What Did Jesus Do?
His disciples said, “This is a desolate place…
Send them away to go buy themselves something to eat.”
But Jesus answered them, “You give them something to eat.”
Mark 6:35-37
It is not always possible to determine the exact chronology of the events recorded in the four Gospels. By way of providing something of an excuse for the disciples who were eager to tell five thousand plus hungry people to scram and go find themselves some food (Mark 6:36), I am going to believe that these disciples had not yet heard Jesus say, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35) Jesus was simply unwilling to ignore hunger, to let it be someone else’s problem, to turn away any who came to him needing to be fed. And the Lord was quite clear that he expects his Church to do no less. As a matter of fact, the Lord warned that there would be dire consequences for those who fail to do their utmost to alleviate hunger (see Matthew 25:41-42).
Somehow, I don’t think Jesus would let his Church today get away with sending hungry folks to the nearest food pantry, or to the local Welfare office in order to get something to eat. As I’ve just recently pointed out, priority #1 for Jesus was to make sure that all his sheep were fed (see WDJD for 2/28/12). And, both Matthew 25 and Mark 6 make it clear that Jesus was not about to let his followers get away by trying to make distinctions between sheep in Jesus’ flock and lost sheep. Essentially, I believe the position of the Lord, which he wants his Church to uphold, is, “If you see any sheep who are hungry—feed them!”
And we don’t have to actually lay our eyeballs on hungry sheep to know that we need to be about the business of feeding the flock. It is believed that some 26,000 children in the world die every day of starvation or preventable diseases. 26,000 in the world. You can’t tell me that the Church does not right now have the resources to provide meals and/or medicines for 26,000 children a day. And don’t try and suggest that Jesus wants us to wait for people to come. I know what he said in John 6:35, “whoever comes to me,” but Jesus never sat down and waited for people in need to come to him, he ever and again went out among people, and that’s where his Church should be also. The Church should be with each of those 26,000 in the world. The Church, not the government, should be making sure that every child in our communities is fed daily (And I guarantee you that children go hungry every day in pretty much every city, town, and village in our country).
So, where do we begin? I believe we need to get back to the Shepherd’s Table. I believe we need to again read and study what Jesus had to say about the nurture and care of his sheep. I believe we have to recover the lifestyle of the early Church, and its understanding of, and passion for, doing what Jesus did, and refuse to let any go hungry whom we can feed.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Jesus Made A Dinner Date With His Sheep
What Did Jesus Do?
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door,
I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
Revelation 3:20
Jesus is rightly regarded as Savior and Lord, as “the way, the truth, and the life,” as the eternal Word, and the Son of God. But, when he comes seeking us, when he comes to where we are living, and begs entrance into our lives, what Jesus asks us on a dinner date—not a sermon, not a lesson, net even a miracle—just a meal. Well, not just a meal, it is, after all, a date. So we’re talking about a meal, yes, but also a relationship, the beginning of a deep and lasting intimacy with no end, ever. But, make no mistake, Jesus intends for our relationship with him to begin with a meal, so he’s made a diner date with us, his sheep.
Now don’t start fretting on what to serve, Jesus has the menu covered—it’s him. And don’t go all Martha and start rushing around trying to get everything all cleaned up; Jesus planned this date to be a come as we are rendezvous—but we’ll never be the same again. Oh, and, don’t worry about music, when we open the door every voice in heaven commences to sing.
There is no need whatsoever to be anxious, nervous, or even wonder about what to say. Jesus has an amazing gift for making sheep who meet him for the very first time quickly feel as if we’ve always known him, and that he is our one true BFF (which he is). I tell you, just writing about this is making my mouth water, as in I can hardly wait to sup with Jesus again. You see, the dinner date is the start of a love feast that never ends, it goes on and on beyond all reckoning into eternity. It is, truthfully, the Lord’s most earnest desire to dine with us without end.
Finally, if we are his sheep, Jesus wants us to make every meal, whether we are alone, with family, with friends, or in the company of strangers, an incarnation of our first, sacramental date with him. Did you hear something. Oh, it’s Jesus knocking. So what do you say, is it a date?
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door,
I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
Revelation 3:20
Jesus is rightly regarded as Savior and Lord, as “the way, the truth, and the life,” as the eternal Word, and the Son of God. But, when he comes seeking us, when he comes to where we are living, and begs entrance into our lives, what Jesus asks us on a dinner date—not a sermon, not a lesson, net even a miracle—just a meal. Well, not just a meal, it is, after all, a date. So we’re talking about a meal, yes, but also a relationship, the beginning of a deep and lasting intimacy with no end, ever. But, make no mistake, Jesus intends for our relationship with him to begin with a meal, so he’s made a diner date with us, his sheep.
Now don’t start fretting on what to serve, Jesus has the menu covered—it’s him. And don’t go all Martha and start rushing around trying to get everything all cleaned up; Jesus planned this date to be a come as we are rendezvous—but we’ll never be the same again. Oh, and, don’t worry about music, when we open the door every voice in heaven commences to sing.
There is no need whatsoever to be anxious, nervous, or even wonder about what to say. Jesus has an amazing gift for making sheep who meet him for the very first time quickly feel as if we’ve always known him, and that he is our one true BFF (which he is). I tell you, just writing about this is making my mouth water, as in I can hardly wait to sup with Jesus again. You see, the dinner date is the start of a love feast that never ends, it goes on and on beyond all reckoning into eternity. It is, truthfully, the Lord’s most earnest desire to dine with us without end.
Finally, if we are his sheep, Jesus wants us to make every meal, whether we are alone, with family, with friends, or in the company of strangers, an incarnation of our first, sacramental date with him. Did you hear something. Oh, it’s Jesus knocking. So what do you say, is it a date?
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Jesus Charged His Undershepherds With Feeding His Flock
What Did Jesus Do?
Jesus Charged His Undershepherds With Feeding His Flock
Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”
John 21:17
Peter, who was Undershepherd #1 of more undershepherds than we could count whom the Shepherd has called and commissioned over two millennia now, was not told to be a counselor, evangelist, preacher, or teacher, but a livestock feeder. Why? Because more than counseling, evangelism, preaching, or teaching, sheep need to be fed. The thing is, and Jesus certainly knew this, left to their own sheep will not eat what they need to thrive. Left alone, sheep will be malnourished, and eventually will starve to death. So the Shepherd was quite intentional from the very beginning to make it clear that undershepherding is first and foremost about making certain the flock is properly fed. And, anyone who believes they may be hearing the Shepherd calling them to the work of undershepherding his sheep needs to understand that Jesus charged his undershepherds with feeding his flock.
For this reason, I have come to see my service as a pastor, should I ever get a chance to take on that role again, begins at the Shepherd’s Table, and will involve making sure that his sheep, both those found and those lost, gather together regularly and frequently to feed on the meal the Shepherd himself has provided. I am not at all sure why, but we seem to have largely separated the sacramental from the incarnational. Somehow, we act as if it is possible to live incarnationally day by day while only occasionally being fed by that which is sacramental. To me this seems a surefire way to weaken the flock, because their diet will be lacking what the Shepherd clearly told his undershepherds is essential.
Now, some get mighty protective, and restrictive, about this whole feeding the sheep business. Some require that only “ordained” undershepherds be authorized to feed the flock. Others, believing for some reason that feeding frequently somehow diminishes the significance of the meal, only invite the flock to the Shepherd’s Table between 4-12 times a year. And, still others say that the sheep can only be fed when the whole flock has been gathered. Well, I believe sheep can be taught, and trusted, to feed one another without benefit of ordination. And, though I can’t speak for all sheep, I know this one likes to eat more often than quarterly or once a month. As far as limiting feeding to only those times when the whole flock has been gathered, well I don’t see what’s wrong with feeding just part of the flock wherever and whenever it may meet. If you and I meet, what is wrong with our sharing a sacramental meal? If your family sits around the dining room table celebrating grandma’s birthday, what is the harm in making that a time when the clan is fed sacramentally? Again, it seems to me that our efforts to live incarnationally will be enhanced by our regularly feeding one another sacramentally.
I’ll grant you that, since relinquishing my pastoral position four years ago, I haven’t had much opportunity to undershepherd Christ’s sheep. But I am hoping, as I, not unlike Peter, repeat my assurances to the Shepherd of my passion to feed his sheep, and to come eagerly and often to the Shepherd’s Table with his flock, that he may, again like Peter, restore me to the calling to which he summoned me at first. As for you who read this, I pray you too may hear the Shepherd’s call to undershepherd his flock, for he has many sheep in his flock who need to be fed.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Jesus Charged His Undershepherds With Feeding His Flock
Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”
John 21:17
Peter, who was Undershepherd #1 of more undershepherds than we could count whom the Shepherd has called and commissioned over two millennia now, was not told to be a counselor, evangelist, preacher, or teacher, but a livestock feeder. Why? Because more than counseling, evangelism, preaching, or teaching, sheep need to be fed. The thing is, and Jesus certainly knew this, left to their own sheep will not eat what they need to thrive. Left alone, sheep will be malnourished, and eventually will starve to death. So the Shepherd was quite intentional from the very beginning to make it clear that undershepherding is first and foremost about making certain the flock is properly fed. And, anyone who believes they may be hearing the Shepherd calling them to the work of undershepherding his sheep needs to understand that Jesus charged his undershepherds with feeding his flock.
For this reason, I have come to see my service as a pastor, should I ever get a chance to take on that role again, begins at the Shepherd’s Table, and will involve making sure that his sheep, both those found and those lost, gather together regularly and frequently to feed on the meal the Shepherd himself has provided. I am not at all sure why, but we seem to have largely separated the sacramental from the incarnational. Somehow, we act as if it is possible to live incarnationally day by day while only occasionally being fed by that which is sacramental. To me this seems a surefire way to weaken the flock, because their diet will be lacking what the Shepherd clearly told his undershepherds is essential.
Now, some get mighty protective, and restrictive, about this whole feeding the sheep business. Some require that only “ordained” undershepherds be authorized to feed the flock. Others, believing for some reason that feeding frequently somehow diminishes the significance of the meal, only invite the flock to the Shepherd’s Table between 4-12 times a year. And, still others say that the sheep can only be fed when the whole flock has been gathered. Well, I believe sheep can be taught, and trusted, to feed one another without benefit of ordination. And, though I can’t speak for all sheep, I know this one likes to eat more often than quarterly or once a month. As far as limiting feeding to only those times when the whole flock has been gathered, well I don’t see what’s wrong with feeding just part of the flock wherever and whenever it may meet. If you and I meet, what is wrong with our sharing a sacramental meal? If your family sits around the dining room table celebrating grandma’s birthday, what is the harm in making that a time when the clan is fed sacramentally? Again, it seems to me that our efforts to live incarnationally will be enhanced by our regularly feeding one another sacramentally.
I’ll grant you that, since relinquishing my pastoral position four years ago, I haven’t had much opportunity to undershepherd Christ’s sheep. But I am hoping, as I, not unlike Peter, repeat my assurances to the Shepherd of my passion to feed his sheep, and to come eagerly and often to the Shepherd’s Table with his flock, that he may, again like Peter, restore me to the calling to which he summoned me at first. As for you who read this, I pray you too may hear the Shepherd’s call to undershepherd his flock, for he has many sheep in his flock who need to be fed.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Monday, February 27, 2012
Jesus Longed for Table Fellowship
What Did Jesus Do?
