A post for Christians: how to stop treating people as projects – Part 1 – The Problem

If you’ve read this blog for even a fairly short amount of time, you’ve heard me talk about about making disciples. It is the mission of God’s Kingdom, and yet I have heard many at Faith Church talk about how you can feel very frustrated about making disciples. You agree that it is important, you believe in it, and you really, really want to be a part of it, but most times you feel defeated before you even start.

According to recent stats, our country’s population has gone from 96% Christian in the year 1900 to 73% Christian in 2015. You and I have a great heart and desire to see people become followers of Jesus, and yet so many aren’t interested.  That can create fear and frustration in our minds.

I think of one person who has reached out to a family member countless times, and that family member has responded with “Stop talking, I don’t want to hear another word about this religion stuff!” That is painful to hear, especially because we love our family and friends.  But perhaps despite our good intentions this family member has begun to feel like a spiritual project?

Or you and I might have a desire to reach out to neighbors or coworkers, but our lives are crazy busy, so that there is hardly any time left after we’re done with work and our family schedule. Most days we finish that up as the clock strikes 10pm, and we’re exhausted. Who has time for reaching out?

How many of you would love to reach out, but you feel like it is next to impossible? You wonder if it means quoting Bible verses, winning theology arguments, and praying out loud with people. And all of that leaves you feeling sick in the stomach, and defeated.  You know people don’t want to be your little religious project.  And you don’t want them to be a project either.  You want real relationship.  You’ve found this amazing thing that Jesus offers, and you want to share it.  But it seems to come across as a program.

How would you feel if I were to tell you that Jesus says that his mission is so different from that? How would you feel if there was a better way? A way that fits within the ebb and flow of your real life.  A way that treated people as they ought to be treated, as real people.

In our next section in Luke, Jesus teaches us that better way.  Read Luke 10:1-24 if you want a preview!  And join us at Faith Church to learn more.

How to get out of a spiritual rut – Luke 9:37-45

I asked last week in the intro post if you might be blinded by your assumptions about God.  Sometimes we can get stuck in spiritual rut, and in that rut we can’t see God for who he really is.

In the passage we studied this past Sunday, Luke 9:37-45, the disciples were stuck.  The nine disciples who did not go up the mountain stayed behind and were unable to cast out what seems to be a powerful demon.  Then after Jesus easily deals with the demon, he tells the disciples more about his coming troubles.

Jesus tells them about his coming betrayal. A change is taking place. We’re going to see it more fully starting next week. For three weeks in a row now, though, Jesus has mentioned something about his coming suffering. In Luke 9, he referred to it verse 22, in verse 31 and now in verse 44.

But the disciples do not understand. Its meaning was hidden from them, Luke tells us.

But why was this hidden from them? Is Jesus hiding something from them? No, he just told them three times. It is not so much that something is being hidden from them, as Jesus has been very forthright with them, but more that the understanding of the information, the meaning of the information is hidden from them by their own preconceived notions of what the Messiah should be.  They are stuck in a rut, blinded by their assumptions about him.

They saw him as a superman, with untold power, and put him on a pedestal. Everything he was doing was fitting with their preconceived notion, so I don’t blame them.

As the Jimmy Kimmel trick showed us in the intro post last week, we could say that the disciples thought they were looking at an iPhone6s, when Jesus is saying “no your views are actually the old iPhone”.

They were thinking bigger and better, when Jesus was about to lead them toward smaller and harder. Our society is enthralled with bigger and better. The way of Jesus is often smaller and harder. We don’t like to hear that. The disciples would not have liked to hear that.

Maybe they had an inkling of something wrong, a premonition, because Luke tells us that they are afraid to ask.

I have to admit, it would be confusing to be the disciples.   They have just totally failed at casting out a demon, but Jesus defeats the demon with ease. That would be embarrassing.  Then Jesus has just said “unbelieving and perverse generation” to them. That would be hard to take.  And yet he is still the same powerful Jesus, and everyone is amazed. If things keep going like this, the crowds should keep growing, and Jesus can eventually take the throne as Messiah.

But, no, he has some other plans.  To grasp those other plans, they needed to check their assumptions at the door.  They needed to have their preconceived notions changed.  They needed to pray what the demon-possessed boy’s father said to Jesus “I believe, but help me in my unbelief.”  The disciples thought they had Jesus figured out.  They assumed he was going to be a Messiah who would conquer Rome and return their land to the glory of Kings David and Solomon.  Jesus certainly demonstrated the power to do it.  They felt their beliefs about Jesus were right on.  And he is saying, “You’re wrong.  You’re stuck in rut.  You need to change what you believe.”

