Look at that picture for a minute. It is an artist’s conception of the Milky Way. Acts 17:24 says God made that.

Somewhere in one of the arms is our little solar system. Somewhere in that little solar system is our little planet. Somewhere on that planet is little ol’ me. God however is “bigger” than all of that.

When I think of that, the thought occurs that God made me, I didn’t make God.

What does that mean on a practical level?

God is going to surprise me. He is not going to do everything exactly the way I think He should.

I don’t know how many times I have heard from people that they just can’t believe in the God of the Bible because they don’t think God would do ______________ (fill in the blank with some shocking display of violence or some shocking display of power or some shocking display of grace or some shocking display of just not acting).

Then I remember the Milky Way. I remember God made that. I didn’t. I remember God made me, I didn’t make Him. I remember that if the God I believe in only ever acts and reacts in ways that make complete sense to me, then I am probably serving a God I have made up in my mind and not the real God who made my mind.

So, I admit it. I serve a God that I just don’t get sometimes. But He is God, so I serve Him. Maybe I’ll have questions for Him when I get to see Him face to face. Most of the time, however, I think I’ll just be so happy to be visibly in his presence that it won’t bother me that I don’t fully get Him. I’ll just be glad that He got me.

Keep the faith and keep reading.

ELC

Acts 14:2-3 jumped out at me today. “The unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. So they remained for a long time...” (ESV). 

Wow!

Is that how I would respond? So often, when people’s minds are poisoned against me as a Christian, I shrink back. When I think folks aren’t going to want to listen, that’s when I decide to keep quiet or decide to move on. If I hear someone say a name or something derogatory, I begin to think there is no point in trying to talk to them about spiritual things.

But that is not what Paul and Barnabas did. When the minds of the Gentiles were poisoned against them, they remained longer. 

They saw the biases, that only made them work harder. They heard the names, that only caused them to shine brighter. 

Yes, I know when their lives were in danger they went to the next city, but let’s face it, when has my life ever been in danger because I’m a Christian. Sure, people have their minds poisoned against me and against us, but here in America our lives aren’t threatened. Instead of backing off when we think people are prejudiced against God’s message, we should stay longer and work harder.

Keep the faith and keep reading.

ELC

In Acts 7-8, Stephen, a deacon (I believe) and evangelist, was stoned. The disciples mourned and buried him. In Acts 12, James, a leader among the apostles, was executed by Herod. The disciples mourned and buried him. However, in Acts 9:36-43, Tabitha (Dorcas), simply a sister in Christ, died and the disciples called Peter in and said, “You have to do something about this.” She held no office. She doesn’t appear to have been a leader. Evangelists, Deacons, Apostles died and they just got put in the ground. But when Tabitha died they had Peter bring her back.

Granted, I don’t really want to be brought back from the dead once I have stepped into paradise and the comfort of Abraham’s bosom. But I do want people to at least wish I was back. So, I learn a great deal from Tabitha about how I want to live to deepen my relationships with others and how to deepen my relationship with God.

1. Tabitha was full of good works and charity: She didn’t perform the occasional good work. She was full of them. One translation says she abounded in them. It was her way of life. We need to make good works and acts of charity, especially among our brethren, a way of life.
2. Tabitha sacrificed for others: Who do you think paid for the materials in those garments she made? Whose time do you think she took to make those garments? We need to remember two things. First, she was probably a lot poorer than most of us, but she still sacrificed her goods for others. Second, she had the same 24 hours in every day that we do. She used some of her 24 hours to serve. Do we?
3. Tabitha didn’t do everything, but she did what she could: There is no indication that Tabitha taught a ladies’ Bible class. There is no indication that she held any Bible studies. In fact, the only indication is that she made garments for people and did other works of charity. She didn’t do everything, but she did what she could. We don’t have to be paralyzed thinking we must do some little bit of everything. Rather, let’s just figure out what we can do well and do it to serve others.
4. Tabitha didn’t serve everyone, but she served who she could: Tabitha apparently worked for the widows. It doesn’t say any teenagers were in the room. It doesn’t say the preacher was in the room. It doesn’t say the young marrieds were in the room. The widows were there to show Peter all the good works she had performed for them. Too often we get the deer in the headlights look wondering how we will be able to do something for everyone. We need to stop that. At that point, we usually don’t do anything for anyone. We don’t have to serve everyone. We just need to serve someone. Serve the people you can today.
5. Tabitha didn’t wait for a church program, she just served: Back in Acts 6, the Jerusalem church established a congregational plan to help the widows. There is no indication that Tabitha was merely following some congregationally given assignment to help the widows. She just helped them. We must quit looking around and bad mouthing our leaders because our congregation isn’t doing something for someone. We just need to start serving.

