Handing off leadership....

Handing off one of the most precious things I have ever known.....

My recent days have been filled with reflections on the move my family is making to Medford. For those who don't know, I am taking an assistant pastor position at Heritage Christian Fellowship. In the process of making this transition there have been moments of sorrow and realization....
Sorrows...

1- The people who should know you the best...
It is a strange thing to make a move like this and see the reactions of the people around you. In the last couple of weeks I have had some of the people closest to me question my motives more than anyone. In fact, the newer believers are often more confident in who you are in the Lord than the people who have travelled with us the longest. It is a great sorrow to see some of the friends who we have shared life with simply decide that our hearts aren't pure in the decisions we are making. Maybe it is due to the kinds of grieving that people go through. Or maybe it is because they know you well enough to know your flaws, and doubt your decision making. I don't know. But it is painful....

2- The fear of the future....To witness firsthand the power of fear in the lives of God's people has been distressing in some ways as well. I have seen the faithful in the church become the most faithless. It is as though God is not sovereign, and the universe is spinning helplessly out of control of the God who made it. Even more distressing than seeing it in others is to see it in myself. I find my thoughts often turning to the church I love and wondering if it is strong enough to handle this type of change. It's as though, my presence there is what hold the body at BCC together. Father, forgive my pride. You are the Chief Shepherd. By You all things consist and are held together. Even now, the gates of hell will not prevail against your church. 

"a heart that is a soft as baby

 and skin as thick as a rhino"

3- Pastors are people too...
Maybe it is that people somehow get a perception of you that you are superhuman, or maybe it is that their own glaring need seems more important, but people seem to forget that a pastor is actually a person too. If you cut him, he will bleed. Often, my wife is the only one who still remembers. It has been said that a pastor has to have "a heart that is a soft as baby and skin as thick as a rhino".  That has proven to be true. 

4- Where has all the teaching gone...
It is surprising to see how much time and energy can be poured into teaching the foundational biblical principles that undergird our church only to have them discarded with the latest opinion. When we made the transition to Bridgeview, one of the main things that needed to happen was a change in church government from a congregational (everyone votes) to an elder led (those with spiritual maturity and a heart to bear the responsibility make the decisions). Much time was spent explaining the necessity of these changes. We then spent about 7 months  teaching an introduction to theology. During this time we talked about the biblical model for church leadership that we see in the scriptures. But now that God is leading the leaders, some want the right to vote. Don't we remember the teachings?

5- The untamed tongue...

James says that a huge fire is started by a small flame...There can be much destruction as the result of those who just haven't tamed their tongues. The after church meetings, the coffee discussions, whispered conversations that leech into the heart like septic lines. Oh the poison I wish I could unhear...

Realization...

1- I have realized the importance of handing off ministry…
You might think this is so that you can get more things done but that is not the emphasis that I see as being of utmost importance. Ministries can become very lop-sided in that the work of church is left to the “professionals” and those in the body will not take ownership of their own part in the Kingdom. Handing things off keeps it from being all about the “professional”, and when God calls the professional out the work will continue.

2- Being senior pastor isn’t more important….
Although the role of senior pastor carries a large responsibility it isn’t the only one. It is just as much a sin for a man called to be a janitor in the public school to not be as it is for a man called to be a pastor to not be. We are given a position in the Kingdom of God to play. No matter the position, play it with all your heart. I am now called to take a role that seems like a demotion in the eyes of the world, but it is just the King moving the members of His Kingdom around. The King’s agenda is bigger than any one player. The truth is, a ministry is more accurately judged by the body than the Pastor.

3- People matter...
We know that. But you really don’t realize how much people matter until you are getting ready to say goodbye to them. The church has become closer to us than our own extended family in many ways. These are the people we dream about hanging out with, these are the people we think of first when we make plans for a BBQ, or family camping trip.

4- It’s good to plan for your departure….
You never know when God is going to shuffle you around. Pastors, structure your church so that you are replaceable. This is for the Kingdoms sake and the sake of the people you love. We make plans for our families (if we can afford life insurance), why not give the body assurance as well. It’s just loving. Secondarily it gives you the freedom to be able to go when God says go without worry. I am thankful God gave me a man like Sonny who will love the church like I do. I am thankful for the men who are standing with their sword in one hand and a trowel in the other, ready to build and protect rather than pick apart and destroy. 

