Faith

Jesus Includes Everyone – Acts 10

/ Scott Russ / Leave a comment

​Have you ever had a really weird dream and then you woke up and thought, “What was that all about?” When we were in Belize there was one evening after dinner that our guests wanted to take our team out for these coffee flavored milk shakes. They were very tasty. I enjoyed mine as a sat next to others, enjoying the evening and having some great conversation. But little did I know that I was in for a ride once I fell asleep. All I remember is that I had some really weird dreams that left me dazed and confused when I woke up. That morning, when I went to go take my medication, I noticed that I forgot to take them the morning before. So, with the combination of being off my meds and drinking a coffee milkshake before I went to bed was not a good combination for my mind! It was the most restless sleep I had all week. As we look at Acts 10, we see that Peter also had some weird dreams one night. And I doubt it had to be because he forgot to take his medication or drank dairy before he went to bed. But before we get to that, let’s get the back story.

Acts 10 begins this way:

At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. 2 He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. 3 One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”

4 Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked.

The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. 5 Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. 6 He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.”

7 When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants. 8 He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa.

So, there are a couple of things to note here that are very important for us to get the full gravity of what is going on. The brand-new Christian movement thus far has been a movement within the Jewish community. And at this point, for all they knew, following Jesus was primarily a Jewish thing. Non-Jewish people were seen as gentiles, nonbelievers, people not to be trusted with the Gospel of Jesus. 

But then one day, far away from the Jewish Christian community, a Roman centurion had a vision of an angel. Now understand that Romans were considered the enemy of the Jewish people. They were the occupying force oppressing them. There was no way for a person of Jewish decent to look kindly at the Romans especially a centurion. Yet, an angel visits Cornelius and tells him to call for Peter to come visit him.

Now what is really cool here in this story is the way that God orchestrates a very important and vital “God moment” between two people. A vision is given to Cornelius and then a vision is given to Peter. These visions were given to create an opportunity for these two to come together. Why these visions? Because under any other circumstances these two most likely would never speak to each other because of all the social and political barriers separating them. 

Now a vision was given to Peter to nudge him in the direction of going to see Cornelius. The story continues:

9 About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance.11 He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12 It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. 13 Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”

14 “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”

15 The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”

16 This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.

17 While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon’s house was and stopped at the gate. 18 They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there.

19 While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three men are looking for you. 20 So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.”

21 Peter went down and said to the men, “I’m the one you’re looking for. Why have you come?”

22 The men replied, “We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to ask you to come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.” 23 Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests.

What a strange dream! Peter had a weird dream of all kinds of animals, kosher and non-kosher coming down on a sheet. And then a voice told him to get up and eat. This would have been a wonderful dream for me! Eat all this delicious food! But Peter objects! He is not going to go up against everything he has always believed when it comes to a kosher diet. He objects three times and for three times the voice tells him “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”

But you have to understand that for hundreds of years the Jewish people have been following, or at least attempting to follow, the laws given to Moses. In those laws are strict dietary laws that told them what they could and could not eat. Imagine this: on the DO NOT EAT list were thinks like pork and many types of seafood! There were kosher laws keeping them to a specific diet that would distinguish them from their Gentile counterparts. Peter would have found this dream to be offensive to everything he has been brought up to believe. He tries hard to stand on his principles and convictions. The dream then repeats itself three times. Any time anything is repeated three times in the Bible that attests to it importance and seriousness. God is driving home the point. Now Peter is understanding this dream in a literal sense, not yet understanding its figurative meaning. 

To summarize some of the story, the messengers find where Peter’s house is at and invite him back to Cornelius’s place. You can almost see the wheels turning in Peter’s head wondering if this has anything to do with his dream.  

When he gets to Cornelius’s house, Peter and Cornelius compare notes on their dreams and how they were given to each one of them to bring them together. 

What is kind of funny, and slightly offensive, is how Peter responds to Cornelius at first. He states, “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean. 29 So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?”

So, it’s kind of like Your people and my people, yeah well, we don’t really see eye to eye. I’m not really supposed to be associating with you. But God kind of twisted my arm on this matter. So, I came without objection! Thank you? I guess.

Cornelius then shares the details of his dream which encourages Peter to open up and share all he knows about Jesus. Peter begins to share by starting with stating, “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.” He then goes on to share everything he witnessed about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. He then concludes with, “All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Get that: God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right! Everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. His salvation has busted through the “Jews-only” wall and is now available to all people. Anyone who puts their faith in Jesus finds forgiveness for their sins and a new life through Him! 

This was mind-blowing, earth-shattering, hard-to-believe truth here. Peter’s reluctance, questioning, and fear got steam-rolled over by God’s grace offered to all people, even a Roman centurion.

So, now that they compared dreams and Peter was able to tell his audience all about Jesus, what was the results? The story ends this way:

44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles.46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.

Then Peter said, 47 “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” 48 So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.