And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat with you…”
Luke 22:15
Jesus, in obedience to his Father’s will, went about teaching (Luke 4:15), and proclaiming the advent of the kingdom of God (Mark 1:15). But, when the Lord expressed his deepest personal desire it wasn’t about preaching or teaching, but about sharing a meal, and his deep hunger to share in the sacramental life with his disciples, with those he loved. Jesus longed for table fellowship (Luke 22:15).
The story of the early Church, as recorded in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, shows that back in the First Century they got it/Him, for “they devoted themselves to fellowship, and the breaking of bread together in their homes.” (Acts 2:42,46) As a result “the Lord added to their number day by day.” (Acts 2:47) I’m not saying it’s the only reason that most congregations have trouble adding any converts, as opposed to stray sheep, to their number year by year, much less day by day, but I think most Christians, and most churches, have really little or no clue about what was perhaps the Lord’s strongest longing in this world (as opposed to the next)—table fellowship. Think about it. Just about the last thing Jesus did with his friends was recline at table and share a very special meal. No preaching. No miracles. Just deep, intimate, incarnational fellowship.
Now, as a Presbyterian/Reformed believer I know I’m supposed to hold to the centrality of the Word. Go into a Presbyterian/Reformed Church and the pulpit is front and center, and elevated. Why? Because the preaching of the Word is of more or less supreme importance. But if God ever gives me another crack at pastoring I believe I will avoid the pulpit as much as possible. The thought of being separated, even by just a few feet, from the table where Jesus is host troubles me. And I am even more disturbed to picture myself in a pulpit elevated over the Lord’s place at his table. No, I believe if I have the opportunity to be a pastor again I will spend a lot more time at the table, where Jesus alone presides, while I merely wait and serve those he loves.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not about to say the proclamation of the Word is not very important. In fact, I think that when I get to remove the pulpit I will put the Bible on the table, next to the other gifts God has given us. After all, man does not live by… And every Sunday all would be invited to the table to worship and to fellowship with the risen and living Lord. As a matter of fact, I think I might even establish a time of daily communion for any who would care to come and “sup” with Jesus. But I would not want to constrict table fellowship to a sanctuary. The early Church made fellowship at table, and celebration of the meal Christ instituted and gave to us “until he comes,” part of the day to day life of the home. And Christian homes were routinely a place not just for a family to gather, but his family to meet, to study, to pray, to break bread. I know, all of us can come up with dozens of reasons why we don’t or can’t follow the example of the Church in apostolic times, but I think what it comes down to is that we simply won’t even entertain being that Church, it’s so, hmm, inconvenient in the 21st Century. But…
If we did, if we received as prescriptive for all time what most of us write off as merely descriptive for a time, and, among other things, got back to the table, and did so often, I believe there is every reason to expect that very soon the Lord would once again add day by day to the number being saved.
In a drive-thru, microwave, who has time to even sit down and eat, age, don’t you long for table fellowship? I do. And longing for table fellowship is what Jesus did. Rather than a tall steeple, stained glass, row upon row of pews, and a pulpit from which to look down on people, I rather imagine Jesus in the midst of a church that might look more like this--
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat with you…”
Luke 22:15
Jesus, in obedience to his Father’s will, went about teaching (Luke 4:15), and proclaiming the advent of the kingdom of God (Mark 1:15). But, when the Lord expressed his deepest personal desire it wasn’t about preaching or teaching, but about sharing a meal, and his deep hunger to share in the sacramental life with his disciples, with those he loved. Jesus longed for table fellowship (Luke 22:15).
The story of the early Church, as recorded in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, shows that back in the First Century they got it/Him, for “they devoted themselves to fellowship, and the breaking of bread together in their homes.” (Acts 2:42,46) As a result “the Lord added to their number day by day.” (Acts 2:47) I’m not saying it’s the only reason that most congregations have trouble adding any converts, as opposed to stray sheep, to their number year by year, much less day by day, but I think most Christians, and most churches, have really little or no clue about what was perhaps the Lord’s strongest longing in this world (as opposed to the next)—table fellowship. Think about it. Just about the last thing Jesus did with his friends was recline at table and share a very special meal. No preaching. No miracles. Just deep, intimate, incarnational fellowship.
Now, as a Presbyterian/Reformed believer I know I’m supposed to hold to the centrality of the Word. Go into a Presbyterian/Reformed Church and the pulpit is front and center, and elevated. Why? Because the preaching of the Word is of more or less supreme importance. But if God ever gives me another crack at pastoring I believe I will avoid the pulpit as much as possible. The thought of being separated, even by just a few feet, from the table where Jesus is host troubles me. And I am even more disturbed to picture myself in a pulpit elevated over the Lord’s place at his table. No, I believe if I have the opportunity to be a pastor again I will spend a lot more time at the table, where Jesus alone presides, while I merely wait and serve those he loves.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not about to say the proclamation of the Word is not very important. In fact, I think that when I get to remove the pulpit I will put the Bible on the table, next to the other gifts God has given us. After all, man does not live by… And every Sunday all would be invited to the table to worship and to fellowship with the risen and living Lord. As a matter of fact, I think I might even establish a time of daily communion for any who would care to come and “sup” with Jesus. But I would not want to constrict table fellowship to a sanctuary. The early Church made fellowship at table, and celebration of the meal Christ instituted and gave to us “until he comes,” part of the day to day life of the home. And Christian homes were routinely a place not just for a family to gather, but his family to meet, to study, to pray, to break bread. I know, all of us can come up with dozens of reasons why we don’t or can’t follow the example of the Church in apostolic times, but I think what it comes down to is that we simply won’t even entertain being that Church, it’s so, hmm, inconvenient in the 21st Century. But…
If we did, if we received as prescriptive for all time what most of us write off as merely descriptive for a time, and, among other things, got back to the table, and did so often, I believe there is every reason to expect that very soon the Lord would once again add day by day to the number being saved.
In a drive-thru, microwave, who has time to even sit down and eat, age, don’t you long for table fellowship? I do. And longing for table fellowship is what Jesus did. Rather than a tall steeple, stained glass, row upon row of pews, and a pulpit from which to look down on people, I rather imagine Jesus in the midst of a church that might look more like this--
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Jesus Glorified His Father Through Fruitfulness (And so should we)
What Did Jesus Do?
“By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit
and prove to be my disciples.”
John 15:8
While new wineskins may be the vessel of choice to receive new wine (Luke 5:37-38), the fact is, if even new wineskins are merely filled and filled and never pour out, they will burst as surely as old wineskins. To receive and be filled, even something as good as the Gospel, and to keep on receiving, even God’s best, and simply gorge ourselves while never emptying, never giving away, never passing on the blessings we have been given, is not the way of discipleship. All that happens when get stuffed full and hold on to even what is good for us is that we get fat, and where’s the glory in that? To Follow Jesus is to strive to be fruitful, for the plain truth is, Jesus glorified his Father through fruitfulness, and so should we.
Think about it. Can any of us say that we have received anything good from God because we deserved it, earned it, merited it in any way? Be honest now. Yes, God loves us, and freely chose us in Christ to be the recipients of his grace and mercy. Why? For his glory and his praise. And, how is God glorified through us in Christ? By our bearing fruit, not by our getting fat on the good things he gives us. Now, if you have found your ears tickled by the proclamation of so-called “prosperity theology,” it’s time to grab some earplugs! Not that God does not want to bless us, to highly favor us, and to position us to prosper. But kingdom blessing, favor, and prosperity have to do with so much more than material things. And, should it be the Father’s pleasure for us to know material blessing, we can be sure it is never solely for our personal, selfish, joy and enrichment, but rather than we should take it, sow it, and sustain it unto fruitfulness in the lives of others to the end that God receives ever and increasing glory.
Consider the life of Jesus. Did he leave the humble home of Joseph and Mary where he was raised to go occupy a palace in Jerusalem, or to go about sowing see which would bear fruit for the kingdom? (Luke 9:58) Did the Lord ever betray any sign of desire for power and wealth for himself, or did he turn down any and all such offers of material reward, and seek only the riches of the kingdom and the glory of his Father? (Recall his temptation in the wilderness; Luke 4:5-7) Did Jesus, though he knew equality with God from eternity past, grasp tightly his divinity, or was he perfectly willing to make himself nothing, humbly obeying unto death the will of his Father, that, ultimately, the Father would receive all glory when every knee bows and every tongue confesses that Jesus is Lord? (Philippians 2:5-11)
All that has been sown in us, the love of God, the grace of Jesus Christ, fellowship in, with, and through the Holy Spirit, has been sown so that we should be fruitful, not fat. Far be it that we ever think much of ourselves, or desire that others would esteem and envy us, but rather that Christ be all, and that all we have and all we are be for Christ, to the glory of the Father, as the Son bears fruit, even much fruit, through us.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
“By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit
and prove to be my disciples.”
John 15:8
While new wineskins may be the vessel of choice to receive new wine (Luke 5:37-38), the fact is, if even new wineskins are merely filled and filled and never pour out, they will burst as surely as old wineskins. To receive and be filled, even something as good as the Gospel, and to keep on receiving, even God’s best, and simply gorge ourselves while never emptying, never giving away, never passing on the blessings we have been given, is not the way of discipleship. All that happens when get stuffed full and hold on to even what is good for us is that we get fat, and where’s the glory in that? To Follow Jesus is to strive to be fruitful, for the plain truth is, Jesus glorified his Father through fruitfulness, and so should we.
Think about it. Can any of us say that we have received anything good from God because we deserved it, earned it, merited it in any way? Be honest now. Yes, God loves us, and freely chose us in Christ to be the recipients of his grace and mercy. Why? For his glory and his praise. And, how is God glorified through us in Christ? By our bearing fruit, not by our getting fat on the good things he gives us. Now, if you have found your ears tickled by the proclamation of so-called “prosperity theology,” it’s time to grab some earplugs! Not that God does not want to bless us, to highly favor us, and to position us to prosper. But kingdom blessing, favor, and prosperity have to do with so much more than material things. And, should it be the Father’s pleasure for us to know material blessing, we can be sure it is never solely for our personal, selfish, joy and enrichment, but rather than we should take it, sow it, and sustain it unto fruitfulness in the lives of others to the end that God receives ever and increasing glory.
Consider the life of Jesus. Did he leave the humble home of Joseph and Mary where he was raised to go occupy a palace in Jerusalem, or to go about sowing see which would bear fruit for the kingdom? (Luke 9:58) Did the Lord ever betray any sign of desire for power and wealth for himself, or did he turn down any and all such offers of material reward, and seek only the riches of the kingdom and the glory of his Father? (Recall his temptation in the wilderness; Luke 4:5-7) Did Jesus, though he knew equality with God from eternity past, grasp tightly his divinity, or was he perfectly willing to make himself nothing, humbly obeying unto death the will of his Father, that, ultimately, the Father would receive all glory when every knee bows and every tongue confesses that Jesus is Lord? (Philippians 2:5-11)
All that has been sown in us, the love of God, the grace of Jesus Christ, fellowship in, with, and through the Holy Spirit, has been sown so that we should be fruitful, not fat. Far be it that we ever think much of ourselves, or desire that others would esteem and envy us, but rather that Christ be all, and that all we have and all we are be for Christ, to the glory of the Father, as the Son bears fruit, even much fruit, through us.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Friday, February 24, 2012
Jesus Coveted Face to Face Encounters
What Did Jesus Do?
I had much to write to you…but I hope to see you soon,
and we will talk face to face.
