Friday Slowdown

I hope that you will bear with me today as I repeat one of my favorite hymns, in one of my favorite arrangements.
Truly we are blessed, and we lift our hearts and hands to Him from Whom those blessings flow!

Thursday -- Happy Thanksgiving!

"Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power
and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom;
you are exalted as head over all.

Wealth and honor come from you;
you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
to exalt and give strength to all.

Now, our God, we give you thanks,
and praise your glorious name." 

1 Chronicles 29:11-13

Wednesday, Thanksgiving week

In that day you will say: "Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted.  Isaiah 12:4

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.  Psalm 28:7

Tuesday, Thanksgiving week

I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High. Psalm 7:17

For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,  because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.  I Timothy 4:4-5

Monday, Thanksgiving week

Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.  For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods.  Psalm 95:2-3

I'll be taking this week off, for the Thanksgiving holiday. All this week I will have posts that focus on thanking God for His many blessings.
I hope that you and your families and friends enjoy a blessed and happy Thanksgiving!

Friday slowdown

All creatures of our God and King,
lift up your voices, let us sing:
Alleluia, alleluia!
Thou burning sun with golden beams,
thou silver moon that gently gleams,
Refrain:
O praise him, O praise him,
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Thou rushing wind that art so strong,
ye clouds that sail in heaven along,
O praise him, Alleluia!
Thou rising morn, in praise rejoice,
ye lights of evening, find a voice,

Thou flowing water, pure and clear,
make music for thy Lord to hear,
Alleluia, alleluia!
Thou fire so masterful and bright,
that givest man both warmth and light,

Dear mother earth, who day by day
unfoldest blessings on our way,
O praise him, Alleluia!
The flowers and fruits that in thee grow,
let them his glory also show:

And all ye men of tender heart,
forgiving others, take your part,
O sing ye Alleluia!
Ye who long pain and sorrow bear,
praise God and on him cast your care:

And thou, most kind and gentle death,
waiting to hush our latest breath,
O praise him, Alleluia!
Thou leadest home the child of God,
and Christ our Lord the way hath trod:

Let all things their Creator bless,
and worship him in humbleness,
O praise him, Alleluia!
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,
and praise the Spirit, Three in One: 
Refrain:
O praise him, O praise him,
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

 

John 2:23-25, It looks like faith

²³ Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name. ²⁴ But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. ²⁵ He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.

There's an old saying, "If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it must be a duck."Today we will learn that if it "looks like faith" it is not necessarily faith . . .

Yesterday we focused on the omniscience of Jesus in this text. Today we will study that there is a kind of faith in Jesus that He does not approve. Whoa. That is a big one. Let's dig in and make certain that we understand!
Today's study is a result of the omniscience that we focused on yesterday. John the gospel-writer notes that when Jesus looked into the heart of some of those who believed, he saw something other than the kind of faith that makes you a child of God. 
It seems to our finite minds that Jesus should be thrilled with the folks who see the signs and believe. But he’s not. Verse 24 says, “But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because He knew all people.” This is not the way He treats His own sheep whom He calls by name. When Jesus withholds himself from them, he is saying that they are not believing in a saving way. They are not the children of God -- They are not doing what we noted in John 1:12.
Wait a minute! What's wrong with their faith; what is wrong with their believing? Let's check out the clues . . .

In the very next chapter (and don't forget, chapter divisions are a human, later-than-the-writing-of-the-gospel invention) we see Nicodemus coming to Jesus and saying:

"Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him” John 3:2

This is the kind of faith that Jesus sees in the people. It's a huge statement of faith -- it's what some Jews believe about Jesus; it's what Muslims and even some unsaved believe. Jesus is "from God" and what He does are "signs" of the power of God in Him.
It's very significant faith. But it is not saving faith.  We know from the rest of the story that Nicodemus (at the time he questioned Christ) was not born again. He was still spiritually blind, and only saw the signs -- they were so impressive that he concluded they must involve the almighty God.
Remember the clue in verse 23: "Many believed in His name when they saw the signs ...." Signs were meant to point people to the true Savior, the Son of God and what He stood for. But John is noting here that many saw the signs and did not see what they stood for.
Let's look at an example:

So his brothers said to him, ‘Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.’ For not even his brothers believed in him”  (John 7:3-5)

Wow! The reason that his brothers wanted Him to go and do His miracles, was to get some attention in Judea! And that was because they did not believe in Him. Well, they knew He worked miracles....they could believe that. They were excited about it and wanted him to get the attention they thought he deserved. That, John states, is unbelief.  And here is how John clarifies it:
“How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?” John 5:44
You see, deep down in their hearts (remember yesterday? Jesus sees our hearts perfectly.) His brothers loved the glory of man. They saw Him working miracles and not receiving much glory. They wanted attention for Him, and indirectly for themselves. They wanted Him, and themselves, to receive admiration.
Here is the bottom line: real, saving faith in Christ is an humble thing. It's what we do because we are broken, and need "fixing." It's not what popularity seekers or power-hungry people, or sign-followers do. You see, sign-seeking is not a good idea. Many people today scoot from one sign or wonder to the next. They look for the spectacular; if it's incredible, it must be from God, right? Then when the leader or worker has marriage problems or financial or legal problems, they are disappointed and disillusioned.

“False christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.”Matthew 24:24

Yes, they may do signs and maybe even miracles. And they will cause the sign-seekers to fall away from following Christ. They had faith, yes. A kind of faith. And that is what Jesus knew, and John is warning us about.
Paul tells us in Thessalonians:

“The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and lying signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.”Thess. 2:9-10

In the last days before Jesus comes, there will be signs and wonders. Some of them will be real. And they will be lying - full of deception. Many who profess faith in Christ; a kind of faith, a faith that does not love the truth, will switch that faith from Jesus to another sign-worker who seems more impressive.....and they will perish in the end.

So, as we look at yesterday's study and today's, we need to ask ourselves: Is our faith based on a spiritual sight of the glory of the Son? Do we see Christ and His cross as compelling us to repent and partake of His life and follow His glory? Or are we only attracted to signs and wonders?

It's awe-inspiring to think that Jesus, who could see perfectly into the depths of every soul, and Who could summon angels to do His bidding, and Who could make things happen with a single word -- this Jesus knew what was in man (and woman). He chose when and where and how and why He would die. And He did it for us. He and His cross are the greatest glory -- if we believe on Him, the Lamb of God will take away our sins and make us children of God.
The greatest glory is that He is our Savior!  He lives, and makes intercession for us. Praise Him!

John 2:23-25, our all-knowing Savior

²³ Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name. ²⁴ But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. ²⁵ He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.

Remember when we began in John's gospel? We discovered that the reason for John's writing was to show the glory of Jesus, and to make certain that we "get it," that we believe in Him as God's Son and giver of eternal life.

Since we know that John wanted all of us to believe, these verses are a little bit awkward. What he is saying, is that Jesus knows what is in every heart, and He can see when someone believes in a way that is not really believing. Put a different way, Jesus has the ability to know every heart perfectly -- and that leads to an unsettling truth that some belief is not the kind of belief that results in fellowship with Jesus, and ultimately in eternal life. So, some belief is not saving belief.

Let's take this in two bites, shall we? Let's focus on the omniscience of Jesus today, and on the belief issues tomorrow.

The first part of this is "He knew all people." There is no person that is excluded here; and no part of our lives is excluded from His omniscience. He knows everybody, and then He also knows everything about everybody! Let this truth about our Savior sink into your heart.

What does it really mean? Well, it means that there are no complete secrets in your life. We might have succeeded in hiding something from everyone else on this earth. But we've not hidden it from Jesus. You are completely, totally known. There is not one slight part of your heart and your mind that is unknown to Him, now, and at every hour.


That means there is always at least one Person to whom we must relate, Who knows everything about us. We can look others in the face and know that they are unaware of some things about us. But there is One Who when we look Him in the face, He sees "through" us. When we speak to Him, it's as ones who are totally laid bare, totally known. What an incredible relationship to have!  No one else comes close, not our spouse, not our best friend, no one else. Just Jesus.