And that is where we need to examine our faith in Jesus.

We need to say prayerfully on a regular basis, “I believe, but help me in my unbelief…even when your plans might not be my plans.”

In this episode, I think it is important to see a correlation between the inability and lack of faith of the 9 disciples who could not exorcise the demons, and us!  Those nine had seen the power of God evident so often in the life and ministry of Jesus, but why could they not access this power now?

We, too, know the power of God. We read about it in the Bible. We experience it in our lives. We know God is the one true power, and his power is limitless, but how often do we feel disconnected from this power?

Jesus says that those disciples were unbelieving, lacking faith, disconnected from the power of God.  The demon they were up against, he says in Mark’s account of the story, “comes out by prayer and fasting.”  To access the power of God, to get out of their rut, they needed to practice prayer and fasting.

As do we.

They go together. Fasting enhances prayer. Fasting without prayer might be a good self-sacrificial discipline in and of itself, but it can enliven prayer.

I encourage you to look at those two areas of your life. Prayer and fasting. Are you stuck in a rut of seeing God one way? Are you stuck in a rut in your spiritual life?

Will you increase your prayer and add fasting?

And, are you willing to do this – knowing that His plans might be different from your plans. His plans are better – but, might not seem to line up with what we are expecting always.

Blinded by our assumptions about God?

Sometimes we get so stuck in a way of seeing things, that we can’t see them any other way. Check out this clip for a recent example of how stuck we can get:

See that? People were given a phone from 8 years ago, told that it was the newest version of the phone, and they couldn’t see it any other way. It doesn’t matter that the technology has changed a lot in 8 years, faster processors, higher resolution displays, lighter, thinner phones. Those people could not see any of that. Why? They were blinded by their assumptions. They were told they were receiving the newest phone, and that’s all they could see.

I wonder if we are like this with God. I wonder if we have him all figured out. But what if God is different from what we think?

Tomorrow at Faith Church as we continue our study in Luke, we’re going to find some people who think they have things figured out. They’re about to be surprised. The people are the disciples. 9 of them at least.

If you want to prepare for the sermon, read Luke 9:37-45, and we welcome you to join us at Faith Church.

Does God Still Speak?

Have you ever been in the middle of a difficult time, and you were agonizing over what to do, how to think, and you prayed “God, I wish you would just break out of the heavens and tell me what to do!”

If you’ve ever thought something like that, you are not alone. Most of us have thought that in a moment of frustration. Or we wish we could talk with God all the time.

In Psalm 4, the writer of the psalm, Israel’s famous King David boldly says “Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God!” I read that and I think, “Yikes, David, you better watch your mouth.” Maybe he is not demanding. Maybe he is desperate. And we can identify with that.  Often we are desperate to hear from God.

You fill in the blank. What life situation would love God to talk with you about? Raising kids? What to do about the future? A friendship? A job? An expenditure?

There are so many times when we wish we knew what God’s will for us is.  And we can, with David, cry out “Just tell me what you want me to do, God!  Answer me!”  Will he?  Does God still speak?  If so, how?

Sometimes we hear from him when we least expect it.

As we continue our series in Luke, we come to Luke 9:28-36, and through an unexpected and freaky situation, some disciples of Jesus are about to have an experience of a lifetime. One they would never forget. One they would write about years later, as if it happened the day before. They’re going to hear the voice of God. But what will he say to them?

Join us at Faith Church on Sunday to find out!

Are you infected with MTD? – Luke 9:18-27

Many are infected and don’t know it.  The virus is MTD.  What is MTD?  Read on to find out, and how Jesus responds to MTD. 

After allowing Peter to answer the question “Who do you say that I am?” with the words “You are the Christ/Messiah of God”, Jesus goes on to say two very shocking things.  First, he says that that he himself would die soon.  The disciples likely couldn’t fathom that the Messiah would die.  If that wasn’t astounding enough, second, he now says that if those disciples want to follow him they are going to have to enter the life of extraordinary commitment that he was living.  Take a look at what he said:

“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.  What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”

Being a disciple costs something, Jesus says. Remember that disciples are followers. They do what the master does. Are you disciples of Jesus?  You can evaluate yourself: do you do what he does. In this passage he tells them that his way will involve total self-sacrifice. Because that was his way. That is what he would do. And that is what he did.

