[Weekly Digest] Galatians419 Devotionals for week of 9/25/2011

Just in case you missed something this week...

The Best Part of the Christian Life

By Allen White 

Most of us haven’t spent much time around sheep. We might wear their sweaters or nibble on their legs at Easter. Other than occasionally counting them to get to sleep, we don’t hang out with sheep. Read more...

The Hard Work of Getting Along

By Allen White 

Jesus led the first small group in the church. Much like small groups today, Jesus’ group was a mix of very different people. That mix actually made the group stronger. Read more...

Was Jesus a Racist?

By Allen White 

In sending out His disciples to serve, Jesus instructed them to avoid the Gentiles (non-Jews) and the Samaritans (half Jews). He only wanted His disciples to seek out the “lost sheep of Israel.” This flies in the face of other parts of Scripture. Why would Jesus intentionally ignore people who needed saving? Did He have something against them? Read more...

Move with the Movers

By Allen White 

Jesus’ disciples went out with no itinerary. No hotel reservations. (You’d think they would have learned from Mary and Joseph’s experience.) No rental donkey. No key contact that they knew of. But, Jesus knew. Read more....

Let’s Roll or Let’s Run?

By Allen White 

Passages like this are easy to relegate to the past. We’re never getting arrested. We’re scared of witnessing. And, what’s this about God taking over our mouths? (Not that it’s necessarily a bad idea.) Read more...

Let’s Roll or Let’s Run?

By Allen White

I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Matthew 10:16-20

Passages like this are easy to relegate to the past. We’re never getting arrested. We’re scared of witnessing. And, what’s this about God taking over our mouths? (Not that it’s necessarily a bad idea.)

Imagine that you’re among the twelve hearing these words. Jesus is commissioning you to serve. These are his instructions: “I will do great things with you. Travel light. Don’t get weighed down with things you think you need. And, oh by the way, if you end up in jail or in front of a judge, it’s only an opportunity to share the Gospel with them.” Are these instructions to build Christ’s church or rob a bank?

What would you do if these were Jesus’ instructions to you. Would you say, “Let’s roll!” or “Let’s run!”?

God doesn’t always use conventional means to get us where He wants us. Think about Joseph in the Old Testament. Ultimately, God needed Joseph as basically the Prime Minister of Egypt in order to save God’s people from starvation. The path to Joseph’s success was his brother’s jealousy (Genesis 37:1-11), slavery (Genesis 37:12-36), false accusation (Genesis 39:1-20), imprisonment (Genesis 39:20-40:23) and being forgotten (Genesis 41:1). What a resume: favored son, former slave, ex-con, prime minister. Wouldn’t an MBA and a political science degree have sufficed?

God will use unconventional means to take you to unconventional places in order to fulfill His will. We often look for a convenient, comfortable, safe path when we choose to follow God’s will. After all, we’re working for God. He’ll take care of us, right?

He will never leave us or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6). But, God never promised us a rose garden. Besides every rose has its thorn. (How’s that for mixing musical genres?)

What has happen in your life that you absolutely did not expect? A job change, family situation, special needs child, life controlling problem, recovery, loss, disappointment, success. I’m not saying that God preplanned the pain in your life, but how could God use your life experiences to help others?

If you’ve recovered from a staggering financial loss, who can you encourage? If you’ve parented a strong-willed child, who could use your advice? If you’re overcoming a life controlling problem one day at a time, who needs your support?

You don’t have to be an expert on the subject. Your credibility comes from the fact that you lived it and survived. Leave the rest up to God. He will even give you the words according to this passage.

God never wastes a hurt. What have you overcome or endured? How could God use your experiences to help another? What circumstance in your life has been completely unexpected or even disappointing? How has that circumstance given you access to people you wouldn’t know otherwise? Can God use even a low spot to raise somebody up?

Our lives aren’t accidents. We don’t rely on luck – good or bad. God is in control. Will you trust Him with what’s next for you?

 

More from Allen White: allenwhite.org

Move with the Movers

By Allen White

“Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts— no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep. Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave. As you enter the home, give it your greeting. If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.” Matthew 10:9-15

Jesus’ disciples went out with no itinerary. No hotel reservations. (You’d think they would have learned from Mary and Joseph’s experience.) No rental donkey. No key contact that they knew of. But, Jesus knew.

