February 11 - A Reasonable Faith - Part 2

 Read today’s texts first: Leviticus 15-17; Acts 18

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

When we give a “reason for the hope within us, “
let’s make sure it is reasonable and irrefutable. 

The reasoning continues in Acts 18, this time passing from Paul to Aquila and Priscilla, and then to Apollos (4,19,25,26,28).

The tedious task of stitching tent canvas allowed Paul many hours of training with fellow tent-makers, Aquila and Priscilla.  On a side note, notice how they were introduced to us with the husband’s name first (2), in typical Jewish fashion, but then later on by the wife’s name first (18; Romans 16:3; 2 Timothy 4:19) – very atypical!  Priscilla apparently developed a prominent teaching gift and became more active in ministry than her husband.  So much for the view that believes Paul discriminated against women in ministry.  The strength of Priscilla and Aquila, like Paul, was sound, reasonable teaching.

Naturally they were drawn to Apollos, who was known for teaching about Jesus “accurately” (25), though he was limited to John’s mentorship.  After P & A finished enlightening him, he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ (28).  How does one prove Jesus is the Christ?  Frank Morrison, an agnostic lawyer, set out to disprove the resurrection of Jesus.  He was so changed by the overwhelming evidence for it that he became a Christian.  The book he finally wrote, entitled Who Moved the Stone, presents compelling arguments that prove the historical accuracy of Christ’s death and resurrection.

In sharp contrast to that kind of reasonable thinking is the way the Jehovah Witness community has misinterpreted today’s Leviticus reading on eating blood.  I remember when our B.C. government had to step in to save some of the sextuplets born to JW parents who refused their much-needed blood transfusions.  The command in Leviticus clearly concerns “eating blood” and the reasons are physical (health concerns) and spiritual (this was a ritual from the pagan idolatry of Israel’s enemies).  To allow innocent children to die unnecessarily over faulty exegesis is not only unreasonable, it’s criminal.  And it unfortunately brands every other Bible believer with the inaccurate notion that we are mindless and superstitious.

“Lord, may I follow the pattern set by Paul, Priscilla, Aquila, and Apollos in presenting a reason for the hope I have within me.  It is a hope based on truth that is both reasonable and irrefutable.”

February 10 - A Reasonable Faith

 Read today’s texts first: Leviticus 13 &14; Acts 17

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

Faith, if it’s based on truth, should be reasonable. 

Christians often appear as mindless fanatics to our sophisticated world: “I live by faith – don’t confuse me with the facts.”  While I’d be the first to admit there are times when God’s mind exceeds the capacity of my own mind to understand it, I also think that faith, if it’s based on truth, should be reasonable.  That’s why I taught a class on science and the Bible at PLBC.  I want future church leaders to be able to give a reason for the hope they have (1 Peter 3:15).

Paul felt the same way.  He reasoned with these very intellectual Jews and Greeks (2,17), proving to them Christ died and rose again (3).  So convincing was he that many of them were “persuaded” to come to Christ.  Of course people come to faith through a spiritual decision, not an intellectual one. But for the message to penetrate the spirit, it has to get past the defenses people build into their thinking.  This is particularly true with Westerners, Europeans, and others from intellectual and sophisticated societies.

Fortunately, the Bible is truth, and bears up under scrutiny.  I saw a reader-board sign outside a United church that said “The Bible: Infallible – no; Inspirational – yes.”  That doesn’t work for me.  If something is not fully true, then how can it transform my life?  Jesus said to all the Genesis skeptics and evolutionists out there, I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?  (John 3:12).  The Bible must be true in its history and science if we are to believe its spiritual principles.

Even the details of the health and spiritual limitations on diet and cleanliness in our Leviticus readings are reasonable.  That’s why the Israelites were so far ahead of the pagan nations around them.  “Lord, thank You that Your Word is true, on all levels.  It has withstood the scrutiny of skeptics for thousands of years and becomes more recognizably reliable with each scientific discovery. Trusting You and Your Word is the reasonable thing to do!”

February 9 - Invincibility

 Read today’s texts first: Leviticus 10-12; Acts 16

 MAXIMize YOUR DAY

Every Christian has the super power of eternal life. 

I’ve always wanted to be superman.  As a kid, I thought flying would be cool; as a teenager, x-ray vision intrigued me; but now that I’m a senior citizen, invincibility seems to be the ultimate superpower.  Who wouldn’t want to see bullets bouncing off your chest.  It’s even more dramatic than Neo freezing them midair (I like the Matrix movies too).  As we keep reading the adventures of Paul, it seems like he believed he had superman’s capacity to defy death.