"Handing off a church is like

 watching that child you love go."

5- Having a church is like having a kid….
When the day comes that you actually have to hand your daughter off, or watch your son drive out the driveway, there is a fear and sorrow that only love knows. Sorrow because it leaves a big hole. Fear because you realize you are going to have to trust God with the outcome. Handing off a church is like watching that child you love go.

Like

B.S.

(Bitter Springs)

James 3:11 “Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water?”

God has “called” my heart on it’s B.S. (Bitter Spring) and I want to confess my sin to you all. You see, James chapter three opens with a warning. The warning is simply that not many people should become teachers. The reason? The teacher will be judged with greater strictness.

The problem with being a teacher is that most of your time is spent trying to draw clear lines of logic that expand and explain the truth. In doing so, I make an effort to build a case much like a lawyer does. I examine biblical directives and try to delineate what the passage really means and then apply it to life and practice for both body of Christ and myself. In recent years my target has often been religious people. Now, just so you understand, by religious people I mean Christians that carry a certain dogma that becomes the all-encompassing truth of their lives. Some examples might include the “I only listen to Christian music “crowd, or the “If you really love Jesus you will home school your kids crowd”. Religious people are my favorite people to make fun of. Maybe you can empathize? Maybe you have been the object of scorn as the people in your church find out you have had a divorce, or like to drink a beer, or _____________ (you fill in the blank). Maybe, like me ,these experiences have soured your appetite for people and their religious perspectives. Whether it be about the day you worship on, the people you associate with, or the way you dress often our relationship with Jesus can get reduced to a list of rules and do’s or don’ts that lead to a graceless existence that feels more like slavery than love. So….As a teacher, I point out the logical errors that people who hold such values have made and seek to defend those that have been oppressed by “religion”. Religious people make an easy target.

The interesting thing is that I can often fall off the horse the other way too. What I mean is that my view of liberty can become the new religious set of rules by which I judge those who don’t share the same liberty. I should always defend the freedom that we have in Christ, and the simplicity that is in the gospel (Jesus plus nothing else). Liberty in Christ must be defended because a church that sets it’s standard by the person with the weakest faith becomes a church weak in faith. But, I can often take that too far. You see, some of those “religious” people, are just that, “weak in faith.”

Romans 14:1 “As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.”

When I make Christians with a weak conscience feel like they are second class Christians because they don’t feel the freedom to eat, or drink, or worship the way I do; I do a disservice to the gospel. Part of the gospel is that Jesus freed us from religion to a relationship with Him. As with any relationship, the uniqueness of the relationship is derived from the uniqueness of the individuals involved and various ways that they express love to one another. Therefore some people love Jesus by worshipping on a specific day every week, others worship God by dressing up in their Sunday best for church. Some folks love Jesus most when their radio station is set to KLOVE 24/7 and they can listen to Christian radio all day long. My job is to encourage people to love Jesus. What that may look like, is God’s business. Noah built a boat, Abraham built an altar, Isaac dug wells, Jacob poured oil on a rock, David danced in his under-roos, some wrote songs, others played instruments, others created magnificent works of art, and others still, built things with the talents God gave them in construction. There are people in our town that love Jesus with dancing, with home-made denim skirts, by blowing a shofar at specific times of the day, by celebrating the jewish feasts with Christian understanding, out of hymnals, with electric guitars, some with long hair, some with short hair, some with no hair and a neck beard!

Worship has little to do with the form and everything to do with the heart.

As a teacher, I have to guard my heart against B.S (Bitter Springs) for with my mouth I can bless God and curse those around me that are created in His image…These things ought not to be……Father in heaven, friends and family. Please forgive me.

Knowing God...

Started reading a book by JI Packer the other day and it got me to thinking about some of the questions he raises in the first chapter. Let me sum up some of his ideas here and then propose a question to you....

Can anyone truly say that they have “known God”? Knowing God is not the same as sharing your testimony or having some experience of God.