Jesus knew some would help and others definitely would not. His advice: move with the movers. If the person they approached wouldn’t cooperate, move on. If the person was unwilling, unable, distracted or just stubborn, they didn’t need to waste their breath convincing them otherwise. It’s just not the right person.

When my friend, Josh Bradley, decided to plant Element Church in Woodruff, South Carolina, he had no building, no members, but a lot of friends and God who led the way.

On one of his first visits to the town, Josh met a woman who was very interested in a contemporary church starting there. In fact, she offer Josh 2,000 square feet of space for the church office!

Now, Josh wasn’t going door to door on Main Street looking for office space. He was just checking out the town and meeting people along the way. On that day, Josh met a “worthy person” or as some translations say, a “man of peace.” In this case, a woman of peace.

Volunteers from Brookwood Church divided the space with walls, donated the office furniture, and installed much needed air conditioning. Not because Josh twisted their arms, but because God put it on their hearts to follow the vision for that church.

What about you? What are you trying to get started? A new business, ministry, initiative or neighborhood watch? Don’t focus on who doesn’t get on board. Look for an ally – a man or woman of peace.

Whether you’re launching a small group or trying to get co-workers or neighbors to join you in something, ask God for the right partner to get started.

Don’t rely on how you expect things will happen. That will only lead to frustration. Don’t count on who you think should help. That will only lead to disappointment.

Ask God. Let people know what you’re doing. If they say, “yes” then you’re making headway. If they say “no,” be gracious to them. God’s got somebody else in mind.

Who should be “moving” in your life, but isn’t? Who have you not thought to ask? Start by asking God.

More from Allen White: allenwhite.org

Was Jesus a Racist?

By Allen White

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. Matthew 10:5-8

In sending out His disciples to serve, Jesus instructed them to avoid the Gentiles (non-Jews) and the Samaritans (half Jews). He only wanted His disciples to seek out the “lost sheep of Israel.” This flies in the face of other parts of Scripture. Why would Jesus intentionally ignore people who needed saving? Did He have something against them?

This was the first step in a multi-part strategy. His last words to His disciples instructed them to witness in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the uttermost parts of the earth (Acts 1:8). The easiest group for His Jewish disciples to reach were Jews.

The Jews were expecting the Messiah. They had some context about the message of the Gospel. The Gentiles and even the Samaritans would have been a harder sell at this point.

As Jesus began building the church, He knew that the twelve needed to multiply in order to get to the uttermost parts of the earth. The Jews, having a context for the Gospel message, were the low hanging fruit, if you will.

In time, the Gentiles and Samaritans would receive the Gospel. Jesus, Himself, shared with a Samaritan woman (John 4). When the Roman centurion came to Him, Jesus said that He saw no greater faith in all of Israel (Matthew 8:5-13).

Following Jesus’ model, we should start serving right where we are with the people we know. Don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against mission trips. My first mission trip took me to Hong Kong for a summer when I was 19-years-old. But, sometimes we’re overly focused on serving “over there” to the point of ignoring who’s around us.

Who’s in your life that has a need? Who’s making bad choices? Who needs encouragement? Who do you need to love enough by telling them they’re acting like a knucklehead?

Do you know your neighbors? Do they need help? I wouldn’t start the conversation with the Four Spiritual Laws or the Romans Road. Start by building a relationship. They may be Jews or Gentiles or even Samaritans. That’s not the point. If they are nearby and you can relate to them, then that’s your “Jerusalem.”

More from Allen White: allenwhite.org

The Hard Work of Getting Along

By Allen White

Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.

These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. Matthew 10:1-4

Jesus led the first small group in the church. Much like small groups today, Jesus’ group was a mix of very different people. That mix actually made the group stronger.

Matthew was a tax collector. He was about the last person you would expect among other Jews. Tax collectors were Jews who worked for the Romans. They were notorious for not only collecting for Caesar, but also for taking a cut off the top for themselves. On the first meeting of Jesus’ group, there probably was an empty chair on either side of Matthew.

Staring from across the room was Simon the Zealot. If Matthew was the IRS, Simon the Zealot was a Tea Party member. Zealots hated tax collectors. Yet, a Zealot and a tax collector were both drawn to Jesus and joined His group. Talk about small group dynamics.

Then, there were fishermen. When Jesus met Peter and Andrew, they were fishing from the shore. They weren’t pleasure fishing. They couldn’t afford a boat. James and John on the other hand had a boat. Two different classes of fishermen were in the same small group.

Two could have been jealous. Two could have looked down their noses. But, they had Jesus in common. That leveled the playing field.

