Jeff Ropp – Page 49 – See you in Heaven

How do we reach the materialistic for Christ? Part 2

“Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.’ ” John 6:29

The second way to minister to the materialistic person is to CORRECT THEIR MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT SALVATION (John 6:28-34). When the people realized that Jesus was talking about something other than physical bread, and He was talking about laboring for that, they said to Him, “Then they said to Him, ‘What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?’ ” (John 6:28). This question is often asked today, almost always by someone who has begun to realize that life has a spiritual dimension to it. It is a religious question: “What can I DO to make God happy? What good works must I do to get to heaven?” This marks a common misconception among materialists today. They think God owes them.

One of the questions God will not ask us in determining if He should let us into heaven is, “How many good works have you done?” Why? “But to him who does not work, but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.” (Romans 4:5). Why doesn’t God accept human works as even a partial payment for our salvation? “Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.” (Romans 4:4). If God accepted us based upon any good work we have done, He would be paying a debt – but God is not in debt to anyone. He doesn’t owe us anything. After all God is perfect and we are not. He is holy and we are sinners. We owe Him.

“Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.’ ” (John 6:29). The Lord Jesus makes an important distinction between “the works” (plural) about which they ask (6:28) and “the work” (singular) God actually requires (6:29). Anyone who believes in Jesus has done “the work” (singular) God requires. Believing in Jesus is a work in the sense that it is an act. But it is a passive work as John 4:10 shows: “Jesus answered and said to her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, “Give Me a drink,” you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.’ ”

Believing in Jesus is not a work in the sense that Paul talks about: “⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Paul is thinking of active works (plural) of obedience to God’s commands, not a passive work whereby we receive a free gift by faith in Christ alone.

The word “faith” means to trust or depend upon. The materialist has always relied on his own abilities and resources to provide for his needs. But now Christ tells him to rely on someone outside of himself to give him the gift of God which (unlike their material possessions), lasts forever.

But the materialist is still thinking about satisfying his own selfish desires: “³⁰ Therefore they said to Him, ‘What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do? ³¹ Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ” (John 6:30-31). The crowd is asking,“Why should we believe in You? Sure, You made more bread and fish, but they come from earth. Manna, though, comes from heaven! Can you top that?” They want just one more proof. They want the evidence that Jesus is better than Moses. When the evidence is in, then they will believe. That is their attitude.

“³² Then Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. ³³ For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” (John 6:32-33). Jesus immediately corrects them. It was God that gave the manna, not Moses. I’m amazed at their interest in manna. Manna tasted very much like corn flakes. Imagine eating corn flakes morning, noon and night for forty years like the Israelites did in the wilderness, and thinking that was wonderful! The word “manna” itself means, “What is it?” Can you imagine eating “What is it?” for forty years, every day, without fail, and then looking back on that as a great experience?

“No,” Jesus said, “You are quite wrong! Moses did not give you that bread. Furthermore, what came in the wilderness was not the true bread from heaven — it was only a picture of the real thing to come. The real bread from heaven is Me! (Jesus says) I came down from heaven to satisfy the spiritual hunger of people forever. The true bread is He who came down from heaven who will give His life (not merely for Israel, as Moses did with the manna), but who will give His life for the whole world. Anybody of any ethnicity at anytime, can find the true bread from heaven.” And by the way, this bread is much better for you and much tastier than corn flakes.

“Then they said to Him, ‘Lord, give us this bread always.’ ” (John 6:34). When the crowd began to understand that Jesus was talking about something better than physical bread they immediately wanted it. Isn’t this true of people all over the world? You cannot go anywhere on earth today without finding people hungry for something more than a full belly and a comfortable home. There is a restlessness in us that cries for more. Jesus recognized this. Everyone in this crowd wanted whatever it was He was offering. They did not understand what it was, but they wanted it.

People are no different today. They sense there is more to life than bread… than working 40-60 hours a week to make payments on a new home or new vehicle. Christ’s example reminds us to confront the materialist’s selfish desires and to correct their misconceptions about salvation so they can believe or trust in Jesus alone for their salvation.

Prayer: Father God, please give me a love for the self-sufficient people of this world. Increase my burden for the materialistic people of my community. I need courage from You to confront their selfish desires and correct their misconceptions about salvation so they can believe or trust in Jesus alone for His gift of everlasting life. So many people in the world today think they can work for their salvation as I once thought. Please use Your Word to convict people of their need for Jesus’s work on the cross, not their own, for salvation. In Jesus’s name. Amen.

How do we reach the materialistic for Christ? Part 1

“Jesus answered them and said, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.’ ” John 6:26

America has been blessed with incredible prosperity. We give a lot of attention and worth to that which is not eternal. Our inflated value system lets sports figures and movie stars make far more money than a governor, a doctor, or even the President of the United States. We have become gluttonous not only for food, but gluttons for sex, drugs, money, and power. And as a nation, we are becoming less aware of our need for God.