Peter and his circumcised Jewish friends all of a sudden beheld the gifts of the Holy Spirit being fleshed out in the uncircumcised, non-kosher, politically incorrect Gentiles who were there, Cornelius and his family and friends all exhibited evidence of the Holy Spirit based on their faith. Now I’d like to park here for a moment and make sure you understand that Peter did not tell them to say a little prayer and then all is good, go on with life as usual. He tells them to put their faith in Jesus and do what is right. When we do this, there ought to be clear evidence of our salvation through the work of the Holy Spirit. So clear, that other people notice there is something different about you. Believe me when I say we are living in very dark times right now where faith, integrity, character, and a Spirit-filled life will stand out in the darkness. People will take notice of this and you may attract people to Jesus or you may face persecution of sorts. Keep in mind that there are Christians all around the world who fear for their lives simply because of their faith and the country they live in that is strongly opposed to Christianity. And also, be careful because in America right now there are many voices trying to speak out for Christianity that are very anti-Christ. Imposing our faith by force of will never work. Christian nationalism will fail because it is not of God. It is time we begin to look at the fruit of our lives to distinguish whether or not we are truly following Jesus and living Holy Spirit filled lives. Not that we become perfect all the time now. But there ought to be evidence of growth, that the fruit of the Spirit is developing in your life. 

With that said, I want us to focus on Peter’s initial reactions to being told three times to go witness to a non-kosher, non-Jewish gentile, who was a Roman centurion. This was an earth shattering, boundary-breaking moment in Christian history. This event did not sit well for a while with Jewish believers. Paul and Barnabus’s ministry to the gentiles started taking off as well. Suddenly, the very first Church Council was called for in Jerusalem where Peter, Paul, and Barnabus were challenged to share what they were experiencing. You can read all about this in Acts 15. 

So, let’s apply this to our current situation. Who are the people you think are beyond God’s grace and redemption? I want to open up and share with you about a group of people I used to struggle to love. That is the LGBTQ community. I was brought up to believe from pastors and teachers that to be gay was a sin. In fact, I taught this in my early years of Youth Ministry, and even during my initial starting years here at Epiphany. It was really easy for me to have a strong opinion because I believed at the time that the Bible was very clear on this subject and quite frankly, I did not know anyone, or at least I didn’t think I knew anyone, who was a part of that community. It is really easy to have a belief about a specific group of people especially when you don’t even know anybody personally from said community. As I grew up, I have had people, friends, pastors, and professors, twist scripture in such a way as to justify their racism, patriarchy, homophobia, and their hate for their political opponents. It was always about who is in and who is out. Who are the real Christians, and who are the heathens. 

A major turning point for me here at Epiphany was when the youth group was doing a mission trip to downtown Cincinnati in 2013. I had a gay couple, who you are all familiar with, ask to join us on the mission trip. Heather and Jen wanted to be a part of the trip and experience it with one of their kids. This was the first time for me that I ever had a gay couple want to be a part of a mission trip. At the time, I wasn’t sure what to think or how to approach this. Of course, they came on the trip and this began a new relationship for me. They were both very open and willing to have conversations with me about their faith and what it means to be gay. During this mission trip I was able to see them be used of God as they took part in ministry with our teenagers. This has only continued as they have both been involved in our contemporary music team for several years now.

Fast forward to approximately 5 years ago, we were in a position to hire a new director of Contemporary Music. This young kid came in and impressed us. His name was Corbin. At that time, he told us he was gay, wondering if that would be a deal-breaker or not. As he began working here, it became very evident that God was using him in a special way to lead our music ministries. A couple of years back, Corbin offered to go on one of our youth mission trips. Since then, he has attended the past 3 youth mission trips to Florida, Minnesota, and Belize. And I have gone with him on the Mexico mission trip as well last November. As I have seen him be used of God, I have come under the conviction that I love doing ministry with him, especially mission trips. It is clearly evident to me that God is also working in and through Corbin just like I have seen in Heather and Jen. In fact, both Jen and Corbin have felt a call to pastoral ministry as a result of their connection to Epiphany.

So, what do I do with the passages that seem to condemn homosexuality? Well, what I typically do when faced with an issue I am struggling with is that I grab a bunch of books on the subject and start reading away. Some books that have been very instrumental to me that have helped me better understand the LGBTQ community were these:

  1. God and the Gay Christian by Mathew Vines
  2. Torn by Justin Lee
  3. Changing Our Minds by David Gushee
  4. A Letter to My Congregation by Ken Wilson

These four books, along with others, help me better understand cultural context, translation and interpretation of Biblical texts that seemed to condemn being gay. They also helped me to look at other passages, like what we are looking at today, in which God’s inclusive and inviting nature breaks out into people groups that may or may not surprise us. 

I have seen the Holy Spirit use Jen, Heather, and Corbin to be a blessing to our congregation and also to others. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are evident in their lives. And just like Peter, I too have been astonished and amazed at seeing God’s salvation and grace poured out on a people group I used to condemn and be dismissive of. 