Those disciples hearing him talk about this high commitment might have been wondering what he meant. All they had known up to this point, with a few rare exceptions, was a growing ministry and adoring crowds and miracles and popularity. If I were them, I’d be thinking, up to this point that it was awesome following him. Who wouldn’t want to, when things were so amazingly good?

So what is this business about him dying, and him wanting them to deny themselves, carry their cross daily and losing your life and Jesus being ashamed of them? He got pretty depressing fast, didn’t he?

If you are one of the disciples standing there hearing that, you could very easily be scratching your head thinking “Woah, Jesus, hold on. What are you talking about? Why so much doom and gloom? You have the crowds by the thousands following you.  You’ve got them literally eating out of your hand, buddy! Why don’t we focus on that? There’s good stuff happening, and you have lots of good ministry years yet in you. You’re the Messiah, so let’s just go with that!”

It’s pretty clear that the disciples, in this general timeframe didn’t fully understand. If you jump ahead to in the story, after another amazing miracle in front of another large crowd, he tells his disciples that he is going to be betrayed. Luke tells us that the disciples did not understand.

So back to his teaching above, I think it important that we see that this was not a teaching that went deep into the disciples’ hearts and minds. It wasn’t like they heard the teaching and instantly decided to give their all for him. In fact, we know exactly what would happen. Fast forward a year or two to the end. In the final days, he is arrested because one disciple betrays him. In a few hours after that another disciple, one of the inner circle of three, Peter, the same guy who here has just said boldly that Jesus is the Christ of God, will end up denying Jesus three times, saying I never knew him. And all the disciples will flee. Only John and some of the women will have the guts to show up to say goodbye to him as he dies on the cross. The lesson of unbelievable commitment didn’t seem to sink in very far.

So why would Jesus even teach it? Was it a waste?  Is it too hard? Too radical to expect that of your followers?   Too difficult to deny yourself?

Maybe Jesus shouldn’t set the bar so high. Maybe he was wrong on this one.

Let’s look at how this played out in the disciples’ lives. When those men and women realized that he rose again, things changed. Not to mention the fact that they hadn’t completely given up. This teaching did get inside them.  When he died on the cross, they could have all returned to their regular lives as fishermen and such. Many in the large crowds had turned away over the years. But those 11 remaining disciples, and the 109 others stayed true.  They stayed in Jerusalem, waiting, scared, but they did not give up.

When they saw the risen Jesus, when they touched the nail holes, they were changed. The seed of the message that he planted here in 9:23-27 that year or two earlier now grew roots and started to blossom.

They were not ashamed. They weren’t perfect. Jesus had to pay special attention to Peter, to restore him. But after meeting with the risen Jesus, Peter was a changed man, and never again was there any doubt that Peter was denying himself, taking up his cross daily, losing his life for the cause of Christ. No doubt.

In fact, after the resurrection, after being restored, after the Ascension, after the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Peter could answer the question “Who is this?” with a much deeper, truer understanding.

And when he preached the very first sermon on that day when the Holy Spirit filled them, in Acts 2:36, he makes this bold statement: “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

What Peter now knew was the truth about Jesus. He was totally correct years earlier in Luke 9:20 when he said Jesus was the Christ of God. But in Acts 2, that truth had sunk down deep in and there was no turning away. What Peter shows us is that when we know the truth about Jesus’ identity, we freely want to follow him with full commitment.

There is a link, then, between the information of Luke 9:20 and the commands of Luke 9:23-27. When we realize the depth of what it means that Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior, the Chosen One, we will naturally want to give our lives to follow him.

And so we need to ask ourselves, Self, do you really, fully get who he is?

About ten years ago, a Christian researcher wrote a book discusses the main spiritual beliefs of American Christians. Just remember the letters MTD. Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. Most Christians he said believe that.

Moralistic – God just wants me to have good morals. God wants me to be good.

Therapeutic – God just wants to be my therapy buddy. God wants me to be happy.

Deism – God is out there, but generally not involved.

That’s MTD, Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. God wants me to be good, to be happy, and other than that, he’s not really involved. That’s how many people understand what it means to follow Jesus.

But scroll back up there and read Jesus’ words one more time.

We don’t serve an MTD God, and we don’t preach an MTD faith. Instead we say what Jesus said.  