Paul says that he never thinks of the things he has missed but what he has gained. (Philippians 3:7-10) When Paul says he counts the things he lost as dung he means not merely that he does not think of them as having any value but that he does not live with them constantly on his mind. What normal person spends his time nostalgically dreaming of manure? When we do think fondly of our manure, we prove we have little of the knowledge of God.

We may have all kinds of theological truth about God but the evidence of the joy of knowing Him seems largely missing in theological circles. Whereas circles that are less theologically proficient often exude the joy that is synonymous with knowing Him. A little knowledge of God is worth more than a great deal of knowledge about Him.

Let me make this point a little clearer:

1- One can know a great deal about God without much knowledge of Him.

We may have a great interest into the study of God called theology. The deeper we dig the more we begin to reach conclusions about who He is and what He does. This gains us notoriety among men for our educated opinions. But, the capacity to think clearly and talk well on Christian themes is not at all the same thing as knowing Him.

2- One may know a great deal about godliness without much knowledge of God.

There is no shortage of analytical, and technical resource explaining the various views of Christian living. The bookstores, sermon archives, and pulpits aroud the world are full of all the various “how-to-s” of Christianity. You may gain a reputation for being quite the pastor by giving “how-to” answers. Yet one can have all this and hardly know God at all.

James goes on to say that even the demons believe in God. They fear Him and tremble in His presence. Surely we do not know God in the same way that demons do.

So my question to you is......How can you know God beyond a theological, analytical, philosophical, and moral knowledge of Him?

Wine and Spiderman

Sorry for the false post earlier.... (pushed the wrong button)

"...and do not be drunk with wine..." Eph 5:18

I have found that this issue (alcohol) sparks tons of controversy in the Christian community for a number of reasons.

One reason is that many have seen dramatic examples of what the abuse of alcohol can do in the life and lives of those who abuse and those around them. We see the wreckage of this sin and the catastrophic consequences on families, children and communities where people abuse alcohol.

Another reason is that christians can tend to associate the object (alcohol) with the sin (the abuse). That is, when Christians see the wreckage of the abuses of alcohol they assume the alcohol is to blame.

I believe that this is a misunderstanding of the issue and can't really be fixed if the root issue isn't addressed. This post is an attempt at addressing a much larger underlying issue that will help us (or at least helps me) sort through the biblical response to these issues.

"All things are lawful..." 1 Cor 10:23

In this passage in 1 Corinthians 10, Paul is addressing things that a person eats that go into the body. His overall point is about loving others more than ourselves and making sure we don't encourage behavior in others that would be sinful because of their own proclivities. He sums up this idea by saying in verse 31, "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." Notice that Paul does not condemn the person who eats meat that had been sacrificed to idols. For Paul the issue wasn't the meat. This is explained by Paul in further detail in 1 Cor 8. In 8:8-9 he says, "Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse of if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. But, take care that this right of yours (to eat) does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak."

Food is not the issue. Alcohol is not the issue.

Both food and alcohol go into the body and create responses in both the body and the brain. They affect the way you act, and think. When people eat too much food and become morbidly obese, we do not then say "No one should ever eat again." So too, when people abuse alcohol and get drunk, the Christian should not then pull to the extreme and say, "No one should ever drink alcohol again." You see, this type of logic doesn't solve the problem.

Confronting our idolatry:

The problem is the sinful heart of people. Some will abuse food because of a deep need for comfort, or because food makes them "feel" good. What they are seeking is escape. What they are needing is salvation from the stresses of this world. Sometimes it is the feelings of rejection and inadequacy, and other times it is medication for deep sorrow or stress that drive the desire. People do the same things with alcohol. What we really are seeking is a savior. What we need, is Jesus.

For the Christian that feels the freedom to drink alcohol there are some questions that must be asked.