As a nation , we spend long hours at work to accumulate things. Many Americans have learned how to make money, but they have not learned how to live. Something is missing from their lives. How do we minister to people who are more concerned about temporal things than eternal things? How do we reach those whose wallets are full but whose hearts are empty? In other words, how do we reach the materialistic for Christ? We follow the example of Jesus who was speaking to a materialistic crowd in John 6:22-40. The first thing Jesus does to minister to the materialistic is to…

CONFRONT THEIR SELFISH DESIRES (John 6:22-27). If we are going to be effective in reaching the materialistic people of our society, we must confront their selfish desires. Remember in John 6:1-13, while on the northeastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus miraculously fed thousands of men, women and children with five loaves of bread and two sardine-sized fish? Well, what happened to that crowd? After Jesus walked on water out to the disciples’ boat and miraculously transported the boat the remaining two miles to the other side of the lake (John 6:14-21), we read: “²² On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone— ²³ however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks— ²⁴ when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.²⁵ And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, ‘Rabbi, when did You come here?’ ”(John 6:22-25).

Upon reflection, the crowd realized that there was no way by which Jesus could have crossed the lake. But instead of asking Jesus how He got to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, the crowd asks Him “When?” Their failure to ask the right question shows that they didn’t seek to understand Jesus’ miracle of walking on the water to get to the other side of the lake. Jesus ignores their question and moves straight to the real issue.

“Jesus answered them and said, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.’ ” (John 6:26). Jesus says, “You came not because you understand Me to be the Messiah but because you wanted another free meal.” They were more interested in Jesus’ ability to satisfy their physical appetites than their spiritual appetites. I noticed during our church planting experience in South Des Moines, Iowa (2003 – 2006), the best attendance at our outreach events was when we offered free stuff. For example, at our Family Fun Fest, we had a good turnout for games, food and entertainment. But when I got up to share the gospel after we announced the winner of the Grand Prize drawing, people were out of there in a flash. No good bye or thank you – no nothing. That experience reminds me of this crowd Jesus is speaking to. What do we say to these kinds of people?

Jesus said, “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.” (John 6:27).Jesus is not saying, “Do not work for a living.” Many might take these words literally and go on welfare! But Jesus is not advocating that. What He means is, “Don’t work merely to get food that does not last.” Food is important. It is necessary for life, and you must earn it. But don’t let that be the sole reason for your working. Rather, “Work for the food which remains forever and produces life that lasts forever.” Jesus can give eternal food “because God the Father has set His seal” of approval on His Son. This crowd was like many people today. They felt that the most important thing in life is to keep alive, to be healthy, strong and economically sufficient. That was what life was all about, they thought. Yet they were starving spiritually.

In an essay written by George Orwell, he describes a wasp that (as he puts it) “was sucking jam on my plate and I cut him in half. He paid no attention, merely went on with his meal, while a tiny stream of jam trickled out of his severed esophagus. Only when he tried to fly away did he grasp the dreadful thing that had happened to him.”

This wasp and people without Jesus have much in common. Severed from their souls, but greedy and unaware, people continue to consume life’s sweetness. Only when it’s time to fly away will they grasp their dreadful condition. Jesus encourages the materialist to seek after something better. To seek after bread which lasts and produces life which never ends.

Prayer: Lord, before I knew You as my Savior, I sought after food that perishes rather than food that lasts. Life revolved around me and my selfish desires. Thank You for confronting my selfishness at the age of nineteen, so I could see my need for You and Your gift of everlasting life. Lord, there are so many people in the USA whose wallets are full but their hearts are empty without You. They are angry and searching for meaning in their lives. Please break through to them so they can see that what they need is You, not a politician who makes empty promises. They need a Savior who always keeps His promises and gives life that never ends the moment they believe in Him. Thank You my Lord and my God. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Why does God allow Christians to struggle? Part 3

“But He said to them, ‘It is I; do not be afraid.’ ” John 6:20

The third reason why God allows us to struggle is to ENCOURAGE US TO RELY ON CHRIST’S POWER (John 6:19-21). “So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid.” (John 6:19). The disciples battled this raging storm through the long hours of the night. Mark says they were “straining at rowing” (Mark 6:48). By 3 a.m. they had rowed only 3-4 miles with about 2 miles to go. Even though these men were exhausted, they faithfully kept trying to row across the Sea. And when they looked over their shoulders, they were “afraid” or literally they were “terrified” to see a ghostlike form walking on the water toward them. These men were expecting to die, and they thought the angel of death was coming to take them. But this was no ghost. This was Jesus walking across those waves. And He was using those immense waves as pavement for His feet. The sea that had impeded the disciples’ movement, was no obstacle for Christ, and all that they feared brought no fear to Jesus.

Above the raging storm the disciples heard a familiar voice bring a word of comfort. “But He said to them, ‘It is I; do not be afraid.’ ” (John 6:20).When Jesus says, “It is I,”He identifies Himself as “I AM”(cf. Exodus 3:13-14) in the Greet text (egō eimi). The verb (phobeisthe) translated “do not be afraid” is a present imperative and means “Stop being afraid.”What Jesus is saying is, “That which scares the living daylights out of you, this strange form walking across the stormy sea, doing what is absolutely impossible for men to do, that is Me – the Eternal God! And the very waves that are over your heads I already have under My feet. I am in control of these events, therefore there is no need for you to fear. Simply trust Me to take you where you could never take yourself.”

Jesus silences our fears with His Word. And there is tremendous power in the Word of God. “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.” (Psalm 33:6, 9). The same voice that spoke this universe into existence out of nothing, can also calm our fears in the midst of the storms of life. This same voice can give us the power to overcome problems that we could never overcome in our own strength.

