"Increase Our Faith" - India Sermon

Recently, I had the privilege of speaking my 4th and final sermon for this 4.5 month stint in India. The Lord has been teaching me a lot about faith and some new things as I prepped for this sermon. When my preparation began, the sermon was about Gideon...then Gideon became one of the illustrations but no longer the central focus...then he was removed altogether as the focus went elsewhere! Thus encapsulates my typical preparation process for any sermon in which I must choose the topic.

Below is the sermon draft, from which I deviated slightly as I spoke. I hope that in reading it the Lord may enrich and bless you:

Have you ever desired greater faith? Have you ever come to a point where you realized just how small your faith was? And you yearned for greater faith? I think that is a healthy realization, and the desire for greater faith is good...but a desire that can still be refined.

I just finished reading the biography of Oswald Chambers, author of “My Utmost for His Highest” and one of the great Christian leaders and writers of the past century. In reading his biography, my admiration for him grew even further. As I read through his biography over the past month or two, I thought to myself, “I wish I could have faith like that!” I see in Oswald Chambers, as well as many Christian leaders of yesterday and today, a faith that is so inviting and desirable. I see it in Abraham in the book of Genesis. Moses, David, and every person listed in Hebrews chapter 11. And as I study the lives of these men and women of great faith, there is something inside of me that cries, “Lord, increase my faith!”

I think that some of that desire for greater faith is good, but some of it may be falling short of what God would prefer for me to desire. The 12 disciples themselves asked this of Jesus, to increase their faith. So let’s turn to Luke 17 and examine closely Jesus' response to the request of His disciples to increase their faith.

Scripture: Luke 17:5-6

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

6 He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.”

 

The disciples and Jesus are having a conversation. In verses 1-4 that precede this request for more faith, Jesus has just commanded the disciples to do something truly hard: forgive. And not just once. But to forgive someone even if they continue to sin against you and ask for forgiveness. The disciples response is very interesting and probably similar to ours today: in order to obey such a difficult command the disciples ask for more faith. But Jesus gives an interesting reply to the disciples in this passage.

 

We might have expected him to show them how to increase their faith, or perhaps breathe greater faith into them. But instead of showing them how or miraculously granting greater faith, Jesus instead says “if you had faith as a mustard seed,” you could do mighty works. It was probably not the answer the disciples were hoping for, but it was exactly the answer that they, and we, need. In fact, Jesus’ answer was the perfect response, because it leads us as His disciples to understand the nature of faith, the nature of our God, and the nature of our relationship with Him.

1.       Power in Small Faith – v. 6

Jesus often referred to our faith as being like a mustard seed, and it was always an encouragement, for at least a couple reasons. The mustard seed was an example of one of the smallest of all seeds. Yet, when planted in fertile soil, it could grow into a large bush with mighty branches that even birds could nest in. What an encouragement that when we are convicted of being “ye of little faith,” that it is not a pronouncement of final condition. Instead, it is a declaration of our current status—having little faith—but like the mustard seed, a faith with great potential. We are meant to be growing toward our Lord Jesus, and He makes our tiniest faith into something great.

Though this is an encouragement to me, I do not believe that growing faith is what Jesus is referring to in verse 6 when he says, “if you had faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.” I don’t believe that Jesus is saying that once your faith has grown into the mighty mustard branches, THEN your faith can produce great works. I believe He is saying that even now, when your faith is still as small as they eye can see, even NOW your faith has that power. This is a critically important answer from our Lord to His disciples asking for greater faith. It gets at the heart of who we are in relation to God and the proper perspective of our faith in Christ.

John Piper has these comments on this passage:

“God moves mulberry trees. And it does not depend decisively on the quantity of our faith, but on his power and wisdom and love. In knowing this we are helped not to worry about our faith and are inspired to trust God's free initiative and power.”

You see, the disciples were viewing great faith as being the gateway to great things. But Jesus was saying that we don’t need increased faith...we need to understand that our tiny faith is enough because of Him.

To illustrate the roles of our faith and God’s faithfulness, and the importance of each, let us examine the mathematical concept of infinity. The concept of infinity refers to something without limit, a number so large that it is beyond counting. It is endless. In mathematics any positive number multiplied by infinity equals infinity. Infinity times 1 equals infinity. Infinity times 100 equals infinity. Soon we discover that the number being multiplied by infinity matters much less than infinity itself. This is what Jesus is getting at when He says that “if you had the faith of a mustard seed” you could do amazing and miraculous things! He is saying that whether your faith is 1 or 100, it is the power of God that makes it miraculous.