Acts 16 is a classic narrative on how to follow the leading of the Spirit.  Sometimes circumstances block our way (6,7); sometimes it’s a vision that calls us in a different direction (9,10).  Sometimes things you can’t control take you out of commission for awhile (22-24).  But Paul and Silas knew enough about following God that they didn’t seem the least perturbed about being stripped, beaten, and chained up in the deepest, darkest and dankest part of a Philippian jail.  Paul had already survived a stoning at Lystra – he was invincible!  That he was still alive was reason enough to sing God’s praises (25).

After the earthquake shook the doors open and rattled the chains off their feet (a perfect illustration of the power of praise), Paul and Silas stayed right where they were.  If it had been me, I would have used my “get-out-of-jail-free” card as fast as I could, but they had this sense that nothing outside of God’s will could hurt them.  Because they stayed, the Philippian jailer and his household were saved and the church of Philippi was born.  Paul’s letter to that church is filled with the same joy they felt that night in that rat-infested prison.

The reading in Leviticus illustrates that the only Kryptonite we need to fear is disobedience to the Source of our superpowers.  Aaron’s sons thought they knew better than God and found out quickly how mortal they were without Him.  “Lord, thank you that I am truly invincible when I’m walking in your will.  Even death for the believer is just a doorway to eternal life – now that’s true invincibility!”

February 8 - A Higher Standard

 Read today’s texts first: Leviticus 7-9; Acts 15

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

The high calling of spiritual leadership requires a
higher standard of holiness and sacrifice.
If you don’t like it, get over your“self”!

While I haven’t been journaling about my readings in Leviticus, it’s not because I think its content is boring.  Quite the opposite; I am always intrigued and amazed at the meticulous details God required of His priests and the sacrifices they offered on behalf of His people.  When they did things right, God sent His fire down from heaven to consume their sacrifices and the people rejoiced in His mercy (9:23-24).  If they did it wrong, that same fire could consume them.  No wonder only the Levites had the guts to step forward and act as God’s representatives.  There’s definitely a higher standard imposed on “priests” and, in our case, church leaders.

I noticed how the priests were to lay hands on the sacrifices before they were offered to illustrate their identification.  Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that the ultimate sacrifice, Jesus, took our sins on the cross, not His own.  Then the blood was applied to each priest, to their right earlobe, thumb, and big toe.  The right side represents privilege and authority and the applied blood reminds the priests to be consecrated in what they hear, what they touch, and where they go.  These rituals were only required for the priests, not the average Israelite.

The students at our Bible college sometimes wonder why we impose on them a higher standard than even their churches require.  Our purpose is to prepare them for church leadership.  We get a glimpse of the challenges leaders face from our reading in Acts 15 and the deliberations of the Jerusalem Council.  Coincidentally, they were dealing with church standards for the new Gentile converts, deciding not to impose the same circumcision ritual they had all experienced.  The apostles had a wider constituency to deal with, ministering to both Jews and Gentiles.  They often had to go far beyond others in their personal disciplines to make sure there were no impediments to the gospel.

“Lord, it’s that high calling and higher standard that allows for the presence of Your Holy Spirit to accompany spiritual leadership.  The conclusion of the Jerusalem Council says, it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us.  Though I’ve failed at times, I want to live up to the standards you’ve called me to if it means Your presence and wisdom will flow through me.”

February 7 - Persecution from Within

 Read today’s texts first: Leviticus 4-6; Acts 14

MAXIMize YOUR DAY 

Our enemy’s favourite tactic is using persecution
from within to divide and conquer. 

It would be expected that when the apostles began bringing the gospel to the Gentiles they would face persecution.  After all, it was the Romans who tried Jesus and nailed Him to the cross. Naturally they would be suspicious of a message heralding a new King and a new kingdom.  Any attempt to undermine Rome’s autocratic political system would be dealt with swiftly and harshly.  However, much of the persecution to the Jewish apostles came from the Jews themselves (14:3,19).  They seemed to follow them around from town to town, trying to stir up the locals to wreak havoc.  At Lystra, they pelted Paul with rocks and left him for dead.  Fortunately, Paul bounced back and carried on undaunted.

It’s hard for us to imagine this kind of opposition.  Perhaps if we were to experience it, we might also know the passion that kept them going and the miraculous intervention of the Holy Spirit riding shotgun.  The church in China today can relate.  When I was reading the Bible League pamphlet on the persecuted church, they report that the Chinese Christians are praying for more Bibles, but they’re not asking God to end the communists’ threats on their lives.  They know that persecution from the outside propels the church forward.

