Inside Out

Mark 7:1-23

Can you imagine being part of a delegation sent from Jerusalem to weigh Jesus’ ministry in the balance? Or is this really what is happening?

Previously, we read in Mark 3:6 the Pharisees and Herodians went out and plotted how they might destroy Him over the issue of healing on the Sabbath.

Now a fresh delegation is being sent down from Jerusalem to the location of Jesus’ ministry to find more reason for fault. The judgment has already been made.

What is in their heart is to kill Him. What is in their mind is to find a reason why – which can then be conveyed to the people who follow Jesus. The idea is to end His influence, and to play a political/religious game which will affect that result.

What is NOT in their heart is to make an honest evaluation of His ministry based upon what they actually experience of it for themselves.

And this is always the way it is with religion and Christ. Religion must kill Christ over the issue of what is in the heart. Christ knows what is in the heart of man, and religion knows Christ knows.

Let’s kill Christ by dealing with what’s on the outside. That kills Christ every time. Concern over what can be seen by the eye diminishes and destroys any thought over what is unseen. Since Christ primarily deals with the unseen, this emphasis on the outward puts Him away, and deals His ministry a death blow. It prevents the consideration of the heart by focusing on the outward.

Jesus teaches us against pretense. These men are hypocrites to God, while saying they are of God.

It is not what goes into man that defiles a man. (Speaking of the defiling religion is always on the lookout for.) Man is only defiled by what comes out of man – because what comes out of a man reveals the condition of his heart.

-Pastor Bill

Against the Grain

Mark 6:45-56

Until you’ve been out on a lake in the dark of night, heading into the wind and against the current, you cannot truly understand all the disciples are facing.

Why would Jesus send them in this direction? Did He not know they would face this kind of opposition?

Here we find the same men who had just participated in such a great miracle it is the ONLY miracle contained in all four Gospels being sent away and tested up to and perhaps even beyond their limits.

They were certainly being tested beyond the limits of their understanding.

Why had Jesus sent them away? Why had He sent them in this direction? Is this any way to run a ministry?

We are blessed that we see all sides of what takes place here, and yet some of this is beyond our understanding as well. We can truly say in this case the text provides few real answers. Does this frustrate you? (It does me.)

As much as I desire the answers to all the questions I have about this life-ministry event, I realize I must accept much of what takes place here is a complete mystery.

But isn’t that the way life in ministry is? Doesn’t serving Jesus simply require obedience in mystery? Where am I going – why am I going - and what will happen when I get there – are all the kinds of questions we have?

And we find most often, as in this case, the answer is found in simple obedience. We can rest in the fact Jesus has a plan, and we are a part of it. Is that enough?

The truth is to be part of Jesus’ plan is the greatest life there is. It may not be the easiest life, and it may make us uncomfortable, and it may keep us up all night on occasion, but when we see the outpouring of the power of Christ it is worth it all.

-Pastor Bill

God’s Resources

Mark 6:30-44

Hopefully, the one of the main things the disciples had learned from their direct experience of being sent out two-by-two apart from Jesus was the lesson of God’s Divine arrangement.

Jesus had sent them out with nothing, that this lesson would become paramount to their own existence and welfare. Hopefully, they would notice no matter where they went they were never hungry, they always had a place to stay, and their ministry had a power greater than themselves.

In three words: It wasn’t them. (I mean, it WAS them, but then it really wasn’t. It was ALL God, and no one would know that more than the guys.) The people they ministered to or received from may have thought it had something to do with the disciples, but they knew it wasn’t. It REALLY wasn’t. It was God distributing His resources through His men. (In the greatest sense, it is quite possible the disciples were the first to begin to understand they themselves WERE God’s resources.)

Here’s the same lesson, part 2. (This MUST be a hard lesson for us to learn – and in my experience – it is.) It is very difficult for us to conceive of a sort of supernaturally natural ministry. It is far easier to conceive of mystical things than practical ones.

The feeding of the 5,000 is a marvelous event in history designed to capture more than our imaginations about how it may have happened. It is the only miracle contained in all four Gospels, but in a sense it is the most humble of miracles.

We see the disciples humbled again, (this must also be a key lesson in ministry,) and we see the humble dissemination of a piece of bread and a piece of fish to this huge crowd – and that provision supposedly originating from a young lad’s lunch. Does God use His Almighty power to do such humble things?

Yes, and more than that, He uses His Almighty power to humble us – but without disabling us. It would be impossible, (I think,) to conceive of a greater way to humble man and enable him at the same time.

-Pastor Bill

Godly Character

Mark 6:14-29

I believe the highest aspiration of man should be to have a Godly character, and to live a life pleasing to God.

John the Baptist is one of the finest examples of this kind of life. You don’t have to take my word for it, you can listen to what Jesus said about him: “Assuredly I say to you, among those born of women, there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist…” (Matt 11:11)

That is high praise coming from the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

It makes me wonder what Jesus may have to say about my life?

I know most, if not all of us concern ourselves greatly with what others think about us. We go to great lengths to impress people, and do what we can, (in most instances,) to make people like us.