Do you ever catch yourself having these thoughts?: "If only I had greater faith, I could do this, or God would do that." But our focus has become our own personal faith. If our focus is on the size of our faith, our focus is off Christ. We are to fix our eyes upon Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith.

We must realize that our faith by itself causes nothing to happen. We cannot say to God in our faith, “Look, I have the faith of a mustard seed,” or “Look, I have greater faith than even that, and because of my faith you MUST do this.” No, no, no. Instead, God chooses to allow us to take part in His purposes. God CHOOSES to work through our faith. Our faith without God choosing to use it, would be powerless. But instead, God—the one who is faithful—has promised to honor our faith and work through it to glorify Himself and accomplish His purposes.

I would like to share with you a story from my childhood. When I was a boy, about 5 years old, I would go with my father and grandfather into the forest to make a load of firewood. In the northern U.S. many homes are heated by burning firewood in a furnace. I would go with them because I liked to be outdoors, because it was an adventure to go into the forest with them and see new birds, deer, and other animals. I would go because I actually enjoyed the work of my hands and arms and legs in laboring to produce a truckload of firewood. But these were all secondary. I went mostly just to be with my father and grandfather. Some of my favorite childhood memories are from these times. My father and grandfather were skilled and hardworking. They would cut and split every piece of wood into small enough pieces to handle, then they would load them into the truck, and finally after transporting the load, they would unload it at our destination. I helped them with each of these...but how much help can a 5 year old boy be? The truth is that they did 99% of the work, but I was quite happy to do my 1%, and so were they. My father would tell me at the end of the day how much he appreciated my work and that he couldn’t have done it without me. It was always “WE” split a load of firewood. My father and grandfather did not NEED me to help. But they WANTED me to help. It have them joy and it gave me joy, too.

I believe our faith journeys with the Lord and in doing His works on this earth are very similar to my childhood experience of helping my father and grandfather cut firewood. God does not NEED us to help Him do anything. Our faith is not the source of His miraculous works. But we are blessed to be called God’s children! And because of that He absolutely desires for us to join Him. Yes, to do the work…but as with me and my father and grandfather, the work was quite secondary. Just being in each other’s presence was the main purpose. And so, how gracious is our Lord, and loving! That He allows us and our faith to take part in His mighty works. God does the 99% and is capable of doing all 100%, but He allows us to come beside Him like His 5-year old child and contribute our 1% with our mustard seed-sized faith.

Do your mustard-seed’s worth. Do it to your uttermost! But never forget that the power is of God and not of us. Not the size of our faith, but the size of our God is what creates mighty works.

2.       Seeking Christ Above All

I mentioned earlier that if our focus is on our faith, it is off Christ. It is simple to say, but just like the disciples in Luke 17, we ourselves will be tempted to have our focus migrate toward ourselves and the size of our faith. As we have just studied, Jesus corrects the disciples understanding of faith and how God chooses to work though it. But Jesus also addresses the root desire at the heart of our request for more faith, revealing the vanity of seeking our own greater faith and instead the supremacy of seeking Christ. And although asking for faith, or love, or peace, or joy, or successful ministry, or any number of things may be good things to ask of God, there is one greater thing to desire: simply Christ Himself. The disciples’ response to having to do a hard thing to obey God was “we need more faith.” If I had more faith, I could obey...if I had more faith I could do this or that...If I had more faith I could walk more closely to the Lord. But they had it backwards. What produces faith in a child of God is nearness and knowing Christ. To know the Lord more intimately—that is the only legitimate pursuit that leads to greater faith!

Let me be clear: Hebrews 11:6 reveals that "without faith it is impossible to please God." But that faith was never meant to be pursued as a means to our own ends, but instead as the fruit of pursuing and knowing Christ. The disciples had let the pursuit of faith replace Jesus as the central object of their desire. In this moment, they were seeing greater faith as the gateway to obedience to God and doing great things. And although they desired a good thing, the insatiable desire for more, more, more of anything except Christ alone had revealed a spiritual lust within them.

Oswald Chambers: “Lust means “I must have it at once.” Spiritual lust causes me to demand an answer from God, instead of seeking God Himself who gives the answer.”