Tabitha served who she could, when she could, doing what she could without being told. If we want to serve God. We need to do the same.

Keep the faith and keep reading

ELC

As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” Luke 11:27-28 (ESV)

What was that woman saying? “I wish I had been lucky enough to have a Son like You! Your mom won the lottery of life.” Her cry mirrors what is so often inside me, the wish that better things had happened to me, the wish that something over which I had no control had dropped or would drop into my lap to make my life better. 

How many times have I wished I would get a big inheritance? How many times have I wished someone had educated me in certain issues when I was young? How many times have I wished I had been friends with someone who paved a path for me?

But what is Jesus’ response? “No, actually, blessing doesn’t come by something happening to you over which you have no control. Blessing comes by listening to God and doing what He says.” Of course, this is an ellipsis. That is, Jesus was not saying His mother was not blessed. The angel who announced the conception and birth of Jesus said to Mary, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” (Luke 1:28, ESV). Mary was blessed. Jesus’ point was not that Mary was not blessed at all but that there is a greater blessing reserved for those who hear His word and keep it.

Let’s quit wasting our time sitting on our backsides wishing for some blessing from the outside to fall into our laps. Instead, let’s start pursuing the blessing that God has promised us all if we will just open up His book, get into His Word and get His Word into us.

—————————————

Was anyone else struck by the irony of Jesus’ question in Luke 12:14, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” For some reason my first response when I read this verse today was, “Well, God did.” I’m sure there is a lesson in this ironic question. I’m just not sure what it is yet. Maybe you can fill me in.

What did you get out of today’s reading? Feel free to comment and let the world wide community know.

Keep the faith and keep reading.

ELC

If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.–Luke 9:23

A brief thought struck me at this verse. We take up our cross daily. We don’t take it up weekly, monthly, yearly. We don’t even take it up for our whole lives. 

I so often live in the future, thinking I have to be sinless and pure for the rest of my life. When I start thinking that way, I begin to despair. I just don’t think I can do this for the rest of my life. I don’t think I can do this for a decade. I don’t think I can do this for a week. Sometimes I don’t even think I can do this tomorrow. But I don’t have to. All I have to do is pick up my cross today. Just one day at a time. By God’s grace, I can do this today.

Perhaps this is what Jesus was talking about when He said, “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:34, ESV).

Don’t worry about next year, next month or next week. Just take up your cross today. You can do that.

Have a happy 4th of July.

Keep the faith and keep reading.

The liberal critics like to make hay in Luke 7:1-10.

“You see,” they tell us, “these Bible writers just couldn’t get it right. They were making up the stories and not even checking with each other to make sure they told it the same way. Why, look here at Luke 7:1-10 and at Matthew 8:5-13. Luke said the centurion sent Jewish messengers to make his request of Jesus, but Matthew says he came himself. There is just one of the many contradictions in the gospel accounts and throughout the whole Bible.”

But is that really what is going on here? Is this really a contradiction?