We listen closely when we have the opportunity to overhear what others may be saying about us. Is it good? Is it bad? (If it’s good – we feel great about ourselves. If bad – we just had our day ruined.)

Many times, and probably most, we change our speech patterns around certain individuals because we know their likes and dislikes, and we do not want to cause offense so we tailor what we say to match what we imagine to be their pattern of thinking.

What made John the Baptist great was that he was not like this. Not at all. He was a man who spoke the needful truth regardless of the circumstances. Yes, John was a prophet, but he was also a very loving man. How do we know he was loving?

Because he ALWAYS spoke the truth in love. Even to powerful politicians who possessed the power to put him to death. But, lean in closer and see that Herod heard him “gladly.” Herod was learning greatly from the conviction John brought his life. He was one of MANY who did. Well done, good and faithful servant.

-Pastor Bill

Keep Going

Mark 6:7-34

When you’ve been to your ‘Nazareth,’ possibly even expecting to be received with wonder and awe about the possibility and potential for your newly-expressed life in ministry – and been rejected as a poser – what is your response?

Well, I think we can safely say this is why Jesus went to ‘His Nazareth’ in the first place. It was to demonstrate to us what is likely to happen in our hometowns and in our hometown families; which is, in a word, unbelief.

Do not expect those who know you well to immediately believe your life has been transformed by God. If they disbelieved this happened in Jesus’ life, it is even more likely they will disbelieve it has happened in yours.

How are we to respond to this unbelief and doubt in our Godly transformation and calling – especially when it is expressed by those who know us better than anyone?

The example here is to spread the ministry. Deepen it. Broaden it. Call more people into it.

The thoughts of unbelief toward us in our hometowns should be employed as springboards to expand our ministry effort, and never to turn back or stop.

Following His rejection at Nazareth, Jesus greatly expanded His ministry by locating His 12 apostles and sending them out with the same authority of ministry He had been granted by the Father. His response was to expand His ministry 12-fold. He did not turn back, He kept going in an even broader way.

Upon hearing of John the Baptist’s murder at the hand of Herod, Jesus did not turn back. He gathered together with His guys to lick their wounds in private, and then He taught a massive crowd, publicly demonstrating He would keep going. Nothing could or would stop Jesus from delivering the gospel to those in need.

-Pastor Bill

What Did You Expect?

Mark 6:1-6

What did you expect God to look like?

We all have our pictures of God in our minds, and the imagery we visualize has a lot to do with how we expect God to operate.

This is the reason God has said NOT to make images of God. NONE. From the beginning, God has made it plain and clear for His followers to reject imagery in ALL its forms – because what we see with our eyes determines how we respond in our hearts.

God would have us respond by faith, and faith cannot take place in the realm of sight.

Imagine what an upset it was for God to appear as a man. How could that possibly be?

At least, if He is to appear as a man He should be a majestic one with a commanding presence that all would swoon in His presence…

Yet, the Bible tells us He made Himself of lowly appearance. Men would not be drawn to Him by His comely appearance - but by His Word.

When Jesus first appeared at Nazareth, His hometown, as God in flesh – what did you expect? Did you expect all the people to bow down to Him because of His majestic appearance, and because they have known of Him all His life?

Exactly the opposite occurs because of exactly those reasons. He is NOT of majestic appearance, and they do NOT expect Him as Savior BECAUSE they have known Him all their lives. He is very familiar to them all. They know all about Him.

He is not the God they expected God to be.

It is very interesting how our expectations of God limit God according to our expectations. Jesus could do no mighty work among those who knew Him well. Familiarity bred a certain contempt. Does this apply to us also?

-Pastor Bill

The Government

Isaiah 9:6-7

There has been much talk about the government lately, but that’s nothing new.

As our present government plunges ahead without listening to or acknowledging the wishes of the people it governs, we sometimes feel desperate in frustration.

But think how they felt in the dark ages, living under a wicked king. Or under Pol Pot in Cambodia. Or Stalin in the U.S.S.R. Or what life would have been like in Hitler’s Germany – or Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon.

The history of the world is filled with tragic and terrible selfishly self-serving government. In fact, some of the concern we share now for our present governance is because of the godless path we seem to be on that retraces some of those earlier footsteps of history.

When has there ever been a truly GOOD government – led by a man or men who were entirely benevolent and chiefly concerned with the needs of the people governed?

That would be never. There never has been one, because governments are always filled by men.

Until the birth of Jesus Christ. Until the coming to earth of The One Who is chiefly concerned for the needs of ALL others above Himself – even to the extent of willingly dying for ALL others.

If God had never demonstrated anything else of His love for mankind, He would demonstrate it in this: He would send His only begotten Son into the world to demonstrate His desire for supremely benevolent government of mankind – and He would place that government upon His Son’s shoulders; the only One capable of bearing that weight.

Word: Jesus’ government is entirely voluntary. He has volunteered to govern - and He seeks those who voluntarily desire His loving and benevolent governance. And His government is entirely apart from the government of man. Has nothing to do with it.

-Pastor Bill