What we in North America can relate to is “persecution” from within.  While we suffer from occasional public image problems stirred up by left-leaning media, the biggest challenge our western churches face is internal.  Like the Jews and the early church, sometimes the people within our churches today forget that the gospel is for everyone.  Some congregations have become exclusive clubs, or holy huddles, whose greatest mission is to isolate, or at least insulate, their sacred sanctuaries from a sinful world.  Any attempts to contextualize the gospel and to reach outside of their comfort zones are met with an undercurrent of gossip, political leveraging, factions, and church splits.  As a former worship leader, I’ve often heard the complaints of congregants who think church is for them.  After all, they pay for the Sunday morning show with their tithes and offerings.  Why would we want to play music that would attract the heathen into our comfortable pews?

Persecution from outside brings the church together with a kind of unstoppable life-and-death resolve.  Persecution from within does the opposite.  It allows the enemy to gain access, like a Trojan Horse, into our command centres to divide and conquer.  No wonder our churches here, especially in Canada, are often weak and ineffective.  “Lord, I ask for the kind of resolve evident in the first church to be in me, my colleagues, and the future leaders we train.  Like Paul, we may take a few well-aimed rocks, some from our own congregants. But help us to quickly get back on our feet and keep moving forward with the message worth dying for.”

February 6 - Stuff Happens

 Read today’s texts first: Leviticus 1-3; Acts 13

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

When bad stuff happens, there’s no room
to store it if we’re “stuffed” with joy.

When rereading a familiar story, I tend to look for the previously unnoticed details.  This time through I paid attention to the seemingly insignificant words, John left them (13), they stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and expelled them from their region (50), and the concluding statement and the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit (52).  The incongruity of these sentences struck me.  It seems that between all of the outstanding miracles the apostles experienced, bad stuff also happened.  And yet, the joy of serving Jesus remained!

I loved working with young emerging leaders.  Their enthusiasm for Jesus, their love for times of worship, and their joy in serving is contagious.  Unfortunately, it’s also fleeting.  When reality starts clouding up their rose-coloured idealism, they can quickly lose heart.  Thoughts of “maybe God didn’t call me to Bible College” or “this is a lot more work than I thought it would be,” or “I’m just not cut out for ministry” begin drowning out the still small voice that called them to this time of preparation.  Like John Mark, when life on the road (without a car) gets too tiring, your old bed back home begins to beckon.  We don’t know why Mark left, but we do know Paul didn’t want to work with him again any time soon (15:37-39).

Knowing the rest of the story keeps me doing what I do.  John Mark was patiently mentored by (who else) the “Son of Encouragement,” Barnabas.  He became a strong leader, working closely with Barnabas, Peter, and, later on, even Paul.  Mark’s gospel account was written to reach the Romans and he had such a heart for ministry that Paul wanted him back in Rome at his side for his final days.  John Mark had to learn how to get through the stuff of life by staying focused on the joy of ministry.

I enjoy being a Barnabas to young leaders like Mark, to help them navigate through the stuff of life without losing their joy.  “Lord, thank You for teaching me these lessons early on.  I ask for Your continuing grace to be an example to all the John Marks you bring my way.”

February 5 - Keep Your Head in the Cloud

 Read today’s texts first: Exodus 39 & 40; Psalms 15; Acts 12

 MAXIMize YOUR DAY

Some people keep their head in the clouds, touching down on Earth like a tornado, with the same results! 

As an advocate for keeping both feet firmly planted on the ground in ministry, I’ve often been troubled by those who are so heavenly-minded they are no earthly good.  I remember as a young associate pastor trying to round up volunteers for a church work bee and hearing from one self-proclaimed “prayer warrior” that she wanted to be available that day to do whatever God wanted her to do.  I felt like saying, “I know what God wants you to do – He wants you pulling weeds with the rest of us!”

We’ve all met people like that, super-spiritual saints who float from one divine appointment to the next.  With their heads in the clouds, they touch down on planet earth as often as a tornado and with the same results, stirring up a lot of trouble without hanging around to clean up the mess.

On the other hand, there is something to be said for keeping your head in one cloud – the cloud of God’s glory.  For Moses and the Israelites, their survival depended on moving when the cloud did.  It was the sign of God’s presence, and Moses had already determined that if God wasn’t leading the way, they weren’t moving.

In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out--until the day it lifted. (40:36,37) 

This was the conclusion of the book of Exodus.  The truth is, if you follow that cloud you will be extremely effective on planet earth.  Israel is about to discover that as they move into the Promised Land and the conflicts ahead.

“Lord, I want to keep my head in the cloud of Your presence so that I can see even more clearly what on earth You want me to do!”