So, my question to you is who are the people in your mind that are beyond God’s redemption? Could it be those who think differently than you on politics, like the democrats or MAGA republicans? Could it be immigrants, or brown people in general that are being demonized and treated horribly by our government? Could it be people of a different race or culture than the one you are used to? Could it be a gay or transgender person? The world is full of people groups that may make you feel uncomfortable, strange, and even willing to condemn them. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the Bible is full of condemnation for certain people groups. 

Let’s consider this:

THE BIBLE IS CLEAR: Moabites are bad. They were not allowed to dwell among God’s people. 

Deuteronomy 23:3 states “No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord, not even in the tenth generation.”

But then comes the story of “Ruth the Moabite,” which challenges the prejudice against the Moabites.

THE BIBLE IS CLEAR: People from Uz are evil as stated in Jeremiah 25. 

But then comes the story of Job, a man from Uz who was the “most blameless man on earth.”

THE BIBLE IS CLEAR: No foreigners or eunuchs allowed.

Deuteronomy 23:1-2 states “No one who has been emasculated by crushing or cutting may enter the assembly of the Lord. No one born of a forbidden marriage nor any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord, not even in the tenth generation.”

But then comes the story of an African eunuch welcomed into the church in Acts 8. This right here is the very first sexual minority whom Peter led to the Lord and baptized.

THE BIBLE IS CLEAR: God’s people hated Samaritans.

But then Jesus tells a story that shows not all Samaritans were bad. 

THE STORY MAY BEGIN with prejudice, discrimination, and animosity, but the Spirit moves God’s people towards openness, welcome, inclusion, acceptance, and affirmation. 

So, let’s think this through: is the Bible clear on sexual minorities, or gay people? After much study, I don’t think so, but you might think differently. Let’s go back and remember the story of the African eunuch. He was most likely black and a sexual minority. We don’t know if he was born that way or surgically altered to be a eunuch. Were these issues for Peter to exclude him? Absolutely not. In fact, none of this was a part of the conversation leading up to his salvation and baptism. Were the African eunuch and Peter different? Yes! In many ways! But did their differences exclude God’s grace and salvation? Not one bit. 

And remember Peter’s reaction to Cornielius. When they first met, he said, “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean.”

But then after seeing all that God was doing through Cornielius, Peter concludes, “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritismbut accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.”

Get that: God does not show favoritism. God’s grace, love, and salvation are available to all people. All means all! No matter the color of their skin, or their sexual or gender identity, their economic status, national identity, or their political identity. Doesn’t matter if you are a Baby Boomer, Gen X, Millennial, 

Gen Z, Generation Alpha, iGen, or whatever generation you are a part of. God’s love is available to all people. His Holy Spirit is ready to transform anyone who puts their faith in Jesus. So, the next time you think about Cornelius, remember how different he was from Peter, yet God’s grace and salvation was just as available to him as it was to the Jewish community of believers where it all started.  

So, what about you? In Biblical terminology, we are all Gentiles. All of us have been on the outside at some point. Have you put your faith in Jesus? Have you received the guidance and gifting of the Holy Spirit in your life? If not, why not now? Jesus wants to enter into your life and transform you from the inside out to be more and more like him, doing good and making a difference in this world living together as kingdom people. If you have any questions, there are many people in this room as well as pastors and church leaders who would love to introduce you to the faith. May Epiphany continue to be a church for all people. Sharing God’s grace and love to all people. Just as God has lavished his love on us may we also be a people known for our love of others. May it be so for all of us. 

Benediction:

May we as a congregation of believers not give into the hate and division that our culture encourages against anyone who may be considered different from you. And may we not be people who use the Bible to discriminate, hate, and divide others that may be different than ourselves. May we never hate a group of people simply because our culture or government tells us to. Help us always to stand in God’s grace and his mercy offering a hand of welcome and an embrace of love to all people who want to know more about the Jesus we serve. Amen
 

Do Unto Others: Do Not Be Anxious

/ Scott Russ / Leave a comment

Welcome everybody! Today we wrap up our sermon series called “Do Unto Others.” In week one, I talked about the Golden Rule and what it means to be kind to each other, especially during this political season. In week 2, Jen spoke about how we can learn to disagree with one another with kindness. Last week, Mark talked to us about the Kindness Challenge by looking at the parable of the good Samaritan. Today, I want to recognize the reality that many of us are feeling anxious during this political season, and it is a challenge to lead with our faith.

