What Did Jesus Do?
“I made known to them your name…
that the love with which you loved me may be in them…”
John 17.26
Some of my contemporaries would probably tell you that love-ins were invented by hippies in the 60s for the purpose of peacefully meditating and grooving on one another, or, alternatively, as a form of peaceful mass protest. The truth is, love-ins have a much older history. In fact, Jesus prayed for a love-in, so to speak.
But any grooving done by Christ’s followers would not have been on one another, but rather on the Father. For it was the eternal and surpassing love of the Father for the Son that Jesus prayed to be in his disciples. The key to being filled with the Father’s love was to first have Jesus residing in one’s heart. Actually, it is all but impossible to make a distinction between Jesus and the Father’s love, because Christ was the incarnation of God’s agape.
I believe it is of inestimable significance that, on the night before he was crucified, the Lord’s chief concern was that his followers should be filled with love, the Father’s love. Think about it, when Jesus considered what would best serve those who would carry on his ministry, and build his Church, he asked the Father to fill them with love. Jesus could have asked for courage. He could have asked for faith. He could have asked for patience. He could have asked for wisdom. He asked for a love-n.
What does this mean to those who follow Jesus today? Well, I believe it should put petitioning the Father to fill us with his love right at the top of our prayer list. I mean, what better guide and instruction for life and faith and prayer is there? This love, this agape, abides along with faith and hope, and is the greatest of the three (see 1Corinthians 13.13). There is absolutely nothing more powerful in the entire Cosmos. Nothing. Take all the energy and power of all the billions of stars in the sky, and it is nothing when we compare it to the power of God’s agape love.
By the power of his love the Father created all things. By his the power of his love the Father redeemed all who will be saved. By the power of his love the Father is sustaining the universe until the day of the Lord’s return. Think the world is in bad shape? Try imagining what it would be like if the love of God departed and the earth was left on its own. Why, it would be, if you’ll permit, hell.
Well, having said that Christians should make asking the Father to fill us with his love our top prayer request, I want to say that I am convinced this petition remains a priority for the Son, even as he has returned to the Father’s side. That’s right, Jesus still prays love-in to all who call upon the Father in his name.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Jesus Asked To Be One In Glory With All Who Believe
What Did Jesus Do?
“I do not ask for these only,
but also for those who will believe in me through their word.
John 17.20
Jesus had prayed to the Father many times, and many times in his prayers he had asked on behalf of his disciples. But, as the hour of his crucifixion drew near, the Lord had his eye on a broad and distant people far beyond the limit of those who had followed him during his two-plus years of ministry—the Son interceded with the Father on behalf of all those who would ever come to believe.
The Son had not been sent merely to impact the lives of a few who were fortunate enough to be living in First Century Palestine. No, Jesus came for the sake of all believers in all places and at all times. He had prayed for his disciples, his “called out ones” (see WDJD for 6/15/11); now he would pray for the ones whom his disciples would be commissioned to go and serve (Matthew 28.19-20). Even as it was the Lord's greatest joy that he was one with the Father (John 10.30), and his deepest desire was that his disciples would be one in, through, and with him (John 17.11), he would not settle for anything less than that all believers be one, in order that the world would believe he had been sent by the Father (John 17.21-23).
One, as it turns out, is the farthest thing from the “loneliest number.” In Christ, all become one to the 1x1000000.....power (11000000...)! Far from loneliness, this is close and limitless fellowship, now and forever. And, though in this world those in fellowship with the Son, and with one another in and through him, will face tribulation, there is something “out of this world” they will come to know and experience through him who overcame the world—glory.
For the prayer of the Son was not for mere fellowship for his followers, but for such intimate fellowship with him and the Father that they too would be partakers of the very glory of God which has existed since before the foundations of the world were laid (John 17.24). While it is the world's practice to jealously guard love, it is the Father's heart that the Son should make the his love known, and available to all who believe in the only true God, and in Jesus Christ whom he sent.
Those who glory most in the things of the world are typically those who find it hardest to believe, to accept that the Father loves the world with a completely different and surpassing love in and through the Son. It is the task of those who are one with Jesus to make this love known, not just by telling others about it, but much more by showering it upon others, so that the world may know the love with which the Father loves the Son, and that in fact the Son himself dwells within his disciples to this day, and forever, which is nothing short of glory.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
“I do not ask for these only,
but also for those who will believe in me through their word.
John 17.20
Jesus had prayed to the Father many times, and many times in his prayers he had asked on behalf of his disciples. But, as the hour of his crucifixion drew near, the Lord had his eye on a broad and distant people far beyond the limit of those who had followed him during his two-plus years of ministry—the Son interceded with the Father on behalf of all those who would ever come to believe.
The Son had not been sent merely to impact the lives of a few who were fortunate enough to be living in First Century Palestine. No, Jesus came for the sake of all believers in all places and at all times. He had prayed for his disciples, his “called out ones” (see WDJD for 6/15/11); now he would pray for the ones whom his disciples would be commissioned to go and serve (Matthew 28.19-20). Even as it was the Lord's greatest joy that he was one with the Father (John 10.30), and his deepest desire was that his disciples would be one in, through, and with him (John 17.11), he would not settle for anything less than that all believers be one, in order that the world would believe he had been sent by the Father (John 17.21-23).
One, as it turns out, is the farthest thing from the “loneliest number.” In Christ, all become one to the 1x1000000.....power (11000000...)! Far from loneliness, this is close and limitless fellowship, now and forever. And, though in this world those in fellowship with the Son, and with one another in and through him, will face tribulation, there is something “out of this world” they will come to know and experience through him who overcame the world—glory.
For the prayer of the Son was not for mere fellowship for his followers, but for such intimate fellowship with him and the Father that they too would be partakers of the very glory of God which has existed since before the foundations of the world were laid (John 17.24). While it is the world's practice to jealously guard love, it is the Father's heart that the Son should make the his love known, and available to all who believe in the only true God, and in Jesus Christ whom he sent.
Those who glory most in the things of the world are typically those who find it hardest to believe, to accept that the Father loves the world with a completely different and surpassing love in and through the Son. It is the task of those who are one with Jesus to make this love known, not just by telling others about it, but much more by showering it upon others, so that the world may know the love with which the Father loves the Son, and that in fact the Son himself dwells within his disciples to this day, and forever, which is nothing short of glory.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
A Special Note: At "Sea"
I am afraid I have had to "ship out" with a band of pirates in search of the Black Pearl this summer. Which is to say, I'll be working for the next six weeks on staff at our local Boy Scout Camp, where our theme is borrowed from a certain film series with which I trust all are familiar.
Sadly, my opportunities to get to sit and write, much less access a computer and the internet, will be greatly restricted. I hope to post as much as possible, but apologize that this blog may be comparatively quiet until we "return to port" on July 30.
Fell free to explore the archives, or start a comment thread on any of the posts. For now, may the peace of God's Shalom be with you.
Sadly, my opportunities to get to sit and write, much less access a computer and the internet, will be greatly restricted. I hope to post as much as possible, but apologize that this blog may be comparatively quiet until we "return to port" on July 30.
Fell free to explore the archives, or start a comment thread on any of the posts. For now, may the peace of God's Shalom be with you.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Jesus Sent The Called Out Ones Into The World
What Did Jesus Do?
“As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.”
John 17.18
It was the Father's plan that the Son call out his own from the world (John 17.6; see WDJD for 6/14/11). So it was that Christ's followers would become known as the ekklesia—the “called out ones” (in English, “the Church”). As the Son was not of the world, but of heaven, so too the ones he called out would not call the world their home, but would desire and belong to a heavenly country (see Hebrews 11.13-16). Yet, just as the Father had sent the Son into the world to accomplish a mission, Jesus sent the called out ones into the world on a mission.
For this reason Jesus prayed a very special prayer, often referred to as the High Priestly Prayer, for his Church, which would be an apostolic church, which is to say a delegate body, a band of messengers, a group sent forth under orders. In the prayer the Son asked the Father for two things in particular for his Church: protection, and sanctification.
For as long as he was with them, Jesus guarded and protected his followers, keeping them in the name he shared with the Father (John 17.12). And this protection was critical, for the world hated all who received the words Jesus spoke (John 17.14). Knowing he would soon be leaving his disciples, the Son asked the Father to continue to keep them in the name, and to guard them from the devil (the “evil one”) while they remained in the world on the mission the Lord had given them (John 17.15).
That mission, that message which the Church would bear into the world, demanded that Christ's followers be sanctified, that is, set apart and perfected for holy work. And Jesus asked the Father to sanctify his disciples in the truth, which is nothing less than the Word of God (John 17.17). For their sake, and not for the world, Jesus consecrated himself, set himself apart for the most holy work of God, so that in truth his Church should also be sanctified (John 17.19), for its most holy work in the world.
So it is that the Church, though not of the world, has a singular mission in the world, which is, in the name of the Father and the Son, to be sent to proclaim the Word of God. This Gospel, the Good News, still sanctifies those whom the Father is calling out of the world through the Son in the power of the Holy Spirit. A church which separates itself totally from the world cannot be the Church whose mission is to be sent ever and again to the world. No one who follows the Son can be so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good to the Father. If we are called out, we can be sure it is in order that we may be protected and sanctified, and then be sent back into the world, in Jesus' name.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
“As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.”
John 17.18
It was the Father's plan that the Son call out his own from the world (John 17.6; see WDJD for 6/14/11). So it was that Christ's followers would become known as the ekklesia—the “called out ones” (in English, “the Church”). As the Son was not of the world, but of heaven, so too the ones he called out would not call the world their home, but would desire and belong to a heavenly country (see Hebrews 11.13-16). Yet, just as the Father had sent the Son into the world to accomplish a mission, Jesus sent the called out ones into the world on a mission.