1. Why am I drinking?- Is this because I am avoiding something in life? Is this my "decompression chamber? Am I using alcohol for something, that I should be running to Jesus for? Am I drinking to numb something, avoid something, or get a buzz?
2. Can I treat alcohol as normal?- Is having a beer or martini like having a cup of coffee, or a soda? Do I place unnatural emphasis on this beverage because it is more than just a drink for me?
3. How often do I drink?- Is this a special occasion kind of thing, or is it an everyday kind of thing?
4. Does alcohol have power over me?- What is driving my desire to consume alcohol? Do I feel shame and the need to hide my drinking? How much time, money and energy goes to drinking and does it steal away resources from other more valuable areas of my life?
5. Am I getting drunk?- The clear commandment of scripture is not to be drunk but to be filled with the Spirit.( Eph 5:18) The bible also teaches that the fruit of God's Spirit is "self-control". (Gal 5:23) Am I in control of myself when I drink, or do I make poor or sinful choices, and say carnal things?
6. Do I care more about my "freedom" than I do those around me?- Am I knowingly hurting those around me by drinking? Do I allow my freedom to be a temptation to people who don't share my freedom? Is someone around me emboldened to sin because of my use of alcohol?

"...not all things are helpful...not all things build up..." 1 Cor 10:23

In the words of Spiderman..."With great power, comes great responsibility." As Christians, we have been given great power in being given freedom. With the freedom we have, comes an incredible responsibility to love others more than ourselves, and make sure that our freedom isn't just a cloak for indulgence into sinful behavior. Some believers truly have the freedom to consume alcohol. Sometimes it is not the most helpful thing to exercise that freedom. Sometimes it does not build up or edify to exercise that freedom. And those with the freedom are held accountable by God to consider how they have used their freedom.

Highlights From Sunday...

Thought I might share some of my favorite thoughts from Sunday.

John 12:27-30 The Affect Of The Cross On Jesus

What does Jesus think about the cross? Jesus tells us in verse 27...

"Now is my soul troubled."

In other words," because I am now so close to that moment when I will bare the sins of the world I am deeply disturbed. I am really struggling with this."

The same Jesus that the bible tells us...

"Created all things" and "holds all things together" (Col 1:16-17)

Opened blind eyes

Made the lame walk

Caused the deaf to hear

Fed multitudes with a little boys sack lunch

Raised Lazarus from the dead

Will have people on the earth hiding under rocks and saying,"hide us from the wrath of the Lamb."

Will defeat His enemies at the end of the age and the blood will flow to the horses mane....

But... right now He confesses His troubled soul. As the cross approaches Jesus is more and more troubled.

"But," someone might say, "Doesn't Hebrews say that for the joy that was set before Him"

Yes it does the rest of the verse says "He ENDURED the cross DESPISING the SHAME."

Jesus wasn't looking forward to the cross. He was looking forward to the effects of the cross which is our fellowship with Him and the cleansing of our sin. But He hated the shame the entire time.

"What shame?" .... That is a good question! To answer that, let's find out what Jesus is not afraid of.

Jesus is not afraid of...

The devil- "One angel binds Satan" (Rev 20)

The Romans- "You would have no power unless my Father..."(Jn 19:11)

Physical suffering- "He says don't fear those who kill the body" (Matt 10:28)

Being powerless- "He emptied Himself" (Phil 2)

Being mocked- "Blessed are you when men insult and persecute you" (Matt 5:11-12)

Death- "No man takes my life" (Jn 10:18)

Jesus is troubled by two major things...

A) The weight of sin-

Jesus had lived in eternity past with God the Father in perfection. Jesus had been around our sin since Adam fell in the garden. He had watched every creature that He had made become the prisoner of the most insidious poison of all. Sin. He knew that sin is the reason death even existed. It was at the root of every pain in this world. He saw how it affected mothers, fathers, babies, and all levels of society. Yet, He only knew these things as an outside observer. He, Himself had never personally touched by sin itself. And now.... He is about to drink it in. Perfect purity is about to be defiled by the mud stained, blood stained sin of this world. And for the first time ever God Himself would feel the sting of sin and death.

Not only that. But now look at the sin that He would take. He took Adam's sin in Eden and every sin of Adam. He took the murder of Able. He took the lies of Abraham, and murderous hearts of the 12 sons of Jacob. He took the sins of the children of Israel in the wilderness as they rebelled and worshipped the golden calf and rejected the God who spared them from slavery. He took their constant backsliding once they got into the promised land. He took the sins of their sinful kings. Kings like the Saul who consulted a witch, and David who was a lying, murdering adulterer, and Solomon who kept sex slaves and wives like livestock and built temples for their false gods. He took the sins of countless other kings that rebelled against the only one who loved them purely....