Life is filled with fierce storms. Where do you turn when you just discover your son is a practicing homosexual… your mate is talking separation or divorce… you’ve lost your job and it’s your own fault… your parent is an alcoholic… your spouse is having an affair… you flunk your entrance exam or you messed up the interview… your faith is persecuted? Where are you going to turn when the storms of life batter your soul? The disciples turned to Jesus.

“Then they willingly received Him into the boat.” (John 6:21a). Recognizing His voice, the disciples want to receive Christ aboard their boat. The New King James inaccurately translates the Greek phrase as, “They were willing to receive Him into the boat”(ēthelon oun labein auton eis to ploion).A better translation would be, “They wanted to receive Him into the boat.”

The moment the disciples recognize Jesus, based on His word, they want to receive Him into their boat. Then a second miracle took place. “… And immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.” (John 6:21b). The moment the disciples wanted Jesus in their boat, “immediately” the boat was at the land to which they were going. Nothing is said about Jesus stepping onto the boat. Matthew says the wind stopped (Matthew 14:32). There was peace on that lake and in the disciples’ hearts. The boat traveled the two remaining miles in an instant as Christ brought them safely to their destination.

There is a message here for non-Christians. Like the disciples, many people work hard to get to their final destination. They think that getting to heaven is based upon their own efforts and works. Like the religious leaders of Jesus’ day, they are not willing to come to Jesus to have life (cf. John 5:39-40). If they were willing to believe, they would recognize who Jesus was (the Christ or Messiah-God, John 20:31) and then, immediately, they would have been safe in His family forever (John 1:12; 6:37; 11:25-26)! Their destiny would have been assured by none other than Jesus Himself. In the discourse to follow (John 6:22-58), Jesus will not only stress His eternal sufficiency as the Bread of Life, but He will also emphasize the believer’s absolute certainty of reaching a safe eternal destination. Jesus will “raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:40).

There is also a message here for Christians. Some of us may face some very frightening circumstances in our lives in the months ahead. Disease, disappointment, death, an accident, desertion or divorce, loss of religious freedom, or even persecution may take their terrible toll on our lives. We may all find ourselves in a sea of trouble like these disciples. But what Jesus is saying to the disciples (and to us) is, “That which frightens you, that very thing which scares you, is Me. I am coming to you in and through that circumstance, so you don’t need to be afraid. I am in charge of it. I have chosen it for you, therefore you do not need to be afraid. Simply trust Me to do through you what you could never do on your own; and if you do that, you will experience My peace.”

Whatever storm you are facing, are you willing to permit Jesus to come to you in that storm? Are you willing to ask Him, “Lord Jesus, what do You want to say to me in this storm?” His answer may surprise you and it can calm the raging storm inside of you.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You promise that I will face storms or tribulation in this world (John 16:33). I may face tremendous toil and trouble, heartbreak and heartache, and yet in the midst of it, Lord, You have promised to be there, and You can come through the darkest night and over the most troubled waters into the boat of my life. May the eyes of my faith be fixed upon You, Lord. Instead of trying harder, may I start trusting in You because You are in charge of the storm. Help me to be still so I can hear Your voice say to me, “It is I; Do not be afraid.” You are in control of my past, present, and future. Thank You for calming my fears and replacing my storm-tossed feelings with Your powerful presence. Your voice is enough to calm my storms. You, my Lord and my God, are more than enough. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Why does God allow Christians to struggle? Part 2

“¹⁶ Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, ¹⁷ got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them.” John 6:16-17

The second reason why God allows Christians to struggle is to EDUCATE US ABOUT HIS PLAN (John 6:16-18). “¹⁶ Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, ¹⁷ got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them.” (John 6:16-17). The disciples were being obedient to Christ. He commanded them to go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. “Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.” (Matthew 14:22). This was His plan for them while He went up on the mountain to pray (cf. Matthew 14:23).

So the disciples started to cross over the Sea toward Capernaum, but trouble was coming. A story is told about a tourist who was sports fishing off a Florida beach, and he capsized his boat. He could swim, but his fear of alligators kept him clinging to the overturned craft. Spotting an old beachcomber standing on the shore, the tourist shouted, “Are there any gators around here?!” “Naw,” the man hollered back, “they ain’t been around for years!” Feeling safe, the tourist started swimming leisurely toward the shore. About halfway there he asked the guy, “How’d you get rid of the gators?” “We didn’t do nothin’,” the bum said. “The sharks got ’em.”

Just like this man, the disciples were in a heap of trouble. It was getting dark, but more importantly, Jesus had not come to them. They had started rowing across the Sea of Galilee toward Capernaum, but stayed close to shore, because they were going to pick up Jesus along the way. But it was not working out that way. “Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.” (John 6:18). A strong northwesterly wind began to blow, driving them farther and farther south, so much so, that they lost sight of shore and the possibility of picking up Jesus.

The sea of Galilee is 600 feet below sea level, in a cuplike depression. When the sun sets, the air cools and rushes down over the hillside, resulting in winds churning the sea. Since the disciples were rowing toward Capernaum, they were heading directly into the wind, making very little progress. Matthew is very graphic in describing the storm. “But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.” (Matthew 14:24). The storm was raging. The wind was against them. The waves were immense. The sea was engulfing their boat and threatening their lives. Although these fishermen had experienced storms before, their experience probably taught them that you don’t go out on the lake in this kind of weather!

