LORD.

‘But at your word I will let down the Nets'(5).

Put out a little (3), then put out further (4). The reasons for the two different commands to ‘put out’ lay in Jesus’ purpose on each occasion. The first time He wanted to use Peter’s  boat as a pulpit;  the second time around He wanted to use it to enable  these men to bring in an abundant catch of fish ( and teach them a lesson about evangelism into the bargain, v.10.) The important thing is always to listen to the Lord Jesus and do whatever He says. He knows what He is doing. He is the Master when it comes to ‘catching men’ and we are not even novices. So always obey Jesus, even when it doesn’t seem to make sense to do so, or doesn’t feel logical. This is the key to great fruitfulness (6,7), and Jesus still does astonishing things (9). Prepare to be amazed.

For Peter, surrendering his boat to Jesus (3) was probably a small step when compared with what came  next (4). This involved the surrender of his expertise; his pride,his knowledge and skill to One who was not, as far as he knew, a fisherman. So does Jesus regularly school us in the life of obedience, leading us on from smaller to bigger steps. If it was a big step to obey Jesus in (5), it was in the end to lead to the biggest step of all (11). Jesus will stretch your obedience.

The implication in the opening words of the book of ‘Acts’ is that we are into the story of what Jesus  continued ‘to do and teach’ (Acts 1:1). This is what Jesus did after His ascension, through the apostles, by the power of the Holy Spirit. He was still working with His followers to bring in a huge haul of people. This they succeeded in doing as they followed His instructions.

One other thought, when Peter gave up His boat to Jesus, what he got back was abundantly more than what he gave. Don’t you find that is the way with Jesus?

Prayer: Lord I am listening for your Word.

Matthew 9:35- 10:4: Crowded places:

Walking through Hamad Airport, Doha, close to midnight, Jilly and I were surprised to see it teeming with people. It was crowded, and it really was the proverbial ‘melting pot.’ Of course there were the Middle eastern faces and attire we expected to see, but so many other nationalities were represented in the throng.

Feeling somewhat jaded from travel, I didn’t register much beyond the fact that there were an overwhelming number of people in the concourse. But later on, during the next flight, I remembered Jesus and what happened when He ‘saw the crowds’ (36). He was moved with compassion. He recognised their deep spiritual need. He didn’t just see; He saw.

There is a way of seeing, with the eyes of Jesus, that transforms the crowd into a mission field. There is a way of seeing that does not see, and a way of viewing things that  does. We need to be able to see every crowd everywhere through the eyes of Christ. It will make all the difference. It will cause us to ‘pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest’ for more – many more – workers (38).

We may even find that we are the ones who go! (10:1-4).

Prayer: Lord of the harvest, open my eyes to see, my heart to love, and my hands to give.

2 Timothy 3:10-17: Encouragement for the journey.(please click here)

As we saw in yesterday’s reading, Timothy had to serve in a spiritually unhealthy atmosphere. There were lots of heretical ‘germs’ in the air. False teaching was all around. It’s alluded to once again in today’s reading: ‘’Unscrupulous con men will continue to exploit the faith. They’re as deceived as the people they lead astray. As long as they are out there, things can only get worse.’’ The Message. However, Paul continues, ‘’Don’t let it faze you.’’

There were encouragements for Timothy to help him keep going:

• The example of Paul (10, 11): Mentoring involves allowing people to get close enough to you to observe your life and benefit from it. ‘’You’ve been a good apprentice to me, a part of my teaching, my manner of life, direction, faith, steadiness, love, patience, troubles, sufferings – suffering along with me in all the grief I had to put up with in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. And you also well know that God rescued me!’’ The Message. Timothy had seen Paul ‘up close and personal’. That must have put nerve into him for the struggle he faced in his current ministry.
• The willingness to face facts (12): ‘’Anyone who wants to live all out for Christ is in for a lot of trouble; there’s no getting around it.’’ The Message. Timothy saw this in Paul’s life as well as hearing it from his lips. But he also observed how God brought him through. He saw clearly that what doesn’t kill you can work for you and make you stronger; make you better. We have to be realistic about the fact that in this world we will have trouble (John 16:33). But it doesn’t have to be the end of the world. We can persevere through it.
• The power of the Word (14-17). As a leader you need to stick close to the Bible. Don’t stray from it, but ‘’continue in’’ ‘’There’s nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another – showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.’’ The Message. There is no book like the Bible to strengthen you for the fight.

Prayer: Thank you Lord that we are never without encouragement.

 2 Timothy 3: 1-9: The last days.(please click here for todays passage)

I’ve often been asked this question (or something like it): ‘’I think we must be in the last days don’t you pastor?’’ What the people who ask this question mean is that they believe we are in ‘the last of the last days’ just before Jesus returns. I don’t know whether or not that is the case. I’m not going to join the ranks of the speculators and date-setters. What I do know is that we are nearer to Christ’s second coming than we were when we first believed, and we should always live in the light of His return – a reality someone described as living ‘’in the future tense.’’

