Is Jesus’ Message Our Message?
29 Thursday May 2014
Posted in Quotes
Tag Archives: Jesus
Mystical Moments With God
21 Tuesday Jan 2014
Tags
appointed time, awake and alert, chromo, clock, Ephesians 5:15-17, Hellen Keller quote, hora, hour, impulse to soar, Jesus, kairos, King Herod, Matthew 2, redeeming the time, spiritual carpe diem, spiritual opportunities, wise men
Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time (redeeming the time), because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Ephesians 5:15-17
There are three different words in the New Testament to describe what time means.
- Hora is usually translated “hour.”
- Chrono refers to measured time in general. You can hear the clock ticking in this word.
- Kairos (used here in Ephesians) means special appointed times, fixed or special occasions when doors are wide open to move. The Lord wants His children to be aware of these types of spiritual opportunities or mystical moments with God. These are truly Spiritual Carpe Diem moments.
The question is will we recognize these types of opportunities when they come? When Jesus was born, the Wise Men from the East recognized “karios” time (Matthew 2). When the star appeared, they recognized it as an opportunity to see the Promised Messiah, born King of the Jews. They made the most of that opportunity.
In contrast, those closest to Jerusalem, the priests and teachers of the land, missed their “kairos” opportunity. In fact, when the wise men appeared asking for their advice, their hearts were not stirred or prompted to search further. The door of opportunity literally walked straight by their houses and didn’t impact their lives. Even wicked King Herod was more attuned to hearing from God than the keepers of God’s word. Wow!
The truth is God has opportunities for you in 2014. The question is will you be awake and alert enough to sense God’s prompting and movements. It is always “kairos time” with God.
Blessings – From God’s Incubator
Pastor
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Inspirational Thanksgiving Quotes
27 Wednesday Nov 2013
Posted in Holidays and Special Events, Quotes
Knowing Your Eternal Destiny
21 Thursday Nov 2013
Posted in Our Spiritual Process
Tags
death, Eternal Destiny, heaven, Jesus, Lamb's Book of Life, Life, salvation, sin
This is my first creation in Tapestry. I hope and pray it ministers to you.
Blessings – From God’s Incubator,
Pastor
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Sometimes It’s the Decisions We Don’t Make Which Define Us
19 Tuesday Nov 2013
Posted in Luke
Tags
appeasement, Bodie Thoene quote, Christ divides people, compromise, convenient, Herod, Jesus, Luke 23:12, Luke 23:6-7, making a decision, passing the buck, Pilate, procrastination, unholy alliance, Will Roger's quote
When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked if the Man (Jesus) were a Galilean. (7) As soon as he knew that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, He sent Him to Herod, who was in Jerusalem at the time. Luke 23:6-7
Passing off a problem is not handling the problem. Pilate desperately tried to hand Jesus to Herod. We can almost envision Pilate congratulating himself for getting rid of this thorny situation. Not only had he managed to pawn the problem off on someone else, it was to someone he didn’t particularly like anyway.
Some folks like to make decisions for themselves and others. They are confident in their choices. But as we have seen so many times in government… most elected and even appointed officials hate to make decisions. These folks are often spineless. They do not wish to be blamed for anything wrong. In other words, they fear unwinnable scenarios. Doing right offers no benefit personally, because choosing “right” requires conviction. Pilate initially took a pass on Jesus…
Will Rogers said,
“You can summarize American History into two great movements: the passing of the buffalo and the passing of the buck.”
Invariably, the decision we refuse to make will come back to haunt us and ultimately define us. It didn’t take Herod long to punt Jesus back into Pilate’s court. Herod wasn’t really interested in hearing the truth or being earnest concerning Jesus’ future. Most people are not sincere listeners… to Herod Jesus was a joke.
When I was a fifteen year old directionless teenager, I too was confronted with the claims of Jesus Christ. Like Pilate and Herod, I wanted to avoid Him as well. I told myself over and over again that I would make a decision concerning the Lordship of Jesus Christ…L A T E R. In my mind procrastination was the solution. Delaying a decision was not saying “no” to the Lord. I would say “yes” at some later date. As the days, weeks, and months passed I grew sick with that decision. In fact, I eventually went to a doctor because my stomach churned. Only later did I put the two together.
Like Pilate, my decision or lack of decision was defining me. None of us can side-step Jesus Christ. He simply cannot be avoided. We like to think we make some kind spiritual compromise… but those types of choices only serve to appease ourselves. Appeasement, compromise, and apathy are destiny destroyers. In fact, we can even seek comfort from others who make the wrong choice. Notice what happened to Pilate and Herod.