Imagine how the disciples must have felt. Here they were trying to cross the sea just like Jesus told them to do, but the storm prevented them from fulfilling Christ’s command. They were exerting themselves to the max against the winds and the waves, yet they were unable to make any headway. They must have felt alone. After all, Jesus had sent them out here. Did He somehow forget all about them? Didn’t Jesus care about the fact that they could lose their lives in this storm? What was going on?

Have you ever felt this way? Have you ever wanted God to use you only to have your life become more difficult? You know what God wants you to do, but circumstances don’t allow you to do it? You try with all your might and strength to obey the Lord, but you can’t go where God wants you to go. You can’t do what God has told you to do. And you feel as though God has betrayed you. Like He has played some mean trick on you and set you up for failure. Why does this happen? Why do people who want to be used by God find themselves facing more problems? Problems too big to overcome in their own strength. Because God is trying to teach us about His plan. His plan cannot be carried out without His power. As long as we keep trying to do the will of God in our own strength, we will fail.

Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). God never expected us to live the Christian life on our own. We must let God live the Christian life through us. What this means is you must come to the end of yourself. And often times a storm will bring us to that point where we give up on ourselves and give in to God.

When I was about seventeen years of age on a canoe trip in Minnesota’s boundary waters with my church youth group, my Dad and I had to paddle across a large lake with two passengers in our canoe. I was in the front of the boat and my Dad was in the rear, with our passengers on the floor of the canoe between us. One of our passengers had accidentally made a deep cut across her hand while whittling on a piece of wood at our campsite. We left half of our camping group at the campsite to take the woman to a ranger’s cabin to radio for medical assistance. When we were in the middle of the lake about a half mile from the shore, I looked behind me to see a storm heading toward us with a wall of torrential rain. The wind was blowing extremely hard now, causing the waves to rise above our canoe. I felt helpless and out of control. My only recourse was to cry out to God for help.

When I did, my Dad and I could see a light swinging from the ranger’s cabin on the shore, about a quarter of a mile from us. Eventually we were able to safely arrive at the shore only to discover that the ranger cabin had been vacated. After the storm passed, my Dad and I paddled all the way back to our campsite with our passengers. I will never forget God’s presence with us in that storm.

God allows storms in our lives to educate us about His plan for our lives. He uses difficulties to bring us to the end of ourselves so we will surrender more fully to Him.

Prayer: Gracious Lord of the universe, thank You for teaching me about Your plan for my life through the storms You send my way. Many times I have set out to do Your will only to be impeded by a storm. Each storm has a common theme – to bring me to the point where I give up on myself and give in to You. You alone have the power to carry out Your plan for my life. Every storm reminds me of this important truth. Apart from You I can do nothing of eternal value. Right now my Lord and my God, I surrender everything to You. I give all that I have to You, Father, to You, Jesus, and to You, Holy Spirit. In Jesus’s name. Amen.

Why does God allow Christians to struggle? Part 1

“¹⁴ Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, ‘This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.’ ¹⁵Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.” John 6:14-15

Some Christians are taught that once you come to Christ, you will not experience hardship or suffering. However, the apostle Paul would not agree with this conclusion. He writes, “For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.” (Philippians 1:29). Being a Christian does not exempt us from suffering in this life.

What about you? Have you experienced some storms in your life? The storm takes many different forms, and affects our lives in many different ways. But all storms contain some common elements: they usually come on rather suddenly, they take us by surprise, they tend to fill our hearts with fear, and they test our faith.

Think of some of the storms of life which have invaded your life or someone’s you know: the storm of illness – sudden or prolonged death – the death of a loved one – a child, a partner – especially one not expected to die; rejection – divorce, separation, abandonment; unfair criticism; emotional trauma – hatred, anger, resentment, bitterness; the storm of physical loss – loss of home, loss of job, loss of money, loss of security; an accident, or some event which may change the course of your life in an instant of time.

You may wonder why does God allow Christians to struggle or suffer? Why does He allow me to suffer? Perhaps you have asked the Lord to use you for His glory, and life has suddenly become tougher for you. Take heart: the disciples of Jesus were not exempt from difficulties either. They, too, struggled. In fact, it was Jesus who sent them into the storm. Let’s look in John 6:14-21 to discover the lessons God wants us to learn about suffering. Why does God allow me to struggle?

TO ELIMINATE MY PRIDE (John 6:14-15). After Jesus miraculously fed thousands of people with a happy meal, the crowd perceived that Jesus was the Prophet whom Moses spoke of in Deuteronomy 18:15. “¹⁴ Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, ‘This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.’ ¹⁵Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.” (John 6:14-15). Now the crowd wanted to make Jesus King by using force. They were seeking a political leader with power who could lead them against the oppressive Roman government. They weren’t ready to trust Jesus as the Messiah-God, but they were willing to use Him to accomplish their own agenda. They focused on Christ as someone who could serve their physical needs, but they had no interest in Him spiritually.

But don’t we do the same thing? Have you ever become angry with God because He didn’t give you what you wanted? I don’t know if you have done that, but I have. I have been very upset with God sometimes because He did not do what I asked Him to do. I am ashamed to admit this, but it is the truth. This event in John 6 is given to teach us that this is not the kind of relationship that we are to have with God.