For this reason Jesus prayed a very special prayer, often referred to as the High Priestly Prayer, for his Church, which would be an apostolic church, which is to say a delegate body, a band of messengers, a group sent forth under orders. In the prayer the Son asked the Father for two things in particular for his Church: protection, and sanctification.
For as long as he was with them, Jesus guarded and protected his followers, keeping them in the name he shared with the Father (John 17.12). And this protection was critical, for the world hated all who received the words Jesus spoke (John 17.14). Knowing he would soon be leaving his disciples, the Son asked the Father to continue to keep them in the name, and to guard them from the devil (the “evil one”) while they remained in the world on the mission the Lord had given them (John 17.15).
That mission, that message which the Church would bear into the world, demanded that Christ's followers be sanctified, that is, set apart and perfected for holy work. And Jesus asked the Father to sanctify his disciples in the truth, which is nothing less than the Word of God (John 17.17). For their sake, and not for the world, Jesus consecrated himself, set himself apart for the most holy work of God, so that in truth his Church should also be sanctified (John 17.19), for its most holy work in the world.
So it is that the Church, though not of the world, has a singular mission in the world, which is, in the name of the Father and the Son, to be sent to proclaim the Word of God. This Gospel, the Good News, still sanctifies those whom the Father is calling out of the world through the Son in the power of the Holy Spirit. A church which separates itself totally from the world cannot be the Church whose mission is to be sent ever and again to the world. No one who follows the Son can be so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good to the Father. If we are called out, we can be sure it is in order that we may be protected and sanctified, and then be sent back into the world, in Jesus' name.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Jesus Exposed The Father's Name
What Did Jesus Do?
“I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me...”
John 17.6
Everyone loves a good expose'. Come on, admit it, you've watched a little reality T.V. yourself, haven't you? I confess I have. Unfortunately, the genre's stock-in-trade tends to the tawdry and the titillating. What may be the worst thing about so much of today's popular expose's are that they pass off so-called “reality” as truth, when often nothing could be farther from it. There is a lot more deceit and illusion than truth in what many accept as reality nowadays. In marked contrast, the life of the Son was reality worth seeing, and his expose' of the Truth was captivating. How favored were the few to whom the truth was revealed, to whom Jesus exposed the Father's name.
While so-called reality television strives to expose its version of the truth to the whole world, the Son had quite a different audience in mind for his expose'. He would reveal, expose to view, manifest the Father's name only to those whom the Father had given him out of the world. They would eventually come to be known as the ekklesia-“the called out ones,” in our modern tongue—the Church. They were the receivers of the Word, possessors of the knowledge that everything of the Son had come from the Father (John 17.7). All the words that the Father had given to Jesus, Jesus dutifully passed on to those called out of the world, so that, by receiving these words, they would know the truth, and believe that Jesus had been sent by the Father (John 17.8).
You see, the world, so enamored, even back in ancient times, with its own take on reality, its own version of the truth, has always been totally deceived. This is to say that the world has forever, or at least since the Fall, embraced lies as truth, and illusion as reality. Jesus came into the world in order to call those the Father had given him out of the world, so that they might be exposed to the truth. For, in fact, the basis of all truth is the name which Jesus manifested, the name of the Father, then name shared by the Son—I Am (Hebrew-Yahweh). As it turns out, Shakespeare was wrong, there is much in a name, or, more properly, there is everything in the name.
To be exposed to the truth in the midst of a world totally invested in lies is not at all an easy thing. Jesus knew it would be the reason his followers, his Church, would face tribulation in the world (see John 16.33). So the Son prayed to the Father, not for the world, but for the ones called out of the world, for they were the Father's, his children, if you will (John 17.9). And the request of the Son to the Father was that he would keep his own in his name, that they might be one, even as the Father and the Son are one (John 17.11).
What it comes down to is this, the Church, if it would be worthy of that name, must keep the name, and not just keep it, but manifest it, reveal it, expose it in the world to those who are still being called out of the world by the name. That's what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
“I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me...”
John 17.6
Everyone loves a good expose'. Come on, admit it, you've watched a little reality T.V. yourself, haven't you? I confess I have. Unfortunately, the genre's stock-in-trade tends to the tawdry and the titillating. What may be the worst thing about so much of today's popular expose's are that they pass off so-called “reality” as truth, when often nothing could be farther from it. There is a lot more deceit and illusion than truth in what many accept as reality nowadays. In marked contrast, the life of the Son was reality worth seeing, and his expose' of the Truth was captivating. How favored were the few to whom the truth was revealed, to whom Jesus exposed the Father's name.
While so-called reality television strives to expose its version of the truth to the whole world, the Son had quite a different audience in mind for his expose'. He would reveal, expose to view, manifest the Father's name only to those whom the Father had given him out of the world. They would eventually come to be known as the ekklesia-“the called out ones,” in our modern tongue—the Church. They were the receivers of the Word, possessors of the knowledge that everything of the Son had come from the Father (John 17.7). All the words that the Father had given to Jesus, Jesus dutifully passed on to those called out of the world, so that, by receiving these words, they would know the truth, and believe that Jesus had been sent by the Father (John 17.8).
You see, the world, so enamored, even back in ancient times, with its own take on reality, its own version of the truth, has always been totally deceived. This is to say that the world has forever, or at least since the Fall, embraced lies as truth, and illusion as reality. Jesus came into the world in order to call those the Father had given him out of the world, so that they might be exposed to the truth. For, in fact, the basis of all truth is the name which Jesus manifested, the name of the Father, then name shared by the Son—I Am (Hebrew-Yahweh). As it turns out, Shakespeare was wrong, there is much in a name, or, more properly, there is everything in the name.
To be exposed to the truth in the midst of a world totally invested in lies is not at all an easy thing. Jesus knew it would be the reason his followers, his Church, would face tribulation in the world (see John 16.33). So the Son prayed to the Father, not for the world, but for the ones called out of the world, for they were the Father's, his children, if you will (John 17.9). And the request of the Son to the Father was that he would keep his own in his name, that they might be one, even as the Father and the Son are one (John 17.11).
What it comes down to is this, the Church, if it would be worthy of that name, must keep the name, and not just keep it, but manifest it, reveal it, expose it in the world to those who are still being called out of the world by the name. That's what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Monday, June 13, 2011
Jesus Earned A Return To Glory
What Did Jesus Do?
“I have accomplished the work that you gave me to do, glorifying you on earth.
Now, Father, glorify me in your presence...”
John 17.4-5
There is a credit card that likes to suggest that by using it we can come pretty darn close to a “Priceless” experience by buying “everything else” that's necessary for a priceless moment to happen. Of course, there's a high price that comes with buying the “everything else.” While the world would put a price tag on everything, there are truly some things that money can't buy. Like our salvation. And glory, who can by glory? Well, Jesus paid the price for our salvation, and by doing so earned a return to glory.
Jesus had been sent into the world by his Father in order to complete a mission which had a price tag greater than all of the wealth in the world put together could ever afford. It was a simple mission, yet immense and detailed. There were thirty-some years of tasks that the Father required to be done, including one final, awful work to be wrought on the cross, before the Son could send the signal, “Mission accomplished.” Every step along the long journey to the mission's end, each thought, word, and action of the Son, all accrued to the glory of the Father. By completing all the work the Father had given him on earth, the Son earned the right to request that he might come home, and once again know the glory of being in the Father's presence.
As priceless as our salvation is, I believe the fact that the Son earned a place for us in the presence of his Father's glory may be even more priceless, if there could be such a thing as degrees of pricelessness. For the glory to which the Son returned is a glory Father and Son are pleased to share with all the Father's children. What price could you put on that? How much credit would that take? Since every line of credit has a limit, there is no way anyone could ever afford to buy themselves a little piece of truly priceless glory. The truth is, the Son had to pay the full price for our salvation up front, so to speak. But, here's the awesome thing, the Father give's us all the credit the Son earned, which is how we get to experience the glory!
And we are not talking about just any old glory. This is pure, heavenly glory as it existed in eternity past, before the world was ever created. That's glory you can't hardly begin to describe, much less put a price on. And all whom Christ died for have a personal place in the presence of this glory. Kind of makes you wish you could just go there right now, doesn't it?
I am sure Jesus wished he could have returned to the glory without going all the way to the cross, in fact I know he did (see Mark 14.36). Yet, the Son knew that the mission would not be accomplished until all his work of glorifying the Father on earth was completed. Now, what do you think we should be doing with our time on earth? Not earning our way to heaven certainly, we'd already said that cost more than we could ever pay, and Jesus has already paid the price for us. But we do have the opportunity and the privilege to live in such a way that the Father is still glorified on earth. The only way to do this is to live according to the example of the life of Christ, to ask each day, “What did Jesus do”, and then go and accomplish the work that the Father has given unto us.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
“I have accomplished the work that you gave me to do, glorifying you on earth.
Now, Father, glorify me in your presence...”
John 17.4-5
There is a credit card that likes to suggest that by using it we can come pretty darn close to a “Priceless” experience by buying “everything else” that's necessary for a priceless moment to happen. Of course, there's a high price that comes with buying the “everything else.” While the world would put a price tag on everything, there are truly some things that money can't buy. Like our salvation. And glory, who can by glory? Well, Jesus paid the price for our salvation, and by doing so earned a return to glory.
