Big Picture Jesus

Read Luke 4:1-30, the passage Rev. Stephenson taught from this past Sunday.
[Click the Scripture reference to read it online if you don't have a Bible handy.]

Rev. Stephenson called us to be the Big Picture Church, but I was struck by something he said on the way to making that point:

Those in Nazareth were blinded by familiarity,

they only saw the Jesus they knew as a kid...

(emphasis added)

Those in Nazareth, Jesus's hometown, could not see past the boy who grew up among them.

"Isn't that Joseph's son?" they asked.

Luke 4:22 NIV84

I wonder, do you only see the Jesus you knew as a kid? The one you grew up with?

Do you only know the flannel-board Jesus? The one who welcomes children and hangs out with lambs?

Do you know the Jesus who invites you to take up your cross... daily... die... daily? (Luke 9:23)

What about the Jesus who says you must hate your mother and father, your sisters and brothers, your spouse and children to be His disciple? (Luke 14:26)

And the Jesus who says you must eat His flesh and drink His blood in order to have life? (John 6:53)

Or what about the Jesus who says you are wretched --- poor, naked, blind--- when you see yourself as richly blessed? (Revelation 3:17)

Do you know this Jesus? Have you wrestled with who He says He is? Who He says you are? And what He calls you to do?

If we don't know Jesus, who He truly is, we will likely desire to throw Him off a cliff rather than follow Him when He shows up in our lives. Just like His neighbors in Nazareth.

If we don't know. If we don't have the beginning of some sort of understanding of who the Big Picture Jesus is, we will never be able to be the Big Picture Church.

Take time. Learn who He is through relationship with Him, don't rely on what others have told you. Actively seek Him through prayer, His Word. Test His faithfulness through obedience. Get to know your Savior. Personally.

Just some thoughts from Sunday.

Communion: The Bread of Life Broken for Us

The heart of the message delivered by Rev. Jack Albright on Sunday came from Luke 14:1-6. Take a moment to read the passage now (click on the Scripture reference to read it online).

Jesus broke bread with His people, for His people,

leading to communion and healing.

Jesus, the Bread of Life, broke Himself to restore communion and make the way for our salvation, deliverance, and healing.

Our incredibly compassionate, merciful, loving, righteous, just God stooped down, became the Word made flesh, in order to bring healing to hearts, minds, souls, and bodies.

What makes it most incredible is the fact that we only need healing, salvation, and deliverance because we rejected our Creator and His way --- we rebelled --- we broke relationship with Him.

God sums up the problem in the Old Testament reading we heard on Sunday:

"My people have committed two sins:

They have forsaken me, the spring of living water,

and have dug their own cisterns,

broken cisterns that cannot hold water. ..."

Jeremiah 2:13 NIV84

We continually forsake the Spring of Living Water for our own way, digging our own reservoirs for life that leak and fail, infect and destroy.

The Bread of Life... 

broken for us... 

a people who reject and find fault... 

with our Father...

What faulty systems are you trusting for life?

Have you noticed how they leak and infect?

Trust Jesus.

Commune with Him.

Eat of His Word.

Walk in His Way.

Know life abundant.

How Much Faith is Enough?

Read the passage Rev. Stephenson taught from last Sunday: Mark 9:14-29 
[If you don't have a Bible handy, click the Scripture reference...]

But if you can do anything take pity on us and help us.

"'If you can?'" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes."

Mark 9:22-23

(emphasis added)

Thoughts from last Sunday, make me realize I only visualize God being able to do... little.

I keep my problems for myself. I pray about them but don't leave them. After prayer is done I pick them right back up and carry them with me. Why don't I believe He can handle it? Don't I trust Him? 

I do believe, help me overcome by unbelief!

Daily I pray: Bless me Lord... Bless me a lot... Bless me now...

It's become a part of my routine prayer, not based on belief, not from my heart, but from routine.