12 Now Herod and Pilate became friends with one another that very day; for before they had been enemies with each other. Luke 23:12
Just like doing right can create a bond between people… doing wrong or refusing to stand up for truth can create an unholy or ungodly alliance. These two leaders didn’t have any type of bond or agreement before this encounter with Jesus… yet look at them now. In fact, Pilate and Herod were enemies, in competition with each other.
I used to take comfort in the fact that some of my friends hadn’t made a decision concerning Christ either. One of my friends used to tell me that he wasn’t worried about hell because as he put it, “All my rowdy friends are going to be there.” I have heard that quote about a hundred times since. Back when I was fifteen this thought brought me no comfort.
It was only after surrendering to the Lord that I realized how much Christ divides people. It is taking a stand, becoming a spiritual rebel, standing with conviction and living in truth which makes you dangerous. The world doesn’t really care until you make a decision… it is making a spiritual decision that truly defines you.
Blessings – From God’s Incubator,
Pastor
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Jesus the Rebel
18 Monday Nov 2013
Posted in Luke
Tags
be yourself, blasphemy, Caesar, death sentence, freed from sin, He is what you say He is, Jesus, Jesus' trails, King, Luke 23:1-3, morally corrupt, perverting the nation, Ralph Waldo Emerson Quote, rebel, Sanhedrin, the Son of God, who is Jesus
It was dawn when the religious crowd finally got Jesus to admit He was the Son of God. The Sanhedrin was desperate to see Jesus crucified before Passover. Their religious obligations pressured them into action before sundown. They needed judgment passed and the process completed before anyone came to their senses. It is like rushing a bill through Congress before anyone finds out what is really in the law.
In the end… the Sanhedrin lacked power to carry out the death sentence. They had to convince the Roman authorities to crucify Jesus. The Jewish leaders had arrested Jesus on theological grounds – “blasphemy”. Because this charge would be thrown out of a Roman court, they had to devise a political reason for executing Jesus. Their strategy was to present Jesus as a rebel who told the people not to pay their taxes….therefore a threat to Caesar. Sounded good, except Jesus wasn’t a rebel. In fact, He encouraged His followers to “render unto Caesar what was due Caesar.”
Here is Luke’s description of the event:
“Then the whole multitude of them arose and led Him to Pilate. (2) And they began to accuse Him saying, “We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that He himself is Christ, a king.” (3) Then Pilate asked Him, saying, Are you the King of the Jews?” He answered him and said, “It is as you say.” Luke 23:1-3
“Are you really the king of the Jews?” This question is recorded in all four gospel accounts. The word “you” is emphatic. It is a big question. It should be important to you as well.
In fact, not much has changed in 2000 years. Jesus is still the biggest rebel to have ever lived. People love Him without hesitation or reservation… or they are repulsed by the very mention of His Name. His very existence divides people quicker than Moses parting the Red Sea. You can walk into virtually any room in America and ask, “Do you believe in God?” and expect to get an answer in the affirmative. But if you wish to push buttons and start a controversy go ahead ask, “And do believe that Jesus is the Son of God – the Only means of going to heaven?” Get ready to clear the room, because unless the room is full of believers, there is going to be immediate problems. The atmosphere will change just like it did in Jesus’ day. The barometer will drop so fast, your ears will pop. “Are you really saying Jesus is the King?”
The religious of Jesus’ day accused Him of “perverting the nation.” They basically called Him a rebel pervert. The word means to “distort” or be “morally corrupt.” They didn’t like what Jesus taught or how Jesus lived… so they labeled Him a pervert. In order to rid themselves of Jesus’ message, they killed the rebel. Their problem and our problem today is that Jesus is not a mere rebel… He is the very Son of God. He will not go away. If killing Him would have solved the Jewish leader’s problem, then we wouldn’t be discussing Jesus today.
The truth is exactly as Jesus said… He is what you say He is. If you say He is the Son of God and the King, then He is. If you are going to call Him a rebel, blasphemer and pervert, then this is what He will be to you. Only judgment will reveal the truth. Everyone born eventually places his faith and trust in something. The problem will be that one day the rebel pervert will be your Judge.
Today Jesus is who we say He is. None of us need another pious religious leader to heap upon us more rituals and regulations. We don’t need more ceremony and pageantry. We need a Rebel King! We need someone just like Jesus to set us free from sin. He is exactly what we have always needed.