Jesus had been sent into the world by his Father in order to complete a mission which had a price tag greater than all of the wealth in the world put together could ever afford. It was a simple mission, yet immense and detailed. There were thirty-some years of tasks that the Father required to be done, including one final, awful work to be wrought on the cross, before the Son could send the signal, “Mission accomplished.” Every step along the long journey to the mission's end, each thought, word, and action of the Son, all accrued to the glory of the Father. By completing all the work the Father had given him on earth, the Son earned the right to request that he might come home, and once again know the glory of being in the Father's presence.
As priceless as our salvation is, I believe the fact that the Son earned a place for us in the presence of his Father's glory may be even more priceless, if there could be such a thing as degrees of pricelessness. For the glory to which the Son returned is a glory Father and Son are pleased to share with all the Father's children. What price could you put on that? How much credit would that take? Since every line of credit has a limit, there is no way anyone could ever afford to buy themselves a little piece of truly priceless glory. The truth is, the Son had to pay the full price for our salvation up front, so to speak. But, here's the awesome thing, the Father give's us all the credit the Son earned, which is how we get to experience the glory!
And we are not talking about just any old glory. This is pure, heavenly glory as it existed in eternity past, before the world was ever created. That's glory you can't hardly begin to describe, much less put a price on. And all whom Christ died for have a personal place in the presence of this glory. Kind of makes you wish you could just go there right now, doesn't it?
I am sure Jesus wished he could have returned to the glory without going all the way to the cross, in fact I know he did (see Mark 14.36). Yet, the Son knew that the mission would not be accomplished until all his work of glorifying the Father on earth was completed. Now, what do you think we should be doing with our time on earth? Not earning our way to heaven certainly, we'd already said that cost more than we could ever pay, and Jesus has already paid the price for us. But we do have the opportunity and the privilege to live in such a way that the Father is still glorified on earth. The only way to do this is to live according to the example of the life of Christ, to ask each day, “What did Jesus do”, and then go and accomplish the work that the Father has given unto us.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Jesus Proclaimed Eternal Life
What Did Jesus Do?
“And this is eternal life...”
John 17.3
To put a different, and far more redemptive, spin on the age-old question, “How do you keep an idiot in suspense,” how do you keep a sinner in suspense? Keep eternal life a secret. Of course, keeping sinners in suspense is an extremely cruel thing to do, I can only imagine Satan, and those who are under his influence, taking pleasure in it. Jesus certainly was not cruel, even having compassion on legions of unclean spirits (see Mark 5.1-13). Rather than keep a world full of sinners in suspense Jesus proclaimed eternal life.
Are you, like so many believers, looking forward to eternity? If you are, you've been missing out on the indescribable joy of experiencing eternal life right now. Did you perhaps never read John 17.3? The Lord did not talk about what eternal life might be. Neither did Christ tell his followers what eternal life would be. Jesus, as those who know him would expect, told it like it is, as in “This IS eternal life...” Not wanting to be cruel myself, I'll keep you in suspense no longer and tell you that eternal life is all about knowing, not doing.
You see, most people today, as in the days of Jesus, have it in their head that they have to do something to get in on eternal life. Take a certain rich young ruler. He came and inquired of the Lord about what had to be done to inherit eternal life. Jesus replied by pointing to the commandments, and the young man affirmed that he had kept them all from childhood. In that case, the Lord advised, there was just one more thing the man needed to do—give away all his wealth (see Luke 18.18-30).
It would be wrong to conclude from this that a vow of poverty is required for anyone to qualify for heaven. Again, eternal life is all about knowing, not doing. By not doing what the Lord said was necessary, and instead turning and sadly walking away, the man revealed that he knew the power of wealth in the world, perhaps even felt toward his riches as one feels towards one's god. But the young rule didn't know eternal life, even when it was, so to speak, staring him in the face. This was in sharp contrast to Peter and the other disciples, who knew what was at stake when Jesus called them and said, “Follow me,” for they had left all for the opportunity to know the Lord.
Perhaps it seems somehow too simple to us, so we overlook it, sure that there must be more to eternal life than knowing. We may want some bigger, grander act to be performed, even as Naaman was rather let down by what Elisha told him was necessary for him to be healed of his leprosy (see 2Kings 5.9-12). But Jesus was quite clear: eternal life is knowing. Knowing? Knowing what? Well, it's actually not at all about knowing what, but knowing who.
To experience eternal life, and experience it right here, right now, we must know that the one whom Jesus addressed as “Father” is the only true God, and we must know Jesus Christ as the one the Father sent, as the Son. Know them and know eternal life—live the eternal life right now in and through the knowing. There is absolutely no reason to keep anyone in suspense a moment longer. In fact, the core of our calling as Christ's disciples is to share him with others, to introduce them to the Father and the Son whom we know. This is the essence of the Gospel which Jesus proclaimed, even eternal life.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
“And this is eternal life...”
John 17.3
To put a different, and far more redemptive, spin on the age-old question, “How do you keep an idiot in suspense,” how do you keep a sinner in suspense? Keep eternal life a secret. Of course, keeping sinners in suspense is an extremely cruel thing to do, I can only imagine Satan, and those who are under his influence, taking pleasure in it. Jesus certainly was not cruel, even having compassion on legions of unclean spirits (see Mark 5.1-13). Rather than keep a world full of sinners in suspense Jesus proclaimed eternal life.
Are you, like so many believers, looking forward to eternity? If you are, you've been missing out on the indescribable joy of experiencing eternal life right now. Did you perhaps never read John 17.3? The Lord did not talk about what eternal life might be. Neither did Christ tell his followers what eternal life would be. Jesus, as those who know him would expect, told it like it is, as in “This IS eternal life...” Not wanting to be cruel myself, I'll keep you in suspense no longer and tell you that eternal life is all about knowing, not doing.
You see, most people today, as in the days of Jesus, have it in their head that they have to do something to get in on eternal life. Take a certain rich young ruler. He came and inquired of the Lord about what had to be done to inherit eternal life. Jesus replied by pointing to the commandments, and the young man affirmed that he had kept them all from childhood. In that case, the Lord advised, there was just one more thing the man needed to do—give away all his wealth (see Luke 18.18-30).
It would be wrong to conclude from this that a vow of poverty is required for anyone to qualify for heaven. Again, eternal life is all about knowing, not doing. By not doing what the Lord said was necessary, and instead turning and sadly walking away, the man revealed that he knew the power of wealth in the world, perhaps even felt toward his riches as one feels towards one's god. But the young rule didn't know eternal life, even when it was, so to speak, staring him in the face. This was in sharp contrast to Peter and the other disciples, who knew what was at stake when Jesus called them and said, “Follow me,” for they had left all for the opportunity to know the Lord.
Perhaps it seems somehow too simple to us, so we overlook it, sure that there must be more to eternal life than knowing. We may want some bigger, grander act to be performed, even as Naaman was rather let down by what Elisha told him was necessary for him to be healed of his leprosy (see 2Kings 5.9-12). But Jesus was quite clear: eternal life is knowing. Knowing? Knowing what? Well, it's actually not at all about knowing what, but knowing who.
To experience eternal life, and experience it right here, right now, we must know that the one whom Jesus addressed as “Father” is the only true God, and we must know Jesus Christ as the one the Father sent, as the Son. Know them and know eternal life—live the eternal life right now in and through the knowing. There is absolutely no reason to keep anyone in suspense a moment longer. In fact, the core of our calling as Christ's disciples is to share him with others, to introduce them to the Father and the Son whom we know. This is the essence of the Gospel which Jesus proclaimed, even eternal life.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Jesus Told The Father That All Was Ready
What Did Jesus Do?
He lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said,
“Father, the hour has come.”
John 17.1
Jesus, if you will, was the Father's “Man on the Scene.” Certainly, the Father saw and knew all that transpired. But there's always an advantage to being able to get “hard intel” from someone who has their feet on the ground in the theatre of operations. There was nothing to prevent the Father from acting on his own sovereign authority, but he deferred to the judgment of the Son. When Jesus told the Father that all was ready, with the message, “Father, the hour has come,” it triggered the events of the greatest rescue operation ever.
You see, the Father had sent the Son into the world as a one-man insertion team for one purpose only—to rescue the children of God from sin and death. Like many other operations, this mission depended upon precise timing. Certainly, with all eternity to choose from, you didn't think that the Incarnation occurred at some arbitrary moment in time. There was a people to be chosen, kingdoms to rise and fall, prophecies to be made and fulfilled, and, ultimately, a Son to be born to us (see Isaiah 9.6).
The Father had complete trust in the Son; he would not have sent him on the mission if he had not been sure that Jesus would accomplish every single task required of him, no matter how daunting, dangerous, or deadly. And, in the fullness of time, it was Jesus who would say whether or not the mission was a “go.” To be sure, Jesus was no different from any of us in that he desperately hoped there might be another way to complete the operation that would save all those the Father had given to him. Yet, his sense of duty and obedience to the Father kept Jesus focused on what had to happen to complete the mission as planned (see Mark 14.36).
And so, when he judged everything was perfectly in place, Jesus turned his eyes heavenward and told his Father all was now ready, the hour had come. It would be the most momentous and memorable hour in history. It would be an hour of great passion. It would be an hour betrayal, denial, and desertion. It would be an hour of great darkness and evil. It would be an hour of terrible pain and suffering. It would be an hour of sacrifice and sorrow. It would be an hour when death would appear to have triumphed. It would, ultimately, be the hour of the greatest glory the world will ever know this side of the coming kingdom of God. And the glory was what both Father and Son had their eyes on, glory that would be manifest in the Son giving eternal life to all whom the Father had given to him (John 17.2).
Oh, the band of soldiers and officers that came and arrested Jesus thought he was in their power, but the hour was under the authority of the Father and the Son. The Sanhedrin would convene and convict Jesus, and sentence him to be crucified, but the hour and manner of Christ's death had been determined by the Father and the Son. Satan believed he had finally succeeded in his rebellion against God, but the hour had arrived when the Son of the Father was about to crush the head of the ancient serpent. The world believed it was done with Jesus, but it was in fact the hour for the Son to be glorified in heaven and on earth.