3 John 13-14
There is much to be said for the written word. In fact, it is hard to overestimate the importance of books, and one book in particular. God himself inspired the authors of the books of the Bible to write down his Word and preserve it for all ages, and to this day believers esteem the Bible as our rule for faith and life. But, as powerful as the written word is, we can’t have much of a relationship with a printed page. It’s simply not possible to have a close, loving relationship with a book, even the Bible. And relationship is important to God, so much so that the Father sent the Son to both redeem us from our sins, and restore us to right relationship. The Incarnation was God’s Word leaping off the page, so to speak, and seeking us. Look through the Gospels. Can you find any place where they tell us about any proclamations Jesus printed and distributed? Any reports of press releases? Can you find any mention of Jesus writing anything at all besides the message in the sand when a woman who had been caught in adultery was brought before him for judgment (John 8:1-11)? Anything about Jesus blogging, or handing out tracts? Not to take anything at all away from the essential nature of the written Word, but the truth is, Jesus, the Word made flesh, coveted face to face encounters. And so do his followers.
The two most prolific authors of the New Testament, Paul and John, would certainly affirm the importance of the written word. But their writing also makes it clear how much more value they placed on face to face meetings, on genuine, intimate fellowship (see Romans 1:11; 2 Corinthians 1:15; 1 Thessalonians 2:17; 1 Timothy 3:14; 2 Timothy 1:4; 2 John 12, and here in 3 John 14). Writing, no matter how skillful, no matter how truthful, no matter how loving, can never take the place of actual face to face encounters. It is impossible for us to share the fullness of God’s truth and love through writing and correspondence alone. While I certainly don’t match up with a Paul or a John, writing is a major part of my ministry. In fact, since stepping down from the pulpit over four years ago now, most of my ministry is confined to writing. And so I believe I know something of the longing, expressed by both Paul and John, for face to face encounters with other believers.
But, make no mistake, neither Paul nor John was looking forward to merely sitting in a pew besides other believers for an hour on the Lord’s Day. The longing was for deep, extended, and rich relationship. The anticipation was for face to face, not Facebook, conversation, for meals at table together, for prayer, not in a private closet but in an intimate circle. The desire was for coming together to do the work of ministry as yokefellows, to walk the walk of faith side by side, day by day. I believe Paul and John, to say nothing of the Lord himself, would be shocked at how rare real fellowship is in so much of the Church today, at how shallow most Christian relationships, even within our very own families, have become.
Perhaps your family is an exception, and your congregation may be exceptional as well. But, if you are like much of the Body of Christ today, you too may share the longing of John, of Paul, and of Jesus, for intimate relationship and true fellowship, I know do. If so, we would all do well to follow the Lord’s example, and, coveting face to face encounters, go and seek our brothers and talk with our sisters daily, building our relationships. That’s what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
Ps 37.4
I had much to write to you…but I hope to see you soon,
and we will talk face to face.
3 John 13-14
There is much to be said for the written word. In fact, it is hard to overestimate the importance of books, and one book in particular. God himself inspired the authors of the books of the Bible to write down his Word and preserve it for all ages, and to this day believers esteem the Bible as our rule for faith and life. But, as powerful as the written word is, we can’t have much of a relationship with a printed page. It’s simply not possible to have a close, loving relationship with a book, even the Bible. And relationship is important to God, so much so that the Father sent the Son to both redeem us from our sins, and restore us to right relationship. The Incarnation was God’s Word leaping off the page, so to speak, and seeking us. Look through the Gospels. Can you find any place where they tell us about any proclamations Jesus printed and distributed? Any reports of press releases? Can you find any mention of Jesus writing anything at all besides the message in the sand when a woman who had been caught in adultery was brought before him for judgment (John 8:1-11)? Anything about Jesus blogging, or handing out tracts? Not to take anything at all away from the essential nature of the written Word, but the truth is, Jesus, the Word made flesh, coveted face to face encounters. And so do his followers.
The two most prolific authors of the New Testament, Paul and John, would certainly affirm the importance of the written word. But their writing also makes it clear how much more value they placed on face to face meetings, on genuine, intimate fellowship (see Romans 1:11; 2 Corinthians 1:15; 1 Thessalonians 2:17; 1 Timothy 3:14; 2 Timothy 1:4; 2 John 12, and here in 3 John 14). Writing, no matter how skillful, no matter how truthful, no matter how loving, can never take the place of actual face to face encounters. It is impossible for us to share the fullness of God’s truth and love through writing and correspondence alone. While I certainly don’t match up with a Paul or a John, writing is a major part of my ministry. In fact, since stepping down from the pulpit over four years ago now, most of my ministry is confined to writing. And so I believe I know something of the longing, expressed by both Paul and John, for face to face encounters with other believers.
But, make no mistake, neither Paul nor John was looking forward to merely sitting in a pew besides other believers for an hour on the Lord’s Day. The longing was for deep, extended, and rich relationship. The anticipation was for face to face, not Facebook, conversation, for meals at table together, for prayer, not in a private closet but in an intimate circle. The desire was for coming together to do the work of ministry as yokefellows, to walk the walk of faith side by side, day by day. I believe Paul and John, to say nothing of the Lord himself, would be shocked at how rare real fellowship is in so much of the Church today, at how shallow most Christian relationships, even within our very own families, have become.
Perhaps your family is an exception, and your congregation may be exceptional as well. But, if you are like much of the Body of Christ today, you too may share the longing of John, of Paul, and of Jesus, for intimate relationship and true fellowship, I know do. If so, we would all do well to follow the Lord’s example, and, coveting face to face encounters, go and seek our brothers and talk with our sisters daily, building our relationships. That’s what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
Ps 37.4
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Jesus Enabled Faithful Following By Supplying a Glimpse of the Fullness of God's Glory and Grace
What Did Jesus Do?
Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God.
3 John 11
In a cynical world “no good deed goes unpunished.” But, in the kingdom of God, it is evil doing that is punished, while good deeds are the evidence of a saving relationship with the Father in and through the Son. No, I’m not in the least suggesting or talking about works-righteousness. But those whom God the Father has favored with the revelation of his glory and grace in the Son, he enables to follow the Savior by faith in Jesus Christ, doing good in his name and by his Spirit. It’s a mouthful, for sure, but it communicates the monumental truth of God’s love for us in the Son—Jesus enabled faithful following by supplying a glimpse of the fullness of God’s glory and grace.
We are, you know, great mimics. We all practice the art of imitation more than we realize, or care to admit as we try to assert our “individualism.” God knows this about us, that we will copy what we see, and demonstrate, by way of how we dress, how we speak, how we act, what we choose to mimic, what examples we follow. Diotrephes, whom John had singled out in his letter as worthy of condemnation, was a doer of evil, who talked a lot of junk, or, as John put it, had been “talking wicked nonsense against us” (“us” being John and others who preached the Gospel). Poor Diotrephes, he had never caught a glimpse of God, either by actually seeing Jesus in the flesh, or by receiving the fullness of the glory and grace of God in and through the proclamation of the good news of Jesus Christ which had in fact permitted many to “see” the Father in and through the truth and love enfleshed in the Son. So Diotrephes sought to throw his weight, and his words, around. And, being the imitators that we are, there was no little danger that people might have quickly started doing and saying the things Diotrepehes did and said.
So John exhorted “the beloved Gaius” and all whom Gaius would share John’s letter with, “do not imitate evil (by doing and saying what Diotrephes did and said) but imitate good.” And then John offered Gaius, and us, an example of one whose good deeds were worthy of imitation—Demetrius (verse 12). For Demetrius had earned a good reputation among believers by way of a three-fold testimony. First of all, John had heard nothing but good things about Demetrius--“everyone” witnessed to his faithful following of Jesus. Second, there was a strong and certain agreement between how Demetrius lived his life and the life of a disciple as prescribed by the Word of God, both in Scripture and even more in the life of Jesus—“the truth itself” testified to the goodness of Demetrius. Third, John was willing to stake his own authority and reputation to the faithfulness of Demetrius—“We also add our testimony.”
As John and the other apostles, had been enabled to faithfully follow Jesus because, in and through him they had glimpsed the fullness of God’s glory and grace, so Demetrius, and others were, and are, similarly enabled to faithfully follow by the glimpses of God’s glory and grace revealed in the Bible, in the proclamation of the Gospel, and in the person of Jesus Christ. As God grants us by faith to “see” his glory and grace, his truth and love, in his Son, so he enables us to walk by faith, imitating the example of others who walk faithfully before and beside us. And, all along the way, those who follow Jesus faithfully do good, for in and through Christ we have seen God.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenminstries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God.
3 John 11
In a cynical world “no good deed goes unpunished.” But, in the kingdom of God, it is evil doing that is punished, while good deeds are the evidence of a saving relationship with the Father in and through the Son. No, I’m not in the least suggesting or talking about works-righteousness. But those whom God the Father has favored with the revelation of his glory and grace in the Son, he enables to follow the Savior by faith in Jesus Christ, doing good in his name and by his Spirit. It’s a mouthful, for sure, but it communicates the monumental truth of God’s love for us in the Son—Jesus enabled faithful following by supplying a glimpse of the fullness of God’s glory and grace.
We are, you know, great mimics. We all practice the art of imitation more than we realize, or care to admit as we try to assert our “individualism.” God knows this about us, that we will copy what we see, and demonstrate, by way of how we dress, how we speak, how we act, what we choose to mimic, what examples we follow. Diotrephes, whom John had singled out in his letter as worthy of condemnation, was a doer of evil, who talked a lot of junk, or, as John put it, had been “talking wicked nonsense against us” (“us” being John and others who preached the Gospel). Poor Diotrephes, he had never caught a glimpse of God, either by actually seeing Jesus in the flesh, or by receiving the fullness of the glory and grace of God in and through the proclamation of the good news of Jesus Christ which had in fact permitted many to “see” the Father in and through the truth and love enfleshed in the Son. So Diotrephes sought to throw his weight, and his words, around. And, being the imitators that we are, there was no little danger that people might have quickly started doing and saying the things Diotrepehes did and said.
So John exhorted “the beloved Gaius” and all whom Gaius would share John’s letter with, “do not imitate evil (by doing and saying what Diotrephes did and said) but imitate good.” And then John offered Gaius, and us, an example of one whose good deeds were worthy of imitation—Demetrius (verse 12). For Demetrius had earned a good reputation among believers by way of a three-fold testimony. First of all, John had heard nothing but good things about Demetrius--“everyone” witnessed to his faithful following of Jesus. Second, there was a strong and certain agreement between how Demetrius lived his life and the life of a disciple as prescribed by the Word of God, both in Scripture and even more in the life of Jesus—“the truth itself” testified to the goodness of Demetrius. Third, John was willing to stake his own authority and reputation to the faithfulness of Demetrius—“We also add our testimony.”
As John and the other apostles, had been enabled to faithfully follow Jesus because, in and through him they had glimpsed the fullness of God’s glory and grace, so Demetrius, and others were, and are, similarly enabled to faithfully follow by the glimpses of God’s glory and grace revealed in the Bible, in the proclamation of the Gospel, and in the person of Jesus Christ. As God grants us by faith to “see” his glory and grace, his truth and love, in his Son, so he enables us to walk by faith, imitating the example of others who walk faithfully before and beside us. And, all along the way, those who follow Jesus faithfully do good, for in and through Christ we have seen God.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenminstries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Monday, February 20, 2012
Jesus Exposed Fraudulent Faith
What Did Jesus Do?