He took the sins of Peter as he denied the Lord and swore with profanity that he did not know the man. He took the doubt of Thomas. The murderous persecution of Saul of Tarsus. The corruption of the 7 churches of revelation including their lack of love for Him, their desire to control people, the worship of other gods, their lack of love for one another, their hypocrisy, and their lukewarm hearts that keep Him on the outside of the church knocking to get in. And....He He took your sin and my sin.

2 Cor 5:21 "For our sake, He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God."

B) The Wrath Of The Father

After thinking through the suffering that has been caused by sinners sinning, and the damage that we have done to our selves, our planet, and God's original intent for us; Do you think God might be mad about sin? He is!! To be blunt. God the Father is mad as....hell! He has stored up His wrath at all "unrighteousness and ungodliness of men" (Rom 1:18) God's anger at the damage done by the crusades, and the countless lives lost in Iraq and America over things like oil, and power, and the horrors of the holocaust has been stored up and is waiting the release of an object to judge. Jesus the Son. Is that object.

And as Jesus considers this... He says, "Now is my soul troubled."

How does Jesus respond to this pressure? He confesses it openly. "My soul is troubled" but then He says, "What am I going to do about it? How will I respond to this trouble? Should I ask the Father to save me from this hour?"

Then at the end of vs 27-28 He makes the most incredible statement. "But, for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father glorify Your name!"

"I will not avoid it. It will cost me everything. But Father I want the world to know Your true nature. Be glorified through my death." In other words... "Give me the cross!"

"Keepin It Real"

In the opening of Jon Pipers book “Brothers We Are Not Professionals” he makes a statement that has really left an impression on my heart. “Brothers, we are being killed by the professionalizing of the pastoral ministry. The mentality of the professional is not the mentality of the prophet. It is not the mentality of the slave of Christ…. The more professional we long to be, the more spiritual death we will leave in our wake.”

He then goes on to quote some verses and ask some questions. I will give them here.

There is no professional childlikeness (Matt 18:3)

There is not professional tenderheartedness (Eph 4:32)

There is no professional panting after God (Ps42:1)

Our business is to weep over sins (James 4:9) Is there professional weeping?

Our business is to strain forward to the holiness of Christ and the prize of the upward call (Phil 3:14)

to pummel our bodies and subdue them lest we be cast away (1 Cor 9:27)

to deny ourselves and take up the blood spattered cross daily (Luke 9:23) How do you carry a cross professionally?

We are to be filled not with wine but with the Spirit (Eph 5:18) How can you be drunk with Jesus professionally?

Is there a way to be a professional clay pot (2 Cor 4:7)

How do we carry in our bodies the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested professionally? (2 Cor 4:9-11)

We have become the refuse of the world, the offscouring of all things (1 Cor 4:9-13)

Our citizenship is in heaven, and we wait with eager expectation for the Lord (Phil 3:20)

Our goals are an offense, they are foolishness (1 Cor 1:23)

We are aliens, and exiles in this world (1 Pet 2:11)

…The strong wine of Jesus explodes the wineskins of professionalism.

There is an infinite difference between the pastor whose heart is set on being the aroma of Christ, the fragrance of death to some and eternal life to others (2 Cor 2:15-16)

God, please give us a heart that thirsts for You! One that burns with the life giving gospel, and breaks for those ensnared by sin. Rebuke us when we stray and cause us to return to the simplicity of loving You and loving the world around us. May Your grace keep us close to the cross, humble, even broken before You. May we reject every fig leaf of self righteousness and religion and cling whole heartedly to the righteousness You give us by faith. Send us into the world under the power of Your love and not from selfish ambition, or the desire to be known, or the need to be needed. May every idol of success fall before You and our only desire become to see You smile and say "Well done! You have loved Me well!"