Because of this, we always have someone to go to, for help in knowing ourselves. That's one of the great longings of humans, isn't it? "Who are we?" "What is our nature?" "What sort of human being are we?" Jesus is the One who knows our heart perfectly, and can help us to understand ourselves.

Here is the most awesome part: we not only have someone who knows us fully, but who is willing to love us unconditionally -- in spite of what He knows! Jesus has a special covenant love for those Who trust Him. Look at how He prays to the Father in John 17:9:

“I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.”

He is interceding for those the Father has given to Him. These are His disciples, His sheep, the children of God. These are they who are born again, those who believe, and it includes us if we have believed in Him and accepted His gift of salvation.

“To all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God”  John 1:12

If we receive Him, there will always be one person who will love us, knowing everything about us. We will be able to trust Him fully, and have joy in life with Him.

Verses that speak to us

This week I'd like to invite all of our readers to take just a moment to leave a comment on this post in particular. Many times we study our Bible and find gems from God that truly bless and inspire us; we may find "just the right" verse to help us through a difficult situation.

Won't you share with us, if you have found a verse or passage to be helpful in the past week or two? You never know who might really need that verse or insight that you share . . .

Here is one that helped me through a difficult time this past week:

"Do not be afraid, you who are highly esteemed," he said. "Peace! Be strong now; be strong." When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, "Speak, my lord, since you have given me strength."  Daniel 10:19

Hoping to hear from you, too . . .

Concluding thoughts on John 2:12-22

¹² After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.
¹³ When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. ¹⁵ So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. ¹⁶ To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” ¹⁷ His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
¹⁸ The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”
¹⁹ Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”
²⁰ They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” ²¹ But the temple he had spoken of was his body. ²² After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

In concluding our study of this passage, I wanted to focus for a few moments on two verses, seventeen and twenty-two.

I am sure that when this incident happened, there were onlookers who were puzzled, and wondered what in the world was going on, and why. John is our helper again, here, and tells us exactly why!

¹⁷ His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
²² After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

What we find in these two verses are two signs proving that Jesus is not only someone who can perform miracles, but that He is the One promised to Adam, and He is the hope of every Jewish person since. Although they didn't understand at the time, these verses prove the Messiahship of Christ. 

Here is some background . . . there was a commandment for every Israelite man over 21 years old to pay a temple tax. We can find the rules for this in Exodus 31:12-16, and it's mentioned again in Matthew.   But they couldn’t use the "coin of the realm"; they had to use a special one, and they could only get it from the temple. Now, the money-changers in the temple knew this and they sold this coin for a huge profit. These money-changers were practicing extortion -- and right inside the temple!
Notice that He doesn't drive out only those money-changers, but He drives out all the animals, too. We can imagine Him standing for a moment inside the now-quiet temple, with His disciples looking on from a few feet away . . . his next remark is not lost on them -- it's part of a prophetic Psalm well-known to every Jewish person, whether young or old.

I'd like for you to pause and turn to Psalm 69 and read it carefully -- this is a Psalm of the promised Messiah. It details His suffering and the words of verse 17 are contained in it. So, as they looked at Him, standing in the temple, His disciples recalled that Psalm, and it bolstered their faith.

The others? The ones driven out? Not so much.
They asked Him, by what authority do You do this? You and I can't imagine asking this of Him, right? But they did. And His answer amazed them -- and provided yet another proof, one that would be remembered three years later, by the disciples. Here's what He said . . .

19Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. 20Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? 21But he spake of the temple of his body.

The people who asked Him that, must have looked at each other and rolled their eyes. They just didn't understand, and to them, His words seemed a little bizarre. But later, as John says, His disciples would understand that He meant it as a reference to His own body. Let's dig into the words, because there are some gems here for us if we dig!

The word that Jesus uses that is translated "destroy" is actually an imperative word in the Greek -- by that we mean that it's a command; it carries some urgency with it. He is not just prophecying what they will do -- He is actually commanding them to do it. 
Next, He doesn't just use a word that means "temple" even though it is translated that way. He uses another word that is quite specific -- it means the portion of the temple where sacrifices are offered....He is referring to the Holy Place!