But Diotrephes does not acknowledge our authority.
So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing.
3 John 9-10
The last thing a masquerader wants is to be exposed, to have someone who sees behind or through, their mask, to reveal what they would prefer remain hidden. Posers typically have an agenda, a motive for keeping up the charade, and it is always a self-serving one. People just don’t commit fraud for the fun of it. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how we respond to having the mask removed, Jesus exposes fraudulent faith.
In Jesus’ day there were no bigger frauds than the scribes and Pharisees upon whom Christ pronounced the seven “woes” in Matthew 23 (vv. 1-36). To all outward appearances, the gang whose masks Jesus saw through liked to pose as the most pious of their generation. Masked behind a façade of holiness, and cloaked in self-righteousness, the teachers of the law and the Pharisees loved their own ideas of God more than they loved God himself, and loved themselves much more than they loved their neighbors. But the life of faith is not some kind of costume ball where we can get away pretending to be someone or something we are not. It may be acceptable for comic book heroes to assume alter egos, and to disguise themselves behind a something other than who they truly are persona, but it does not work for one who would follow Jesus.
Granted, when Christ comes and confronts our infidelities and our insincerities, when he removes the mask and exposes who we really are, both to ourselves and the world, it is painful. But, in an instant, the Lord gives to us a whole new identity, and this is no mere cosmetic makeover, for in Christ we are reborn. Sadly, there are Christian frauds today, just as well as Pharisaical frauds at the time of Jesus. Christian posers put on what is no better than false face for the world to see. Sooner or later, however, Christ will reveal all, even the posers, though it may come too late for their salvation (see Matthew 7:21-23).
Now John the apostle had witnessed the exposing of the scribes and Pharisees, and had heard the Lord pronounce the seven woes over them. So, how do you think the apostle dealt with the fraudulent faith of Christians? That’s right, he exposed them. A case in point is Diotrephes, whom John singled out in verses 9 and 10 of his Third Letter. Where Jesus humbled himself (see Philippians 2:5-8), Diotrephes “put himself first.” (3 John 8) Where followers of Jesus were called to extend a genuine, gracious, even sacrificial, welcome to other believers (Romans 15:7), Diotrephes both refused to welcome gospel workers, and made life, well, hell, for those who would (3 John 10). The bottom line is, fraudulent faith is simply too pernicious to be permitted to carry on its masquerade.
But before we all go out and march up to someone who we are sure is a poser, a Christian fraud, there is one thing we must do—stand in front of the nearest mirror, and take a good look at the one who is looking back at us. If we see any sign of sham or charade going on, if, looking closely and carefully at the face in the mirror, we detect a mask of some kind, STOP! We must not even think about exposing the Diotrephes in another until the Diotrepehes in us is revealed, and confessed, both to God, and to those whom we have been deceiving. And, if we have trouble looking closely at the mirror, then we must turn our face toward the Lord, and ask him to do the revealing, trusting that he will expose any fraudulent faith in us.
Nothing subverts Christian fellowship more swiftly and surely than reducing it to a game of charades. Nothing undermines our relationship with other believers more than self-serving posturing, even a posture of humility if it is insincere. Conversely, there’s nothing that would more encourage another to get out from behind his or her mask than for us to remove our own in front of them. The good news is, as Jesus, the Son, exposes fraudulent faith in us, true faith is permitted to flourish, to the glory of the Father.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
But Diotrephes does not acknowledge our authority.
So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing.
3 John 9-10
The last thing a masquerader wants is to be exposed, to have someone who sees behind or through, their mask, to reveal what they would prefer remain hidden. Posers typically have an agenda, a motive for keeping up the charade, and it is always a self-serving one. People just don’t commit fraud for the fun of it. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how we respond to having the mask removed, Jesus exposes fraudulent faith.
In Jesus’ day there were no bigger frauds than the scribes and Pharisees upon whom Christ pronounced the seven “woes” in Matthew 23 (vv. 1-36). To all outward appearances, the gang whose masks Jesus saw through liked to pose as the most pious of their generation. Masked behind a façade of holiness, and cloaked in self-righteousness, the teachers of the law and the Pharisees loved their own ideas of God more than they loved God himself, and loved themselves much more than they loved their neighbors. But the life of faith is not some kind of costume ball where we can get away pretending to be someone or something we are not. It may be acceptable for comic book heroes to assume alter egos, and to disguise themselves behind a something other than who they truly are persona, but it does not work for one who would follow Jesus.
Granted, when Christ comes and confronts our infidelities and our insincerities, when he removes the mask and exposes who we really are, both to ourselves and the world, it is painful. But, in an instant, the Lord gives to us a whole new identity, and this is no mere cosmetic makeover, for in Christ we are reborn. Sadly, there are Christian frauds today, just as well as Pharisaical frauds at the time of Jesus. Christian posers put on what is no better than false face for the world to see. Sooner or later, however, Christ will reveal all, even the posers, though it may come too late for their salvation (see Matthew 7:21-23).
Now John the apostle had witnessed the exposing of the scribes and Pharisees, and had heard the Lord pronounce the seven woes over them. So, how do you think the apostle dealt with the fraudulent faith of Christians? That’s right, he exposed them. A case in point is Diotrephes, whom John singled out in verses 9 and 10 of his Third Letter. Where Jesus humbled himself (see Philippians 2:5-8), Diotrephes “put himself first.” (3 John 8) Where followers of Jesus were called to extend a genuine, gracious, even sacrificial, welcome to other believers (Romans 15:7), Diotrephes both refused to welcome gospel workers, and made life, well, hell, for those who would (3 John 10). The bottom line is, fraudulent faith is simply too pernicious to be permitted to carry on its masquerade.
But before we all go out and march up to someone who we are sure is a poser, a Christian fraud, there is one thing we must do—stand in front of the nearest mirror, and take a good look at the one who is looking back at us. If we see any sign of sham or charade going on, if, looking closely and carefully at the face in the mirror, we detect a mask of some kind, STOP! We must not even think about exposing the Diotrephes in another until the Diotrepehes in us is revealed, and confessed, both to God, and to those whom we have been deceiving. And, if we have trouble looking closely at the mirror, then we must turn our face toward the Lord, and ask him to do the revealing, trusting that he will expose any fraudulent faith in us.
Nothing subverts Christian fellowship more swiftly and surely than reducing it to a game of charades. Nothing undermines our relationship with other believers more than self-serving posturing, even a posture of humility if it is insincere. Conversely, there’s nothing that would more encourage another to get out from behind his or her mask than for us to remove our own in front of them. The good news is, as Jesus, the Son, exposes fraudulent faith in us, true faith is permitted to flourish, to the glory of the Father.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Jesus Loved and Prayed for Friends
What Did Jesus Do?
“To the beloved, whom I love in truth…I pray that all may go well with you.”
3 John 1-2
A lot of us have more friends than we can count these days, that is if we can “count” the dozens (even 100s) of “friends” we have on Facebook, notwithstanding that we may have never actually met or spoken, uh, face to face, with many of these folks. “Friend” has become a rather abstract term nowadays, whereas it was very concrete at one time. Was a time when the highest expression of love was the willingness to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. Sure, we may say all those folks on Facebook are our friends, but how many of them would we really be willing to die for? Jesus, who actually died for his friends, and, even more, for his enemies, truly loved, and prayed for, his friends. John 17 is perhaps the best example we have of a friend expressing his love of, and of praying for, his friends.
It is not at all surprising, then, that the apostle John emulated the One who loved him and who prayed for him, by loving and praying for his own friends. 3 John is a letter written by a friend to a friend. The first part of the letter, verses 1-8, which we’ll consider today, expresses love and prayer for a friend, along with some encouragement and advice. And there is no mistaking that Gaius was a friend of John’s.
Unlike so many today who toss around the word love as if it were nothing more than a sweet bon-bon, John loved Gaius in truth. As in, he loved his friend in a Jesus way because, well, Jesus is the truth (John 14:6). What’s a Jesus kind of love look like? Out of this world! It’s a love that is obsessed with the one loved, as in: Jesus never thought of himself but always of others, never did anything selfishly but always selflessly, and, though he was fully aware of the ultimate cost of agape (That’s loving like God loves), he did not flinch from paying the full price of love on the cross. That was the kind of love John had for Gaius, love in truth, love in Jesus.
One of the greatest, and most neglected, acts of love, is to pray for a friend. Not just when they tell you they need prayer, but rather, because you are their friend you count it as privilege to lift them up to the Lord eagerly and often, asking his blessing, grace, and mercy for them. Again, John learned to pray for his friend Gaius in this manner because John had heard his friend Jesus pray in this manner for him.
John did not stop at loving and praying for his friend Gaius, he also encouraged him and gave him some advice. First of all, John applauded the genuine faith of Gaius as demonstrated by his generous hospitality to itinerant preachers who had shown up on his doorstep (3 John 5). As the preachers had headed out, with no means of support, to spread the Gospel, it was fit and proper, as they used to say, for all believers to help them, and in so doing be fellow workers for the truth (3 John 8). That’s a timeless piece of advice, which the Church needs to hear today as much as Gaius needed to hear it in the First Century.
Here’s the thing, uh, beloved. As Jesus had done, so did John. That is, the apostle loved in truth and prayed for his friends. It might not be the flashiest of ministries, and it will often go completely unnoticed. But there are few things more important for us to do as believers. I can say this with complete confidence because that’s what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
“To the beloved, whom I love in truth…I pray that all may go well with you.”
3 John 1-2
A lot of us have more friends than we can count these days, that is if we can “count” the dozens (even 100s) of “friends” we have on Facebook, notwithstanding that we may have never actually met or spoken, uh, face to face, with many of these folks. “Friend” has become a rather abstract term nowadays, whereas it was very concrete at one time. Was a time when the highest expression of love was the willingness to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. Sure, we may say all those folks on Facebook are our friends, but how many of them would we really be willing to die for? Jesus, who actually died for his friends, and, even more, for his enemies, truly loved, and prayed for, his friends. John 17 is perhaps the best example we have of a friend expressing his love of, and of praying for, his friends.
It is not at all surprising, then, that the apostle John emulated the One who loved him and who prayed for him, by loving and praying for his own friends. 3 John is a letter written by a friend to a friend. The first part of the letter, verses 1-8, which we’ll consider today, expresses love and prayer for a friend, along with some encouragement and advice. And there is no mistaking that Gaius was a friend of John’s.
Unlike so many today who toss around the word love as if it were nothing more than a sweet bon-bon, John loved Gaius in truth. As in, he loved his friend in a Jesus way because, well, Jesus is the truth (John 14:6). What’s a Jesus kind of love look like? Out of this world! It’s a love that is obsessed with the one loved, as in: Jesus never thought of himself but always of others, never did anything selfishly but always selflessly, and, though he was fully aware of the ultimate cost of agape (That’s loving like God loves), he did not flinch from paying the full price of love on the cross. That was the kind of love John had for Gaius, love in truth, love in Jesus.
One of the greatest, and most neglected, acts of love, is to pray for a friend. Not just when they tell you they need prayer, but rather, because you are their friend you count it as privilege to lift them up to the Lord eagerly and often, asking his blessing, grace, and mercy for them. Again, John learned to pray for his friend Gaius in this manner because John had heard his friend Jesus pray in this manner for him.