Now, some might say, “This is all well and good that the Father and Son had such a perfect plan worked out for Jesus. But what about my life?” Well, the truth is, in and through the Son, the Father has a perfect plan for the life of each one of his children. The key for that plan to be gloriously carried out in our lives is for us to live by faith, and to trust the Father when our hour comes. That's what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenminitries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
He lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said,
“Father, the hour has come.”
John 17.1
Jesus, if you will, was the Father's “Man on the Scene.” Certainly, the Father saw and knew all that transpired. But there's always an advantage to being able to get “hard intel” from someone who has their feet on the ground in the theatre of operations. There was nothing to prevent the Father from acting on his own sovereign authority, but he deferred to the judgment of the Son. When Jesus told the Father that all was ready, with the message, “Father, the hour has come,” it triggered the events of the greatest rescue operation ever.
You see, the Father had sent the Son into the world as a one-man insertion team for one purpose only—to rescue the children of God from sin and death. Like many other operations, this mission depended upon precise timing. Certainly, with all eternity to choose from, you didn't think that the Incarnation occurred at some arbitrary moment in time. There was a people to be chosen, kingdoms to rise and fall, prophecies to be made and fulfilled, and, ultimately, a Son to be born to us (see Isaiah 9.6).
The Father had complete trust in the Son; he would not have sent him on the mission if he had not been sure that Jesus would accomplish every single task required of him, no matter how daunting, dangerous, or deadly. And, in the fullness of time, it was Jesus who would say whether or not the mission was a “go.” To be sure, Jesus was no different from any of us in that he desperately hoped there might be another way to complete the operation that would save all those the Father had given to him. Yet, his sense of duty and obedience to the Father kept Jesus focused on what had to happen to complete the mission as planned (see Mark 14.36).
And so, when he judged everything was perfectly in place, Jesus turned his eyes heavenward and told his Father all was now ready, the hour had come. It would be the most momentous and memorable hour in history. It would be an hour of great passion. It would be an hour betrayal, denial, and desertion. It would be an hour of great darkness and evil. It would be an hour of terrible pain and suffering. It would be an hour of sacrifice and sorrow. It would be an hour when death would appear to have triumphed. It would, ultimately, be the hour of the greatest glory the world will ever know this side of the coming kingdom of God. And the glory was what both Father and Son had their eyes on, glory that would be manifest in the Son giving eternal life to all whom the Father had given to him (John 17.2).
Oh, the band of soldiers and officers that came and arrested Jesus thought he was in their power, but the hour was under the authority of the Father and the Son. The Sanhedrin would convene and convict Jesus, and sentence him to be crucified, but the hour and manner of Christ's death had been determined by the Father and the Son. Satan believed he had finally succeeded in his rebellion against God, but the hour had arrived when the Son of the Father was about to crush the head of the ancient serpent. The world believed it was done with Jesus, but it was in fact the hour for the Son to be glorified in heaven and on earth.
Now, some might say, “This is all well and good that the Father and Son had such a perfect plan worked out for Jesus. But what about my life?” Well, the truth is, in and through the Son, the Father has a perfect plan for the life of each one of his children. The key for that plan to be gloriously carried out in our lives is for us to live by faith, and to trust the Father when our hour comes. That's what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenminitries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Friday, June 10, 2011
Jesus Knew All Things (Even the Weakness of the Disciples' Faith)
What Did Jesus Do?
“Now we know that you know all things...
this is why we believe that you came from God.”
Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe?”
John 16.30-31
Jesus had said that the time for straight talk was coming, the time for veiled speech was at an end (see WDJD for 6/9/11). And, to their credit, Christ disciples seemed to grasp this rather quickly (John 16.29). In fact, they understood that the One who could answer their questions before they even got to ask them did not need to be questioned about whether or not he was the Messiah, it was quite obvious that he had come from God (John 16.30). Upon this they were now prepared to declare their faith. The only problem was, Jesus knew all things, even the weakness of the disciples' faith, which would soon be revealed.
Yes, the disciples were beginning to more fully understand Jesus, but they were far from grasping everything there was to know about Jesus. In particular, the disciples remained very much in the dark, despite the several times Jesus had spoken about his death, about the troubling events that were about to overtake them all. The belief Christ's followers so confidently now claimed would be tested in a way they could not imagine, for not one of them imagined that in a few hours their teacher and friend, who they were now certain had come from God, would be seized by a mob, dragged off to a mockery of a trial, beaten, and then crucified.
In fact, the hour was now at hand when the Shepherd would be struck, and all his sheep would scatter, leaving Jesus quite alone at the time of his great passion. But the one whom the disciples were now convinced had come from God would not be completely alone. For the Father who had sent the Son into the world would be with him (John 16.32; see Zechariah 13.7 and Matthew 26.31).
The followers of Jesus still did not realize that they would witness the apparent triumph of the world over their beloved Master. They did not understand that faith in anything less than the Resurrection, in anyone less than the Risen One, is incomplete faith. Yet, we can hardly blame them from where we now stand, for on their side of the cross there was as yet no Resurrection, they had not yet encountered the Risen One. But they soon would.
Jesus talked straight with his followers, and did so that they might have peace even in the face of his terrible suffering and death. For as it would be with the Shepherd, so it would be with his sheep. Christ's flock would know great tribulation in the world, but not before the flock would witness Christ's triumph over the world (John 16.33). And, in and through the One who overcame the world, believers themselves become overcomers.
The bottom line for our faith is that, because it is in the One who has overcome the world, sin, and death, and even our incomplete faith, we can endure the worst the world can do to us. We can endure and have peace because Jesus has told us plainly that we too have in fact already overcome through him. And we can trust everything the Lord says because, after all, he knows all things, our failures, and our victory by grace through faith in him.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
“Now we know that you know all things...
this is why we believe that you came from God.”
Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe?”
John 16.30-31
Jesus had said that the time for straight talk was coming, the time for veiled speech was at an end (see WDJD for 6/9/11). And, to their credit, Christ disciples seemed to grasp this rather quickly (John 16.29). In fact, they understood that the One who could answer their questions before they even got to ask them did not need to be questioned about whether or not he was the Messiah, it was quite obvious that he had come from God (John 16.30). Upon this they were now prepared to declare their faith. The only problem was, Jesus knew all things, even the weakness of the disciples' faith, which would soon be revealed.
Yes, the disciples were beginning to more fully understand Jesus, but they were far from grasping everything there was to know about Jesus. In particular, the disciples remained very much in the dark, despite the several times Jesus had spoken about his death, about the troubling events that were about to overtake them all. The belief Christ's followers so confidently now claimed would be tested in a way they could not imagine, for not one of them imagined that in a few hours their teacher and friend, who they were now certain had come from God, would be seized by a mob, dragged off to a mockery of a trial, beaten, and then crucified.
In fact, the hour was now at hand when the Shepherd would be struck, and all his sheep would scatter, leaving Jesus quite alone at the time of his great passion. But the one whom the disciples were now convinced had come from God would not be completely alone. For the Father who had sent the Son into the world would be with him (John 16.32; see Zechariah 13.7 and Matthew 26.31).
The followers of Jesus still did not realize that they would witness the apparent triumph of the world over their beloved Master. They did not understand that faith in anything less than the Resurrection, in anyone less than the Risen One, is incomplete faith. Yet, we can hardly blame them from where we now stand, for on their side of the cross there was as yet no Resurrection, they had not yet encountered the Risen One. But they soon would.
Jesus talked straight with his followers, and did so that they might have peace even in the face of his terrible suffering and death. For as it would be with the Shepherd, so it would be with his sheep. Christ's flock would know great tribulation in the world, but not before the flock would witness Christ's triumph over the world (John 16.33). And, in and through the One who overcame the world, believers themselves become overcomers.
The bottom line for our faith is that, because it is in the One who has overcome the world, sin, and death, and even our incomplete faith, we can endure the worst the world can do to us. We can endure and have peace because Jesus has told us plainly that we too have in fact already overcome through him. And we can trust everything the Lord says because, after all, he knows all things, our failures, and our victory by grace through faith in him.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Jesus Announced The Time For Straight Talk
What Did Jesus Do?
“The hour is coming when I will tell you plainly about the Father.”
John 16.25
Throughout the time they had known him, pretty much all that the disciples heard from Jesus was in the form of allegorical speech, proverb, and simile. The Lord openly admitted that he had been speaking to his followers using “figures of speech” (John 16.25a). Most of what Christ had spoken up to this point had been veiled, so to speak. But the time was approaching when the veil would be removed, torn in two actually (see Matthew 27.51); Jesus announced that the time for straight talk was coming.
In the days between his resurrection and ascension Jesus would talk plainly with his followers about the Father. Even more, with the veil removed the Lord would teach his disciples that they had direct and personal access to the Father (John 16.26). Believers would not have to ask the Son to go to the Father on their behalf, but through the agency of the Holy Spirit could go right to the Father themselves in the name of the Jesus. This was a huge leap forward for those who had come to rely upon the priestly caste to go “behind the veil” and intercede for them.
Christians do not have to rely solely on the Father's love for the Son, but know that in and through the Son the Father loves them with the very same love (John 16.27). While he had been with them, Jesus had prayed for his followers. But with his return to the Father the disciples would in effect lose their intercessor. Not to worry though, for every believer in Christ has direct, up-close and personal, access to the Father.