Sunday's sermon helped me to once again begin growing closer to Christ the Lord by leaving behind my routine prayer. 

This week, I once again began praying from my heart, mind, and soul.

Lord I believe, help my unbelief.

Do you need change in your routine prayer?

I know I do,

Renita 

Jesus Teaches Patience and Persistence in Prayer

Rev. Stephenson continued teaching on prayer last Sunday.

We looked into Luke 11:5-13.
Take time to read it now (click on the scripture reference and it will take you to the passage online if you don't have a Bible handy).

His message highlighted three points:

• Patience and persistence is how Jesus taught His disciples to pray.
• Repetitious prayers change us.
• God will bring Himself to us in prayer.

Patient. Persistent. Prayer.

Why do we have to be persistent in asking... seeking... knocking...? 
Why does prayer seem like such a difficult door at times? 

First, because prayer does change us. 
Most of us don't think we need to change. We believe the circumstances or people we bring to God need to change, but certainly not us. Jesus calls us to persistent and patient prayer so we will come to the place where He can change our hearts through the circumstances or people He places around us.

Second, because God brings Himself to us in prayer.
We have a tendency to create God in our own image and understanding. So, when God reveals Himself to us through prayer we don't always agree with Who we come face to face with. Persistent and patient prayers bring us to a place where we have to change our understanding of God or reject the revelation and continue to cling to our own god.

God's objective in prayer is not always the same as ours. He desires for us to connect with Him in a way that transforms our lives to the character of His Son and come close enough to gain experiential knowledge of Him. We just want to get our way!

No wonder the door of prayer seems difficult at times. It's not that God is difficult. It's not that He doesn't hear. It's most likely that we haven't heard what we wanted or received what we expected.

Perhaps we need to look at things from the perspective of The Rolling Stones, just this once...

No, you can't always get what you want.

But if you try sometime, you just might find

You get what you need.

Be patient. I believe He has something better in mind than we could ever imagine.
Be persistent. You don't want to miss out on what He has for you.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Ephesians 3:20-21 NIV84

Do you find yourself persistent and patient in prayer?
When the answer you want does not come quickly, do you give up?
Are you willing to wrestle with God when He reveals things about you or Him that are disagreeable to you?

Prayer and Justice

Last Sunday, Rev. Stephenson told me before the worship service that his sermon was on the topic of prayer, so I found myself surprised when he began his message with justice.

I've never really recognized the connection between justice and prayer in such a direct way.

Read the passage he taught from for yourself: Luke 18:1-14. Pay attention to the various forms of the word "justice" found. (If you don't have a Bible handy click the text reference.)

In prayer, it is true, we come before the Righteous Judge of all creation with our requests, concerns, and complaints.

So in a sense we are constantly seeking justice: healing of those who are ill, salvation for those who are lost, insight for those who are spiritually blind. We do not come only when we have been wronged, we come for a world that has gone wrong.

The Judge we come to is the One who sent His only Son to pay the penalty required for the sins of the world. He came to uphold justice -- restoring balance, as Rev. Stephenson said -- without destroying us in the process.

The widow, in her persistence before an unjust judge, received justice. Jesus said...

"... And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night?... I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. ..."

Luke 18 7-8 NIV84

The tax collector seeking mercy for his sins went away justified before God, while the Pharisee, confident in his own righteousness, was not.

When we are willing to truly look at who we are before the Righteous Judge, walk into the Light of Truth, we come face to face with our sins, our brokenness, our need.

It is through prayer --- asking God for forgiveness and His gift of grace in Jesus's name --- that we find justification in the gospel.

But, if we do not come before Him transparently, we will not be justified. Like the Pharisee we will walk away in the dark, not realizing our own depravity.

Who are you in this passage? 
...the widow persistently seeking justice for yourself or others? 
...the tax collector standing humbly before the Righteous Judge fully recognizing your need for His grace? 
... or are you the Pharisee, confident in your own righteousness?

Justice and prayer. A righteous connection.