Being a disciple of Jesus means full-blown commitment.

The tricky part is how to deny yourself, how to take up your cross daily, how to follow Jesus through the many facets of our lives.  What does a self-denier, cross carrier, Jesus-follower look like at the office, at school, at home, on the sports field, on the job, with your neighbors?

I urge you to practice this self-denying, cross-carrying, Jesus following with love, with humility, with abundant grace. Preach the Gospel, the good news of love, by doing deeds of love before you utter the words of the message of love. Do your neighbors know you love them? Do your co-workers know you love them? Showing that kind of love might require loads of self-sacrifice. Showing that kind of love might require the pain of carrying your cross.

Let us be a people that show we know Jesus is the Messiah, by doing what he did.

Who is Jesus, really?

After some arduous ministry, finally Jesus and the disciples got that vacation they were so longing for in the last section. Luke tells us that Jesus is in prayer, and the disciples are with him. He stops praying, turns and asks them: “Who do the people say that I am?”

I suspect Jesus he has already heard the murmurs in the crowds. Perhaps he has even overheard some from the crowd discussing this with the disciples. So far though it seems that this is not a topic that Jesus has brought up with his disciples.

The disciples themselves have been discussing this, as we heard about in Luke 8:22 after he calmed the storm in the boat. The disciples looked at one another wide-eyed, and asked the question, maybe mouthing it “Who is this?”   Were they wondering if perhaps Jesus is “The One.”

Then there was Herod a few weeks ago in Luke 9:9, hearing stories about Jesus, and asking “Who is this?”

But Jesus hasn’t answered this question at all. That’s not to say there haven’t been answers. There have been loads of answers.

Who is this? The one who calms the storm. The one who casts out demons. The one heals the sick and raises the dead. The one who empowers his disciples to grow his ministry. And last week, we got another astounding answer.  Who is this? The one who welcomes the crowd, even when all he wants to do is get away on vacation. Who is this? The one who feeds the hungry, the one who proclaims the Kingdom of God where in is the only place to find satisfaction.

Yeah, we’ve gotten a lot of answers. Few words. But lots of answers. Actions. They speak louder than words, don’t they?

If you think about it, Jesus has answered the question Who is This? Many times, over and over, with a resounding answer: He does things no one else can do.

But now he answers the question with words. And he goes on. Because not only will he answer Who is This?, he will also answer what we should do, what our lives should look like once we find out who he is.

Get ready for tomorrow at Faith Church as we hear Jesus’ answer to the question in Luke 9:18-27.

When peace and quiet seem impossible to come by

Anyone else out there feeling a longing for some peace and quiet in life?

We have our men’s retreat at Twin Pines coming up in a month, and I’m really looking forward to getting away. Up to the mountains. Last year we devoted time at the retreat for personal prayer.  I decided to pray while I hiked to the top of a ridge.  It was a blue skies kind of day where you could see for miles.  I hardly ever get that kind of time alone.

I know that it is a longing I’ve been feeling personally for a number of months now. A young man in our congregation decided to take a few months to hike the Appalachian Trail after graduating from high school.  As I look at his regular updates and pictures, I’m jealous.

The peace and quiet of nature beckons. Last year my third son and I read a series of books known by the name of the first book, Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen.  13 year old Brian Paulsen, surviving a plane crash, is stranded in the Canadian wilderness, and must learn to live with just a hatchet. As we read, we were spellbound by life in the wild.  Through the series, even though Brian is rescued and returns home, nature beckons.  He must return, and he does time and time again.

Nature’s call to us is so appealing because our day-to-day lives tend to be a harried, frenetic.  How many of you feel pressure from work, from school, from family, and yes, from church?  I know I do.  How often have you thought, “There’s not enough time?”  Or “I need to work more so I can make more money to pay the bills” but you know you’re already stressed out.  The solution is complex, but you know you need to get away.  Maybe you’ve got some vacation days to use or lose.

And so you make plans.  A day off, a weekend away on a retreat, a vacation.  You search online.  You invite family and friends.  You share details, book hotels, trade text messages and emails as the excitement builds.  Finally the day arrives, and you’re packing the car, gassing it up, getting everyone out the door…and your boss calls.  There’s an urgent need at work.  Really urgent.  You know the feeling.

How do you react when you’ve got a day off planned, and something comes up at work and you have to cancel your plans?

Do you ever feel irritated? Do you ever just wish for some peace and quiet?