The straight talk would move disciples from hearing what the kingdom was like, to personally experiencing the kingdom in and through the risen Lord, and to personally receiving the kingdom in the person of the Holy Spirit, who would dwell within them (see Luke 17.21; Ezekiel 36.27; Romans 8.9-11). This would radically set them apart from the world which would rejoice over the death of Jesus and reject the kingdom Christ came to inaugurate (John 16.20).
Here's the question we need to address in light of these words of Jesus: Has the time for straight talk come and gone? In other words, are we to replace the veil, to return to the use of allegory, proverb, and simile to represent the kingdom of God? Or are we, in the power of the risen Lord through the presence and activity of the Holy Spirit within us, to talk straight about the kingdom? Even more, are we to exhibit the kingdom plainly to the world? I believe the answer is quite clear, and not at all open to debate—in and through the risen Christ the kingdom has come, and by the power of the Spirit the kingdom is manifest in the Church, the Body of Christ. Or at least it should be.
To know, rather than to merely know about, the love of the Father in and through the Son, is to know and experience the kingdom. It is the Father's intention that the world should know him in and through a Church that loves the world like the Son loved the world. Now is the time for us to talk, and to walk, straight. That's what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
“The hour is coming when I will tell you plainly about the Father.”
John 16.25
Throughout the time they had known him, pretty much all that the disciples heard from Jesus was in the form of allegorical speech, proverb, and simile. The Lord openly admitted that he had been speaking to his followers using “figures of speech” (John 16.25a). Most of what Christ had spoken up to this point had been veiled, so to speak. But the time was approaching when the veil would be removed, torn in two actually (see Matthew 27.51); Jesus announced that the time for straight talk was coming.
In the days between his resurrection and ascension Jesus would talk plainly with his followers about the Father. Even more, with the veil removed the Lord would teach his disciples that they had direct and personal access to the Father (John 16.26). Believers would not have to ask the Son to go to the Father on their behalf, but through the agency of the Holy Spirit could go right to the Father themselves in the name of the Jesus. This was a huge leap forward for those who had come to rely upon the priestly caste to go “behind the veil” and intercede for them.
Christians do not have to rely solely on the Father's love for the Son, but know that in and through the Son the Father loves them with the very same love (John 16.27). While he had been with them, Jesus had prayed for his followers. But with his return to the Father the disciples would in effect lose their intercessor. Not to worry though, for every believer in Christ has direct, up-close and personal, access to the Father.
The straight talk would move disciples from hearing what the kingdom was like, to personally experiencing the kingdom in and through the risen Lord, and to personally receiving the kingdom in the person of the Holy Spirit, who would dwell within them (see Luke 17.21; Ezekiel 36.27; Romans 8.9-11). This would radically set them apart from the world which would rejoice over the death of Jesus and reject the kingdom Christ came to inaugurate (John 16.20).
Here's the question we need to address in light of these words of Jesus: Has the time for straight talk come and gone? In other words, are we to replace the veil, to return to the use of allegory, proverb, and simile to represent the kingdom of God? Or are we, in the power of the risen Lord through the presence and activity of the Holy Spirit within us, to talk straight about the kingdom? Even more, are we to exhibit the kingdom plainly to the world? I believe the answer is quite clear, and not at all open to debate—in and through the risen Christ the kingdom has come, and by the power of the Spirit the kingdom is manifest in the Church, the Body of Christ. Or at least it should be.
To know, rather than to merely know about, the love of the Father in and through the Son, is to know and experience the kingdom. It is the Father's intention that the world should know him in and through a Church that loves the world like the Son loved the world. Now is the time for us to talk, and to walk, straight. That's what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Jesus Foretold Sorrow And Promised Joy
What Did Jesus Do?
“You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.”
John 16.20
The world always lamented death, until the crucifixion of Jesus, then the world rejoiced (John 16.20a). Jesus' disciples lamented his death, but their sorrow was turned to joy. And, ever since, the world has thought Christians strange because we celebrate and rejoice at the time of death. The difference between Christians and the world is in the “delivery.”
Everyone knows that the travail of labor is just about the worst pain anyone can experience. The comedienne Moms Mabley described the pain of childbirth by saying, “Imagine taking your upper lip, and pulling it up and over the top of your head.” Ouch! Jesus understood that his followers would be familiar with the anguish of a woman in hard labor. He also knew that they had all witnessed that pain and sorrow disappear in the joy of the delivery of a new life (John 16.21).
Using the example of labor and birth known to all, Jesus foretold the sorrow and pain that would suddenly, and soon, come upon his followers. Like a woman whose hour comes, and goes into labor with the first unannounced contraction, Christ's disciples would experience anguish and travail when a mob would appear out of nowhere, as it were, and seize him and take him off to be “tried,” beaten, and crucified. With the Lord's death upon the cross, and his burial in the tomb, it would appear as if there would be no end to the disciples' sorrow, even as it often seems to women in labor that there will be no end to their pain. But, with the delivery, suffering is transformed. The travail of labor gives way to the joy of birth. The anguish of death was banished forever by the joy of the Resurrection. The suffering of Jesus upon the cross was the means by which the Father delivered those being saved from death to life.
Yes, their hearts would know real sorrow, but Jesus would rejoice his disciples' hearts through his resurrection appearances to them. And this joy is an everlasting joy as opposed to the sorrow that comes to an end, even as the rejoicing over the birth of a child long outlasts the travail of labor (John 16.22).
Everything a mother desires is fulfilled in the safe delivery of her child. All that Jesus' followers could ever ask is fulfilled in his resurrection, their joy in and through Christ is as full as that of a new mother holding her child. What else sustains a woman through the sorrow and suffering of childbirth but the promise of new life? What else sustains believers through the sorrow and suffering in this world but the promise of new life in Christ?
How can we comfort and encourage those who suffer now, or who will soon experience suffering (And all of us have or will know deep suffering and sorrow at one time or another)? By holding out the promise of joy that is in Jesus Christ, who delivers us from the sorrow of death into the joy of life everlasting.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
“You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.”
John 16.20
The world always lamented death, until the crucifixion of Jesus, then the world rejoiced (John 16.20a). Jesus' disciples lamented his death, but their sorrow was turned to joy. And, ever since, the world has thought Christians strange because we celebrate and rejoice at the time of death. The difference between Christians and the world is in the “delivery.”
Everyone knows that the travail of labor is just about the worst pain anyone can experience. The comedienne Moms Mabley described the pain of childbirth by saying, “Imagine taking your upper lip, and pulling it up and over the top of your head.” Ouch! Jesus understood that his followers would be familiar with the anguish of a woman in hard labor. He also knew that they had all witnessed that pain and sorrow disappear in the joy of the delivery of a new life (John 16.21).
Using the example of labor and birth known to all, Jesus foretold the sorrow and pain that would suddenly, and soon, come upon his followers. Like a woman whose hour comes, and goes into labor with the first unannounced contraction, Christ's disciples would experience anguish and travail when a mob would appear out of nowhere, as it were, and seize him and take him off to be “tried,” beaten, and crucified. With the Lord's death upon the cross, and his burial in the tomb, it would appear as if there would be no end to the disciples' sorrow, even as it often seems to women in labor that there will be no end to their pain. But, with the delivery, suffering is transformed. The travail of labor gives way to the joy of birth. The anguish of death was banished forever by the joy of the Resurrection. The suffering of Jesus upon the cross was the means by which the Father delivered those being saved from death to life.
Yes, their hearts would know real sorrow, but Jesus would rejoice his disciples' hearts through his resurrection appearances to them. And this joy is an everlasting joy as opposed to the sorrow that comes to an end, even as the rejoicing over the birth of a child long outlasts the travail of labor (John 16.22).
Everything a mother desires is fulfilled in the safe delivery of her child. All that Jesus' followers could ever ask is fulfilled in his resurrection, their joy in and through Christ is as full as that of a new mother holding her child. What else sustains a woman through the sorrow and suffering of childbirth but the promise of new life? What else sustains believers through the sorrow and suffering in this world but the promise of new life in Christ?
How can we comfort and encourage those who suffer now, or who will soon experience suffering (And all of us have or will know deep suffering and sorrow at one time or another)? By holding out the promise of joy that is in Jesus Christ, who delivers us from the sorrow of death into the joy of life everlasting.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Jesus Gave Voice To The Spirit
What Did Jesus Do?
“When the Spirit of Truth comes he will speak whatever he hears.”
John 16.13
When the Father needed a voice to speak to the world he sent his Son. Jesus did not give voice to his own words and will, but rather the words of the Father who had sent him (John 14.24; see John 12.49-50). Even so, when Jesus asked the Father to send the Holy Spirit, the Spirit would not speak with his own voice, but with the voice of the Father and the Son—the Spirit speaks what he hears.
As Jesus came not to glorify himself, but rather to glorify the Father (John 17.1) by declaring all that the Father had spoken to him, so too would the Holy Spirit glorify the Son by declaring all that belonged to the Son (John 16.14). For, indeed, all that is the Father's belongs to the Son (John 16.15). The Son knows and shares fully the Father's will, all his plans and purposes, and this alone is what the Spirit declares to the Church.
It is important to pay close attention here. The Spirit never speaks on his own authority. The Spirit never reveals anything except that which he himself has received from the Father and the Son. Anyone who claims a word from the Spirit that does not line up perfectly with what the Father and the Son have spoken is trading on false revelation. This should be a caution to us any time someone stands up and declares that they have a “new” word. The Son is the Father's final Word, and the Spirit expresses nothing more or less, than this Word. Any “new” word that is not in complete agreement with what the Father and Son have spoken should be treated with great caution.