         Recently, I went to get a haircut at Great Clips in Loveland. Whenever I get a haircut, I typically allow the person cutting my hair to lead with whether or not they would like to have a conversation. I can be friendly and have a conversation with my hair stylist, but I don’t want to impose myself and force them to listen to me ramble. Sometimes, I get a talkative person and we have a pleasant conversation. Other times, not much is said as she concentrates on doing her job, and I respect that. Now, I have different feelings about a dentist who wants to talk to me while their hands are in my mouth, but that’s for another story. Recently, I was getting my haircut, and I couldn’t help but overhear the conversation going on with another customer just behind me. It was an older gentleman. During the majority of the time he was getting his hair cut, he was really going off about his view of the state of our country. He was so tense and full of anxiety as he talked about how our country is a mess. He expressed worry for his grandchildren about what kind of country they are inheriting. I genuinely felt sorry for the guy. My thoughts went to the fact that this gentleman probably only had a decade or two of life yet, and I wanted so much to help direct his attention to investing in his grandchildren rather than getting so caught up in politics that he verbally vomited an angry word salad over this poor lady cutting his hair. He was so absorbed in his political views that he was missing the most important thing right in front of him: passing on his love to his grandchildren. The world is changing at a rapid pace. There is very little we can do to slow down or stop cultural trends. We can’t let ourselves get so knotted up inside about things out there that we miss out on those right in front of us.

         Another observation that concerns me is what was described by Russell Moore in the book “The After Party” which I am doing a small group book study on that just finished up this past Wednesday. Russell Moore was a prominent leader in the Southern Baptist denomination. He would be sought after for advice and counsel from many other pastors. He started to see a trend in which several pastors were coming to him about their congregation. These pastors were preaching from the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus tells his audience to love one another, including our enemies. Jesus also says that we are to pray for those who persecute us and turn the other cheek when it comes to those who attack us. Congregation members were coming to these pastors asking where they got those woke, liberal talking points. The pastor would tell them that they were reading the literal words of Jesus from the Gospels. Then, the pastors were told by these members that that doesn’t work anymore. This, my friends, is scary when we not only choose to ignore the words of Jesus Christ but also go so far as to disagree with Him. That begins to put us on shaky ground. That is when faith no longer becomes our primary identity and instead becomes a token of our life that we can compartmentalize from all the other areas of our lives. We then justify our hate and anger towards those we disagree with outside of the church. 

          So, today I want to give you a list of things to consider as we are in this political season. It is times like this that help to sharpen or dull our faith. These are opportunities to wrestle with what you really put your hope and faith in. These times reveal more about us than we might want to admit. We would rather argue against those we disagree with than to look deep down inside of ourselves and see where we might be wrong or lacking in our faith.

         So here we go! This list comes from two sources. The first is from one of the authors of “The After Party”, Curtis Chang. I supplemented this list with another source by pastor Brian Zahnd. The first and most important thing that I want you to remember from today is that Jesus is First! Jesus is not saving the world or this country through a political party. He is saving it through the work of the Holy Spirit and through his church. God’s saving work in the world has very little to do with which political party is in power. We are citizens of God’s kingdom first. That is our highest allegiance. Everything else in this world falls under that. We cannot simply abandon the Sermon on the Mount for our politics. We must live into the teachings of Christ the best we can. Hebrews 10:23 says, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” As the old hymn teaches us, our faith is built on nothing less than Jesus Christ and his righteousness! That must be primary!

         Second, we need to have a healthy understanding that politics won’t save us. It is an imperfect system run by imperfect people. What concerns me is when more and more Americans are becoming unchurched, they are still looking for a savior. And our politicians are becoming more of a Christological figure to some. Our preferred politician is going to save us and vanquish our enemies. This is very dangerous thinking. These are imperfect people who need Jesus just as much as we do. They need to be in our prayers that God’s grace will guide and direct them.

         Third, focus on the “how” over the “what.” The “WHAT” focuses on political debates and policies that each party is promoting. But what is so much more important is in “HOW” we treat others. The bottom line for politics is power. But the bottom line in Christianity is LOVE. Therein lies the rub. I know for me, it is easy to judge a person I don’t know by the signs or flags in their yards. Especially some of those who just don’t have a sign in their front yard for their preferred political candidate but have built a literal shrine to their favorite candidate. This shows misplaced hope in an imperfect person. If they win, we think they will fix everything. If they lose, we despair and think it is the end of the world.

         Fourth, politics isn’t about purity. What I mean by this is that we cannot just associate with people who only think just like us. As I pointed out in my previous sermon, Jesus made friends with tax collectors and zealots. He was known for hanging out with sinners and accused of being a glutton and a drunkard with the people he sought out. It is more vital for you to be filled with love for everybody than for your political party to win everything. To isolate ourselves from people who only think just like us is unhealthy. It is through the diversity of thoughts and opinions that we are able to consider other people’s points of view that might differ from ours. Don’t give into a “US vs. THEM” mentality. We are all made in the image of God and are loved by God, from the least to the greatest. 

         Fifth, guess what? We are all going to be groaning on November 6th. Half of our country will not be happy with the election results. Since some have made politics into the new religion of our country, some may even resort to violence if it doesn’t go their way like we saw last time. But look at what Paul says in Romans 8:22-24. He states, “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved.” We are all in a state of groaning with the anticipation of Jesus finally renewing all of creation, including ourselves. This state of groaning will never be satisfied by who sits in the White House. We will always find imperfections and faults with whoever holds power in our country or any others. It is the hope that we have in Christ that He will finally make all things right.