Blessings – From God’s Incubator,
Pastor
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Missing the Time of Our Visitation
14 Monday Oct 2013
Posted in Luke, Our Spiritual Process
Tags
dealing with demonic attacks, deliverance, discerning God's will, focusing only on circumstances, He stills the storms within me, Jesus, Kingdom of God to manifest, learning to rebuke, Luke 17:20-21, Luke 19:44, praying wrong, Prince of Peace, relieve, spiritual battle, visitation, wanting our own brand of deliverance
…because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.” Luke 19:44
The word for visitation is an interesting word. It literally means “to relieve“. The Episcopalian denomination derives its name from this word. Jesus employed this word to indicate how the Father sent Him to bring relief and deliverance to the dark nation at a time when they needed it most. If you took a poll of the inhabitants of Jerusalem… I am sure everyone would have espoused in no uncertain terms how much they wanted heaven’s relief. Yet these same folks who wanted the Kingdom of God to manifest totally and absolutely missed it when relief came strolling down the street. In fact, they not only rejected their relief, they crucified Him. It is ironic how most people want relief until it looks like Jesus!
Why Do We Miss God’s Visitations?
Jesus was not implying that people are unaware of God’s purposes. Everybody was watching and waiting for a move of God. They still do. Jesus told people on several occasions the Kingdom was already in their presence. (Luke 17:20-21) They were aware of Jesus’ claims and were witnesses to His miracle-working power. So, why did they miss God’s visitation? The same reason we miss God’s movements today. We fail to discern God’s purposes ahead of our own needs. The people of Jesus’ day could not detect Jesus’ purpose because they had their eyes solely on their immediate circumstances. God’s higher purposes simply made no sense.
We are no different today. When you personally experience a trial or hardship, your eyes focus squarely on your circumstances… all you can detect is what is wrong. Your prayers revolve around obtaining God’s deliverance from your circumstance…. anything differing other than direct deliverance is obviously not from God. This is why we have a tendency to call some things “bad”, which are actually God’s good and vice-a-versa. When we examine our circumstances without the knowledge of God, we will miss God’s will and plan. The folks in Jesus’ day were looking for the purposes and plans of God. Their problem and our problem is we interpret God’s will in light of our present circumstances and problems. The people of Jesus missed their visitation and so will we.
I happens like this… You are going through a hardship and you begin to pray. As you pray it becomes, “Lord, deliver me. Lord, get me out of this place. Lord, move. Lord, fight for me.” Your prayer is never, “Lord, mold me. Lord change me. Lord, grow me. Lord help me to grow bigger than my problem. Lord, allow me to suffer more that You might be glorified through my life.” Bottom-line, our desire is for God to change our circumstances, instead of discerning God’s purposes and asking God to change us.
A few years back I was in a spiritual battle. The demons were tearing me up. Prayer about this attack brought no success. I finally wised up and asked God why He wasn’t doing anything about the demonic attacks. He said plainly, “I am not going to do anything about them. You do something about it.” I was floored. I reaffirmed to the Lord that they were winning and He needed to help. He said, “I am not going to do anything about demons. They are your problem and you have to handle it, yourself.” It was like He was telling me to shut-up and stop praying about demonic activity. I was now mad at God and the demons. I could have spit nails. What a fine situation. God was leaving me alone to fight demons all by myself. Does all this sound mean to you? It sounded mean to me.
I finally got my eyes off myself and started thinking about what God said. He said, “I had to handle the situation myself.” I turned to the Word. The Word states over and over again that all believers have power over demons. I had never rebuked demons before, but I was in such desperate shape. As soon as I took authority over the demons they fled with lightening speed. I felt like a spiritual Hercules! It was only later that the Lord spoke further. He said. “Don’t pray about things I have given you authority over. I have left the devil and His demons around for you to beat up and take authority over. Take your authority.”
I am sure it was hard for the Lord to watch me suffer… but I needed to know the truth. I first had to get my eyes off my circumstances and look to the truth. I would have missed my visitation had I kept my eyes on myself and what I was going through.
The people of Jesus’ day desired deliverance from oppression. Jesus came to deliver them from oppression and the bigger problem of sin. In their desire to escape their immediate circumstances, to have their own brand of peace, they missed the fact they were in the very presence of the Prince of Peace. When we desire our own “brand of deliverance” we will miss God’s visitation. If you are waiting for God to provide your own personal brand of deliverance, you will be waiting a long time. The Lord wants to give us Himself… He is the Prince of Peace. He is all you need.