I will admit that when I’m reading about Oswald Chambers, or Abraham, or many great examples of faith, I want to have that kind of faith right now! And the desire to have a closer walk with the Lord that produces such faith is pure, but the part that “must have it at once,” is rooted in lust. Spiritual lust. We must guard against such spiritual lust, or spiritual discontent. And the greatest guard is turning our focus of off good things like faith, and onto the greater thing, which is Christ Himself. This is a subtle difference, but central to pursuing Christ.  I am NOT saying that we must make a choice: either faith or Christ. That is nonsense. What I am saying is that if we pursue faith or any other thing, however good, as our chief desire, we will miss Christ. But if we pursue Christ as our chief desire, we will be given faith that moves mountains.

There is a story of a king with three sons, triplets. Under the law of the land, each had equal right to the throne. When the three sons had grown, the king gave each of them three options to prove himself worthy of the throne. To each he said: “Choose one of the following: Spend a month learning the art of war from our master general, spend a month learning every law of the land and the entire legal process from our chief law makers, or spend a month at my side.” The first son answered, “I shall spend a month learning the art of war from our master general, for surely of utmost importance to any kingdom is the ability to defend and conquer.” The second son answered, “I shall spend a month learning every law of the land and the entire legal system from our chief law makers, for surely of utmost importance to any kingdom is the ability to govern and rule the people according to law.” But the third son answered, “I shall spend a month at your side every moment, for surely of utmost importance to understanding a kingdom is knowing its king.” The third son had chosen wisely and was selected as the next rightful king. In knowing the king, he came to know the art of war. In knowing the king, he came to know the law and how to govern the people. In knowing the king, he came to know much deeper and greater things than even these.

I believe that we are in similar positions. (Not as successors to a king, for our King rules and reigns forever. Yet, the Bible does call us heirs of the Kingdom. Co-heirs with Christ.) When our chief desire is to have greater faith, we aim for a good thing, but not the best. Just like the first and second sons who aimed at a specific portion of kingship, but missed the greater thing of knowing and understanding their king. Let us be like the third son, who chose simply to pursue and know his king. Jesus instructed, “Seek first the kingdom and His righteousness, and all of these will be added to you as well” (Matt 6:33). As we seek Christ first and above all, we will find that great faith will be added to us as well.

It is not as though we should not pursue faith, or hope, or love, or any number of great Christ-filled attributes. It is simply to beware that the flesh wars against the Spirit, and because of this, we are tempted to pursue what is good, such as faith, in place of what is best, which is Christ.  We are tempted to replace the central thing—Christ—with the things that exist only because of Him.

By responding to the disciples’ desire for greater faith in this manner, Jesus is leading them in the only path of righteous faith: Pursing and knowing Christ ever more intimately.

Conclusion

Let us as Jesus’ disciples today hear Him. Let us read Luke 17:5-6 and the accounts of so many faith filled Christ followers, and remember Jesus response to the desire for greater faith:

- Remove our focus from the size of our faith and onto Jesus Christ, our infinite God.

- And never let what is good and exists because of Christ replace the only Way, Truth, and Life. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Each of us will likely soon feel that desire for greater faith, or greater joy, or greater love, or greater ministry. But the next time we feel the desire for any fruit of the Holy Spirit, let us resolve to pursue one thing alone: let us choose to get to know our King. He is a good King. And He has invited you to be at his side today and forever. I pray that you accept His invitation. Amen.

Have You Learned to See God?

John 12:21 - Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 

2 Chron 7:14 - if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

For the past 2 weeks I have been blessed with a very rare extended vacation, and have taken the opportunity to spend about a week with my parents at their home in rural Tennessee. It is a beautiful place in a beautiful part of the country. Blue skies, lush green grass and trees, abundant wildlife with birds, rabbits, deer, and more.

Also partaking in the blessed homestead is a stray cat and her kittens. Understandably, the kittens are very shy and scatter at the first sight of a human. They have a healthy, well-founded fear of things bigger and stronger than themselves. However, they don't realize that this giant is gentle with no desire to harm them. 

I've been watching one of the bolder kittens and her mother this week, and something very simple happened that spoke of a much deeper meaning. This afternoon, I was sitting on a comfortable porch chair with the mother cat lying in the sun in front of me. The mother has been providing for her young, weaning them off by bringing back mice and attempting to draw them out further and further from underneath the porch area. She is trying to introduce them to the world, so that they can survive on their own. Part of that effort has been trying to get them to accept the presence of humans.