         Sixth, the relational stakes are higher than the political ones. Our relationships with each other, our families, and our neighbors are by far more important than whether our political team wins an election. Friendships, families, and churches should not be splitting up over political differences. If we keep Christ at the center, everything else should fall in as a distant second to that. Every election cycle I have lived through has always been ramped up as the most important election ever! If we don’t get this election right, then it is the end of America as we know it! Let me tell you something. There is a great podcast called “Presidential.” I have listened to every episode. Each episode focuses on a president, beginning with George Washington and ending with Barack Obama. The podcast was leading up to the 2016 election. One thing I learned by listening to this podcast is that we have had some heroic presidents, and we have had some real scoundrels. Yet, through God’s grace, we have weathered through all of them for over two centuries. Now, I am convinced that some of our past presidents would have never been able to survive the 24-hour cable news cycle or social media in our present age. But that is the reality of what we have to deal with today. We need to be aware of what is influencing us, and make sure it is not causing us to love less or feel hopeless. I know this is cliché, but it is true, with fewer and fewer people going to church or having faith, you might be the only representation of Jesus to those around you. Are you showing love, grace, and hope to others? Are you building up your relationships rather than dividing them? And as we get closer to election day, let’s remember what Paul says in Romans 12:15, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” There will be all kinds of feelings about the results of the election on the day after. Depending on who you are with, it may be an opportunity to rejoice or mourn. But it is not appropriate to show pride or contempt towards others. It is an occasion to be sympathetic to their feelings and help point them to Jesus, who is the true Savior of the World.

         Seventh, anxiety can lead us astray. There are so many things that are ramping up everybody’s anxiety. As I’ve mentioned, we have 24-hour cable news sources that have realized that to drive up ratings, they need to play on people’s fears, anxieties, and anger. This is poisoning the minds of many, many Americans. It is not healthy to walk around in a constant state of anger and anxiety. I am here to tell you that no party is perfect, no candidate is perfect, they are all flawed. They will let you down. Once again, our ultimate hope is in Jesus, and from that springs up joy within us. We have a tsunami of anxiety and anger directed at us on our televisions, on our phones, on our social media. For some of us we need to make hard choices about who and what exactly are discipling us. Are we allowing the Holy Spirit to change us and transform us to be more like Jesus, or are we allowing the media we consume to put us in a state of anxiety and anger against those we disagree with? This is a dangerous path that many have gone down recently. Paul reminds us in the letter to the Philippians, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” So, let’s make it a practice to take our anxiousness to God in prayer and allow the Holy Spirit to flood our souls with His peace. Remember, God’s peace transcends our own finite understanding, and it will guard our hearts from the troubles of this world.

Eight, we need to remember that institutions do matter such as the church, the government, the schools, and others. It is up to us to get involved and help create institutions that encourage a thriving life for all. We can’t take on a fatalistic or nihilistic approach to our institutions. We must do what we can to help, whether it’s becoming a teacher, a school board member, a parent volunteer, or an administrator. We can volunteer at our local election site or serve at a church using the gifts that God has blessed us with. There are so many institutions that we need to be actively involved with so that we can help make a difference in this world. Don’t isolate yourself and become anti-institutional. Instead, find a way to plug in and make a difference in your community. The fate of the kingdom of God does not rise or fall on our political contests. But we are called to be salt and light in the world. The only way we can do that is by becoming active and getting involved in our area of influence.

Ninth, cancel culture is not Biblical. What I mean by this is that we can’t just cancel people out of our lives simply because we disagree with them. If it is the radio, TV, or your phone that is bothering you, then yes, turn it off or change the channel. But when it comes to our neighbor, the Bible calls us to radical hospitality. The Christian response to disagreement is love, not exclusion. So, if your political passion is making it hard for you to love your neighbor as yourself, then you need to dial it down a bit. Look at your priorities and make sure you are keeping Jesus as the center of your life.  

And then, finally, we cannot forget to sing together! When the disciples were with Jesus on the night of his arrest before his crucifixion, they were all feeling the anxiety and tension in the room. The Gospels tell us that they participated in the Last Supper and then sang together. When we sing together, we connect in a powerful way that transcends our differences. This is one of the reasons we gather together for worship. Where else do people from so many different ways of life come together all around the world and sing songs, lifting up our voices in recognition of God’s love and hope for us? So, let’s invite the band to come up and lead us out with a song that will inspire us toward love and good deeds.

Benediction

Go out into the world being light in the darkness by showing God’s love to a fallen and imperfect world. Go out and vote, if you haven’t already, but let’s give our anxiety over to God, trusting that He is continuing to build his kingdom through us even despite all the empires around the world.

Kingdom over empire.

Hope over fear.

Love over hate.

May you go in peace and be the peace of Christ. Amen.

The Uncertainty of Faith

/ Scott Russ / Leave a comment

So, would you be crazy enough to get into the wheelbarrow? Not me! If social media has taught me anything, I am more than willing to watch “crazy people,” but only in the comfort of my own home in the safety of sitting in my chair! Ask me to participate in crazy stunts, and you can pretty much guess what my answer is going to be.

