Friday, July 13, 2012

Good for Nothing


You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again? It is good for nothing anymore, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.” (Matt 5:13)
Stop just a minute! Did Jesus just say that if I was not impacting my world as salt, that I was GOOD FOR NOTHING? Hmmmm – I think I'd better think it out again.
Jesus was famous for “hard sayings” but this one always gets me.
Let’s review:
Salt that is flavorless is good for nothing.
You are salt.
If you are not having an impact on your world, you are good for nothing. [Tweet This]
Yikes – that did not help.
Some of you don’t know me that well, and may not realize that I trying to use humor as a device to take the edge off some of Jesus strongest words, however He was not playing around. He could not be more serious.
As I said in my previous post: Salt is not something you do, it is something you are. So here Jesus is not so much yelling at us and telling us to be salty, but giving us a way to see if we are Salt!
Since salt is not something you do, but something you are, if we are not salty, then there is no hope for us – unless…
Ok – here it is – are you ready. If you are not salt, you must become salt. Your old – non-salty (aka good for nothing but the be trampled by the wrath of God) nature must be thrown out, and you must receive a new salty nature! You must be born again! (John 3:7)
If that is you, please check my post called “What Peace?” or “Repentace,the path to comfort” where you can find out how to get a new nature.
Thanks for reading. If these posts are doing you any good, let me know, and tell a friend.
Ben

Thursday, July 12, 2012

3 Ways Salt has an Impact


You are the salt of the earth. (Matt 5:13)
You are salt. The applications here are pretty clear. Salt flavors,salt preserves and salt heals. The thing that distinguishes salt from any other substance is that it is salty. (thank you Dr. Obvious!) In earlier days people used to preserve fish in cases of salt. The fishermen would pack the fish in salt, and when they were ready to use the fish they would take it out of the salt. Next they would taste the salt. If it tasted like fish they would throw it out on the road where it would pack down into the “pavement” of the day. If it tasted like salt, they would simply pack the next catch of fish in the same salt.
In Mark’s gospel Jesus says “Salt is good.” This is in great dispute these days, and many say that Jesus is not giving us nutritional information here, but as I understand it you body needs salt – good salt – not processed salt, but natural sea salt.
Taste – Christians are supposed to flavor their world. There should be a marked difference in a group when you walk in. The whole group will "taste" better. I know that sounds funny, but when Jesus hung out with sinners (which He was known to do) He was certainly not drawn down to their debauchery, but rather the entire group was lifted up. He was followed all over not just for the miracles He did, though there was that, but also because He was good company. The woman at the well went away so moved by this man, that she brought the entire city of Samaria back to hear this Jew.
Preservative – We are called to be a preservative to our town, city, school, workplace, country and world. Think of the day God and Abraham discussed the destruction of Sodom and Gomorra. Abraham negotiated with God from 50 down to 10 and finally God walked the few good people out of the city before their destruction. Twice in the book of Ezekiel God says that He was looking for intercessors to come to the defense of the nation, making a hedge. Our influence in society staves off the judgment of God, and can leave more time for our friends and loved ones to get properly salted!
Healing – I think of Jeremiah’s words to the prophets and priests of his day.
“And they have healed the brokenness of My people superficially, Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ But there is no peace. (Jer 6:14)”
As salt in our nation, we cannot let those who do not know God think they are in a safe and comfortable place. Salt, when applied to a wound stings, but that sting it the salt doing its work. Jude says it this way:
 “And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.” (Jude 22,23)
As I say all this, I see that I am often a tasteless Christian, leaving the conversations I am in without adding any godly flavor. It is real easy for me to get all – What should I do to be more salty  but as I write this I am realizing that salt is salt because it is salty. Victory is in the being, not in the doing. [tweet this] Let’s get salty folks. The world needs salt that has some taste, some preservative power, and some healing sting.
What does it mean to you to be salty? Do you have victories to share? Are there places you see even now where you could be more salty?
Thanks for reading today!
Ben 

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

My Fathers Business


Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49 NKJV)
These are the earliest recorded words of Jesus (post incarnation) and I want to look at how they lay out the pattern for His entire life. I was a little confused when I jumped in, because I was meditating on the verse as I had memorized it many years ago in the KJV much as it appears above, but then I looked it up in my “BlueLetterBible” ap in the NASB it shows up like this: “Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?”
I am thinking – which is it? So I looked up this word that can be business or house, and found that it is a pretty vague word. It is basically a pronoun that is translated based on context as: which, who, those, this, mother of, son of, and dozens of other things. I think if I, the great Greek scholar that I am (just kidding) were to translate this today, I would probably go with “Didn’t you know I’d be doin’ My Father’s stuff?” (Clearly not an English major either – sorry Eva.)
Let me get serious for a couple minutes. This is probably one of the most significant defining points in my theology. Jesus says it over and over again. He came to do the will of the Father, and has called us to do the same.
Consider these other statements of Jesus:
“BEHOLD, I HAVE COME TO DO THY WILL.” (Heb 10:9) 
Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.” (John 5:19) 
I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” (John 5:30) 
Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.” (John 14:10) 
For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me commandment, what to say, and what to speak.” (John 12:49)
This is not exhaustive either. It is critical for us to understand that Jesus is a demonstration of the will of God. In fact in Hebrews 1:3 the writer makes the point that Jesus is the best picture we will ever see of the will of God this side of heaven. The writer says that Jesus is “the exact representation of God.” The writer also says that Jesus is a better representation of God than God earlier revelations of Him through the prophets, so don’t let something you read in the prophets trump what you see in the life of Jesus. Jesus is the plumb line by which all scripture and all interpretation of scripture must be measured. That’s right, Isaiah does not trump Jesus, nor does Paul. Moses and Elijah came to learn from Jesus, not the other way around!
I want to make 2 simple points here.
    1)    If you want to know the will of God, look at Jesus. This may sound obvious, but we often argue against this with our nearly fatalistic theology. Everything that happens to you is not necessarily the will of God for your life! If you can not find Jesus doing something, do not assume it is something God does. Jesus never put sickness on anyone, yet often we blame God for our diseases. Jesus calmed storms, yet we call them acts of God. Jesus fed multitudes, but we blame God for famines. Be careful of the accusation you make against God.
      2)    Jesus said over and over in the verses above, that He did not do these things by His own power. In other words He did not heal the sick because He was God, but because He was connected to the will of God, and walking in what He was seeing the Father do. This is why He could tell us to do the same thing. It is still the will of God to save, deliver, heal, set free, feed the multitude and raise the dead. We just need to submit to His will to the same extent Jesus did.
I desire to walk this out. Do you? I am convinced that as we meditate on His words, and press into His will we will see more and more the Fathers “stuff” show up in our lives.
Thanks for reading. Come back again soon!
Ben