This is not to say that there have been no prophets for the better part of two thousand years. Prophecy is clearly one of the spiritual gifts given to believers (see 1Corinthians 12.1-11). But all prophesying must be held up against a very strict standard—the revealed Word of God. Again, anyone who declares that he or she is speaking in the Spirit, but who utters anything contrary to what the Father and the Son have spoken, is a false prophet, and should be ignored. We have had an example of such a false word in the so-called prophecies of the end times so recently proved very much in error (see WDJD for 5/27/11).
When the Spirit does speak, he speaks with complete sovereign authority, for he speaks, not with his own voice, but with the voice of the Son, who himself spoke as the voice of the Father. We trust the Spirit of Truth because he speaks only what he has heard from the mouth of the Father and the Son. When a “prophet” rises to speak, listen and see if you hear the same voice speaking that you hear when you open the Bible. As God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one God, so there is but one voice we need to hear. Jesus gave voice to the Spirit.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
“When the Spirit of Truth comes he will speak whatever he hears.”
John 16.13
When the Father needed a voice to speak to the world he sent his Son. Jesus did not give voice to his own words and will, but rather the words of the Father who had sent him (John 14.24; see John 12.49-50). Even so, when Jesus asked the Father to send the Holy Spirit, the Spirit would not speak with his own voice, but with the voice of the Father and the Son—the Spirit speaks what he hears.
As Jesus came not to glorify himself, but rather to glorify the Father (John 17.1) by declaring all that the Father had spoken to him, so too would the Holy Spirit glorify the Son by declaring all that belonged to the Son (John 16.14). For, indeed, all that is the Father's belongs to the Son (John 16.15). The Son knows and shares fully the Father's will, all his plans and purposes, and this alone is what the Spirit declares to the Church.
It is important to pay close attention here. The Spirit never speaks on his own authority. The Spirit never reveals anything except that which he himself has received from the Father and the Son. Anyone who claims a word from the Spirit that does not line up perfectly with what the Father and the Son have spoken is trading on false revelation. This should be a caution to us any time someone stands up and declares that they have a “new” word. The Son is the Father's final Word, and the Spirit expresses nothing more or less, than this Word. Any “new” word that is not in complete agreement with what the Father and Son have spoken should be treated with great caution.
This is not to say that there have been no prophets for the better part of two thousand years. Prophecy is clearly one of the spiritual gifts given to believers (see 1Corinthians 12.1-11). But all prophesying must be held up against a very strict standard—the revealed Word of God. Again, anyone who declares that he or she is speaking in the Spirit, but who utters anything contrary to what the Father and the Son have spoken, is a false prophet, and should be ignored. We have had an example of such a false word in the so-called prophecies of the end times so recently proved very much in error (see WDJD for 5/27/11).
When the Spirit does speak, he speaks with complete sovereign authority, for he speaks, not with his own voice, but with the voice of the Son, who himself spoke as the voice of the Father. We trust the Spirit of Truth because he speaks only what he has heard from the mouth of the Father and the Son. When a “prophet” rises to speak, listen and see if you hear the same voice speaking that you hear when you open the Bible. As God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one God, so there is but one voice we need to hear. Jesus gave voice to the Spirit.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Jesus Sent The "Convict-or"
What Did Jesus Do?
“And when he (the Helper) comes, he will convict the world...”
John 16.8
A lot of us who should know better find more misdirected satisfaction than we should in hearing that Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to convict the world. “You're darn right, Jesus, this guilty world sure does deserve to be convicted.” I'm sure very few, if any, who read this would ever do such a thing, but I confess that all too often I will think, or even comment, “Boy, that guy sure needs to stand under conviction!” It's not that my observations aren't true, it's just that I so seldom aim them in the right direction—towards the mirror.
Not that I haven't experienced conviction. The problem is when a day goes by and I avoid/deny my guilt, and instead occupy myself by wagging a finger or my tongue at those people or situations I take unholy satisfaction in judging as somehow more worthy of being convicted than I am. It's a pharisaical sort of thing to do, and it stands is sharp contrast to what Jesus has called his disciples to do. When Jesus told his disciples that they needed to deny themselves he did not mean for any of us to apply that denial to the reality of our sin. And he certainly didn't instruct us to major in judging others (see Matthew 7.1-5).
While it is true that Jesus explicitly said that the Holy Spirit would come and “convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment,” we would do well to remember Pogo's confession, “We have met the enemy, and he is us!” In other words, we should never forget that we ourselves are on the list of those the Spirit has come to convict. Though this may make us uncomfortable, it shouldn't. As it turns out, conviction is good for us, and it is in fact the first, and, I believe, most important, work the Helper performs—he convicts us! Without being convicted of our sin who among us would ever be likely to admit the need of a Savior? So, thank you, Convict-or, for convicting me. Help me, Helper, by convicting, not condemning, me every day.
As for the world, well its sin was and is in not believing in Christ (John 16.9), in rejecting and crucifying the Savior, which in effect was a denial of its need of salvation, a denial of guilt and refusal to be convicted. The unrighteousness of the world was revealed through the righteousness of the One condemned by the world, who was raised in righteousness and ascended to the Father (John 16.10). The “ruler of this world” (Satan) had judged Jesus guilty, but the Father would declare the Son innocent, and thereby judge the world and its ruler guilty of condemning an innocent man (John 16.11).
All this work of convicting is helpful when seen in light of the fact that all whom the Helper brings to Jesus Christ are no longer under any condemnation, but are in fact set free by the indwelling presence and power of the Spirit of the Father who raised the Son, at work now within them (see Romans 8.1-11). How great an advantage to those who are being saved that the Son returned to the Father and sent the Helper to convict the world, and us!
As Christ's disciples our place is not to condemn nor convict, but to share with others/the world how we have been, and are now, convicted by the Spirit, who sets us free to follow Jesus by loving others/the world like Jesus.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
“And when he (the Helper) comes, he will convict the world...”
John 16.8
A lot of us who should know better find more misdirected satisfaction than we should in hearing that Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to convict the world. “You're darn right, Jesus, this guilty world sure does deserve to be convicted.” I'm sure very few, if any, who read this would ever do such a thing, but I confess that all too often I will think, or even comment, “Boy, that guy sure needs to stand under conviction!” It's not that my observations aren't true, it's just that I so seldom aim them in the right direction—towards the mirror.
Not that I haven't experienced conviction. The problem is when a day goes by and I avoid/deny my guilt, and instead occupy myself by wagging a finger or my tongue at those people or situations I take unholy satisfaction in judging as somehow more worthy of being convicted than I am. It's a pharisaical sort of thing to do, and it stands is sharp contrast to what Jesus has called his disciples to do. When Jesus told his disciples that they needed to deny themselves he did not mean for any of us to apply that denial to the reality of our sin. And he certainly didn't instruct us to major in judging others (see Matthew 7.1-5).
While it is true that Jesus explicitly said that the Holy Spirit would come and “convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment,” we would do well to remember Pogo's confession, “We have met the enemy, and he is us!” In other words, we should never forget that we ourselves are on the list of those the Spirit has come to convict. Though this may make us uncomfortable, it shouldn't. As it turns out, conviction is good for us, and it is in fact the first, and, I believe, most important, work the Helper performs—he convicts us! Without being convicted of our sin who among us would ever be likely to admit the need of a Savior? So, thank you, Convict-or, for convicting me. Help me, Helper, by convicting, not condemning, me every day.
As for the world, well its sin was and is in not believing in Christ (John 16.9), in rejecting and crucifying the Savior, which in effect was a denial of its need of salvation, a denial of guilt and refusal to be convicted. The unrighteousness of the world was revealed through the righteousness of the One condemned by the world, who was raised in righteousness and ascended to the Father (John 16.10). The “ruler of this world” (Satan) had judged Jesus guilty, but the Father would declare the Son innocent, and thereby judge the world and its ruler guilty of condemning an innocent man (John 16.11).
All this work of convicting is helpful when seen in light of the fact that all whom the Helper brings to Jesus Christ are no longer under any condemnation, but are in fact set free by the indwelling presence and power of the Spirit of the Father who raised the Son, at work now within them (see Romans 8.1-11). How great an advantage to those who are being saved that the Son returned to the Father and sent the Helper to convict the world, and us!
As Christ's disciples our place is not to condemn nor convict, but to share with others/the world how we have been, and are now, convicted by the Spirit, who sets us free to follow Jesus by loving others/the world like Jesus.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Monday, June 6, 2011
Jesus Asked And Jesus Told
What Did Jesus Do?
Jesus asked them a question, saying,
“What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is he?”
Matthew 22.42
Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe...
I and the Father are one.”
John 10.25, 30
I am sorry if anyone takes offense, but I just couldn't refrain any longer. You may have a very different opinion from mine, but I am convinced that a policy of “Don't ask, don't tell” is utter nonsense. It is a modern twist on the age old advice, “See no evil. Hear no evil. Speak no evil.” Well, I've always thought that there was more than a little monkey business contained in that old advice, and I am sure there's a whole lot of monkey business in the modern “Don't ask, don't tell” policy, which essentially encourages a whole lot of evil and sin to pass without comment, as it were.
The thing is, evil does not cease to exist when we close our eyes, cover our ears, and even shut our mouth. Sin does not go away because we avoid asking questions about it, or refuse to admit or confess it. I recognize that evil and sin are not popular topics for pastors and congregations to study these days, but, if you will, I believe Satan is very good at making a monkey of anyone who tries to pretend that there are no such things as evil and sin.