Jesus was not tempted to yield to the crowd’s desire to make Him King, but the disciples may have been tempted. After all, they saw the huge crowds following their Lord; they saw His miracles of healing and multiplication of food; and now the people wanted to crown their Jesus as King. So what does Christ do? Matthew tells us, “Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.” (Matthew 14:22). Jesus sent them into the storm. Why does our Lord do this? Because He wanted to eliminate their pride – to keep them from thinking that they had something to do with His growing popularity.

The apostle Paul states, “So that I would not become too proud of the wonderful things that were shown to me, a painful physical problem was given to me. This problem was a messenger from Satan, sent to … keep me from being too proud.” (2 Corinthians 12:7 NCV). God allows struggles in our lives to keep us from thinking to highly of ourselves. Maybe you have battled an ailment for years that causes you pain and limits your ministry. You have asked the Lord to take it away, but He has chosen not to and it may be because this ailment keeps you from becoming arrogant and self-sufficient. It reminds you of how much you need the Lord Jesus every day just to do what He has called you to do.

Charles Spurgeon, one of the most powerful preachers in the Victoria Era, had a lifelong battle with depression. He viewed his depression as God’s instrument to keep him dependent on the Lord and more compassionate toward others who suffer pain. It was in his weakness that he experienced the compassion of Christ. Again and again, Spurgeon would speak about the tenderness of Jesus. He longed for any in his audiences who were discouraged or prone to give up, to approach the Lord Jesus for His gentle and healing touch.

It is through suffering that we not only draw closer to Christ, but He also draws near to us to walk with us through the storm. He is a compassionate and gentle Savior who knows how to comfort and console those who are alone in their pain. He also was alone in His pain when He died in our place on the cross. Through His sufferings, He was equipped to be our sympathetic High Priest (Hebrews 4:15). He understands our struggle and He invites us to come to Him in the midst of our storm (Hebrews 4:16).

Prayer: Lord Jesus, when I look back on my life, I see Your gentle and thoughtful orchestration of many storms in my life that were intended to take me deeper in my relationship with You. Some of those storms were much worse than others because of my prideful resistance to Your leading. Thank You for not giving up on me during those times when I was so stubborn. Without Your intervention in my life, my pride would have destroyed me. Thank You for sending me into those storms which eventually removed my pride and brought me closer to You. You are a good and faithful Friend. I am so glad I have You in my life. In Your name. Amen.

Multiplying followers of Jesus – Part 3

“And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.” John 6:11

When I hold a basketball in my hands, it is merely a basketball, but when the same ball is in the hands of Michael Jordan, it turns into collegiate and professional championships. Put a golf club in any of our hands, and it is merely a golf club, but when you place that same golf club in the hands of Tiger Woods, it turns him into the best golfer in the world. A paintbrush in my hands results in an average picture if I paint by numbers, but when a paintbrush was placed in the hands of Renoir, it turned into incredible works of art. How is it that the same instruments and the same tools can bring about such differing degrees of results? It all depends upon who is holding them and how they are being used.

In John 6:1-13, we learn what can happen when we place what we have in God’s hands. The Lord Jesus commands His church in Matthew 28:19 to “make disciples of all the nations.” We have learned so far that if the Lord is going to multiply disciplers of His grace and truth, we must admit that we have a need (John 6:1-7) and assess what we already have (John 6:8-10). Today, we will also learn that we must ALLOW GOD TO TAKE WHAT WE HAVE AND MULTIPLY IT (John 6:11-13).

This little boy’s lunch was not much (John 6:9). Five small barley loaves and a couple of sardine-sized fish – about the size of a McDonald’s Happy Meal. Now, I’m sure in a crowd that size someone else had a bigger and better meal. But it was this little boy who admitted his need to give, assessed what he already had, and then offered it to Jesus.

Let’s look at what happens when what we have is placed in Jesus’s hands. “And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.” (John 6:11). Imagine you are among those disciples distributing the food. You start handing it out on the front row. Just a token piece. But at the end of the first row you notice that nothing in your hand has gone away. You still have as much as you started with in your hand. As a matter of fact, it seems to be even larger.

As you get to the second row you are starting to give out bigger pieces. You are getting bolder now because the food in your hand is not decreasing. By the time you get to the third row, you are doing everything you can to get rid of the food and you cannot get rid of it. By the last row you have given away more than you could have carried, but you still have bread and fish in your hands. So you go back to the first row again and start giving everybody all they can eat. Suddenly, you realize that something supernatural is happening – for you can feed as many as you want and still the bread and fish will not go away! All you have to do is give it away to make it stay.

Imagine that Jesus sends you back into this crowd of twenty thousand people and you fill twelve laundry baskets with leftover food! How would you feel? Do you realize that is exactly what happened when Jesus’s disciples gathered the leftovers? “¹² So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, ‘Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.’¹³ Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.” (John 6:12-13). If you were a disciple, what would you learn about Jesus by gathering up that much bread? He is One Powerful Person – powerful enough to meet everyone’s needs if we would give Him what we have. We can have little and it will remain little as long as we keep it. But if we have little and give it to Jesus — He will multiply it.