The Pressure A Pastor on Easter

I thought that this week I would post my sermon from Sunday. Some of the scripture reading is assumed because when I gave the sermon people had their bibles open but i think you will get the bulk of the content of it. Hope you enjoy as we let His resurrection impact us like it did the disciples! It's a long post but one I think yo will enjoy if you take the time.

Luke 24
The pressure is on this Easter because of the increasing need in our culture to see something new. We don't like to watch the same movies twice or hear the same song on the radio more than once every hour. This day carries more pressure than any other day for Pastors. If there was a superbowl for pastors this would be the day. It is the one day out of the year when people who don't normally attend church will dress up in their Sunday best and make the effort. Many family and friends who don't think of themselves as religious and therefore don't participate in what Nacho Libre calls "churchy opportunities", will be dragged by guilt, coercion, or curiosity to accompany believing friends to church. But will the pastor have some new thing to say? Will the pastor have some new insight that will make the story come alive?


Also the pressure is on because of the bible. The apostle Paul says that this single event in history is the hinge pin upon which the door of all of Christianity swings. I cor 15:14 says, " If Christ has not been raised then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain." and then he even takes it a step further and says that we then, "are misrepresenting God...you are still in your sins...those who have died in Christ have perished...and we are the most pitiful people on the planet." Wow! Thanks Paul! No Pressure.

So we have before us two things that will be our guide and one thing that makes up the lack. I will use words to try to convey the reality of what happened outside the gates of Jerusalem 2000 years ago. The bible, written by eyewitnesses will be our tour guide in seeing how these events unfolded and looking at what it meant to people in the days when Jesus lived. And, the Holy Spirit will breath life into what I am saying so that the words don't just penetrate the mind but assault the heart.

Lets set the stage a little. Jesus, considered a celebrity prophet by some, and a menace by others, has been brutally killed. Some people want to argue this point but the evidence from early resources is enough to really give us a picture of how dead Jesus really was. Jesus was kept up for 36 hours beaten by fists, rods, and a Roman whip called the cat of nine tails. This would have caused major trauma and bleeding to the body. He was then forced on a death march, carrying the cross arm of the cross called the "Patibulum", outside the city and up a stone quarry hill that the locals called "Golgatha" or skull mountain. He was so weakened that physical strength failed the maker of the universe, so that He collapsed under the weight of a wooden beam He had created. Another was forced to carry His cross and Jesus was forced to the top of the hill. His hands were then nailed with hammer and nail to the cross arm that had been carried from the city. He was then either raised by the patibulum or fastened with the patibulum to a tree or a pole (called the stipe) that was planted firmly in the ground by the Romans. His feet were then nailed to the cross to give Him something to stand on. And there the He hung. For six hours he endured unthinkable pain and suffering and then He died. Now because of the feast of Passover the Jews who had Him killed wanted both Him and the two thieves that were crucified with Him to be taken down from the cross because there was a law from Deut 21:22-23 that prevented bodies from being hung on a tree over night. The death of the two thieves was expedited by breaking their legs which would keep them from being able to stand on the nails through their feet to breathe and respirate themselves. But when they came to Jesus they found Him to be dead already. Just for confirmation they took a spear and pierced His chest cavity on the side. When the soldiers did this, blood mixed with water came out. This indicates that bag of water that surrounds the heart, called the pericardium, had been ruptured by the point of the spear. When that happens, if you weren't dead already, you are now. So, Jesus died.

Now, when you think of Jesus death try to avoid thinking of it in the story book way, or the Hollywood way. This is the very real and tangible death of a person. I don't know if you have ever watched someone you love die or been around a family shortly after a death but it is a surreal experience. When you see a dead body there and the life has gone your mind can begin to play tricks on you. You look at the lifeless body and think that you see movement or you keep waiting to see the chest expand as though the body were taking in a breath. It is a strange experience seeing the body of a lifeless person. Jesus died. There was no expanding of His chest. There was no slight movement. 3 hours after the death of a person "rigor mortis" begins to set in reaching it's peak at 12 hours after death. Jesus was dead. And He needed to be placed in a tomb quickly before the Sabbath began at sundown. By the time the sun went down His body was already beginning to stiffen.