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Backwards Beatitudes


In Luke 6 Jesus preaches a sermon very similar to the sermon on the mount. It may be the same sermon from a different man’s point of view, or it may be that Jesus preached this content a number of times.
In any case there is something very interesting about Luke’s account. As with much of Luke’s gospel there is an edge to Jesus' words that is not always present in some of the other accounts.
When Jesus gives the Beatitudes in Luke, He first pronounces blessing, and then the turns them around. Here he says “Woe to you…”
So today, I am going to take the liberty of turning Matthew’s beatitudes around. I know this is not scripture, but it makes an impact on me when I think about these things.
Woe unto those who are the rich in spirit, for they have no part in the kingdom of heaven.
Woe unto those who do not mourn over sin, for they shall receive torment.
Woe unto those who will not submit to the will of God, for they shall inherit eternal destruction.
Woe unto those who hunger and thirst for wickedness, for they shall never be satisfied.
Woe unto those who are unmerciful, for they shall receive no mercy.
Woe unto those with impure in hearts, for they shall never see God.
Woe unto those who are troublemakers, for they shall be called sons of the devil.
Woe unto those who have persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for they will never see the kingdom of heaven.
And as Jesus himself gave this last one “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for in the same way their fathers used to treat the false prophets.” (Luke 6:26)
I hope this impacts you as much as it impacts me. Do you think this goes too far? I don't, but let me know what you think.
Thanks for reading.
Ben

Monday, July 9, 2012

You Can Take it With You!

Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matt 5:12)
As we come to the end of this beginning (the Beatitudes) we see clearly the upside-down nature of the Kingdom of God. Jesus tells us that the proper reaction to persecution, insults, and harm done to us in His name is rejoicing!
I feel like – OK Lord, it is one thing for me to expect it, and be prepared for it, but rejoice? WOW – HOW!
As I mull this, I think how did Jesus demonstrate this? Hebrews 12:2 (I know, I know, I have used this one in my blog before – your thinking this guy only knows like 8 verses – probably so)
“…fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb 12:2 NASB)
It says He endured the cross with His eye on the prize, and that is what He tells us to do. Rejoice because of the “Great Reward.” Let’s think about this a bit.
Somehow Christians have in their collective heads (ok – that may be a broad brush stroke - forgive me please) that spiritual pursuits cannot be reward driven. Like somehow if we are doing something with a reward in view, it is unspiritual at best, or at worst sin and selfishness. Not so!
Think about this for a minute. Why were the disciples always arguing about who would be the greatest? Was it just testosterone driven machismo? Or could it be that Jesus often taught about how to be great. He would says stuff like “He who would be greatest in the kingdom of heaven…” or “…your reward in heaven is great.” It may seem paradoxical, but Jesus actually encourages us to strive for greatness, as He defines greatness. That definition is for another post.
Have you read what David said, before he decided to go after that Philistine Champion Goliath. He asked, “What do I get if take this bozo down? No more taxes and a beautiful wife! I’m in!” (my paraphrase)
So why is it OK – wait – let me fix that – why is it imperative for a Christian to pursue reward? Think of the snapshots we get of heaven. What is going on? People, saints, God’s children, are assembled before His throne, and those who have received rewards have the privilege of presenting those rewards to the Lord. The more you have received from Him, the more you can give back.
So what will you have to present to the Lord? If you sit back and fall through your life, you will have nothing to present to your King. We pursue spiritual reward so that we have a tangible way to honor our King when we stand before Him. This is the stuff that will make it through the fire. This is the stuff that you can take with you!
Excellence in your walk before the Lord will net you persecution, but with that is great reward.
Thank you for visiting today. I appreciate you taking your time to read my ponderings.
Ben

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Where was Jesus REMIX (Sunday Special)


A few weeks ago I posted a blog called “Where was Jesus in your worst moment?” I thought it was a pretty valuable piece, and I have thought back on it a number of times.
Today, I was listening to a brand new podcast called “Jesus Culture Leadership Podcast.” Check it out. It is really excellent.
Banning Liebscher interviews the worship leader Matt Redman. They highlighted a song from his CD "10,000 Reasons" called “Never Once” and as I listened, it reminded me of this blog post, and complimented it nicely.
Here is my recommendation

















Have a great day.
Thanks for stopping in today.
Ben