Now, why is that? If this tightrope walker has proven himself over and over again, why not trust in his athletic ability to get you across on a wheelbarrow? Because we like safety, security, certainty on our terms. We are Americans, after all! But if there is one thing this past year has taught us is that life is full of uncertainty: pandemics, the snow and ice storms, tornados, wildfires, power outages, etc. We have all been rocked out of our false sense of security, reliability, and certainty.

In our story today, we come across a man who is at his wit’s end. He has a son of which he is unable to help. As a parent, this is one of the biggest fears any of us can face. Bring on anything this world has to throw at me, but not my kids. Any parent wants to be the source of security, compassion, and hope for their kids.

In the context of our scripture, today, 3 of the disciples just had an extraordinary experience. Literally and spiritually, they had a mountaintop experience. They were witnesses to Jesus’ transfiguration. But as is with life, they came off of that incredible and inspiring experience just to be confronted head-on with life in the trenches. Let’s dive into the story.

A.  The Problem  – 14-18

14 When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. 15 As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.

16 “What are you arguing with them about?” he asked.

17 A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. 18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”

Something was clearly wrong with this fathers’ child. What appears to be what we may think is a medical condition, Jesus is able to see something darker and more sinister behind it. The boy is spiritually oppressed and the father feels helpless.

If we look back into Mark’s Gospel, we would see that in chapter 3, all of Jesus’ disciples were commissioned to cast out demons and heal people just as he has done Himself. In chapter 6, we see that these disciples had success in doing just that, healing people from spiritual oppression.

Now Jesus comes across his disciples in a heated argument with religious leaders about a failed exorcism. What went wrong? Do the same methods and same techniques work every time? Apparently not. This leads to Jesus’ rebuke.

B.  The Rebuke                                       – v. 19

19 “You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “How long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”

Jesus’ disappointment is directed at his disciples, who were unable to help the boy. Before Jesus can deal with the disciples, he confronts the problem head-on.

C.  The Confrontation                            – v. 20-27

20 So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.

21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”

“From childhood,” he answered. 22 “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

23 ” ‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”

24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”

26 The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.

We see here that whatever was influencing the boy had a strong reaction to the presence of Jesus. Jesus assessed the problem by asking how long the boy has been this way. But then the father responded with one of the most honest responses. He says to Jesus, “If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” The man is open to any help he can receive from Jesus. Anything to make his hopeless and uncertain situation better.

Jesus responds to the man’s request by drawing out the doubt and uncertainty that the man is wrestling with by repeating, “If you can?” Jesus assures the father that “everything is possible for one who believes.” If we stop the story right here, it would appear that the problem in this story is the man’s lack of faith. If he just had the right amount of faith, his boy would be healed. This would be a very heavy burden to put on the father or even the disciples.

I once knew a woman who attended a church I served in that had a child suffering from cancer. During this season of her life, she attended another church. The whole church was praying for healing for the boy. Unfortunately, the boy ended up passing away from the dreaded disease. In her grief, the mother did not understand and had questions about the outcome of her son. She went to the pastor of the church and asked why her boy died of cancer when it was clear to her that everyone was praying for his healing. Why wasn’t he healed? The pastor’s response was horrible and could be considered spiritual abuse. He said to the grieving mom that she did not have enough faith for her son to be healed. This is terrible! This is not how the God I serve operates.

But let’s take a look at what Jesus does here. The man responds to Jesus, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief.” This man exposes the tension within every single one of us between belief and unbelief.

As I have grown in the faith, I can say with pretty much certainty that one of the most insufferable kinds of people to be around are those who have absolute certainty about everything. No nuance. No ambiguity. No doubts. Just absolute certainty: in their beliefs and how anyone who disagrees with them is wrong and on the highway to hell. But I am here to tell you that this actually demonstrates an immature faith, not a mature faith. These types of people typically have not had enough life experiences or have honestly wrestled with their faith in a deep and meaningful way.

On the other hand, some people need certainty. They want everything to be very black and white. But when difficult times come along, this can rock the faith of those who depend on certainty, pushing them into agnosticism, atheism, or an even stronger fundamentalism.

The author of our devotional and sermon series for Lent, Magrey R. DeVega, states that “tension and ambiguity in life are not always bad things. Struggling with what we know and don’t know does not convey how weak we are but simply how human we are. Faith is not the absence of doubt, but the embrace of it and ultimately the transformation of it. Likewise, courage is not the elimination of fear, but the regular interaction with it and conscious choice against it. The truth of the matter is, we live in a time when there is more value in ambiguity and shades of gray than there is in rigid, dogmatic certainty. Our world will be made better not by the extremists on the fringes who think everyone else has it wrong, but by those in the center who believe there is value in dialogue. Uncertainty is a certain part of life, and with its embrace can come transformation.”

In this story, the anxious father shows us that faith and doubt co-exist. They are held in tension. It is not an “either/or” proposition but instead a “both/and”. And it is in this tension that he looks to Jesus for help. Jesus proceeds to confront the spirit and bring healing to the boy.