Jesus was looking for some peace and quiet one day. In fact he got his plans set.  He wanted some time with the disciples.  They had just come back from their first ever mission trip, and Jesus wanted to take them on a retreat.  They headed off for a town 6 miles away, but one that was somewhat isolated.  Ah yes, some vacation.  Some time to revel in the peace and quiet.  Time to talk about their trip.

Guess what happens?  That’s what we’ll find out tomorrow.  Faith Church will hold another Worship in the Park, and we invite you to come along.  We meet in the middle pavilion of East Lampeter Community Park on Hobson Road.  If you’d like, you can check out Luke 9:10-17 ahead of time.

A Christian phrase that needs to be turned action – Luke 9:1-10

Last week I introduced Sunday’s sermon by talking about Christian phrases that need to go.  But there is one that we should keep, if and only if, it is more than a phrase.  You know that phrase “actions speak louder than words”?  It is true for so much of life, and definitely so when it comes to being a disciples of Jesus.  We live out our faith.

In Luke 9:1-10, among other things, Jesus wanted his disciples to learn dependence on him.

The phrase we need to turn into action is “Depend of God.”  It might not be on a mission trip, though those are good, but what does it mean it to depend on Jesus?  When we say “Depend on God” it should be so much more than a phrase that sounds righteous.  “Depend on God” should matter in really life.  In other words, we should be able to do actions that show we are depending on God.

How do we put ourselves in a place where God has to come through in order for us to make it, be cared for?

Is this only a reactionary, depending on God in the situations that happen to us?

Could it also be proactive? Could we do things that show that we are dependent on God? There will be times in life when we have no choice but to cry out to God, or when God must step in and rescue us. But what about when things are good?

Jesus once taught about depending on him.  To teach this he used a parable called the Vine and the Branches in John 15:1-8.  It is simple really.  A branch broken off from a tree will die because it is no longer connected to the life-giving trunk.  In our culture, an electric device will stop if disconnected from its power source.  Jesus was saying that this is a reality for his Kingdom people as well.  We must somehow be connected to his life-giving power, or we can do nothing, he said.

So what is the difference between a person who depends on his power and one who doesn’t?  I have a few thoughts:

  1. Does: Ample time spent in prayer, peaceful emotion during difficult life situations, unattached to material possessions and very generous.
  2. Doesn’t: Weak or non-existent time in prayer. Freaks-out during difficulties, focused on acquisition and ownership of material possessions, and not generous.

Which are you most like?

Luke, at verses 7-9, changes the scene and takes us into Herod’s palace. We’ve met Herod before. And in this section Luke tells us more about him including the sad fate of John the Baptist.

Herod has beheaded John. And Herod is confused because he is hearing more and more reports that a man like John has appeared on the scene. Has John come back to life? Has an old prophet come back to life?

Herod asks a question we’ve heard before. “Who is this?”

Remember the disciples on the boat when Jesus calmed the storm? “Who is this?”

It seems more people are asking the same question about Jesus. “Who is this?”

We saw over the last month that he is the one who commands the storm, who commands demons, and who even has power to raise the dead. Now today he is the one who transfers that power to others, to multiply his ministry, to raise up leaders. He doesn’t have to have all the power in his own hands. He is humble and willing to invest in others. But he wants his people do depend on him.

So this phrase we throw around: Depend on God. It is pretty important. Vital, in fact. It is imperative that we learn to depend on God. And there are some very practical things we can do to grow our dependence on God.

Go on a mission trip! Step out of your comfort zone. Give more generously, sacrificially. Spend more time in prayer.

Instead of saying it, show that you depend on God.

Christian phrases that need to go, and one to keep

We Christians have lingo, goobledy-gook.  Christianese, some have called it.  Phrases we spout off to sound righteous, but often don’t really mean.  Most of them need to go.  Check out this video for some egregious (and hilarious) examples:

Another one of those phrases we thrown around a lot is “Just depend on God.”   In the middle of a difficult situation, “Depend on God.” When you need wisdom about a choice in life, “Depend on God.” When a relationship is experiencing brokenness, “Depend on God.” Lose a job, get in an auto accident, have to face a tough test at school, “Depend on God.” Is this Christianese, just another Christian phrase that sounds good, but really doesn’t mean a whole lot?