OK, take a rest from digging and let's pull some things together. Jesus did something that reminded his disciples of Psalm 69. Then He called His own body the Holy Place, where atonement for sins would be found. Wow! They had asked Him for proof, for a sign.  He did more than that . . .


22When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said. 

 In the midst of His ministry, in the midst of what must have been so frustrating and provoking, in the midst of what would be three years of people showing faithlessness and unbelief, He provided them with proof of His Sonship and His being the long awaited Messiah. And on top of that, He provided them with proof before they needed it . . . as all-knowing God, He knew that one day they would be huddled in a room, scared that the authorities would come and take them away to be jailed or killed, and that this would be something they would remember. It would be something to hang on to -- something they could believe in. They would go on to change the world for His glory.


We can see that they didn't "get it" right away, but they did eventually. What an awesome God to plan and provide salvation, and then to plan and provide proof for their fledgling faith!

Friday slowdown

Search me, O God,
And know my heart today;
Try me, O Savior,
Know my thoughts, I pray.

See if there be
Some wicked way in me;
Cleanse me from every sin
And set me free.


I praise Thee, Lord,
For cleansing me from sin;
Fulfill Thy Word,
And make me pure within.

Fill me with fire
Where once I burned with shame;
Grant my desire
To magnify Thy Name.

Lord, take my life,
And make it wholly Thine;
Fill my poor heart
With Thy great love divine.

Take all my will,
My passion, self and pride;
I now surrender, Lord
In me abide.

O Holy Ghost,
Revival comes from Thee;
Send a revival,
Start the work in me.

Thy Word declares
Thou wilt supply our need;
For blessings now,
O Lord, I humbly plead.

John 2:12-22, Part II

¹² After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.
¹³ When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. ¹⁵ So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. ¹⁶ To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” ¹⁷ His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
¹⁸ The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”
¹⁹ Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”
²⁰ They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” ²¹ But the temple he had spoken of was his body. ²² After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

We paused yesterday and noted that there are some other scriptures that we need to look at. Here is one of them:

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” I Corinthians 6:19-20

Wow! Every time that I read that, I am struck afresh and anew with the realization -- our bodies are temples of God! And that brings an added responsibility . . .we need to make certain that we honor God with our bodies.
Does Jesus need to cleanse our temples? Do we need to invite Him in with prayer, so that He can come in and cast out our sinfulness, and make our bodies holy again? Does He need to take the cords of life and make them into a whip of circumstances and situations that will get our attention, so that He can push sin out of our daily lives?
Here is another scripture that talks about the temple:

“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.” I Corinthians 3:16-17

This is powerful stuff, too. We see here that not only are our individual bodies temples to God, but we (together) as the people of Christ are also a temple. So, when we gather together as a group of Christians, a sacred thing can happen -- He can be in our midst.  So let's not treat our gatherings as trivial or inconsequential -- He doesn't!

Each of us has sins that separate us from the close relationship that God wants to enjoy with us. We all have things in our lives that keep us from that special path that God has for us.  Here's the problem: we are used to them. We don't even realize they are there anymore, and we don't even see them as sin anymore -- they're just a part of our world.
We are like the ancient temple, and we have tables of sin that have wandered into our lives and we may not even realize that they shouldn't be there. Oh, and once the sin takes hold, it grows and grows. Probably when the tables in the temple began, they started out small, and few in number. But then they grew and grew, and soon there were sheep, cattle, birds, and moneychangers in a part of the temple that was supposed to be where people could worship!
I just can't picture trying to worship while being distracted by all those animals, can you? Well, that is the way sin in our lives can be. We allow it to grow and take more of the place where God should be. It makes our relationship with Him weaker and weaker. It keeps us from that one relationship that is the most important.
And we are unable to get rid of these sins and distractions by ourselves; we fail miserably when we try. Here's the good news: we don't need to do it by ourselves. Our Jesus, the fierce Jesus that we don't think about as often as the serene one, will take up His cords and cast out those things that need to be removed. Let's allow, let's invite Jesus into our temples, and let Him work in our lives. He can free us from those things that will keep us from Him.
He will cleanse us as He did the temple.
Thank you, Lord!