This miracle shows us what can happen when we place what we have in God’s hands. Young people, you may think, “I’m too young, there’s nothing God can do with me.” That is not true. What do you have that you can give to Jesus so He can meet the needs of others? Your time? Your talents? Your cell phone!?! God can even use you to introduce Jesus to people who do not know Him. Nor can you adults say, “Well I don’t have anything to offer,” or “What I’ve got isn’t very much.” Nonsense! This boy had a happy meal… a small lunch… five barley loaves and two sardines. That is not even potluck material at our home church, yet he was willing to place it in the hands of Jesus. He said, “Here, Lord, take it and use it.”

God does not expect you to solve all the problems in your church or in your life. But He does expect you to place yourself in His hands, and leave the rest up to Him. It is like the Greyhound bus motto, “Leave the driving to us.” Place it in God’s hands and let Him take care of the rest. Twenty thousand people went home that day challenged, renewed, and refreshed in part because of the faithfulness of one child. I want you to think about this — how many people will be fed, clothed, loved, encouraged, introduced to Jesus Christ, and discipled in your city or town and beyond because of your faithfulness to give Christ what you have?Sometimes all God wants is for you to be willing. Will you give what you have to Jesus?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, this is such a powerful reminder of what You can do with what we have if we will simply place it in Your hands! Some of us may think or feel that we have nothing to offer You to meet the needs of others. But if you can use a little boy’s lunch to feed thousands of people, you can use whatever we have to meet the needs of people around the world. Lord, I know I have blind spots in my life. If there is something that I have that You want to use to spread Your gospel message around the world and disciple those who believe in You, please show me so I can hand it over to You to multiply followers of You for Your glory! In Jesus’s matchless name I pray. Amen.

Multiplying followers of Jesus – Part 2

^“8One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, ⁹‘There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?’” John 6:8-9

If the Lord is going to multiply disciplers of His grace and truth (Matthew 28:19-20; John 1:14), we must also ASSESS WHAT WE ALREADY HAVE (John 6:8-10). “⁸One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, ⁹‘There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?’” (John 6:8-9). Think about it, there were five thousand hungry men on that grassy meadow near the northeastern side of the Sea of Galilee (John 6:1, 10). But that is just the men. There were also women and children there (cf. Matthew 14:21). Let’s say there were also five thousand women and ten thousand children there, too. That is twenty thousand people! How much would it cost to feed twenty thousand people?

I checked with McDonalds near where we live and it is $3.49 per person for a Hamburger Happy Meal. To feed twenty thousand people this Happy Meal, it would cost a grand total of $69,800.

But not everyone likes McDonalds, so I checked with Mullets Restaurant near the river. I figured a Wild West Burger with a soda is $14.58 per person. So for twenty thousand people that would be a grand total of $291,600!

Come on now. This is Father’s Day! No burgers for Dad. Jesus is taking everyone to the Outback Steakhouse in the northern part of our city where people go to eat their delicious 8 ounce Victoria’s Filet Mignon Steak with Grilled Shrimp and a Bloomin’ Onion for $42.27 per person! The grand total is $845,400! Where were the disciples going to come up with $845,400!?!

They probably gathered around and pooled all the money they had. Peter had fifty cents, Andrew another seventy-five cents. They were near Phillip’s hometown so he had a cousin in the crowd. He borrowed five dollars from him. When they totaled it all up, they had $8.53, two sandals, and one cell phone. They knew they couldn’t feed twenty thousand people with $8.53, two sandals, and one cell phone.

While the disciples put all their money together to see what they could do, one little boy said, “Hey! I’ve got my lunch here!” While everyone else is thinking this situation is hopeless, this little boy was thinking, “Here, take this. See what Jesus can do with what I have.” Jesus wants to use every Christian in ministry, including you.

“Then Jesus said, ‘Make the people sit down.’ Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.” (John 6:10). This may have been an interesting command to the disciples. “Sit down to eat? Eat what?” the disciples must have been thinking. “We are not going to get very far on this boy’s lunch.” But Jesus has the solution.

Do you realize that your church has every resource you need, to do what God wants you to do right now! Do you believe that? Those resources have already been divided up among each of you. He has given some of it to you… and to you… and to you… and to you. That is why we all need to step back, every now and then, and take an inventory of the resources God has given us and then step forward to do our part.

I don’t know all of you who read these articles, but I would guess some of you are leaders… speakers… handymen or women… organizers… counselors… encouragers… some of you are great at working with children… teenagers… young marrieds… mid-lifers… and seniors. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, God has gifted you to do your part in carrying on His work here on earth. As believers, we need each other to step up and do our part (cf. I Corinthians 12:1-31). So first, admit you have a need (John 6:1-7) and assess what you already have (John 6:8-10).

When Andrew and the other disciples assessed what they already had, including the boy’s lunch, they knew that their resources alone were not enough. This assessment prompted them to look to Jesus for the solution. Will we do the same when we realize that what we have is not enough to satisfy the needs of all the people around us? It does not matter how gifted and talented we are, we cannot meet the deepest needs of people. Only Jesus can do that. Will we step up and do our part by bringing their needs to Him in prayer?