Well today the kitten came right out to its mother, directly in front of me. I was literally watching right over the top of them as the kitten played with its mother less than 2 feet from me...but the kitten was completely unaware of my presence. The kitten even looked directly at my feet, but did not recognize it as a human. The little kitten did not even know to raise her head and look at my face, and even if she had, she would not have recognized me for who/what I am--a human, a fearsome creature to a kitten, at least without having any interaction with me.

It struck me that in this moment, so many of us are living as this little kitten, oblivious to the presence of God, seeing Him only as a fearsome being and one that is certainly not good or for us, but is rather an adversary. Without knowing our Creator, we run at the first sight of Him and we want nothing to do with His presence, feeling threatened by even the mentioning of Jesus name. Have you not noticed this response to the name and character of Jesus being mentioned in a public setting? Nevertheless, just because a person has not learned to recognize God does not mean that He does not exist. In fact, He is right there, literally watching over you. Do you perceive Him just now?

The truth is that if I was as maliciously inclined toward this kitten as it feared, I could have done the worst to it. I was in position and it was oblivious. I am stronger, bigger, and had full opportunity. The only thing saving that kitten from the immediate death that it feared was that I allowed it to live. And of course, my only desire was for it to live, as I enjoyed watching it play. The point is that many of us are so oblivious to God's presence, power, and goodness. God's presence and power mean that at this very moment, He could remove the breath from your lungs and you could perish, physically and eternally...but only in His goodness does He allow us to live...and for all of us who have lived before His eyes sinfully, His grace through Jesus Christ for those who believe is the only thing that allows us to live eternally.

The truth is that even as believers in our supreme God, we will not see Him unless we learn to look up at His face (that is, His character, what distinguishes Him as recognizably different from any other person, being, or god). And furthermore, we often have eyes that look but do not see. Just as the kitten, if we do not know what to look for or how to look, when even our eyes perchance look up toward the heavens, how will we even know to recognize God? But for so many of our fellow-men on this earth, they refuse to even look up. I implore you, do not resign yourself to a life of denying God's existence, never even looking in your mind's eye toward Him. I assure you, you may be as the kitten, claiming your perception to be reality, but how do you know if He isn't right there above you, looking squarely at your every behavior, word, and thought? I will conclude with a few attributes of God's very character...his face, if you will...that distinguish Him from all other persons, beings, or claimed-to-be gods:

 - My God is Creator of all things (Gen 1:1, John 1:1-4)
 - My God knows all things (even the thoughts of all men) (Job 34:21, Psalm, 33:13-15, 94:11, Prov 20:27)
 - My God is the unconquerable sovereign King of all things (Deut 32:39, Prov 19:21, Eph 1:11, 1 Tim 6:15-16, Rev 17:14)
 - My God is unadulterated love (1 John 4:8-10)
 - My God is just and full of grace at the same time (Rom 3:22-26, Col 3:25, Heb 6:10, 1 Pet 5:10)
 - My God is perfectly righteous and good (2 Sam 22:31, Psalm 100:5, 107:1)
 - My God made Himself to walk fully as man and God at the same time (John 1:14, Phil 2:5-11)
 - My God suffered and died to save sinners like me (Rom 5:6-11)
 - My God conquered death, and rose to life in a new body eternally (Acts 2:23-24, 1 Cor 15:20, 23
 - My God offers the same resurrection to eternal life for those who know and abide in Him (John 3:16-18, John 5:24, John 14:2-6, 1 Cor 15:20, 23, 26)
 - In my God is life, and apart from Him is only death, final and eternal (John 3:16-18, Rom 6:23)

Do you have questions about any of these statements? They are all from the Bible (a few references listed). I encourage you to find a Bible or go online to www.biblegateway.com, find someone who claims to know Jesus Christ, or speak with a pastor at a local Christian church and ask them to explain the claims I have made above. For those who already believe in Jesus Christ: We have just as much to learn from the kitten. We must mature. We must learn to look up. We must learn to look for God's face. And we must learn to recognize His face. And even those of us who might consider ourselves mature, we must practice daily discipline to seek His face, lest we find ourselves as the little kitten, walking through life before the presence of God, but missing out on the joy, peace, and rest of not just being in His presence, but abiding in it. As we abide, we begin to see Jesus, and nothing on earth or in Heaven is sweeter than the unity granted to us in the Spirit to abide in the presence of God the Father through the Son Jesus Christ. May such a life be yours this very day. Amen.