John 2:12-22, Part I

¹² After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.
¹³ When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. ¹⁵ So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. ¹⁶ To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” ¹⁷ His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
¹⁸ The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”
¹⁹ Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”
²⁰ They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” ²¹ But the temple he had spoken of was his body. ²² After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.


Have you a favorite picture of Jesus? Is there a certain image in your mind that you equate with Him? Over the years, many artists and sculptors have tried to show what they think the Son of God looked like. Most of them are calm and serene; some are sad or thoughtful . . . not too many are angry, or show Him with a whip in His hand. We don't often think of Him that way. But that is what we see in this passage.

Got your shovels ready? Let's dig in!

There are many events in the life of Jesus that show up in one or two of the gospels, or even in three. But it is kinda rare for it to be reported in all four, with the obvious exceptions, of course being the crucifixion and the resurrection.  The cleansing of the temple is one that shows up in all four . . . with some differences. Maybe we should check this out.
In the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus enters Jerusalem the week before He is crucified, and makes His way to the temple, where He chases the money collectors out. It happens during His last week on earth, and is actually something that speeds things along -- the teachers and the high priests realize that Jesus is not someone who can be controlled by them.
Here in the Gospel of John, we have a different sequence of events. Here the temple is cleansed at the beginning of Jesus' ministry. It happens three years before His death and resurrection; it is one of the early things that shows His authority.

Now, there are two possibilities here (and I'm not unaware that this is NOT a big deal, OK? It's just an interesting thing to look at. It doesn't change anything, either way. What we can learn from the life of Christ is still there for us.)
One possible answer is that John is not remembering it correctly, and is mixed up on the sequence of events in Jesus' life. So, he writes about this happening much, much earlier in His ministry than it really happened.
I am not one hundred percent happy with that option, because of all the gospel writers, John is the one who knew Jesus best. He was the "beloved disciple," and one of the twelve that traveled with Jesus. He was with Jesus from the beginning.
The other option is that Jesus cleaned out the temple more than once. He could have done this once at the beginning of His ministry, and once at the end. If it happened twice, perhaps He was not as "out of control" as some indicate when they preach from this passage. Perhaps He was making a point -- making a point to His disciples, the leaders in the temple, and to those of us who learn from the scriptures now. Maybe it was an important point, so He made it twice.

If we come right down to it, I guess it doesn't really matter if it was at the beginning of His ministry, at the end, or twice. What matters is that we "get it." That we understand what He wanted us to see in this.
In those verses above, Jesus specifically identifies His own body in connection with the temple. Did you see that the disciples asked Him by what authority He cleansed the temple? We can see that they want to know, "how can we know that You are speaking for God?"
He responds with a rather cryptic answer; He is almost speaking in code, you might say . . . but our translator is John.
Jesus tells them that if the temple is destroyed, He will raise it again in three days. And John explains that He isn't really talking about the temple at all -- He is talking about His own body. And, He is talking about the fact that people will destroy His body, and He will raise it again in three days.
Jesus is predicting His own death and resurrection, something that will happen three years into the future. Three years from this particular time in His ministry.
You see, He knew from the very beginning what He was facing. He is talking about the power of Easter.
But He is also hinting that what He did in the temple is not just about the temple. We see a deeper meaning to His casting the moneychangers, sheep, and cattle out of the temple. They've taken God's house and turned it into a marketplace -- they've taken a holy place and found a way to use it to their own purposes.
Tomorrow we'll look at some other scriptures that will help us better understand what Jesus is telling us here.

Prayer requests

Prayer is our greatest Christian privilege -- but many times is our greatest failure. All of us need to learn to pray more, and to pray "better." If we are going to impact our families, our churches, our country in these critical days, prayer is where we must begin.

One of our kiddos asked me when they were very small, "If God knows everything, why do I need to pray?" It wasn't a disrespectful question -- the tiny face was furrowed with concern and puzzlement.

The answer is just as relevant to adults as to children . . .

We don't pray to inform God; He already knows each and every need of our heart. We can't tell Him anything that He doesn't know.