Prayer: Precious Lord Jesus, every day I see or hear evidence of how broken and wounded people in the world are, including me and those closest to me. As much as I would like to fix all the anger, division, and pain that people are facing, I am not capable of such a task. Because at the root of all this chaos and confusion in the world is a deeper problem that only You can solve. Only You can transform and heal our wounded and wicked hearts. Human governments, activists, and healthcare workers cannot perform this kind of surgery on the human heart. But You my Lord and my God can and You will when we implement Your discipleship process in our lost and broken communities. Right now my Lord, I ask You to heal the brokenness in me that has wounded so many other people in the past. Please show me how I can be a channel of Your healing grace and mercy to others who are reeling in anger and pain. Lead me to those who are prepared to hear and believe Your gospel message, and then be taught to follow You as Your disciple. In Jesus’s name. Amen.

Multiplying followers of Jesus – Part 1

“Philip answered Him, ‘Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.’ ” John 6:7

The Lord Jesus commands His church in Matthew 28:19 to “Make disciples of all the nations.” We are to multiply disciples of Jesus’s grace and truth whereby believers lead others to Christ and then train them to do the same. Instead of going overseas, we can now go across the street to reach other nations. We are going look at three principles of multiplication in John 6:1-13. If the Lord is going to multiply disciplers of His grace and truth, we must first…

ADMIT THAT WE HAVE A NEED (John 6:1-7). I have been watching people for a few years now, and I’ve discovered that there are three kinds of people in the world: those who make things happen; those who watch things happen; and those who have no idea what is happening! Which person do you tend to be? All three types of people were in the crowd that day listening to Jesus. The scene is a grassy meadow near the northeastern side of the Sea of Galilee. “After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.” (John 6:1). Six months after the events of chapter five when Jesus healed the lame man on the Sabbath and the religious leaders sought to kill Christ, Jesus retreats to get some rest and recharge His emotional and physical batteries.

After finding a place to rest, Jesus looks up and sees that the crowds have followed Him. “² Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased. ³ And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples. ⁴Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near.” (John 6:2-4). John tells us there were “about five thousand” men there (John 6:10b). Matthew 14:21 says there were also “women and children” present.

Jesus turns to Philip, because this is Philip’s old stomping grounds – “⁵ Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, ‘Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?’ ⁶ But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.” (John 6:5-6). Christ had been training His disciples for about two years now to carry on His work. It was now time for a mid-term examination! Our Lord wanted to test Philip to see if he had learned anything from the previous miracles Jesus had performed.

“Philip answered Him, ‘Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.’ ” (John 6:7). Philip is the analytical type. He gets out his calculator, makes a few quick calculations and says, “Lord, don’t you understand that it would take more than six months of wages to buy bread for all these people?” According to his analytical mind the situation is hopeless. Phillip had obviously forgotten who was with them! This is the One who had the power to turn water into wine and heal the lame. He’s standing right there in front of them in their hour of need, and Philip is looking over Jesus’s shoulder for Colonel Sanders or Ronald McDonald.

God forgive us for the Philip in all of us! How many times do we look at impossible situations and try to work them out with our own resources!?! Maybe the stack of bills at home keeps growing and growing and you have no way of paying them off. Perhaps you are waiting to hear from the doctor’s office to learn about some test results. Maybe you feel stuck in a relationship. Or you have frustration about your job – or not having a job. Where will you cast your gaze when you face these types of difficulties?

What about the challenges you face in your life? God wants you to boldly share the gospel with the unreached people in your life and beyond so that hundreds or even thousands will trust in Christ alone for the free gift of eternal life. Then you will need disciplers to train those new believers and you will need resources to do all of this. Will you look to your pastor or other church leaders or your family and expect them to supply these needs? Or will you look to Jesus who is right here with you to provide what you need? Multiplication starts when we admit to Christ that we have a need.

When Philip shared his analysis of the situation with the Lord, what kind of look do you think Jesus gave to him? I can picture the Lord Jesus smiling at Philip, as if to say, “Philip, I am about to show You something that you will probably want to sit down to behold. I think you will be more than pleased with the outcome.” A verse that comes to my mind as I picture the look on Jesus’s face is Jeremiah 32:17, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.” If the Lord can create the universe with His great power and outstretched arm, surely feeding several thousand people will not be too hard for Him! And certainly whatever we are facing will not be beyond His power to provide. The key is to admit our need and believe that He is able.

Prayer: Lord, this has been a harder day for me. I have so many feelings bouncing around inside of me. Thank You for reminding me that You are with me and You are very much aware of how I am feeling and what I am facing. Instead of trying harder to deal with difficulties in my life or turning to someone or something else to help me, I want to hand all my burdens over to You. You promise to supply all my needs and I am ready to trust You to do that. I am so grateful that I do not have to face life alone. You are with me to strengthen me and to help me; to uphold me with Your righteous right hand. Thank You for enabling me to see my circumstances more from Your perspective rather than from my own limited point of view. Please provide what is needed to see more people exposed to Your gospel message and trained in discipleship. In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.

Who are the witnesses who back up Christ’s claim to be equal with God? Part 5

“For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.” John 5:46

Now Jesus calls upon His fifth and final witness to back up His claim to be equal with God. This final witness is THE PROPHET, MOSES (John 5:45-47). Jesus said to the Jewish religious leaders, “Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you—Moses, in whom you trust.” (John 5:45). It is amazing that the very one they are using as their excuse to persecute Jesus, will instead become their accuser. Moses will finally tell them they have ignored his words about Christ.