Similarly, faith and doctrine seem to be close to forbidden subjects these days as well. I suppose I could get in trouble with the BSA, but their position on faith, well it's ultimately compromised by basically saying that God is merely a matter of personal opinion or preference, and let's just leave it at that. Worse, when the Scouts try and say that all gods are in fact “One God,” they dishonor everyone's faith, and give great offense to the God who is the one, true, living God. If the BSA wants to encourage all its members to get along and respect one another, I am all for it. And, if the BSA teaches it members to consider themselves brothers with all Scouts throughout the world I believe that too is a good idea. And certainly I would agree that Scouts should have sincere respect for all people. But don't try to build these things on a foundation of “faith” in what amounts to nothing more than a syncretistic idol.
I find loving and serving the Father through the Son in the power of the Holy Spirit quite compatible with living my life according to the ideals of Scouting. But when the BSA in effect tells me that I must follow a policy of “Don't ask, don't tell” with respect to faith, they are asking me to abandon that which is important to me above all else, my commitment to Christ. How can I promise to “do my duty to God” and then set aside the very core of what I know to be true about God?
What it comes down to is this, so-called inter-faith services are in fact no-faith services. And encouraging anyone to “Don't ask, don't tell” is one hundred percent contrary to the spreading of the Gospel. Think about it. Jesus asked, and Jesus told. If the Son had not continually raised the subject of faith, and how to live faithfully, no one would have ever been offended at him, no one would have crucified him, and NO ONE would be saved.
The one thing I must ask others is what they think about the Christ, whose Son is he? There is only one correct answer to this question, and it is not found in the Qur'an, the Bhagavad Gita, the Vinaya texts, the Zend Avesta, the Jaina Sutras, the Tao-te Ching, the Confucian Analects, the Kitab-I-Aqdas, but only in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. What kind of trustworthy Scout would I be if I were to tell you anything else?
Jesus asked, “Who do you say that I am?” Jesus told the world plainly, “I and the Father are one.” Peter nailed the answer, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!” Asking and telling are essential to discipleship, so we'd better open our eyes, open our ears, and open our mouths!
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Jesus asked them a question, saying,
“What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is he?”
Matthew 22.42
Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe...
I and the Father are one.”
John 10.25, 30
I am sorry if anyone takes offense, but I just couldn't refrain any longer. You may have a very different opinion from mine, but I am convinced that a policy of “Don't ask, don't tell” is utter nonsense. It is a modern twist on the age old advice, “See no evil. Hear no evil. Speak no evil.” Well, I've always thought that there was more than a little monkey business contained in that old advice, and I am sure there's a whole lot of monkey business in the modern “Don't ask, don't tell” policy, which essentially encourages a whole lot of evil and sin to pass without comment, as it were.
The thing is, evil does not cease to exist when we close our eyes, cover our ears, and even shut our mouth. Sin does not go away because we avoid asking questions about it, or refuse to admit or confess it. I recognize that evil and sin are not popular topics for pastors and congregations to study these days, but, if you will, I believe Satan is very good at making a monkey of anyone who tries to pretend that there are no such things as evil and sin.
Similarly, faith and doctrine seem to be close to forbidden subjects these days as well. I suppose I could get in trouble with the BSA, but their position on faith, well it's ultimately compromised by basically saying that God is merely a matter of personal opinion or preference, and let's just leave it at that. Worse, when the Scouts try and say that all gods are in fact “One God,” they dishonor everyone's faith, and give great offense to the God who is the one, true, living God. If the BSA wants to encourage all its members to get along and respect one another, I am all for it. And, if the BSA teaches it members to consider themselves brothers with all Scouts throughout the world I believe that too is a good idea. And certainly I would agree that Scouts should have sincere respect for all people. But don't try to build these things on a foundation of “faith” in what amounts to nothing more than a syncretistic idol.
I find loving and serving the Father through the Son in the power of the Holy Spirit quite compatible with living my life according to the ideals of Scouting. But when the BSA in effect tells me that I must follow a policy of “Don't ask, don't tell” with respect to faith, they are asking me to abandon that which is important to me above all else, my commitment to Christ. How can I promise to “do my duty to God” and then set aside the very core of what I know to be true about God?
What it comes down to is this, so-called inter-faith services are in fact no-faith services. And encouraging anyone to “Don't ask, don't tell” is one hundred percent contrary to the spreading of the Gospel. Think about it. Jesus asked, and Jesus told. If the Son had not continually raised the subject of faith, and how to live faithfully, no one would have ever been offended at him, no one would have crucified him, and NO ONE would be saved.
The one thing I must ask others is what they think about the Christ, whose Son is he? There is only one correct answer to this question, and it is not found in the Qur'an, the Bhagavad Gita, the Vinaya texts, the Zend Avesta, the Jaina Sutras, the Tao-te Ching, the Confucian Analects, the Kitab-I-Aqdas, but only in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. What kind of trustworthy Scout would I be if I were to tell you anything else?
Jesus asked, “Who do you say that I am?” Jesus told the world plainly, “I and the Father are one.” Peter nailed the answer, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!” Asking and telling are essential to discipleship, so we'd better open our eyes, open our ears, and open our mouths!
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Friday, June 3, 2011
Jesus Sweetened The Sorrow Of His Parting
What Did Jesus Do?
“Nevertheless, I tell you the truth:
it is to your advantage that I go away.”
John 16.7
Hearts were now starting to grow heavy. Jesus had spoken of his approaching death several times (Matthew 20.17-19; Mark 8.31; Luke 9.21-22; 9.43-45; John 12.32). Now, as the time of his death drew near, he sensed the spirits of his disciples sinking. He would soon leave them, there was nothing that could change that, but Jesus sweetened the sorrow of his parting.
The Lord had just talked about the great conflict between the world and his disciples (John 16.1-4), acknowledging that it would almost seem to them as if the world were triumphant over Christ. But with his return to the Father, the Son would summon the Helper to the aid of the disciples (John 16.7b). Yes, there would be a bitter parting, but Jesus tried to lessen that bitter anticipation with a promise of sweet relief in the person of the Holy Spirit who would come to, and abide with, his followers.
In this light Jesus could in fact declare, with all sincerity, that it would be to his disciples' advantage that he go away. The world may try in vain to convince us that a bitter loss is actually a gain, but in the instance of the Son departing to return to the Father, the coming of the Helper quite literally resulted in great gain for Christ's followers. There was no denying the bitter sadness and suffering of the parting, but there also was no denying the sweet promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the Helper, and the disciples would certainly need his help to face the coming conflict with the world. But the Spirit is also the Comforter (see John 14.26—KJV; the Amplified Bible), and he would be of great comfort to the disciples in the days and weeks following the Ascension of Christ back into heaven.
It was not only the first generation of Christians who were confronted with conflict with the world and with persecution. Nor were they the only ones to know the bitterness of parting and loss. But, with the rising of each generation, believers have had the sweet presence, the comfort and help, of the Holy Spirit to rely upon. The Helper is the very power of God at work within believers, both individually and corporately, to accomplish abundantly far more than we can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3.20). More comfort, more forgiveness, more grace, more mercy, more strength, more wisdom than the world could ever conceive of, much less muster.
There is not one person in the world who will not know the bitter sorrow of parting at one time or another. Sadly, there are many who do not now, nor may ever, know the sweetness of the comfort and help of the Holy Spirit who alone can truly mitigate our sorrow. But, there are those who have known, through the Holy Spirit, the “the God of all comfort” who enables us to comfort those “in any affliction” with the very comfort “with which we ourselves have been comforted by God.” (2Corinthians 1.3-4) Even as Jesus warned his followers of how they would eventually share in his suffering, so he assured them that they would share in his comfort (2Cornithians 1.5).
Humanity's suffering began with the first parting, in the Garden (see Genesis 3.22-24), because of sweet, but forbidden fruit which turned so tragically bitter. But God would not let the bitterness of parting define his relationship with humanity. Through the Son the Father would turn the bitter suffering of parting to sweet and lasting reunion.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
“Nevertheless, I tell you the truth:
it is to your advantage that I go away.”
John 16.7
Hearts were now starting to grow heavy. Jesus had spoken of his approaching death several times (Matthew 20.17-19; Mark 8.31; Luke 9.21-22; 9.43-45; John 12.32). Now, as the time of his death drew near, he sensed the spirits of his disciples sinking. He would soon leave them, there was nothing that could change that, but Jesus sweetened the sorrow of his parting.
The Lord had just talked about the great conflict between the world and his disciples (John 16.1-4), acknowledging that it would almost seem to them as if the world were triumphant over Christ. But with his return to the Father, the Son would summon the Helper to the aid of the disciples (John 16.7b). Yes, there would be a bitter parting, but Jesus tried to lessen that bitter anticipation with a promise of sweet relief in the person of the Holy Spirit who would come to, and abide with, his followers.
In this light Jesus could in fact declare, with all sincerity, that it would be to his disciples' advantage that he go away. The world may try in vain to convince us that a bitter loss is actually a gain, but in the instance of the Son departing to return to the Father, the coming of the Helper quite literally resulted in great gain for Christ's followers. There was no denying the bitter sadness and suffering of the parting, but there also was no denying the sweet promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the Helper, and the disciples would certainly need his help to face the coming conflict with the world. But the Spirit is also the Comforter (see John 14.26—KJV; the Amplified Bible), and he would be of great comfort to the disciples in the days and weeks following the Ascension of Christ back into heaven.
It was not only the first generation of Christians who were confronted with conflict with the world and with persecution. Nor were they the only ones to know the bitterness of parting and loss. But, with the rising of each generation, believers have had the sweet presence, the comfort and help, of the Holy Spirit to rely upon. The Helper is the very power of God at work within believers, both individually and corporately, to accomplish abundantly far more than we can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3.20). More comfort, more forgiveness, more grace, more mercy, more strength, more wisdom than the world could ever conceive of, much less muster.