Let me make one or two observations:

• Biblically speaking, we have been living in ‘’the last days’’ (1) for more than two thousand years. A study of this expression in the New Testament will show that it refers to the entire period between Jesus’ first and second comings. Paul was referring to people who were around in his day when he wrote these words – false teachers (5b-9). He wasn’t limiting his thoughts to two thousand years down the road. I very much doubt that he was thinking beyond his own times;
• We can use these words as a check-list. Are we like this in anyway? If we see any of these characteristics in ourselves let’s declare war on them and, in God’s strength, put them ‘out on the street’. There should be no home for them; no welcome mat put out by you and me;
• In particular, be aware of the danger of having an empty shell of a religion, with no heart, no nucleus, no centre (5). It is possible for Pentecostal, Charismatic and Evangelical churches to have a ‘’form of godliness’’, but to lack true life-changing power – form without fullness. That thought scares me. I don’t want ‘’Ichabod’’ (meaning ‘’the glory has departed’’) to be written over our church or my ministry;
• There will be people in our day also who are always learning but never seem to fully respond to the truth (7). We should not surprised. It happened, and it will happen.

 2 Timothy 2:20-26: True nobility.(please click here for todays passage)

What do you need to cleanse yourself from? (21a). I know that ‘’…the blood of Jesus…cleanses us from all sin.’’ (1 John 1:7), but this is about repentance. This is about what you, and I, have to do – by God’s grace. So what’s impeding your progress? What is clogging up the channel of your ministry? Where is there a build-up of sinful plaque that might stop the flow altogether if it is not dealt with? It might prove dangerous – even fatal – to your spiritual health and effectiveness. What’s God talking to you about today and what are you going to do about it? Where are the ‘’ignoble’’ things needing to be cleansed away? An old hymn says, ‘’It is not trying, but trusting.’’ But the balanced truth is that it is both. We have a real part to play in our own spiritual growth, but we can only do what we have to as we continually ‘download’ God’s power.

‘’Become the kind of container God can use to present any and every kind of gift to his guests for their blessing.’’ The Message.

This message is addressed to a human being who is responsible/accountable to do something about it.

Here are three complementary attitudes a Christian needs to hold – and especially a Christian leader, like Timothy – if they are to be ideal ‘containers’ for God to use; instruments ‘’for noble purposes’’ (21):

• With regard to sin, there must be total rejection/repudiation (21). There are things to run away from at full pelt (22a). In the radical words of Jesus, there are things to be ‘gouged out’ and ‘cut off’ (Matthew 5:29, 30). We cannot afford to be half-hearted about repentance. Firm resolve and self-discipline are required if we are to skedaddle from places where we’d quite like to loiter. The passage again reminds us of the need to put distance between ourselves and false teaching, and indeed everything that leads to division between God’s people (23ff.)
• With regard to holiness there must be pursuit. Go after these qualities with all your heart (22b): ‘’Run after mature righteousness – faith, love, peace – joining those who are in honest and serious prayer before God.’’ The Message. A John Pantry Song, ‘Empty handed’ has this line in it: ‘’Oh how I wanted to be godly.’’ Do you feel anything of that? Does it resonate with you at all? Do you share that heartbeat?
• With regard to people there must be kindness, patience and gentleness (24, 25). This particularly applies to those who are not easy. If people want to quarrel you may not be able to stop them, but don’t get sucked in. Never lose the hope that people can change. They can repent and be different. Persevere in your ministry trusting in God’s ability to transform. He did it for you, didn’t He? He can do this for others.

Prayer: Holy God, please show me everything that you want evicting from my life. Please give the strength and courage to show sin the door.

 2 Timothy 2:8-13: ‘’Remember Jesus Christ…’’

If you are going to suffer, and be single-minded, like a soldier (3, 4) remember Jesus Christ.

If you’re going to live right like a disciplined athlete (5), remember Jesus Christ.

If you’re going to work hard like a farmer (6), remember Jesus Christ.

If you’re going to be able to bear mistreatment for the sake of the gospel (8b), remember Jesus Christ.

If you want to be willing, like Paul, to pay any price that the elect might be saved (10), remember Jesus Christ.

Remember who Jesus is, and all that He is, and everything He has done, and it will help you to keep going (11-13) when times are hardest. It will keep you from disowning Him under pressure. (But whatever you and I do, the Lord will ‘’remain faithful’’. He cannot be untrue to Himself.)

Remember Him not as you think of a dead hero. Remember Him as the One who died and rose again (8). He’s still around! He’s the Christ who beat death, and in Him we overcome too (11, 12). ‘’…God’s word is not chained.’’ (9). No opposition, however severe, can prevent God’s Word from prevailing: ‘’…but God’s Word isn’t in jail!’’ The Message. And remember that Jesus is the living ‘’Word’’ (John 1). He is active in the world He made and He is unstoppable. He is not manacled by anyone or anything.

Remember Him as the fulfilment of prophecy (8b: ‘’…descended from David.’’) and let your heart be encouraged.

‘’Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.’’ Hebrews 12:3.

‘’When the road is rough and steep, keep your eyes upon Jesus.’’

Even when the road is somewhat easier, this is still the way to live: ‘’Looking unto Jesus…’’

‘’Fix this picture firmly in your mind: Jesus, descended from the line of David, raised from the dead.’’ The Message. He faced the worst and He came through it. So will you – in Him.