Many are in the same situation as the Pharisees today. People say, “When I stand before God I will have a lot of things to say to Him. I don’t think He has treated me very fairly. I have had a bad deal in life and I’m going to tell Him so.” But on that day, they will stand absolutely silent before God, their own memories will testify that He is right and they are wrong. Listen to these words: “⁴⁶ For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. ⁴⁷ But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” (John 5:46-47). If the Jews believed Moses (and they didn’t), they would believe Jesus because Moses wrote about Him.

After His death and resurrection, Jesus met two disciples traveling to a village called Emmaus who doubted that He was alive. Jesus said to them, “²⁵ O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! ²⁶ Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” (Luke 24:25-26). Luke adds, “And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” (Luke 24:27).

Christ began with Moses’s teachings about His sufferings and death. The first reference to Jesus’s death on the cross from Moses is seen in Genesis 3:15, when God pronounced a curse on the serpent who represents Satan (cf. Revelation 12:9), “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” According to this verse, there would be antagonism (“enmity”) between the serpent and Eve (3:15a), and ultimately between Satan/his followers (“your seed”) and the Messiah (“her Seed” – Galatians 3:16, 19) Who would defeat (“bruise your head”) the Devil through His death on the cross (“you shall bruise His heel,” 3:15b; cf. Colossians 2:13-15; Hebrews 2:14; I John 3:8)).

Moses also foreshadows the death of Christ when he records God having to slay an innocent animal to cover the nakedness of Adam and Eve after they sinned (Genesis 3:7, 21). By providing a covering with animal skins, God provided forgiveness through the “shedding of blood” (Hebrews 9:22) through that innocent animal. God later provided forgiveness through the Old Testament sacrificial system which also was a foreshadowing of Christ’s death (cf. Hebrews 10:1-18).

Those animals were shadows of the Babe who was born on that first Christmas morning. He would be called “the Lamb of God” (John 1:29). Like that first animal that was sacrificed for Adam and Eve, Jesus Christ would also be innocent and without sin because He was and is God (John 1:1, 14, 17; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:8; 4:15; I Peter 3:18; I John 5:20). And like that first sacrificial animal, Jesus was born to die for the sins of others (John 1:29; Romans 5:8; I John 4:9), that “whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

Moses was the final witness called up by Jesus to support His claim to be equal with God. Moses was highly respected by the Jewish nation and Jesus was saying Moses would condemn them because they rejected the Person he wrote about. Most people think that if someone does not believe something, what he needs is more light on it. If a little information does not persuade him, we want to give more information. But Jesus says that won’t work. If a person does not believe the truth he knows now, he won’t believe when he hears even more truth. This is what Jesus is saying to His audience, including us.

Where does that leave us? You may say “How can I believe Jesus is God?” You have the witness of God the Father (John 5:31-32, 37-38; cf. Matthew 3:17); of John the Baptist (John 5:33-35); twenty centuries of testimony about the power of Jesus to heal people, to turn them around and make them whole (John 5:36); the witness of the Bible (John 5:39-44); and the witness of Moses (John 5:45-47). Five witnesses were sufficient to condemn the Jews for their unbelief. The Jews were claiming a legal ground for unbelief (John 5:31) and Jesus shows them there is no legal basis.

Where does that leave you, if you continue to pursue the empty voices of the world and other religions, and seek for positions of power and influence apart from the will and the glory of God? Your future has no hope if Christ is not a part of it.

These are tough words to swallow. I cannot make them easy words because Jesus did not make them easy. But they are words that force us to face ourselves in the light of reality. Where are you going in life? What are you doing with it? This is a critical hour in history. No more critical hour has ever come. Let’s face the choice which Jesus demands. If you are a Christian, will you submit to Jesus Christ as God and let Him direct your life even if it means being led up onto a hill to be crucified or serving Him in another part of the world? Are you willing to live for Him and not yourself?

If you are not a Christian, is there anything keeping you from trusting Christ alone right now to get you to heaven? Because He is God, He is the only One who can give you eternal life. Take Him at His Word when He says, “He who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” (John 5:24).

Prayer: Father God, because Your Son is as much God as You are, He deserves our very best in thought, word and action. He deserves our total obedience. He deserves our worship. Forgive us for giving Him our leftovers. Renew in us a desire to live for Jesus Christ and not ourselves. Give each of us a desire to invest our lives in what lasts – people and the Word of God. For those who do not believe in Jesus yet for His gift of everlasting life, please use these five witnesses to persuade him or her that Jesus is God. Show them how dearly He loves them and wants to save them from their sins and give them everlasting life if they would believe in Him alone as their only hope of heaven. In Jesus’s eternal name I pray. Amen.

A Look into the Future – Part 7 (Video)

This is the seventh in a series of videos about the future as recorded in the last book of the Bible, the book of Revelation. This video focuses on the New Heaven and New Earth.

The Revelation Art is used by permission of Pat Marvenko Smith, copyright 1992. To order art prints visit her “Revelation Illustrated” site, http://www.revelationillustrated.com. Other digital images are used with permission from Good News Productions International and College Press Publishing (www.FreeBibleimages.org) and GoodSalt (www.goodsalt.com). The music and video scenes in this video are used with permission from the producers of the video entitled “The Free Gift.”