John did not stop at loving and praying for his friend Gaius, he also encouraged him and gave him some advice. First of all, John applauded the genuine faith of Gaius as demonstrated by his generous hospitality to itinerant preachers who had shown up on his doorstep (3 John 5). As the preachers had headed out, with no means of support, to spread the Gospel, it was fit and proper, as they used to say, for all believers to help them, and in so doing be fellow workers for the truth (3 John 8). That’s a timeless piece of advice, which the Church needs to hear today as much as Gaius needed to hear it in the First Century.
Here’s the thing, uh, beloved. As Jesus had done, so did John. That is, the apostle loved in truth and prayed for his friends. It might not be the flashiest of ministries, and it will often go completely unnoticed. But there are few things more important for us to do as believers. I can say this with complete confidence because that’s what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Jesus Praciticed Publicly
What Did Jesus Do?
And he went all through Galilee…
Matthew 4:23
Considering how Israel had been eagerly longing for the coming of the Messiah, I am a little surprised that Jesus didn’t simply set himself up in a private practice, hang out a shingle that said, “Messiah,” and open up shop in Nazareth, or perhaps Capernaum, and wait for the people to come to him. I mean, wouldn’t you have expected they would beat a path to his door? It’s what enterprising young professionals do, isn’t it, go into private practice? But Jesus, it turned out, wasn’t that kind of Messiah at all. Jesus practiced publicly.
Jesus knew, from the very beginning, that he needed to start where the people were, not sit back and wait for them to come to him. Oh sure, as his fame spread, many did eventually seek him out. But the Lord never showed any inclination to turn from his very public, to a private practice. As the Father sent, so the Son went. Jesus was, after all, on a seek and save mission (Luke 19:10). Jesus, you see, was a where the action is kind of guy. And he really didn’t have time to sit and wait for people to find him, there was a genuine urgency to his work.
So, how come his Church seems largely to have missed this truth about the kind of Messiah/Savior Jesus was? Think about it. If anything, times are more urgent now than in Jesus’ day. Yet, most churches are in what amounts to private practice. They put up a building, effectively anchoring themselves to one place, and have walls and doors, and often beautiful but impenetrable stained glass, which separates them from the rest of the world, from people. Oh, yeah, they leave the doors unlocked, sometimes, and they have a big sign out front, perhaps with some witty phrases about things like “knee-mail” (prayer) on it, sort of by way of trolling for the lost. But very few congregations understand that, as Jesus was a Messiah on a Mission, so his Church is a fellowship of missionaries who he perpetually sends to continue his work of seeking and saving. In other words, we can’t really do church parked in a pew, or presiding in a pulpit, it’s simply too private for an enterprise that is supposed to walk in the footsteps of the Savior. For, you see, Jesus practiced publicly, and so must we.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
And he went all through Galilee…
Matthew 4:23
Considering how Israel had been eagerly longing for the coming of the Messiah, I am a little surprised that Jesus didn’t simply set himself up in a private practice, hang out a shingle that said, “Messiah,” and open up shop in Nazareth, or perhaps Capernaum, and wait for the people to come to him. I mean, wouldn’t you have expected they would beat a path to his door? It’s what enterprising young professionals do, isn’t it, go into private practice? But Jesus, it turned out, wasn’t that kind of Messiah at all. Jesus practiced publicly.
Jesus knew, from the very beginning, that he needed to start where the people were, not sit back and wait for them to come to him. Oh sure, as his fame spread, many did eventually seek him out. But the Lord never showed any inclination to turn from his very public, to a private practice. As the Father sent, so the Son went. Jesus was, after all, on a seek and save mission (Luke 19:10). Jesus, you see, was a where the action is kind of guy. And he really didn’t have time to sit and wait for people to find him, there was a genuine urgency to his work.
So, how come his Church seems largely to have missed this truth about the kind of Messiah/Savior Jesus was? Think about it. If anything, times are more urgent now than in Jesus’ day. Yet, most churches are in what amounts to private practice. They put up a building, effectively anchoring themselves to one place, and have walls and doors, and often beautiful but impenetrable stained glass, which separates them from the rest of the world, from people. Oh, yeah, they leave the doors unlocked, sometimes, and they have a big sign out front, perhaps with some witty phrases about things like “knee-mail” (prayer) on it, sort of by way of trolling for the lost. But very few congregations understand that, as Jesus was a Messiah on a Mission, so his Church is a fellowship of missionaries who he perpetually sends to continue his work of seeking and saving. In other words, we can’t really do church parked in a pew, or presiding in a pulpit, it’s simply too private for an enterprise that is supposed to walk in the footsteps of the Savior. For, you see, Jesus practiced publicly, and so must we.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Jesus Died For The Truth
What Did Jesus Do?
“For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—
to bear witness to the truth.”
John 18:37
It is amazing, shocking, deeply troubling, that so many people who call themselves Christians know so little about the One whose name they presume to take for themselves. To hear most Christians today, Jesus was all about love. Period. End of story. But, when he was on trial for his life, when we would expect Jesus to lay it all on the line, his testimony was not about love, but about truth. In fact, I believe it is accurate to say that Jesus died for the Truth.
Think about it. Did Jesus say that he was born for the purpose of bearing witness to love? No. From his own lips, at the most critical moment in his life, Jesus said he was born for the purpose of bearing witness to the truth. And, since few would contest the statement that Jesus was born to die, it is absolutely appropriate to acknowledge that Jesus died for the truth. What, then, of love? Surely love, if not the purpose of his life’s mission, was still of great importance to Jesus. It is absolutely appropriate to say that love was so much a part of the life of Jesus that we fall into great error if we do not yoke truth and love together when we consider the life of the Lord.
Truth, yes, but not alone; truth never without love. Love, yes, but never before truth; love never contravening truth. Here’s the thing, truth without love, is still truth. Yes, it may be cold, hard, unappealing, but it is still the truth. But, love without the truth, well, it isn’t really love at all. Love without truth always, let me make sure you catch this, always degenerates quickly into selfish, destructive narcissism. Make sure you get this—ALWAYS. It’s been this way ever since the first time truth was chucked in the name of love. If the occasion escapes you, go read Genesis 3. What amazes me is that we still don’t get it. Even with Jesus coming and dying for the truth, we insist on trying to make it all about “love,” the he_ _ with truth. And, the truth is, love without truth makes life hell, and, if we never hear and accept the truth, love sans truth narrows our options for eternity down to one very unpleasant destination.
I can hear the folks whose biblical knowledge goes no further than John 3:16 crying out, “What is all this about truth? Don’t you know that God sent his Son because he ‘so loved the world’?” Yeah, I know. But do you know that when the Father wanted to express his love most sublimely he did so in and through his Son, who leads us in the way of God’s agape love, teaches us the truth of God’s agape love, and, by sending the Holy Spirit to fill us, empowers us to live, in and through him, the life of God’s agape love? That’s right, Jesus, the highest and fullest expression of the Father’s love, made it plain as day—He is the way, the truth, and the life. If we truly want to know the love of God, we must come to him by way of the One who is Truth. We may claim to cherish the old rugged Cross, but Jesus died for nothing if, no matter how much we pretend to love, we don’t live in and for the truth.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
“For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—
to bear witness to the truth.”
John 18:37
It is amazing, shocking, deeply troubling, that so many people who call themselves Christians know so little about the One whose name they presume to take for themselves. To hear most Christians today, Jesus was all about love. Period. End of story. But, when he was on trial for his life, when we would expect Jesus to lay it all on the line, his testimony was not about love, but about truth. In fact, I believe it is accurate to say that Jesus died for the Truth.
Think about it. Did Jesus say that he was born for the purpose of bearing witness to love? No. From his own lips, at the most critical moment in his life, Jesus said he was born for the purpose of bearing witness to the truth. And, since few would contest the statement that Jesus was born to die, it is absolutely appropriate to acknowledge that Jesus died for the truth. What, then, of love? Surely love, if not the purpose of his life’s mission, was still of great importance to Jesus. It is absolutely appropriate to say that love was so much a part of the life of Jesus that we fall into great error if we do not yoke truth and love together when we consider the life of the Lord.
Truth, yes, but not alone; truth never without love. Love, yes, but never before truth; love never contravening truth. Here’s the thing, truth without love, is still truth. Yes, it may be cold, hard, unappealing, but it is still the truth. But, love without the truth, well, it isn’t really love at all. Love without truth always, let me make sure you catch this, always degenerates quickly into selfish, destructive narcissism. Make sure you get this—ALWAYS. It’s been this way ever since the first time truth was chucked in the name of love. If the occasion escapes you, go read Genesis 3. What amazes me is that we still don’t get it. Even with Jesus coming and dying for the truth, we insist on trying to make it all about “love,” the he_ _ with truth. And, the truth is, love without truth makes life hell, and, if we never hear and accept the truth, love sans truth narrows our options for eternity down to one very unpleasant destination.
I can hear the folks whose biblical knowledge goes no further than John 3:16 crying out, “What is all this about truth? Don’t you know that God sent his Son because he ‘so loved the world’?” Yeah, I know. But do you know that when the Father wanted to express his love most sublimely he did so in and through his Son, who leads us in the way of God’s agape love, teaches us the truth of God’s agape love, and, by sending the Holy Spirit to fill us, empowers us to live, in and through him, the life of God’s agape love? That’s right, Jesus, the highest and fullest expression of the Father’s love, made it plain as day—He is the way, the truth, and the life. If we truly want to know the love of God, we must come to him by way of the One who is Truth. We may claim to cherish the old rugged Cross, but Jesus died for nothing if, no matter how much we pretend to love, we don’t live in and for the truth.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Friday, February 10, 2012
Jesus Came and Met Us Face to Face
What Did Jesus Do?
I hope to come to you and talk face to face,
so that our joy may be complete
2 John 12
I know young people will find this shocking, even hard to believe (Perhaps it’s a good thing that it is likely that very few young people ever see these WDJDs?), but there was a time when there was no email, no instant messaging, no Twitter, no Facebook. “Gasp! NO Facebook? How awful. It must have been terribly lonely for people back in the day.” Actually, people are more lonely now. You see, with all the modern electronic ways to keep in touch, there is a lot less actual touching, that is, truly coming into contact with others in a way that creates real relationships, happening these days. People are more isolated and lonely than ever, even though they may have dozens, even hundreds, of cyber-friends. The trouble with cyber-friends is that they can’t actually lend us a hand when we need it. They can’t hold us and hug us. They can’t pat us on the back, or offer a shoulder to cry on. Thankfully, Jesus was not that kind of friend to us, Jesus came and met us face to face.
The importance of real contact, of genuine encounters, of face to face ministry was not lost on John. So, even though he poured his heart into the letters he wrote to the Church (1 John), to a particular church (2 John), and to a beloved personal friend (3 John), John’s greatest desire was to meet face to face with those he called his little children. Te meet, to touch, to hold, to cry and to laugh together, was nothing less than complete joy to John.
John held such high regard for meeting and ministering face to face because 1) he had been a face to face disciple and friend of Jesus, and 2) he had witnessed the Lord meeting and ministering face to face (Mark 10:21, 27; Luke 19:5; John 1:42; along with many miracles when the Lord looked into the face of, spoke directly to, and/or touched those he helped.). We do not have a distant Savior who loves us from afar, who forgives us via a remote, who transforms our lives without benefit of touch. I believe one of the biggest challenges facing the Church in our day is that of supplanting the cyber-relationships so many are willing to settle for, with face to face relationships. Yes, it takes more effort, more time, to seek and meet others face to face. But consider the genuine, complete joy that is possible in so meeting, something simply not possible through emails, instant messages, or even up to the second Twitter tweets or Facebook statuses.