We don't pray to impress God; we don't have to use eloquence or poetry. We simply cry out to our Father.

We do pray to invite God; we are inviting God into our lives when we pray. Please share any request that you may have on your heart, and let us know of praises and answered prayers, as well. We can rejoice with you at God's blessings in your life.

Let's pray.

Closing our discussion

Last week I opened a discussion with a question -- "should our church be doing this?"

I hoped that it would be an attention-getter, and that we would have some comments and discussion about churches and fundraisers . . . do the two go together, or not?

We can all identify with the fact that church budgets are just like our family budgets -- they're shrinking! It is getting more and more difficult to make ends meet. There is a temptation to organize a bake sale, to have a rocking chair rock-a-thon, to get the kids involved in a car wash, and other ideas that get tossed around when money is needed for a ministry or an activity.

I've seen this, and I've been involved in it, in the past. Here are some of my thoughts, for what they're worth.
I don't necessarily have any scripture verses to share with you in closing. But here goes . . .
A lot of work goes into making fundraisers work. Of course, you first need to choose just how you will raise the money. Are you going to sell candy bars, cheeses, calendars or candles? Are you going to pick some Saturdays and have the youth wash cars for donations? What. Will. You. Do.
Sometimes there is enough acrimony at this stage to scuttle the project. But for those that clear this hurdle, there are more!
You're going to have to learn to handle competition -- each of your ministries or activities is going to want to have their own fundraiser. That can get a little difficult. You also may have to deal with your members, who are now "sales people," who are kibbitzing about who has sold the most, and conversely, who has sold the least!
It also can be tricky if Johnny helped with the fundraiser, but now he can't go on the mission trip/choir tour/ski trip and his parent can't understand why you won't give him back the money that he raised!
You may have to answer questions, too, about excess inventory, or why you didn't raise enough to actually participate in the promised activity.

But here is my point I'd like to dwell on: Fundraisers make us shift our focus from our ministry to money.  We probably already spend a great deal of time thinking about how best to use the small resources we may have in our church, right? Having to spend time gathering those resources really cuts in on time we could spend on reaching people . . .
People start looking more like financial opportunities to us, rather than opportunities to share our faith and add folks to the kingdom. The most important thing is to give them the message of salvation, no?
I think I would rather be part of a shoestring ministry, and be talking to people about Jesus. I'd rather be telling them about how He has changed my life, and answered prayers, than telling them about the latest fundraiser our church is participating in. I truly believe that "little is much, when God is in it" and that His people, young and old, can support His work with their tithes and special offerings.

That's my humble opinion, for what it's worth!

Friday Slowdown

Earlier this week, I ended a post with a question: are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? Those of us who are Christians can rejoice that "though they be as scarlet, they [our sins] will be white as snow." The song that came to mind is an old and familiar one . . . I hope you enjoy and receive a blessing from this Friday Slowdown.

Should our church be doing this?

Your church (or others in the community around you) may participate in fundraisers. It can be anything from a bake sale or car wash to raffle tickets on a home-stitched quilt.

What do you think about the combination of churches and fundraising?

Why do I ask?

We are about to study an important and well known passage about Christ and the use of the temple. It might be a good idea to look at our own beliefs and practices, and then dive into the study.

I'd like to encourage you to truly give this some thought, and I'm hoping for some good discussions. I will be leaving this post up tomorrow as well, so here is a suggestion:

Close your browser and come back to this after you have thoughtfully considered this question. Be prepared to give reasons behind your thoughts. Do you have scripture that you feel backs your view? Can you cite examples (positive or negative) about fundraisers in the past?

Please be reasonable and thoughtful (no ranting, OK? LOL) and be sure to come back and check what others have had to say, too. I believe this can be a learning process for us.

On Friday we'll have our usual musical interlude, and I'll be back on Monday to address your comments and thoughts.

John 2:1-11 Part III, Bridegroom to the believers

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, ² and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. ³ When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”
⁴ “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”
⁵ His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
⁶ Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons^.
7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.
⁸ Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
They did so, ⁹ and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside ¹⁰ and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
¹¹ What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

Hi everyone, this is the conclusion to our series on this passage. Let's dig in!