Scriptures Referenced:


My God is Creator of all things

Gen 1:1 - "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
John 1:1-4 - "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men."

My God knows all things (even the thoughts of all men)

Job 34:21 - "His eyes are on the ways of men; he sees their every step."
Psalm 33:13-15 - "From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth, he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do."
Psalm 94:11 - "The LORD knows the thoughts of man; he knows that they are futile."
Prov 20:27 - "The lamp of the LORD searches the spirit of a man; it searches out his inmost being."

My God is the unconquerable sovereign King of all things

Deut 32:39 - "See now that I myself am He! There is no god besides me. I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal, and no one can deliver out of my hand."
Prov 19:21 - "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails."
Eph 1:11 - "In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will"
1 Tim 6:15-16 - "which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen."
Rev 17:14 - "These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful."

My God is unadulterated love

1 John 4:8-10 - "He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins."

My God is just and full of grace at the same time

Rom 3:22-26 - "even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."
Col 3:25 - "But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality."
Heb 6:10 - "For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister."
1 Pet 5:10 - "But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you."

My God is perfectly righteous and good

2 Sam 22:31 - "As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him."
Psalm 100:5 - "For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations."
Psalm 107:1 - "Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever."

My God made Himself to walk fully as man and God at the same time

John 1:14 - "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."
Phil 2:5-11 - "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

My God suffered and died to save sinners like you and me

Rom 5:6-11 - "For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation."

My God conquered death, and rose to life in a new body eternally

Acts 2:23-24 - "Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; 24 whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it."
1 Cor 15:20, 23, 26 - "But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep...But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming...The last enemy that will be destroyed is death."

My God offers the same resurrection to eternal life for those who know and abide in Him

John 3:16-18 - "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."
John 5:24 - "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life."
John 14:2-6 - "n My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know. 5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
1 Cor 15:20, 23 - ""But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep...But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming."

In my God is life, and apart from Him is only death, final and eternal

John 3:16-18 - "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."
Rom 6:23 - "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

*All quoted scripture from the Old Testament is the NIV (1984) and from the New Testament, NKJV

Short Thought: Ministry and the Individual

John 10:3 - "...he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out."

We must never lose sight of ministering to the individual, both in theory and in practice.  If we become ministers to the masses and not to individuals, then we cease to see the full potential of the power and life of Christ in our ministry—both the external fruit and the inward man.  But if we keep fresh in the front of our minds the soul of the individual, we may very well win the masses, one individual at a time.

This is contrary to our engineering or business training, which is all about efficiency and greater output per input.  However, Christ ministered to many at one time and we know that He saw each and every individual.  We may not yet have the full capacity of Christ, such that we could minister to a mass of people and see them all distinctly individually, but I believe that keeping the mindset of the individual in need of the life of Christ helps make our efforts more authentic and powerful.  I believe this because I believe it is the mind of Christ, and in the power of the Holy Spirit, He is not encumbered by our limited capacity to personally minister to specific few individuals.

May we walk in the mind of Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit, to minister to the individuals whom, in His sovereignty, He places in our path this very day.  Amen.

Obeying His Call: The Fullness of the Life of Christ

Matt 10:16-32 – “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. 17 But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. 18 You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; 20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. 21 “Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 22 And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes. 24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household! 26 Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. 27 “Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.” 

“The power which men enjoy for a brief space on earth is not without the cognizance and the will of God. If we fall into the hands of men, and meet suffering and death from their violence, we are none the less certain that everything comes from God. The same God who sees no sparrow fall to the ground without his knowledge and will, allows nothing to happen, except it be good and profitable for his children and the cause for which they stand. We are in God’s hands. Therefore, “Fear not.”” – Bonhoeffer, “The Cost of Discipleship,” Ch 25, “The Decision.” (commenting on Matt 10) 