Blessing – From God’s Incubator,
Pastor
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Why Hanky Faith Will Not Work
08 Tuesday Oct 2013
Posted in Luke, Our Spiritual Process
Tags
A.W. Tozer quote, being critical is not a spiritual gift, cannot define Christianity in negative terms, criticizing others, deforms the soul, faith needs to have practical application, freedom, God is a Sower, God's trust is God's test, impressing God, Jesus, Luke 19:12-24, making the most of our investment, Master, Matthew 25:21, negative faith, Occupy Movement, occupy until I return, pragmateuomai, pragmatic, Rick Joyner quote
A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.'” Luke 19:12-13
It was Jesus who instituted the first “Occupy Movement“. Except He didn’t instruct His followers to sit around and stink until someone paid them to leave. No, the Lord gave each an allotment of wages, talents, gifts, and abilities and told them to “occupy or do business until He returned.” The word here for “occupy” is pragmateuomai. It means to be practical or pragmatic with what the Lord gives. What the Lord gives each of us to use in this life varies from person to person. In the end, I believe we all have something of value to give back to our generation. In other words, if our faith and beliefs do not have any practical application to our life and to the life of other people… then what use is it. If you don’t use it, you will lose it.
The interesting thing about this story is that time did pass. The Master did eventually return and want a return on His investment. Two of the three individuals did invest what the Lord gave them. The third man didn’t lose his investment. He simply hid it in a handkerchief. I call this “hanky faith”. It is a do nothing type of faith. It is the false belief that if you do nothing relatively wrong, then you are doing right. Listen to the third man’s words…
“Sir, here is your mina (investment); I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.” Luke 19:20-21
This man is in serious trouble. He makes matters worse by opening his mouth. Not only has he failed to make an investment with the Master’s money, he insults and blames the Master for his personal failures. He accuses the Master/King of being a “hard man“. Yet, the Master just richly rewarded the two previous individuals for making wise investments. He further attacks the King’s character! He claims the King had so intimidated him that he was afraid to act… so he just hid his investment.
Hanky Faith Does Not Impress God
There are many today who believe that if they simply do nothing wrong, they will gain entrance into the kingdom of God. This parable of Jesus corrects this type of thinking… according to the Lord, doing nothing means gaining nothing. If you think that you are going to impress God in the end by telling Him about all the things you did not do….you are in for a surprise. God will not be asking about what you did not do, He will be asking about what you did with your life. The Lord desires a return on His investment in your life.
Someone once said, “The Christian life is not to be lived in the negative column of the ledger; it is to be lived on the plus side… the positive side of life.” There are a lot of people who feel very superior to other people because they do not do what other people do… while at the same time they have never thought about getting busy doing something good for the Lord. They sit at home with a pious posture and folded hands criticizing others. Their lives never register positively on the world in any way. If you ask these folks what they believe… they will start off by telling you what they don’t do and what they don’t believe.
Hey listen…. Being critical is not a spiritual gift. If you are not doing anything, don’t stand back and criticize someone who is doing something, even if it isn’t perfect in your eyes. Critical people never attempt to serve God by helping someone else. It never occurs to them to get up off their “blessed assurance” and go out to visit someone who is lonely or help someone financially. But they sure feel called to be critical of people who look, act, or talk differently… and call it religion and faith. It never dawns on them to love, help, and pray for others outside of their doors.
Unfortunately, we define the Christian life in negative terms. Christianity cannot be defined by recounting what it is not. Believers are called to believe. We sometimes hear people remark, “He is a Christian man. He does not smoke, drink, curse or chew and neither does he run around with girls who do.” But Christianity is not a matter of what we do not do, it is a matter of what we do. If the only way people can tell that you are a Christian is by the things you do not do, then you need to take a second look at your life.
When Jesus Christ returns as King and you stand before him, He will not say, “Well avoided, good and faithful servant.” He will say, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:21).
It is a Matter of Trust
You are not going to be rewarded by God for avoiding sin and doing nothing. His rewards only come to those who faithfully work at using their God-given abilities to make a difference in this world. Please notice the Master displayed great trust in His servants. God is a Sower! He gave them His own resources — He did not keep checking on them. He did not stand over them and watch their every move. He didn’t even leave instructions on how they were to invest. Here is the rub with God – He trusts us enough to not interfere. Wow! If we need further instructions… we can ask!