We jumped forward once before to chapter three of John's gospel, where we found these words from John the Baptist:

“The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease.”John 3:29-30

These are the final words we hear from John the Baptist about Jesus . . . he says that He is the bridegroom who has the bride. At that time, it was a growing band of followers and His disciples . . .now it is many, many followers. And the first miracle that Jesus does, is to take over and finish what the bridegroom at this local wedding could not do.

We learn in verses nine and ten that the groom was the person ultimately responsible for the wine at his wedding. So, it logically follows that it would be his "bad" if the wedding festivities ran out of wine! Let's look at the verses:

"When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from, the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, ‘Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.’”

OK. He really didn't.

He let the wine run out! That's the way it is with grooms here on earth. All husbands (and all wives, for that matter) fail to be all that we should be. But Jesus steps in and gives this groom a helping hand; He plays the role of the perfect, providing Bridegroom. Out of the water comes wine -- unexpected, miraculous, and far better than any they'd tasted before!

So the third way that Jesus manifested His glory at this wedding was that He revealed Himself to be the all-providing Bridegroom for his bride: the great throng of all those who put their trust in Him.

Let's put our shovels aside, and review:
We've had three revelations of Jesus' glory in these verses . . .
As the obedient Son of the Father, He is not influenced by family ties -- not Mary's, and not ours. He is persuaded by our trusting in His grace.
As our purifier, He does not ask that we follow rituals. He replaced all of the Old Testament rituals with His own blood. There is now just one way to be pure before God -- wash your robes in the blood of the Lamb.
As the Bridegroom for all believers, He never EVER fails to give us what we need. The wine He provides never runs out. The blood of Christ, able to save sinners, never stops flowing.

"Come now, let us settle the matter," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool."  Isaiah 1:18


“Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready.” Revelation 19:7

Have you made yourself ready? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

John 2:1-11 Part II, Cleansing

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, ² and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. ³ When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”
⁴ “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”
⁵ His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
⁶ Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons^.
7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.
⁸ Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
They did so, ⁹ and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside ¹⁰ and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
¹¹ What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

Last week we studied this passage and discussed how Jesus showed us His glory by being an obedient son -- to His Father in heaven. 
He will reveal more of His glory to us as we look at this passage again today. Let's dive in!

In verse six, we see that the jars chosen for His miracle were those for "ceremonial washing" or in some translations, "purification." These were not jars used for drinking; these were specifically for the rituals of cleansing, of purification. The commentaries that I studied seemed to say that Jesus meant to point to His own death as the ultimate purification for sins: one that would replace the Jewish cleansing rituals.
Jesus says to His mother at the end of verse four, "My hour has not yet come." What hour is He speaking of? His hour could be the hour of His death, when He will die for sinners and make it possible for them to be cleansed of their sins.
Let's look at some verses to help us:

“So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come.” John 7:30

“Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour.” John 12:27

Jesus’ hour was the hour of his death, when the Lamb of God would take away the sin of the world. This would be the ultimate purification, and would replace the rituals of so many years.
The next clue that we are on the right track is that even though Jesus was abrupt when His mother requested His help, He went ahead and with the miraculous change of water into wine -- it's as if this is one of His parables, showing that even though His "hour" was not at hand, He would demonstrate His death and what it would mean.

It seems as if Jesus is telling them (and us) that this is what His "hour" will be like: He will take the purification rituals of Israel and replace them with a new way of cleansing -- His own precious blood. So He acted out the parable of His own death, His own blood, His hour, showing it to be the final, ultimate purification for our sin. There would be no ritual any more for cleansing - only one way to be clean before a holy God. John tells us in Revelation:

 "They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." Revelation 7:14

This is the second glorious truth in our passage -- He alone, once and for all, made us pure from our sins.  We don't need rituals. We need Jesus.

Friday slowdown

Earlier this week, we referred to the Genesis story of "Jacob's Ladder" -- I found this video and enjoyed it, so I wanted to share it with you......there is something so stirring about hundreds of voices raised in song. Hope you enjoy this Friday slowdown . . .