John refused to permit a letter replace meeting face to face with those whom Jesus loved. And Jesus never said, “You email” or “You i-m” or “You tweet” or “You Facebook” to his disciples, he said “You go…” Jesus calls and commissions all of us to go and minister face to face. So, here’s our challenge today, and every day—get off Facebook and go to a friend, and bring some real joy to someone (and enjoy some ourselves) by meeting face to face. That’s what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
I hope to come to you and talk face to face,
so that our joy may be complete
2 John 12
I know young people will find this shocking, even hard to believe (Perhaps it’s a good thing that it is likely that very few young people ever see these WDJDs?), but there was a time when there was no email, no instant messaging, no Twitter, no Facebook. “Gasp! NO Facebook? How awful. It must have been terribly lonely for people back in the day.” Actually, people are more lonely now. You see, with all the modern electronic ways to keep in touch, there is a lot less actual touching, that is, truly coming into contact with others in a way that creates real relationships, happening these days. People are more isolated and lonely than ever, even though they may have dozens, even hundreds, of cyber-friends. The trouble with cyber-friends is that they can’t actually lend us a hand when we need it. They can’t hold us and hug us. They can’t pat us on the back, or offer a shoulder to cry on. Thankfully, Jesus was not that kind of friend to us, Jesus came and met us face to face.
The importance of real contact, of genuine encounters, of face to face ministry was not lost on John. So, even though he poured his heart into the letters he wrote to the Church (1 John), to a particular church (2 John), and to a beloved personal friend (3 John), John’s greatest desire was to meet face to face with those he called his little children. Te meet, to touch, to hold, to cry and to laugh together, was nothing less than complete joy to John.
John held such high regard for meeting and ministering face to face because 1) he had been a face to face disciple and friend of Jesus, and 2) he had witnessed the Lord meeting and ministering face to face (Mark 10:21, 27; Luke 19:5; John 1:42; along with many miracles when the Lord looked into the face of, spoke directly to, and/or touched those he helped.). We do not have a distant Savior who loves us from afar, who forgives us via a remote, who transforms our lives without benefit of touch. I believe one of the biggest challenges facing the Church in our day is that of supplanting the cyber-relationships so many are willing to settle for, with face to face relationships. Yes, it takes more effort, more time, to seek and meet others face to face. But consider the genuine, complete joy that is possible in so meeting, something simply not possible through emails, instant messages, or even up to the second Twitter tweets or Facebook statuses.
John refused to permit a letter replace meeting face to face with those whom Jesus loved. And Jesus never said, “You email” or “You i-m” or “You tweet” or “You Facebook” to his disciples, he said “You go…” Jesus calls and commissions all of us to go and minister face to face. So, here’s our challenge today, and every day—get off Facebook and go to a friend, and bring some real joy to someone (and enjoy some ourselves) by meeting face to face. That’s what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Jesus Taught Intolerance
What Did Jesus Do?
If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching,
do not receive him.
2 John 10
I can picture them, the loose-leaf Bible crowd. You know, the folks who have abrogated and corrupted the Gospel to accommodate culture. They would stop in mid-chorus of Kum Ba Yah and challenge me, “What? He did no such thing, how dare you say that! Jesus taught nothing but love and tolerance.” Well, I, didn’t say it, Jesus did, to the church in Thyatira, “But I have this against you, that you TOLERATE that woman Jezebel…” (Revelation 2:20) You see, with Jesus, it has never been “anything goes.” In particular, Jesus will not tolerate those who would seduce his bride, the Church, and lead her into heresy and, inevitably, to destruction. The apostle John knew that Jesus taught intolerance of lies and wickedness, so John taught it too.
It might strike us as contradictory, for John to instruct the elect lady (the Church), whom he has just been exhorting to walk in truth and love (see WDJD for 2/8/12), to be inhospitable, even rude, to someone. But, when that someone would presumed to proclaim a different gospel, to teach that Jesus did not come in the flesh (As several itinerant Gnostic preachers were doing at the time John wrote his Second Letter), they could not be permitted to spew their seductive lies before the lady’s children, that is, members of the Church, particularly those new to the faith. The doors into the houses where the Church met had to be barred against such false teachers, they were not even to be extended a greeting.
We’re not talking about a simple “Hi, how ya’ doin’!” here. When Christians greeted one another, it was something quite formal, deeply personal, and, expressed the very truth and love John wrote about, the truth and love of Jesus Christ, and him come in the flesh. Consider the greeting John employed in this letter:
“Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love.” 2 John 3
To extend such a greeting to one who not only believed the heresy that Christ had not come in the flesh, but who taught and encouraged the Church to accept this as truth, carried the weight of an endorsement of a pernicious lie. It amounted to participating in their wicked works (2 John 11). Certainly, to expose new believers to such false and deadly teaching was not at all a loving thing to do. And encouraging those who believed such damnable lies to persist in their fatal error, with its terrible eternal consequences, well, how could that be understood to be a loving thing to do. One might as well invite someone to jump off a cliff, play in traffic, swim with sharks. No, for the good of everyone, there could and can be no tolerance of, nor welcome for, heretics and false teachers in the Church.
Here’s the challenge we face as believers today: do we, do the churches where we worship, tolerate heresy? Do we welcome and receive false teaching? Do we tacitly endorse wicked works in the name of love? We had better learn what the Bible tells us is intolerable, because, the truth is, Jesus taught intolerance. In the end, it is the loving thing to do.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching,
do not receive him.
2 John 10
I can picture them, the loose-leaf Bible crowd. You know, the folks who have abrogated and corrupted the Gospel to accommodate culture. They would stop in mid-chorus of Kum Ba Yah and challenge me, “What? He did no such thing, how dare you say that! Jesus taught nothing but love and tolerance.” Well, I, didn’t say it, Jesus did, to the church in Thyatira, “But I have this against you, that you TOLERATE that woman Jezebel…” (Revelation 2:20) You see, with Jesus, it has never been “anything goes.” In particular, Jesus will not tolerate those who would seduce his bride, the Church, and lead her into heresy and, inevitably, to destruction. The apostle John knew that Jesus taught intolerance of lies and wickedness, so John taught it too.
It might strike us as contradictory, for John to instruct the elect lady (the Church), whom he has just been exhorting to walk in truth and love (see WDJD for 2/8/12), to be inhospitable, even rude, to someone. But, when that someone would presumed to proclaim a different gospel, to teach that Jesus did not come in the flesh (As several itinerant Gnostic preachers were doing at the time John wrote his Second Letter), they could not be permitted to spew their seductive lies before the lady’s children, that is, members of the Church, particularly those new to the faith. The doors into the houses where the Church met had to be barred against such false teachers, they were not even to be extended a greeting.
We’re not talking about a simple “Hi, how ya’ doin’!” here. When Christians greeted one another, it was something quite formal, deeply personal, and, expressed the very truth and love John wrote about, the truth and love of Jesus Christ, and him come in the flesh. Consider the greeting John employed in this letter:
“Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love.” 2 John 3
To extend such a greeting to one who not only believed the heresy that Christ had not come in the flesh, but who taught and encouraged the Church to accept this as truth, carried the weight of an endorsement of a pernicious lie. It amounted to participating in their wicked works (2 John 11). Certainly, to expose new believers to such false and deadly teaching was not at all a loving thing to do. And encouraging those who believed such damnable lies to persist in their fatal error, with its terrible eternal consequences, well, how could that be understood to be a loving thing to do. One might as well invite someone to jump off a cliff, play in traffic, swim with sharks. No, for the good of everyone, there could and can be no tolerance of, nor welcome for, heretics and false teachers in the Church.
Here’s the challenge we face as believers today: do we, do the churches where we worship, tolerate heresy? Do we welcome and receive false teaching? Do we tacitly endorse wicked works in the name of love? We had better learn what the Bible tells us is intolerable, because, the truth is, Jesus taught intolerance. In the end, it is the loving thing to do.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Jesus Marked the Path for Us
What Did Jesus Do?
Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ,
does not have God.
2 John 9
At the risk of stating the obvious, what is the best way to keep from getting lost? To stay on course, to follow the marked path. The trouble with most of us is, we either ignore the marks that would keep us on track, or we intentionally go bushwhacking believing we can always find our way back. Folks, when someone has gone to the trouble to mark out the path, to blaze a safe trail, we should stay on it! Through life there is but one trail guaranteed to get us safely home, and it is a narrow one. As narrow as it is, it is not hard to find, and it is clear enough to follow, because Jesus marked the path for us.
We’ve already talked about the proper “footwear” for our sojourn through this life (see WDJD for 2/7/12). Unless we walk in truth and in love it is impossible to follow Jesus, that’s the message of 2 John 4-6. But, even with such reliable gear for our walk as disciples, there is a very real danger we must be aware of, and that is the danger of being led off the path, of following someone who claims to know Jesus while in fact denying him. John called such people deceivers and antichrists (2 John 7).
If we are not careful to stay on the marked path of the Gospel by walking in truth and in love, but instead follow those who deny Christ, which is heresy, we may lose what John, the other apostles, and the Church worked for (2 John 8), which is the reward that comes from knowing the Father and the Son and having a personal relationship with them, namely salvation and eternal life. The deceivers, who sought to advance, to go on ahead, by way of promulgating error, of those who held to orthodox teaching, neither had God nor made it possible for those who received their false teaching to abide in the teaching of Christ, which is summed up in the command to walk in truth and love.
In short, John told the elect lady and her children, to whom this letter was written, to “Watch out! Pay attention to where you put you feet. Look carefully where you step, so that you may not become lost.” John’s words are, if anything, more timely and urgent today then when he first wrote them to the Church, for antichrists, and many appealing, but ultimately dead-end, paths, are leading many otherwise faithful followers of Jesus astray. And, without a secure knowledge of the truth and love of Christ, many tragically wander far off the path Jesus marked before they realize how lost they have become.
Here is where our fellowship in Christ is so important, for we have a tremendous responsibility to one another to keep each other on the path Jesus has marked for all of his disciples to follow. Each of us need to be a voice speaking into the ears of brothers and sisters whenever they turn to the right or to the left from the path Jesus has marked, “This is the way, walk in it.” (Isaiah 30:21)
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ,
does not have God.
2 John 9
At the risk of stating the obvious, what is the best way to keep from getting lost? To stay on course, to follow the marked path. The trouble with most of us is, we either ignore the marks that would keep us on track, or we intentionally go bushwhacking believing we can always find our way back. Folks, when someone has gone to the trouble to mark out the path, to blaze a safe trail, we should stay on it! Through life there is but one trail guaranteed to get us safely home, and it is a narrow one. As narrow as it is, it is not hard to find, and it is clear enough to follow, because Jesus marked the path for us.
We’ve already talked about the proper “footwear” for our sojourn through this life (see WDJD for 2/7/12). Unless we walk in truth and in love it is impossible to follow Jesus, that’s the message of 2 John 4-6. But, even with such reliable gear for our walk as disciples, there is a very real danger we must be aware of, and that is the danger of being led off the path, of following someone who claims to know Jesus while in fact denying him. John called such people deceivers and antichrists (2 John 7).