As Rick Joyner echoes…. “It is the best and worst thing about God. The best thing about God is that he gives us freedom. It is also the worst thing about God…. He leaves us to our own devises. We can live life any way we choose, but we also know that there is a day coming when we will have to give an account of what we have done with our lives.”
How have we used what God has given us? God’s trust is God’s test. He gives us complete freedom and then watches what we do with it. He guides us but never forces us. That means we are responsible for the choices we make.
Blessings – From God’s Incubator,
Pastor
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Obtaining a Blind Man’s Faith
03 Thursday Oct 2013
Posted in Luke, Our Spiritual Process
Tags
aflame with the fire of God, Bartimaeus, beggar, blind, Divine Power, Elizabeth Browning quote, faith accesses God, faith comes by hearing, God is real, have mercy on me, illustration of the sun, Jesus, Jesus is alive, Lazarus, Luke 18:38, Romans 10:8-11, Son of David
The story of blind Bartimaeus reminds me a lot of Lazarus, the poor beggar who sat outside of the rich man’s house everyday begging. Lazarus had a meager existence. No one really cared about him. His medical care consisted of dogs licking his wounds. Bartimaeus was a beggar too, but blind. Both had the daily routine of begging others for sustenance. In Jesus’ time, beggars were at the bottom of the social ladder, only slightly more important than dogs.
Faith Doesn’t Need Eyes – Faith Comes By Hearing!
Blind Bart couldn’t see, but as with many blind people, he had a keen sense of hearing. On this particular day, he could tell from the rumble of the mob that “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” No doubt, Bart had heard of Jesus. Perhaps he heard about how Jesus healed people, even restored sight to the blind!
Even though Bart couldn’t see Jesus with his own eyes, he believed based upon what he had previously heard. He didn’t just believe Jesus was in his city: he believed Jesus had the power to change his life. So he cried out, “Jesus! Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Luke 18:38) The term “Son of David” was a term reserved for the coming Messiah, the King. It was a title of Divine Power. Bart was confessing Jesus was more than a mere rabbi or teacher–He was the King! Bart had more insight to Who Jesus really was than almost any other figure in the New Testament! Wow!
Faith Accesses God
Faith is the first step everyone must take to receive mercy from God. Faith is not just believing God exists, it is acting on that belief. Real faith causes your heart to leap and your mouth to open in confession. This is why I like to read and re-read Romans 10:8-11.
8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, 9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.
These verses remind me how I accessed the Lord with faith the very first time. They also remind me that I can access the Lord over and over again with that same faith. I call it working my faith muscles. The more I work them, the larger they grow.
Bartimaeus is a great picture of people in the 21st century. We have never seen Jesus with our physical eyes, but we have heard about Him. Faith then comes by hearing… It is not just believing facts about Jesus, it is trusting Him with our whole life. When people ask me “how do you know Jesus is real?” I know He is real because I have met Him and He lives within me. In fact, I have talked to Him today. He is not just some historical figure, another man of religion who died long ago… Jesus is alive and I have a relationship with Him. Like Bartimaeus, I was blind before I met Him but now I see.
The Good News was Jesus wasn’t too busy to take time out to minister to old Bart. He was just a week or two away from sacrificing Himself on a cross for the sins of mankind. I am sure there were hundreds of people vying to get Jesus’ attention, but one lone beggar crying out in faith caught the Lord’s heart. Faith will access God every time.
You may think that in the larger scheme of things you aren’t very important. In comparison to the entirety of the cosmos, our planet is just a small rock circling a minor star. You are just one of over eight billion human beings sharing space on the third rock from the sun. In spite of this, you are of such great importance to God, that when you call out to Him, He pauses to help you!
The mighty sun burning 93 million miles away provides the gravitational pull that keeps all the planets in orbit. Yet that same sun will still warm your face on a cold day as if it had nothing else to do. Likewise, the creator God who keeps the entire universe running will stop and answer your cry for help as if He had nothing else to do. God isn’t distracted by the millions of other voices. He always has time for you.