Like “Depend on God”, we’re also quick to say the opposite, “Don’t depend on your own strength.” A famous verse we quote is Proverbs 3:5-6 “Lean not on your own understanding”. It sounds good. When we say these phrases, we give the impression that we are really faithful people, that we are actually depending on God. It sounds like we understand that God is greater, that God has power, and that we do not have the power. That we are literally trusting in him.  But are we?

So, the concept of “Depend on God” is good. The thing is this: We throw that phrase around really easily, but what in the world do we mean? If you say you want to depend on God, which is good, how, then, do you actually depend on God? Can you tell the difference between what depending on God looks like and what depending on yourself looks like? How do you know?

What do we actually do to show that we depend on God?

This Sunday as we continue our study through the Gospel of Luke, a new phase begins in Jesus’ ministry, and it will involve this very question.  If you want to get a head start, read Luke 9:1-10, and then join us at Faith Church on Sunday as we’ll look into this further.

One word for the hopeless – Luke 8:40-56

Do you feel hopeless, discouraged or powerless?

This past Sunday we looked at two people who seemed to be powerless and hopeless.  But with one word their lives changed radically.  What one word could make such a difference?

Jesus calmed the storm with a word. He defeated demons with a word.  In our next section studying through the Gospel of Luke 8:40-56, we see that he has power over death…with just a word.

There is no one else like him. If that truth has become old hat for you, if you’ve heard it a million times since you were in Sunday School as a three year old, and the amazement of Jesus has become boring, please hear it again for the first time.

There is no one like him. He is unique and powerful. With Jesus the hopeless still have hope!

As you read the story, did you note the one word that is central for the two people who were healed by Jesus.  Know what that one word is?

Faith.

To the lady with bleeding, he said “Your faith has healed you.”

To Jairus whose daughter was dead, he said “Believe.”

It is the same word in the original language: faith.

There are two elements to faith, and this is why the NIV is correct to use both the word “faith” and “belief” when translating the word “faith”.  The faith element relates to actions of trusting in and depending on God. The belief element relates to what we know in our minds to be true about God. Both of these elements are present in the biblical concept of faith. And both must be present in our faith in God. We believe and we trust, and we show that by the choices we make.

Like the lady who touched his robe, she believed Jesus could heal, and she showed faith by reaching out to touch him. Like Jairus, he believed Jesus could heal, so he sought out Jesus.  Even after hearing that his daughter was dead, Jairus let Jesus guide the way to his house, into the room where the girl lay dead.

A full-fledged conception of faith starts with belief of heart and mind, but it does not stop there. It is not enough to say “I believe in Jesus”.  Full-fledged faith does something about it!

Faith is belief that results in faithful action. Belief in the God of hope, leads to faithful action that shows we have hope.

But what about the many times when full-fledged faith doesn’t make everything better?  Obviously Jesus didn’t heal every sick person or bring every dead person to life.  The lady with the bleeding problem would have other ailments.  Jairus’ 12-year old daughter, even if she grew up to have a long life, would one day die. The purpose of Jesus’ miracles was not so that he could become the star doctor of Capernaum General Hospital. Instead, his miracles were signposts pointing in the direction of the Kingdom of God. You see him calm a storm, you see him cast out demons, and you see him heal the sick and raise the dead. All are signposts saying “God’s Kingdom is here. There is hope in the world!”

But what is that hope?  Is it a hope that those who have the right kind of faith will be blessed by God with perfect, easy, comfortable lives with no pain or misfortune?  Not at all.  The Lord never promised that.  As the twelve disciples would find out in their own lives, and as many faithful Christians through the years have likewise found out, we are all prone to the many forms of brokenness in our world.

So what is the benefit of pursuing faithfulness as a disciple of Jesus?  First, there is the hope of eternal life.  The miracles of Jesus are signposts to another reality, the reality of his Kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven.  By full-fledged faith in him, we can have hope that we are participants in his Kingdom, which includes life after death.  We will be with him in heaven.  Second, we can access what he called the abundant life.  The abundant life points to the reality that we can be participants in his Kingdom now!  It is his life flowing through and changing our lives so that we learn more and more to live now like he did.

A vital question, then, is what does it mean to live faithfully in God’s Kingdom now? Your situation might have similarities or many differences from the lady or from Jairus. But would you ask the question: “How do I show faith in Christ in the midst of my unique situation?” I would encourage you not to assume that you know how to answer that question. But instead ask that question to someone older and wiser, someone who shows faithfulness, who shows they know how to live in God’s Kingdom.