Now, pause for just a moment and consider what finality this brought to the disciples and those that followed Jesus. You see, for us, death brings with it an inescapable conclusion. Whatever plans we had, are gone. Whatever hopes we had for the relationship, are dashed into pieces. Whatever was left unsaid will forever be left undone. Death is final.


This explains the actions of the disciples. The Romans had crushed their hopes and now the leaders of Israel could easily dissuade anyone from following the disciples and their messianic movement. The disciples had left everything to follow this man they thought was messiah. Some had left their business, some their families but all had put their life on the line and all were wondering what the next step was. It has not even entered their minds that Jesus could be raised from the dead. Not only that, but these guys are struggling with an even more deadly internal battle than the ones without. They most likely feel deceived or like they had made some sort of mistake by thinking that He was the messiah. "How come I couldn't see this coming? How did I miss it?" Luke gives us their state of mind as they hid together wondering how they could go back to their normal lives. When the two Marys and Joanna come in to tell the disciples that the tomb was empty. In Luke 24:11 The bible tells us that they thought the idea of Jesus being raised from the dead "seemed to them as an idle tale" and that they "did not believe them". In the room that was filled with disciples only two, Peter and John went to the tomb to even check it out. The rest were unbelieving or indifferent. After hearing that the tomb was indeed empty two of the disciples decided to leave town. They were making their way to a small village outside of Jerusalem, about 7 miles away. These disciples believe that this chapter of their lives has closed like some sort of bad dream. To them, Jesus was dead. Listen to how they talked with Jesus on the road.


24:21 "But we HAD hoped that He was the one to redeem Israel"


Even after the two men encountered Jesus on the way to Emmaus, Jesus appeared again to some of his disciples while they were talking about what had happened on the road and Peter's encounter with Him. But when Jesus appears they think it is the Spirit of Jesus not actually a resurrected Jesus. Jesus actually has to comfort them that He isn't just a ghost.


24:37-40


Then the bible says that they were still trying to wrap their minds around a physical resurrection and struggling. Then Jesus did something to prove to them He wasn't just a ghost. He did what they saw Him do on many occasions before. He ate.


24:42-43


Can you put yourself in their shoes? Can you feel the finality of the death of Jesus? So Jesus has to explain that this was always the plan that God had for mankind. He had to explain that the scriptures from thousands of years previously had been pointing to this one moment in history. It was written in the Torah, in the prophets, and even in the Psalms. Then Jesus enabled them to see the Old Testament scriptures through a different lens and told them what the rest of God's plan was. He told them;


vs 47- That repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in Jesus' name to all the nations.

vs 48- That they were the witnesses to the world (which implies that they needed to take this message to the world and record it for those around them)

vs 49- That the Holy Spirit would clothe them with power from on high.



Now, the fact of the resurrection did something in the hearts of the disciples. Their reasoning went something like this...

"If this is true, then this changes everything!"

And one by one all the hopes they had for a messiah were alive again.


It meant for them...

...That all that they had given up to follow Jesus was now worth it.


...That everything that He had taught them wasn't just good advice, it was the word of God


...That their lives had a great purpose not just the occupying of space.


...That the relationship between God and man just became more intimate and the God could be known personally.


...That the God of the Old Testament was REALLY a God of love.


...It meant that God loves those that don't know Him personally.


...That heaven is real, and so is hell.


...That God was calling all the world to repent and receive the forgiveness of their sins by allowing Jesus' punishment on the cross to be the substitute for theirs.


...That God had now made Himself available through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit to all men who let Jesus pay for their sins.


...That prayers really do get heard, the sick do get healed, the lame do walk, the blind do see, and the dead are raised.


...That He is ruling on a throne in heaven!!!


...That He is coming back to take up His throne on earth.


...That the king who died on Friday was alive for evermore!!!


...That there will one day be a new heaven and a new earth and we will live happily ever after!!!


...That if you don't know Him, He is calling to you today saying, "Change your mind about your sin, let Me pay for it for you, receive My love and forgiveness, and know me personally."

I wish I had something new to say. But this is the good news that has been reaching the world one soul at a time since the first Easter 2000 years ago!