If we are not careful to stay on the marked path of the Gospel by walking in truth and in love, but instead follow those who deny Christ, which is heresy, we may lose what John, the other apostles, and the Church worked for (2 John 8), which is the reward that comes from knowing the Father and the Son and having a personal relationship with them, namely salvation and eternal life. The deceivers, who sought to advance, to go on ahead, by way of promulgating error, of those who held to orthodox teaching, neither had God nor made it possible for those who received their false teaching to abide in the teaching of Christ, which is summed up in the command to walk in truth and love.
In short, John told the elect lady and her children, to whom this letter was written, to “Watch out! Pay attention to where you put you feet. Look carefully where you step, so that you may not become lost.” John’s words are, if anything, more timely and urgent today then when he first wrote them to the Church, for antichrists, and many appealing, but ultimately dead-end, paths, are leading many otherwise faithful followers of Jesus astray. And, without a secure knowledge of the truth and love of Christ, many tragically wander far off the path Jesus marked before they realize how lost they have become.
Here is where our fellowship in Christ is so important, for we have a tremendous responsibility to one another to keep each other on the path Jesus has marked for all of his disciples to follow. Each of us need to be a voice speaking into the ears of brothers and sisters whenever they turn to the right or to the left from the path Jesus has marked, “This is the way, walk in it.” (Isaiah 30:21)
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Jesus Supplied A Perfect Pair of Shoes for the Sojourner
What Did Jesus Do?
I rejoiced to find some of your children walking in the truth…
now I ask that we love one another.
And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments.
2 John 4-6
Could you imagine getting ready for an arduous trek, I mean a serious sojourn over mountains, across deserts, crossing ice fields, scaling boulders, and putting only one boot on? I don’t think so. It’s one thing for my son John to go to bed “with one shoe off and one shoe on,” and quite another for the Apostle John to note that some of the children of the elect lady were attempting to follow Jesus with their feet only half shod, so to speak. After all, Jesus supplied a perfect pair of shoes for the sojourner, we should walk in them!
Not that John was totally bummed out. He could truly rejoice greatly over the news he had received about those who were walking in the truth. But his joy was not complete, because it was only some who had put on the “boot” of truth, and even then they still had the other “foot” dangling. With only one shoe on, the best we can do is limp along in our Christian walk, even when the path is smooth and even, and Jesus warned those who would follow him to be prepared for some hard going (John 16:33). With only one shoe on, we cannot help but be unbalanced, with the much greater likelihood of stumbling and falling. No, every disciple needs to have proper footwear for the journey of faith. Fortunately, Jesus supplied a perfect pair of shoes for the sojourner. We just need to be sure to put both of them on.
Certainly, we need to step out in the truth, more specifically the truth that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Father, who came in the flesh. To deny or refuse of Jesus is to come under the influence of the many antichrists whose only aim is to deceive and to destroy (1 John 2:21-23, 26). But knowing and walking in the truth is not enough, if we do not also know and obey Christ’s commandment to love one another (John 13:34; 2 John 5). Our knowledge of Christ’s command to love springs from our experience of God first loving us, through his sending of his Son to be the redeemer who paid for our sins with his body on the cross (1 John 4:10). Our obedience to Christ’s command to love is nurtured and sustained by regularly reading his word of truth.
To walk the walk of a disciple of Jesus Christ is to walk in truth and in love. Truth without love becomes rigid legalism. Love without truth is no better than emotional sentimentality. Neither truth nor love by themselves can fulfill Christ’s commandment. Rather, truth and love are paired perfectly for the Christian’s sojourn through this world.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
I rejoiced to find some of your children walking in the truth…
now I ask that we love one another.
And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments.
2 John 4-6
Could you imagine getting ready for an arduous trek, I mean a serious sojourn over mountains, across deserts, crossing ice fields, scaling boulders, and putting only one boot on? I don’t think so. It’s one thing for my son John to go to bed “with one shoe off and one shoe on,” and quite another for the Apostle John to note that some of the children of the elect lady were attempting to follow Jesus with their feet only half shod, so to speak. After all, Jesus supplied a perfect pair of shoes for the sojourner, we should walk in them!
Not that John was totally bummed out. He could truly rejoice greatly over the news he had received about those who were walking in the truth. But his joy was not complete, because it was only some who had put on the “boot” of truth, and even then they still had the other “foot” dangling. With only one shoe on, the best we can do is limp along in our Christian walk, even when the path is smooth and even, and Jesus warned those who would follow him to be prepared for some hard going (John 16:33). With only one shoe on, we cannot help but be unbalanced, with the much greater likelihood of stumbling and falling. No, every disciple needs to have proper footwear for the journey of faith. Fortunately, Jesus supplied a perfect pair of shoes for the sojourner. We just need to be sure to put both of them on.
Certainly, we need to step out in the truth, more specifically the truth that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Father, who came in the flesh. To deny or refuse of Jesus is to come under the influence of the many antichrists whose only aim is to deceive and to destroy (1 John 2:21-23, 26). But knowing and walking in the truth is not enough, if we do not also know and obey Christ’s commandment to love one another (John 13:34; 2 John 5). Our knowledge of Christ’s command to love springs from our experience of God first loving us, through his sending of his Son to be the redeemer who paid for our sins with his body on the cross (1 John 4:10). Our obedience to Christ’s command to love is nurtured and sustained by regularly reading his word of truth.
To walk the walk of a disciple of Jesus Christ is to walk in truth and in love. Truth without love becomes rigid legalism. Love without truth is no better than emotional sentimentality. Neither truth nor love by themselves can fulfill Christ’s commandment. Rather, truth and love are paired perfectly for the Christian’s sojourn through this world.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Jesus Permanently Placed the Presence of God
What Did Jesus Do?
Don’t you know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?
1 Corinthians 3:16
I was praying Saturday with six other men who had gathered on heaven’s doorstep (That’s that chapel at The Cove, the Billy Graham Training Center just outside of Asheville, NC, for those of you who didn’t know. I’m serious, it’s just a local call for Dr. Graham when he talks with God you know. Anyway…). I asked the Lord if he would give me the heart and mind, not of Dr. Graham, though that would be wonderful, but rather of Brother Lawrence. Brother Lawrence? Who is Brother Lawrence?
Nearly four hundred fifty years ago Brother Lawrence, a humble man who became a Lay Brother with the Carmelites in Paris in the late 17th Century, wrote these words, “After having given myself wholly to God, I renounced, for the love of Him, everything that was not He; and I began to live as if there was none but He and I in the world.” WOW! First of all, few of us who pose as followers of Jesus can truly claim to ever having given ourselves wholly to God. And, if we’ve done so, have we actually taken the additional step of renouncing everything that is not God?
What would it be like to live as if there were none but God and you in the world? I believe it wouldn’t mean that we would ignore everything and everyone around us, tuning in exclusively to God. Rather, if we were perfectly dialed in to God, then we would earnestly seek Him with our whole heart (Jeremiah 29:13), and find Him, sense His presence, in everything and everyone we encounter. More, we would have a growing awareness of Him, not just all around us, but within. With every conscious breath, and I know most of us pay little attention to our breathing unless it is hard to get, but with every breath that we are conscious of we can and should be aware of Him. Same thing for the beating of our heart. Unless you are one very unique person who makes your heart beat by virtue of your own will, it’s God, his very Spirit, beating in your chest.
Just imagine how different everything we take in with our eyes would look if we understood that no matter where our gaze falls, we beheld God. I can’t help but feel that we would think, speak, act, live very differently. And, Jesus came into the world so that we would know that God is indeed with us at all times in all places. The knowledge of God with us, within us, transformed the lives of those who encountered Jesus in the First Century, and it is transforming lives still. The bottom line is that in his presence is where we belong, now and forever. Permanently placed in the presence of God. That’s what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Don’t you know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?
1 Corinthians 3:16
I was praying Saturday with six other men who had gathered on heaven’s doorstep (That’s that chapel at The Cove, the Billy Graham Training Center just outside of Asheville, NC, for those of you who didn’t know. I’m serious, it’s just a local call for Dr. Graham when he talks with God you know. Anyway…). I asked the Lord if he would give me the heart and mind, not of Dr. Graham, though that would be wonderful, but rather of Brother Lawrence. Brother Lawrence? Who is Brother Lawrence?
Nearly four hundred fifty years ago Brother Lawrence, a humble man who became a Lay Brother with the Carmelites in Paris in the late 17th Century, wrote these words, “After having given myself wholly to God, I renounced, for the love of Him, everything that was not He; and I began to live as if there was none but He and I in the world.” WOW! First of all, few of us who pose as followers of Jesus can truly claim to ever having given ourselves wholly to God. And, if we’ve done so, have we actually taken the additional step of renouncing everything that is not God?
What would it be like to live as if there were none but God and you in the world? I believe it wouldn’t mean that we would ignore everything and everyone around us, tuning in exclusively to God. Rather, if we were perfectly dialed in to God, then we would earnestly seek Him with our whole heart (Jeremiah 29:13), and find Him, sense His presence, in everything and everyone we encounter. More, we would have a growing awareness of Him, not just all around us, but within. With every conscious breath, and I know most of us pay little attention to our breathing unless it is hard to get, but with every breath that we are conscious of we can and should be aware of Him. Same thing for the beating of our heart. Unless you are one very unique person who makes your heart beat by virtue of your own will, it’s God, his very Spirit, beating in your chest.
Just imagine how different everything we take in with our eyes would look if we understood that no matter where our gaze falls, we beheld God. I can’t help but feel that we would think, speak, act, live very differently. And, Jesus came into the world so that we would know that God is indeed with us at all times in all places. The knowledge of God with us, within us, transformed the lives of those who encountered Jesus in the First Century, and it is transforming lives still. The bottom line is that in his presence is where we belong, now and forever. Permanently placed in the presence of God. That’s what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Jesus Gave An Open Invitation
What Did Jesus Do?
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden…”
Matthew 11:28
The Father, “not wishing that any should perish” (2 Peter 3:9), instructed the Son to deliver an open invitation, which is exactly what Jesus did. Trouble is, most of the people in the world never receive the invitation, or, if they hear the words of Jesus from Matthew 11:28, they conclude either 1) their burdens are not so heavy that they can’t bear them on their own, or 2) that Jesus was not speaking to them, but to someone else. But, an open invitation is just that, OPEN to ALL. And, Jesus gave an open invitation to the world.
What does this mean to those of us who have received and responded to the invitation? Well, more than I am going to take the time to discuss here. BUT, one thing it should mean, and for some reason doesn’t, is that we who follow Jesus, who no longer live because Christ now lives in us (Galatians 2:20), are to daily deliver His invitation to people we meet. And when I say deliver, I mean personally, one on one, from us, or rather from Jesus, directly to someone. It could be a family member or a friend. It could be the person waiting on our table at Ruby Tuesday’s. It could be the woman who just backed into our car in the parking lot at the mall. Or it could be the boy who just held us up at knifepoint.