Now let’s get back to the disciples. Imagine what they are thinking and feeling. Jesus commissioned them to heal people, they have gone out and did just that, but then they come to this situation where it just didn’t work the way they thought it should have. Obviously, they have questions for Jesus.

What happened?

What went wrong?

What did we do differently? The passage continues:

D.  The Explanation                               – v. 28-29 

28 After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

29 He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.”

Jesus explains to his disciples that in their faith, they needed to depend on God through prayer. He didn’t shame them. He just showed how our faith and prayer demonstrates our dependence on God to help and intervene in our uncertain times. Now we may not get the answers we want, but prayer and faith help us to rely on God to walk with us through whatever life throws at us. And Jesus isn’t asking us for perfect, 100% faith. In fact, in Matthew 17:20-21, Jesus says that:

Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Is Jesus talking about literal mountains here? Maybe, maybe not. I tend to think that he is telling us that when we face major issues in our lives, we need to put our faith in God that He is good and just and will be with us through anything. And if we have just the littlest bit of faith, as small as a mustard seed, we will be able to see how God moves in our lives through these uncertain times.

Also, our prayers do make a difference. It helps us to rely more on God to work through our lives.

In America, we like to have a plan, order, and structure for our lives. We like to have everything figured out according to our own understanding. But as we can tell from this past year, that just has not been possible. One of the most useless things in 2020 was a planning calendar!

A passage that has helped me out A LOT in life comes from Proverbs 3:5-6, which says,

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Our own understanding can be faulty. We have a very limited view of things going on in our life. We are incapable of seeing the bigger picture in the way that God is able to understand. That is why the proverbial writer tells us to not lean on our own understanding but to trust in God. This is the way we move the mountains in front of us as our paths are made straight. It is in our reliance and dependence on God.

So, my question to you is, are you ready to get into the wheelbarrow? Are you willing to embrace the tension between belief and unbelief, between faith and doubt, between certainty and uncertainty? When you let go of your own ability to try and understand it all and learn to live in that tension, this is the sweet-spot for spiritual growth and development. When we look back on our past, we understand things better in hindsight, where we see how God helped us through situations. Let’s rely on those experiences in our past as we look forward to an uncertain future, trusting that God is with us every step of the way and will bring about the best of outcomes as we continue to put our faith in Him and trust that He has our best interests in mind. God does not expect us to have PERFECT faith, PERFECT belief, and ABSOLUTE certainty. He just asks that we put our trust in Him and live in the tension. And as a church, let’s continue to take our prayer concerns to Him in a child-like spirit of dependence upon Him.

Moving Mountains – Mark 11:12-25

/ Scott Russ / Leave a comment

pexels-photo-976917.jpeg          Ever wonder about that passage where Jesus tells his disciples that if they pray with enough faith they can tell a mountain to throw itself in the sea. Pretty strange, huh? This scripture passage suggests on the surface that if we pray with enough faith for a mountain to be moved and thrown into the sea, it will be done!

Now, if you choose to stay home on any particular Sunday you can turn on your TV and see multiple so-called-preachers who will twist this passage to turn God into a cosmic Santa Claus who, if we just pray with enough faith, will give us all we want. Make no mistake, these are NOT biblical teachers. Many of them can be categorized as prosperity preachers. I believe that the Bible refers to them as false prophets. They teach that God wants you to materially prosper and give you everything you want if you just name it and claim it!

I knew a lady at a previous church who had a husband who was dying of cancer. She attended a church with similar teachings who told her that if she prayed with enough faith, God would heal her husband. Well, in a short amount of time her husband lost his battle with cancer. The wife was perplexed. She prayed with faith for her husbands’ healing and he passed away from the cancer. What happened? She went back to the preacher and asked him why God allowed her husband to die of cancer when she earnestly prayed with faith for his healing. The pastor had the audacity to tell the grieving wife that it was her fault because she did not have enough faith! She then walked away from the faith for years.

In order for us to best understand this passage we need to back the lens up and see the bigger picture of what is going on. If we look at the beginning of Mark 11 we see that Jesus has just entered into Jerusalem on a donkey as his followers praised him. This is the triumphal entry that we celebrate on Palm Sunday. Let’s pick up the story at v. 12.

Mark 11:12-14

12 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry.13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14 Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.

Now on the surface, this appears to be a scene in which Jesus is having a bad day and in this one instance uses his power to curse a tree! Very, very strange. But we need to keep on reading to understand the context. So let’s continue with v. 15

 Mark 11:15-19

15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17 And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”

18 The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.

19 When evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city.

Jesus entered into the temple and saw people who have turned it into a marketplace which he called a “den of robbers”. He called out those who were financially taking advantage of those who wanted to come to the temple to offer sacrifices. These people were being hustled for their cash. Jesus also made two points here that we need to highlight.