Thomas was the analytical one. He had to see Jesus’ wounds for himself before he believed the resurrection. Today, skeptical folks are called a “Doubting Thomas,” as his name sake.

Then, there was Judas. You don’t meet a lot of people who name their babies “Judas.” His name has probably been blotted out of the baby name books.

Jesus’ group was an eclectic mix of very different folks. It wasn’t quite the bar scene from Star Wars, but it was approaching that. Yet, different folks from different backgrounds, different political viewpoints and different socio-economic statuses had one thing in common – Jesus Himself.

They learned together. They served together. They are responsible for you and I knowing Jesus today. Because they were special? No. Because they were called, and they learned to share life together.

Some people dread their group because “that guy” might show up. Others avoid groups altogether. But, we are not allowed to leave others in the dust, just because they are difficult. And, that’s a good thing – sometimes we are the difficult one.

Henri Nouwen put it this way, “Community is the place where the person I least want to be there is always there.” I know what you’re thinking – “Where do I sign up for a group?”But, meeting with people from different backgrounds and walks of life teaches us something. A difficult person in our group might just be a lesson in how to love a difficult person.


You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor (James 3:18, Msg).


Who do you have a hard time with in your group? Why do you believe God put this person in your life? (No, God doesn’t hate you).


Maybe you haven’t joined a group. What’s holding you back? Jesus set the model. His words were important, but so are relationships with other people. People remind us of Jesus’ words. They help us live them out.


Note: Some thoughts inspired by a sermon called “Doing Life Together” by John Ortberg.

More from Allen White: allenwhite.org

The Best Part of the Christian Life

By Allen White

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Matthew 9:35-38

Most of us haven’t spent much time around sheep. We might wear their sweaters or nibble on their legs at Easter. Other than occasionally counting them to get to sleep, we don’t hang out with sheep.

The Bible often compares people with sheep. They need to be led and protected. In fact, the ministry of every believer is similar to the work of a shepherd. Just like a shepherd leads the sheep, every believer is called to invest in the lives of others.

Jesus was moved with compassion when He saw the spiritual state of the people. They were like traffic with no lanes. They were like electricity sparking from a downed power line. They were like sheep without a shepherd.

While many people are self-directed, most of us are not self-directed in every area of our lives. We need someone to care enough to ask how we’re doing. We need encouragement. We need accountability. We need each other.

Encouraging and helping are one thing, but in this passage Jesus is about to drop the e-word – evangelism. If you’ve ever gone door to door, then you’re ready to stop reading right now. Don’t.

But, Jesus isn’t talking about finding a needle in a haystack. The harvest is plentiful. The fish are jumping in the boat. The sales leads are not warm, they’re smoking hot.

Jesus isn’t looking for an evangelical Willie Lowman who asks, “What do I need to do to put you into a Savior today?” Jesus has more hot leads than the church could possibly get to. Any willing believer is welcome to apply.

I don’t know of very many people who ever came to Christ all by themselves. In fact, even if they were alone when they prayed, someone printed a Bible or published a website or produced a presentation. The Bible tells us that by using our spiritual gifts, we extend God’s grace to other people (1 Peter 4:10).

You don’t need to memorize the Four Spiritual Laws or have a copy of Evidence that Demands a Verdict on hand (though they are great resources). Your best tool to influence otherstoward Christ is you -- your life, your experiences, your relationship with God.

I know what you’re thinking – “I’m not a good enough Christian to help another person. Maybe a pastor should do it.” Well, I’m a pastor, and I’m not good enough either. But, Jesus living in and through us is more than enough.

Jesus, as one person, couldn’t meet the needs of the entire crowd. He didn’t heal every sick person. He didn’t deliver every possessed person. Jesus knew that the poor would always be with us (Matthew 26:11). But, Jesus through His Church, you and me, can accomplish a great deal.

Think about this – there are about 2 billion Christians on this planet. So, there are about 4.7 billion people who don’t know Christ. If two people could show the love of Christ to five unbelievers, then 2 billion could show Christ’s love to 4.7 billion.

If you’re still reading, then your nerves didn’t get the best of you. God only uses people who are available to Him. He will use whatever abilities we have to offer, and then He gives us spiritual gifts to accomplish His Will.

How available are you to God? If you are open, He will use you. If you’re not open, He won’t. If you have no desire for God to use you, you’re missing out on the best part of the Christian life.

More from Allen White: allenwhite.org