Now, personal invitations, well, they are personalized, which is to say that they are not all worded the same, that they don’t all look and sound exactly alike. Sure, Jesus issued an open invitation, but he touched and transformed lives one at a time. Just ask blind Bartimaeus, or wee little Zaccheus, or all but stoned Mary Magdalene. So, the invitation we deliver to a son or daughter will probably be different from the one we give to a co-worker, and all of these will not be the same as the one we offer the kid who just robbed us. But, regardless of the wording, the message we pass along from Jesus will always be the same, “Come to me…”
My belief is that we should do a couple of things with this teaching. One is we should have a list of people who we pray for regularly, and ask for opportunities to get the invitation to them (Of course, we need to take advantage of the opportunities when they are given!). Something else we should do daily, is ask the Lord for opportunities to pass on the invitation to people we might not know we are going to meet that day, but with whom God has scheduled a divine appointment for us (It would also be a good idea to ask daily for the discernment and faith to recognize these opportunities and act upon them). The fact is, there are thousands, no millions, no billions who are waiting to be invited. We don’t need to try and figure out who to invite, and who not to, because the chances are real good that the majority of people we meet have not received their personal invitation yet. And, after all, it is an open invitation, so who are we to hold back? Give the invitation to all, that’s what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden…”
Matthew 11:28
The Father, “not wishing that any should perish” (2 Peter 3:9), instructed the Son to deliver an open invitation, which is exactly what Jesus did. Trouble is, most of the people in the world never receive the invitation, or, if they hear the words of Jesus from Matthew 11:28, they conclude either 1) their burdens are not so heavy that they can’t bear them on their own, or 2) that Jesus was not speaking to them, but to someone else. But, an open invitation is just that, OPEN to ALL. And, Jesus gave an open invitation to the world.
What does this mean to those of us who have received and responded to the invitation? Well, more than I am going to take the time to discuss here. BUT, one thing it should mean, and for some reason doesn’t, is that we who follow Jesus, who no longer live because Christ now lives in us (Galatians 2:20), are to daily deliver His invitation to people we meet. And when I say deliver, I mean personally, one on one, from us, or rather from Jesus, directly to someone. It could be a family member or a friend. It could be the person waiting on our table at Ruby Tuesday’s. It could be the woman who just backed into our car in the parking lot at the mall. Or it could be the boy who just held us up at knifepoint.
Now, personal invitations, well, they are personalized, which is to say that they are not all worded the same, that they don’t all look and sound exactly alike. Sure, Jesus issued an open invitation, but he touched and transformed lives one at a time. Just ask blind Bartimaeus, or wee little Zaccheus, or all but stoned Mary Magdalene. So, the invitation we deliver to a son or daughter will probably be different from the one we give to a co-worker, and all of these will not be the same as the one we offer the kid who just robbed us. But, regardless of the wording, the message we pass along from Jesus will always be the same, “Come to me…”
My belief is that we should do a couple of things with this teaching. One is we should have a list of people who we pray for regularly, and ask for opportunities to get the invitation to them (Of course, we need to take advantage of the opportunities when they are given!). Something else we should do daily, is ask the Lord for opportunities to pass on the invitation to people we might not know we are going to meet that day, but with whom God has scheduled a divine appointment for us (It would also be a good idea to ask daily for the discernment and faith to recognize these opportunities and act upon them). The fact is, there are thousands, no millions, no billions who are waiting to be invited. We don’t need to try and figure out who to invite, and who not to, because the chances are real good that the majority of people we meet have not received their personal invitation yet. And, after all, it is an open invitation, so who are we to hold back? Give the invitation to all, that’s what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Friday, February 3, 2012
Jesus Defined the Mission Field
What Did Jesus Do?
And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the end of the earth.
Acts 1:8
When I was very young the mission field was someplace distant and remote, like Africa or Asia, or South America. As a young adult the mission field was closer, but still quite distant, and certainly still remote, maybe a school on a Native American reservation out West. Now I know that Jesus meant what he said in Acts 1:8, when he defined the mission field to his disciples—it begins at the tip of our nose, and it ends, well it stretches from the tip our nose around the world and back to us.
Defining the mission field in this way, Jesus made something plain to the early Church that has somehow been lost or forgotten by most Christians after twenty centuries—mission is the work of the whole Church. If you have a nose, and can see beyond the end of it, you have a perfect view of the mission field Jesus defined for his followers. And, since for most of us our arms reach beyond the tip of our now, the mission field is within our reach. We don’t have to go halfway around the world (Though, in obedience to Christ, many do go.), and we don’t have to go to some place on the other side of the country (Though, in obedience to the Lord, many do go.). All we have to do is look beyond our nose, and a 360 degree sweep is guaranteed to take in one or more opportunities for mission within the scope of our vision.
Here’s the thing, all you Christians out there with a nose—you are a missionary! Honest. I believe that one of the reasons God gave us a nose was to point us in the direction of the mission field that, in truth, surrounds each and every one of us. Now, if you are not sure you have a nose, or where exactly it ends and the mission field begins, go find a mirror. Seriously, brothers and sisters, mission is the family enterprise of God. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all bound together in the work of sending, going, and conducting the mission of redemption and salvation. And we all, the redeemed who are, in and through the Son by the power of the Spirit, now the adopted daughters and sons of the Father, are part of the mission enterprise of God that continues to bring the Gospel to those who are being saved.
So, if we have a nose, we need to follow it, we won’t have to go far to be on the mission field that Jesus defined. And we don’t have to take time off to plan and go on a mission project, because mission is something that can and should be lived out right where we are every day. That’s what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the end of the earth.
Acts 1:8
When I was very young the mission field was someplace distant and remote, like Africa or Asia, or South America. As a young adult the mission field was closer, but still quite distant, and certainly still remote, maybe a school on a Native American reservation out West. Now I know that Jesus meant what he said in Acts 1:8, when he defined the mission field to his disciples—it begins at the tip of our nose, and it ends, well it stretches from the tip our nose around the world and back to us.
Defining the mission field in this way, Jesus made something plain to the early Church that has somehow been lost or forgotten by most Christians after twenty centuries—mission is the work of the whole Church. If you have a nose, and can see beyond the end of it, you have a perfect view of the mission field Jesus defined for his followers. And, since for most of us our arms reach beyond the tip of our now, the mission field is within our reach. We don’t have to go halfway around the world (Though, in obedience to Christ, many do go.), and we don’t have to go to some place on the other side of the country (Though, in obedience to the Lord, many do go.). All we have to do is look beyond our nose, and a 360 degree sweep is guaranteed to take in one or more opportunities for mission within the scope of our vision.
Here’s the thing, all you Christians out there with a nose—you are a missionary! Honest. I believe that one of the reasons God gave us a nose was to point us in the direction of the mission field that, in truth, surrounds each and every one of us. Now, if you are not sure you have a nose, or where exactly it ends and the mission field begins, go find a mirror. Seriously, brothers and sisters, mission is the family enterprise of God. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all bound together in the work of sending, going, and conducting the mission of redemption and salvation. And we all, the redeemed who are, in and through the Son by the power of the Spirit, now the adopted daughters and sons of the Father, are part of the mission enterprise of God that continues to bring the Gospel to those who are being saved.
So, if we have a nose, we need to follow it, we won’t have to go far to be on the mission field that Jesus defined. And we don’t have to take time off to plan and go on a mission project, because mission is something that can and should be lived out right where we are every day. That’s what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Jesus Made Sure The Father's Grace, Mercy, and Peace Will Be Ours
What Did Jesus Do?
Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father
and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love.
2 John 3
State Farm prides itself on being our “good neighbor.” Allstate promises not to fumble our security because they have “good hands.” Progressive, well, they pretty must just want us to go with the “Flo.” Prudential is happy to sell us a “piece of the rock.” We never have to feel like it’s “me against the world” if we have “Nationwide on our side.” Aren't insurance companies swell? All the nice slogans can almost make us forget that they are in business for one reason—to make money off us. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad I have insurance. I just wish they’d stop trying to pass themselves off as altruists. In sharp contrast to insurers, Jesus, who provides real, eternal security, had no catchy slogan. He also never cancelled anyone’s coverage; once he accepts us, we’re tight with Jesus forever, no matter how many claims we might file. And, he never raises premiums. Job #1 and only for Jesus was truth and love, not making a profit. And because of this we get to enjoy the Father’s grace, mercy, and peace forever. In a word, salvation!
It’s a simple, but awesome formula. Take the truth of who Jesus is—the Son of God—and combine that with what he did—poured out the agape love of God on the cross—and we get grace (Which is favor that we don’t deserve), mercy (Which is not being on the receiving end of divine wrath), and peace (Which is so much more than the absence of hostility—it is absolutely intimate fellowship with God). And, we need to be certain on this point, it is such abounding grace, mercy, and peace that we have from the Father and the Son, that we can, in fact we must, spread it around. That’s why New Testament authors like John and Paul placed it prominently in the greeting of their more personal letters (1 Timothy 1:2; 2 Timothy 1:2; and here in 2 John).
The Great Commission which the Lord has given to his disciples, all his disciples, demands that we testify to the world the truth of Jesus the Son as he expressed the love of the Father. It is our testimony, in words, yes, but even more by our lives lived after the Lord’s own example, that pour out the grace, mercy , and peace of God, the Father and the Son, upon family and friends, neighbors and co-workers, even upon people quite different from us, people with whom we have nothing in common other than our utter need for the salvation which is only to be found in Christ.
Being His disciple means he has charged us to do our utmost to make sure that the grace, mercy, and peace which He made sure is ours, is offered to every man, woman, and child. With something like, oh, 7 billion people in the world today, there’s more need than ever for grace, mercy, and peace. So the deal is, if you’re sure you’ve got it/Him, then be sure to give it/Him.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father
and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love.
2 John 3
State Farm prides itself on being our “good neighbor.” Allstate promises not to fumble our security because they have “good hands.” Progressive, well, they pretty must just want us to go with the “Flo.” Prudential is happy to sell us a “piece of the rock.” We never have to feel like it’s “me against the world” if we have “Nationwide on our side.” Aren't insurance companies swell? All the nice slogans can almost make us forget that they are in business for one reason—to make money off us. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad I have insurance. I just wish they’d stop trying to pass themselves off as altruists. In sharp contrast to insurers, Jesus, who provides real, eternal security, had no catchy slogan. He also never cancelled anyone’s coverage; once he accepts us, we’re tight with Jesus forever, no matter how many claims we might file. And, he never raises premiums. Job #1 and only for Jesus was truth and love, not making a profit. And because of this we get to enjoy the Father’s grace, mercy, and peace forever. In a word, salvation!
It’s a simple, but awesome formula. Take the truth of who Jesus is—the Son of God—and combine that with what he did—poured out the agape love of God on the cross—and we get grace (Which is favor that we don’t deserve), mercy (Which is not being on the receiving end of divine wrath), and peace (Which is so much more than the absence of hostility—it is absolutely intimate fellowship with God). And, we need to be certain on this point, it is such abounding grace, mercy, and peace that we have from the Father and the Son, that we can, in fact we must, spread it around. That’s why New Testament authors like John and Paul placed it prominently in the greeting of their more personal letters (1 Timothy 1:2; 2 Timothy 1:2; and here in 2 John).
The Great Commission which the Lord has given to his disciples, all his disciples, demands that we testify to the world the truth of Jesus the Son as he expressed the love of the Father. It is our testimony, in words, yes, but even more by our lives lived after the Lord’s own example, that pour out the grace, mercy , and peace of God, the Father and the Son, upon family and friends, neighbors and co-workers, even upon people quite different from us, people with whom we have nothing in common other than our utter need for the salvation which is only to be found in Christ.
Being His disciple means he has charged us to do our utmost to make sure that the grace, mercy, and peace which He made sure is ours, is offered to every man, woman, and child. With something like, oh, 7 billion people in the world today, there’s more need than ever for grace, mercy, and peace. So the deal is, if you’re sure you’ve got it/Him, then be sure to give it/Him.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
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