First of all, he said that “My house will be called a house of PRAYER”. He is emphasizing that this is supposed to be a sacred space for people to come and communicate with God through prayer. This is a spiritual discipline that is repeatedly taught all throughout the gospels and the teachings of Paul. We are to be a people of PRAYER.

The next point is that this sacred space is to be a house of prayer FOR ALL NATIONS. The nation of Israel had a way of feeling exclusive and exceptional when compared to the other nations. We know that many of the religious leaders were looking for a political messiah to overthrow Rome and establish his kingdom with power. They did not expect Jesus and his revolution to be of a spiritual nature. Jesus came to establish salvation not only for the nation of Israel but also for ALL THE NATIONS. Jesus had a much bigger agenda of inclusion and love that would involve all people.

So let’s pick up our story and see what happens with Jesus and his disciples after the temple incident.

Mark 11:20-21

20 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21 Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”

Now we have to ask, “What’s the deal with the stinking tree?!?” We need to look at the tree event as book ends to the temple incident. Jesus saw a tree that looked good on the outside. It was healthy and was full of leaves. But as he got closer up to it, it had no fruit. Then he addresses the Israelites at the temple who, on the outside looked like a beautiful temple, but on closer inspection, they were not producing the fruit that they ought to, which is being a house of prayer. The tree was a type of symbolic parable of Israel. If they were not going to be producing spiritual fruit like they were supposed to be doing, then judgment was coming. I believe that Jesus was foreshadowing the coming destruction of the temple in A.D. 70 by the Romans. So instead of being a house of prayer for all the nations, they took an Israel First stance and to hell with everyone else, especially Rome. The tree represented the nation of Israel who would be judged for not bearing the fruit that God intended for them.

Now, this is not just about Israel. We need to realize that Jesus has established the church to be that very house of prayer for all the nations. And this is how Jesus tells his disciples to pray. Let’s continue reading from Mark:

 Mark 11:22-25

22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 23 “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

Is Jesus saying that we can literally move mountains if we just pray hard enough? Well, being that Jesus never actually carried out that type of miracle, I don’t think so. But the tree representing Israel became an obstacle to Jesus because it did not produce the fruit it was supposed to. Therefore Jesus removed the tree and instead, empowered his disciples to carry out the task of taking his message out to all the nations!

Now Jesus does say we can remove mountains if we pray correctly. What exactly does he mean by this? I believe that he is telling us that if we want to be a part of God’s program of being a blessing to all the nations we need to overcome the metaphorical mountains that stand in the way. The mountains that prohibited Israel from being a blessing was pride, arrogance, nationalism and an attitude of exclusion. As a church we must be aware of the mountains that prevent us from seeing the “other” as an enemy and learn to be a blessing for all people, for all nations, and even for those whom our government would consider enemies. We have a responsibility to pray to remove these mountains and to be a blessing to everyone. Even if it also means forgiving others.

So how does this apply to us?

The first thing related to our IDENTITY. The most important thing that you must understand is that if you have put your faith in Jesus then you are a child of God. This trumps all other ways that we try to find identity. You are a child of God!

The second application relates to PRAYER. And as a child of God we have a responsibility to be in conversation with God through prayer. Our prayers cannot be self-serving, looking to take advantage of people, and about our own materialism and our own ego. We must pray for all people to come to the knowledge of Jesus Christ and that His Spirit would remove any and all boundaries that are holding back people from coming to know Christ as their Lord and Savior. Our salvation is not a private, exclusive deal between you and God. It is more of an opportunity for us to invite others to be a part of this awesome family of God. We are to pray that God would remove those mountains, those barriers that prevent us from inviting others in to the church of Christ, and prevent others from seeing the blessings that are connected to being a child of God.

And the final application is that we need to be producing SPIRITUAL FRUIT. One day we as believers are going to have to give an account for our lives before Jesus. And if we learn anything from the fig tree, it’s that a true follower of Christ is one who is producing spiritual fruit with their lives. That would involve what Paul talks about in Galatians 5 as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. But in the context of this passage, it also would include that we are a people of prayer who want to take the message of Jesus Christ to all the nations. That we love others. We care for others. We reach out to the hurting. We pray for our enemies.

So find your primary identity in Jesus. Yes you are a son and daughter, brother or sister, a student, an athlete, a performer, a musician but all those thing pale in comparison to the fact that you are a child of God who loves you. And He wants to be in conversation with you through prayer, and He wants you to be a blessing to all the people you can: those who are easy to love and those who are hard to love. And we are to smash down barriers through prayer that stand in the way of reaching others for Christ.

So knowing this should help you to look at your school differently. Your job. Your sports team. Your show choir. Your band. Be the light in the world that God has called us to be which is supposed to be attracting people out of the darkness and into the light.

Are you ready now to claim your identity in Christ and take ownership of your faith that your parents and the church have raised you in?

Are you ready to begin your own journey of being in conversation with God through prayer and Bible study?

Are you ready to open yourself up to God to use you to be a blessing to others and help remove barriers that prevent others from knowing him?

If so, then let’s do this!