There is not one person in the world who will not know the bitter sorrow of parting at one time or another. Sadly, there are many who do not now, nor may ever, know the sweetness of the comfort and help of the Holy Spirit who alone can truly mitigate our sorrow. But, there are those who have known, through the Holy Spirit, the “the God of all comfort” who enables us to comfort those “in any affliction” with the very comfort “with which we ourselves have been comforted by God.” (2Corinthians 1.3-4) Even as Jesus warned his followers of how they would eventually share in his suffering, so he assured them that they would share in his comfort (2Cornithians 1.5).
Humanity's suffering began with the first parting, in the Garden (see Genesis 3.22-24), because of sweet, but forbidden fruit which turned so tragically bitter. But God would not let the bitterness of parting define his relationship with humanity. Through the Son the Father would turn the bitter suffering of parting to sweet and lasting reunion.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Jesus Warned So We Would Remember
What Did Jesus Do?
“But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes
you may remember that I told them to you.”
John 16.4
We've already discussed how Jesus recognized how powerful fear of the future can be (see WDJD for 5/27/11). It was no premonition the Lord had the night before he would be crucified, he saw clearly and fully what was going to happen. Jesus knew that to his disciples it would appear as if things were quite out of control, out of God's control. And he knew that his suffering would not be the end of it, but that persecution and suffering would soon upon his followers. So the Lord warned them of what was to come, so that they would remember in the midst of their troubles that he and the Father were in absolute control of all things. The problem was, there were many who did not know the Father, nor the Son.
Before long the disciples would be exorcised from the community of Jewish worship in the synagogues. Even more, people who believed themselves to be zealous servants of God would kill Christ's followers, convinced that in slaying Christians they were doing God's work (John 16.2; see Acts 7.51-60). Things were going to go from bad to worse, as they say, so Jesus warned his followers, so that they should remember who was in control when the whole world seemed to rise up against them.
Considering the terrible, and terrifying, weather that has wreaked death and destruction from the Gulf states to New England, there are probably many who might think the world is quite out of control today. There may be some who, having suffered unspeakable personal loss and tragedy, are convinced that God has turned his back on them. And there will be some who will insist that what we've been experiencing is but a small taste of God's wrath. All of these would be quite wrong. The world is never out of control, God remains in total sovereign authority over all things. And the Father who loved the world so much that he sent his Son to die in order that the world should be saved does not turn his back on his children. Nor would God single out Tuscaloosa, or Joplin, or Springfield MA for punishment.
But, hard times, terrible times, come. Sickness, unemployment, tragic accidents, deadly storms, and, still, acts of terror by those who think they are serving God. None of this in any way suggests that the Father and the Son have stopped caring or have lost control over the world. The key is to listen to what the Son says, and when tragedy and trouble come, and they will come, remember what he has told us.
The crucifixion of the Lord would sorely test the faith, and the remembrance, of the disciples. Grief can seize the mind, so that we forget all but our awful, yet ultimately transient, circumstances. This is why the fellowship of believers is so important, for we are to help bear one another up in the midst of struggle and suffering and loss. As members of the Body of Christ, our experience and our remembrance is both individual and corporate. When one suffers, all suffer. When one is comforted, all are comforted. Let us, who know the Father and the Son, remember that Jesus has warned us and told us these things, and comfort and encourage one another with his words and his love.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
“But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes
you may remember that I told them to you.”
John 16.4
We've already discussed how Jesus recognized how powerful fear of the future can be (see WDJD for 5/27/11). It was no premonition the Lord had the night before he would be crucified, he saw clearly and fully what was going to happen. Jesus knew that to his disciples it would appear as if things were quite out of control, out of God's control. And he knew that his suffering would not be the end of it, but that persecution and suffering would soon upon his followers. So the Lord warned them of what was to come, so that they would remember in the midst of their troubles that he and the Father were in absolute control of all things. The problem was, there were many who did not know the Father, nor the Son.
Before long the disciples would be exorcised from the community of Jewish worship in the synagogues. Even more, people who believed themselves to be zealous servants of God would kill Christ's followers, convinced that in slaying Christians they were doing God's work (John 16.2; see Acts 7.51-60). Things were going to go from bad to worse, as they say, so Jesus warned his followers, so that they should remember who was in control when the whole world seemed to rise up against them.
Considering the terrible, and terrifying, weather that has wreaked death and destruction from the Gulf states to New England, there are probably many who might think the world is quite out of control today. There may be some who, having suffered unspeakable personal loss and tragedy, are convinced that God has turned his back on them. And there will be some who will insist that what we've been experiencing is but a small taste of God's wrath. All of these would be quite wrong. The world is never out of control, God remains in total sovereign authority over all things. And the Father who loved the world so much that he sent his Son to die in order that the world should be saved does not turn his back on his children. Nor would God single out Tuscaloosa, or Joplin, or Springfield MA for punishment.
But, hard times, terrible times, come. Sickness, unemployment, tragic accidents, deadly storms, and, still, acts of terror by those who think they are serving God. None of this in any way suggests that the Father and the Son have stopped caring or have lost control over the world. The key is to listen to what the Son says, and when tragedy and trouble come, and they will come, remember what he has told us.
The crucifixion of the Lord would sorely test the faith, and the remembrance, of the disciples. Grief can seize the mind, so that we forget all but our awful, yet ultimately transient, circumstances. This is why the fellowship of believers is so important, for we are to help bear one another up in the midst of struggle and suffering and loss. As members of the Body of Christ, our experience and our remembrance is both individual and corporate. When one suffers, all suffer. When one is comforted, all are comforted. Let us, who know the Father and the Son, remember that Jesus has warned us and told us these things, and comfort and encourage one another with his words and his love.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Jesus Summoned The Helper, and Commissioned Witnesses
What Did Jesus Do?
“The Spirit of Truth will bear witness about me,
and you also will bear witness.”
John 15.26-27
It's hard to make a case without witnesses. How do you get a court to render a verdict in your favor without someone to supply testimony, to give an answer, to offer reasons, to respectfully explain? The Gospel of John is literally a parade of witnesses for Jesus.
There's John the Baptist, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1.29) How about Nathanael, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” (John 1.49) Then we have Nicodemus, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” (John 3.2) Don't forget the woman of Samaria, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” (John 4.29) And what about all the other Samaritans, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.” (John 4.42) Remember the man born blind, “Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God he could do nothing...Lord, I believe.” (John 9.32-33, 38) And then, there's Martha, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” Of course, there were many witnesses in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” (John 12.13)
But there would be a need for continued witnessing in the world after Christ was crucified, so Jesus summoned The Helper (the Holy Spirit) to testify to his disciples, who in turn he would commission to be witnesses themselves (see Acts 1.8). The witness of the first followers would be built upon their having been with Jesus, from the beginning, which is to say that they were eyewitnesses. All who have since joined what is in effect an unending parade (or cloud, if you prefer the language of Hebrews 12.1.) of witnesses, can point back to the foundation of the eyewitnesses to Jesus.
As important as eyewitness accounts are, the Lord himself declared that there would be special blessing for those who, with no eyewitness, would believe (see John 20.29). Regardless of whether we are talking about eyewitness, or earwitness, as it were, the testimony of the Holy Spirit is essential to the revealing, sustaining, and transmitting of the faith.
The question we need to ask ourselves is this: Are we ready to join the parade of witnesses, or not? There is no avoiding it, if we would be Christ's disciples, then we must be his witnesses, we must be, in the words of Peter, “prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet with gentleness and respect.” (1Peter 3.15) But, can the Lord get a witness?
Be assured, Jesus still summons the Helper, the Spirit of Truth to witness to us. Yet know that the witness of the Holy Spirit is not just so that we may believe, but that, believing, we may ourselves bear witness.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
“The Spirit of Truth will bear witness about me,
and you also will bear witness.”
John 15.26-27
It's hard to make a case without witnesses. How do you get a court to render a verdict in your favor without someone to supply testimony, to give an answer, to offer reasons, to respectfully explain? The Gospel of John is literally a parade of witnesses for Jesus.
There's John the Baptist, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1.29) How about Nathanael, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” (John 1.49) Then we have Nicodemus, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” (John 3.2) Don't forget the woman of Samaria, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” (John 4.29) And what about all the other Samaritans, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.” (John 4.42) Remember the man born blind, “Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God he could do nothing...Lord, I believe.” (John 9.32-33, 38) And then, there's Martha, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” Of course, there were many witnesses in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” (John 12.13)
But there would be a need for continued witnessing in the world after Christ was crucified, so Jesus summoned The Helper (the Holy Spirit) to testify to his disciples, who in turn he would commission to be witnesses themselves (see Acts 1.8). The witness of the first followers would be built upon their having been with Jesus, from the beginning, which is to say that they were eyewitnesses. All who have since joined what is in effect an unending parade (or cloud, if you prefer the language of Hebrews 12.1.) of witnesses, can point back to the foundation of the eyewitnesses to Jesus.
As important as eyewitness accounts are, the Lord himself declared that there would be special blessing for those who, with no eyewitness, would believe (see John 20.29). Regardless of whether we are talking about eyewitness, or earwitness, as it were, the testimony of the Holy Spirit is essential to the revealing, sustaining, and transmitting of the faith.
The question we need to ask ourselves is this: Are we ready to join the parade of witnesses, or not? There is no avoiding it, if we would be Christ's disciples, then we must be his witnesses, we must be, in the words of Peter, “prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet with gentleness and respect.” (1Peter 3.15) But, can the Lord get a witness?
Be assured, Jesus still summons the Helper, the Spirit of Truth to witness to us. Yet know that the witness of the Holy Spirit is not just so that we may believe, but that, believing, we may ourselves bear witness.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
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