If you are a child of God’s, kept in the Spirit of Christ, you come to no longer fear making wrong steps along your path.  Instead, your only fear becomes the fear of the Lord in denying Christ. Your path is simple: proclaim the life of Christ everywhere you go…that is, the life of Christ Himself, the life of Christ in you, and the life in Christ available for all men who repent and call on Him for salvation. The “everywhere you go,” is less important than proclaiming Him wherever you happen to go. Some go here, some go there, and God will direct. We often get all worked up about which direction to go, taking long periods of time and expending tremendous mental and emotional energy, such that we might walk rightly with God in obedience in the physical places we go and things we do on earth…meanwhile, we give no thought to the fact that wherever we chose or felt led to go, we did not proclaim Christ. The disobedience is in failing to proclaim Christ. What if we spent as much mental energy and dedication to obedience of our Lord simply on proclaiming Him everywhere we went, spending less on where God might want us to go and be? Only then would we have apportioned our seeking of His will and our obedience properly to what matters most. It is as if we are an athlete on the basketball court, trying to decide whether to go right or left…there is likely a best choice, but it is unclear…if we spend our time and energy (there is precious little time and energy on the field of play and in the span of our lives!) determining which way to go, and even choosing well, but we fail to even shoot the ball, have we done well? Certainly not. Too often, we design plays, we seek to be the wisest in our choice of plays and execution of the plays, and then we never even engage in the whole purpose of the play…in basketball, the purpose was to score a bucket, and with the Lord it was to first draw near to Him and second proclaim the life of Christ WHEREVER we go. It is time for us as individual believers to alter our focus in seeking the Lord, looking less for direction for our specific lives (afterall, that is easily selfish in nature), and more to simply be obedient to the call of our Lord WHEREVER we might end up going. Meanwhile, a single sparrow does not fall to the ground without both His knowing and willing, and even the hairs on our head are numbered by our Lord. That’s right, every morning God takes an inventory on even the number of hairs on your head. How much more will He be absolutely present and sovereign in decisions that will alter our lives?! The liberating truth is that we cannot misstep for long if we will obediently proclaim the life of Christ wherever we go, for in proclaiming Christ, what was once a misstep becomes the work of the Kingdom; and living by obedience produced by faith, our hearts will be continually united in Christ. This sounds so simple and easy because it is part of the source of Jesus proclamation that “my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt 11:30). Conversely, as simple and easy as the yoke of Christ is, disobedience to the life of Christ is its proportional opposite, being utterly confounding and impossibly difficult. 


I speak somewhat boldly about this because I have been the self-centered, path-focused believer that I described above. And I am convicted that if I spent half as much fervency in prayer and intentional living to simply obey the Lord WHEREVER I go, proclaiming the life of Christ (that is, equally proclaiming verbally and in living as Christ in both the mundane and exceptional things), my struggle of obedience would not only be more victorious, but I would experience the truth that my Savior’s “yoke is easy” and His “burden is light.” 


When we have been confronted with this liberating truth, the crux of the matter becomes simply obedience to the life of Christ. If we know that when we walk in obedience to the life of Christ WHEREVER we go, we are aligned with Him, whichever path we might have taken originally, then we must simply understand and obey the life of Christ. Therefore, we must spend more time exploring what the life of Christ means in you and me. 


As a sinner, obedience to the life of Christ is first repentance. If we do 100 works of kindness and self-sacrifice daily, ministering to the hungry, needy, and defenseless, but we have not confessed our sin to the Lord, we are not walking in the life of Christ. After confessing our sin, obedience to the life of Christ is in asking Him to replace that sinful nature with Himself. His reply to our pure cry for salvation is that we would “take up our cross daily and follow [Him]” (Luke 9:23). This means that the next step in living the life of Christ is in utterly crucifying my old self, my old life, my entire identity. If any portion of my identity prior to Christ lives on, I have yet to experience the fullness of the life of Christ in me, no matter how noble or moral that old identity may seem. After crucifying our old identities and the sin we were slaves to, obedience to the life of Christ is then surrender to the Spirit of Christ to reign in us. This surrender can only accompany and follow repentance and the crucifying of the old self, or we would still be holding on, if only slightly, to the old self, which is mutually exclusive to surrender. Finally, when we have surrendered and beckoned our Lord’s Spirit to have total dominion over us—our minds, hearts, souls, and lives—obedience to the life of Christ is made manifest in our actions, as we both proclaim verbally the life of Christ wherever we go, and we walk in the Spirit of Christ, abundantly loving in action whomever we come across. We do this as an outpour of the life of Christ within us—it is Christ Himself who is living in action, for “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal 2:20). In awe of His grace to give us life for certain death, we then live a life bestowing grace to all who will receive it in Christ. In all of this, there was no mention of how to serve, what action to take, on whom to bestow grace, or where we would live the life of Christ. That is because the when and where are not central—the life of Christ is central and everything else is periphery. And yet, our sovereign God who counts every hair on our heads every morning, is faithful to allow and will only what is profitable for His saints and His Kingdom, down to the minute detail. With that understanding, we can trust Him to guide us and not fear bad decisions of where we might minister, work, play, or live…but instead spend our days and nights praising our gracious Lord and living the life of Christ wherever we might walk. 