Actually, it is not. In fact, calling this a contradiction merely demonstrates those critics have yet to figure out the purpose of the four gospel accounts. Sadly, many Christians are not truly aware of the purpose of these accounts. When asked what the gospels are, many will say, “Those are the life of Jesus” or “Those are a biography of Jesus.” That is not correct. The gospel accounts were not written to provide us with moment by moment detailed chronicles of Jesus’ life. As John said in John 20:30-31, the gospels were written not so we would know the life of Jesus but so we would know Jesus is the Life and believing that we might have life.

Thus, as these four gospels were written by different authors for different audiences, we would be surprised to see them tell all the stories exactly the same way. This is not contradiction, this is selective perspective.

Matthew was writing for a Jewish audience while Luke was writing for a Gentile audience. Both wanted their audience to see the miracle of Jesus, demonstrating His Messiahship and Deity. However, they both had differing secondary purposes in this account. Keep in mind that these gospels were written during a time of transition and turmoil as Jews and Gentiles were coming into Christ’s church and trying to figure out how to get along with such divergent backgrounds. Matthew wanted the Jews to see that Jesus worked a miracle for a Gentile without regret. Luke wanted the Gentiles to see that Jews and Gentiles had worked together to accomplish great ends.

Do these statements contradict? No, they just tell the story from a different perspective. Even though the centurion asked through emissaries, he still made the request. Matthew didn’t lie or make a mistake when he claimed the centurion came to Jesus and asked. He simply told the story in the way that would make his point to the Jews. The centurion did come but he did so through friends. 

So, is this a contradiction in the Bible? Or is it simply selective perspective? 

We can trust our Bibles and Luke is a great place to learn this.

Have a great 4th of July.

Keep the faith and keep reading.

ELC

P.S. For a more in depth look at this principle check out a sermon I preached on this issue at the Franklin Church of Christ. You can get the outline and the audio at the following the link.

“Why Do the Gospels Contradict Each Other“

I can’t help but notice the number of healings within today’s reading.

• 5:12-13–Jesus healed a leper
• 5:15–Jesus healed great crowds
• 5:17-26–Jesus healed a paralytic
• 6:6-10–Jesus healed a man with a withered hand
• 6:17-19–Jesus healed all in the crowd

I even glanced ahead and noticed in Luke 7 Jesus heals the centurion’s servant, raises the widow’s son and declares to John the Baptist’s disciples that “the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them” (Luke 7:22, ESV).

Jesus is the great physician. However, He is not the great physician because He healed all these illnesses. Rather, the real doctoring done by Jesus is seen in Luke 5:20-25.

And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, “Your sins are forgiven you,” or to say, “Rise and walk”? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”–he said to the man who was paralyzed–”I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God. (ESV)

Jesus didn’t heal illnesses because His job as the great physician meant emptying out hospitals. Jesus healed because healing the physical illnesses demonstrated He was and is from God and He could and can do what no other physician can do. He can heal our sin sickness. Sadly, the miracle ministries of the day preying on the poor and deluded entirely miss this point. I can hardly imagine Jesus taking up a collection as a seed of faith before healing anyone. But even more than that, I can hardly imagine Jesus healing anyone if it weren’t as a proof that He could heal their souls. 

That is why Jesus is the Great Physician, not because for a few years in time He healed the bodies of some followers. He is the Great Physician because He has the authority to heal our sins. 

In Luke 5:8, Peter cried out, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (ESV). It didn’t occur to him that One who was so holy and powerful was actually coming to embrace someone so sinful. He thought Jesus should clear away lest his own sin defile Jesus’ holiness. However, the exact opposite is true. Jesus is so holy and powerful our sin can’t defile Him. Rather, His holiness cleanses us. Thus Jesus, when questioned, responded, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:31-32, ESV). 

I might be the chief of sinners thinking Jesus should depart. But if I will believe and repent, Jesus will draw ever nearer embracing me with His holiness and delivering me from this body of death (cf. Romans 7:24-25). Praise God for that!

Keep the faith today and keep reading.

ELC