Blessings – From God’s Incubator,
Pastor
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Beware of Religious Gatekeepers
02 Wednesday Oct 2013
Posted in Luke, Our Spiritual Process
Tags
Bartimaeus, being blessed, being told to shut-up, blind Bartimaeus, crowds, decision makes you, feeling spiritually uncomfortable, friends, genuine faith, getting loud, God's word, Jesus, no concern for others, not receiving God's best, over-exaggerate our own importance, status quo, Sumrall quote
What if I told you there are people, even well-meaning people, out there preventing you from receiving God’s best. These folks are not hidden, unscrupulous, vicious individuals skulking around dark corners. They are some of your closest friends traveling the road with you. The problem is the noise they make. It is the rabble from their wake. They never shut-up long enough for you to hear or be heard. God has a word for you today … and everyday. Some of His messages are more important than others. There is a high likelihood you cannot hear God’s revelation for the confluence of voices surrounding you. This was exactly blind Bart’s problem. Yes, he was blind. But his biggest problem was the crowd.
35 As Jesus was approaching Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road begging. 36 Now hearing a crowd going by, he began to inquire what this was. 37 They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. 38 And he called out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 Those who led the way were sternly telling him to be quiet; but he kept crying out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 40 And Jesus stopped and commanded that he be brought to Him; Luke 18:35-40
This company of onlookers following Jesus was like all the other crowds surrounding the Lord. Except…this bunch was preventing this man from connecting to his destiny! His new eyes were passing by on the road right in front of him. Bartimaeus was just five minutes from being able to see. In the middle of this crowd were some nay sayers attempting to keep old Bart from seeking the Lord. Jesus’ disciples attempted the same thing with children just a few verses earlier. What do disciples know? The Kingdom belongs to children and blind men.
Here is the point about crowds…. they have no concern about others. They really don’t care about what is happening around them until someone has the audacity to halt their parade. When they get the news that their parade is about to be stopped for someone other than them personally… this is when they get louder.
Every person in the crowd could have called out to Jesus on this occasion. Only one audacious person was heard… blind Bartimaeus. What did the crowd do? They were audacious too, but not for Jesus. They sought to shut-up the one man crying out with all his heart for the Lord. They rebuked the seeker for being loud and boisterous. Bartimaeus’ courage was met with a ferocious rebuke. These “gatekeepers” believe they know what is best for you and for Jesus.
Why is it that most religious folks and even non-religious folks don’t want other people healed, restored, or redeemed? Everybody says they want the “good” from heaven to be passed around to all people. But, in reality, the exact opposite is true.
The truth is we don’t want others to get blessed until we are blessed. We want the Lord to notice us first. It is like we feel the cupboard of heaven has limited supplies. God isn’t acting fairly unless we are served first. It is sad, but true. I think this is one of the reasons we feel uncomfortable in churches where some believers express emotions and worship passionately. Since we don’t worship in this fashion… no one else should either. Since we personally do not feel the urge to get passionate, neither should others. Since the blessings of God haven’t touch us personally, then no one else should be passionate either.
Someone wrote an article a while back on “why the other line at the grocery store always moves faster than the one you are personally standing.” It really doesn’t but when you are in the line moving quickly, you really don’t think about all the poor stiffs sitting still. But, when you are stuck waiting, all you can do is think about why you are stuck and others are moving forward. In other words, it is easy to fill victimized and never give serious consideration when others are stalled. We all have a tendency to over-exaggerate our own importance and rarely consider what others are going through. Hey, if it is not happening to me, then it should not be happening to anybody. Right?
Not one person encouraged Bartimaeus to get louder. They all told him to shut-up. We have all been yelled at or shouted down. This is why we too react like the crowd. Religion even has the gall to say things like, “It is a sin to question God. It is wrong to plead, seek, and go after God like the blind man. It is wrong to be passionate!”
Wrong!!! The blind man proves it. It is not wrong to call out, to question and seek God like a mad man. It might be socially and religiously unacceptable but it is never wrong in the eyes of Jesus. Blind Bart knew better on the road that day. He got louder.
We don’t like those who speak up, who leave the status quo, who refuse to keep quiet, who reject compliance as a way of life. We would rather have people shut up than say disturbing things from a genuine faith. So we tell people to be quiet…because in reality…genuine faith scares us to death. Since God has yet to answer us personally… He is not going to answer some unknown, blind man!
Have you gotten quiet? Have some of your friends discouraged you from seeking the Lord more passionately. Have they said something like… “It didn’t work for me, so it is not going to work for you. I tried praying like that but it didn’t work. God didn’t hear me, so He is not going to hear you. You should just settle down and get quiet.”
If blind Bartimaeus could speak to us again today it would be… “Seek the Lord with all your heart. Don’t listen to the crowd… get louder until the Lord hears you.”
Blessings – From God’s Incubator,
Pastor
eisakouo 