Challenge: Tomorrow, when you wake up in the morning, take a moment to pray and consider what obedience to the life of Christ in you means. Consider not where you will go, but instead consider that wherever you end up going, you will obediently live out the life of Christ to every single individual you encounter, as well as alone before God. This becomes a worshipful life lived in spirit, action, and truth. A life of humility and diminished self-thought. A life of surrender and without fear of any earthly thing. This becomes a life of supreme joy and purpose, a life of purified love and kindness, where grace abounds, both given and received. Grace received by you from God, given by you to your fellow man. You may be ridiculed and defamed, you may be physically beaten or even killed, all the while you will be able to say “it is well with my soul” for your soul rests in the grace, promise, and eternal certainty of the life of Christ. You may be highly esteemed and praised, you may be successful and world-changing, all the while you will stand in humility saying “I must decrease, He must increase” (John 3:30) for your identity rests in the life of Christ alone. I pray that you and I will walk in the life of Christ so simply, so powerfully, in such liberty this very day. Amen.

Guest Post - Re: The Power of Proper Identity: Ministers of Reconciliation

A dear friend of mine responded to my latest blog post titled, "The Power of Proper Identity: Ministers of Reconciliation" with some very insightful and edifying assertions. With this friend's permission, I cannot help but share, as I enjoy and value the perspectives offered in this reply:

"I agree that the calling is to Christ Himself, because the relationship is more important than the roles we play. So often we seek to establish ourselves in a business relationship with God, instead of a personal one. We strive hard to be servants when God has called us to be sons.

In being sons, the ultimate thing is the love and intimacy we share with Christ. Since we share in His kingdom, we share in His kingdom's work. The scripture seems to discourage segregating this work into higher vs. lower within the kingdom because, after all, the highest is the least servant in God's kingdom. Philippians does talk about the high calling, but never the higher calling.

The term "higher calling" has been used to distinguish those who are following a specific calling with the organized church or full time mission effort. When I say full time mission, not to be stuck on semantics, I mean one whose life activities are not fungible in the securlar market place. His economic needs must be subsidized by others of the "lower" calling (so to speak in keeping with the topic). So, in this sense, I would agree we would be off-base to say one Christian has a "higher calling" because he does not have a day job.

But the status of being supported by the Christian community is Biblical, and is a specific calling, albeit not higher. Those in that role tend to be held to a "higher" standard, which is also Biblical. Of course we are all held to the same standard which is the Word, but Biblicially speaking leaders of the church throughought the Bible have been expected to demonstrate exceptional holiness as they naturally become leaders. In being in this office it can be said that we "follow them" as they follow Christ. It is in this sense that the "higher" terminology would gain some historical basis - but I would agree that it still is inaccurate.

The secular perspective says jobs are to produce products, and the "better" we are, by worldy standards, the more products we produce. In that lifestyle, if I were to "do my best," I would always be trying to maximize my competitiveness and success would be measured in magnitude.

The Word says, the kingdom of God is like a treasure someone found in a field, burried it, went and sold all he had, and bought the field. If I won the lottery, my paycheck would diminish as an important factor to me. In the secular sense, my paycheck is my master - because its presence commands my obedience (speaking in worldly perspective). If I were to become a millionaire, it would no longer have any meaning for me. My paycheck would decrease, and the need to enjoy my work would increase. Similarly, when we are saved, we are set free from the shackles of status, the need to produce. We now do those things because we enjoy them.

Some may try to correct me there and say "because we serve Jesus." But serving Jesus is joy. We continue to do what we are good at because of joy, nothing else. God knows who he gave a good voice to, a quick body, a bright mind...we use those gifts out of joy. When your future is secure, your present takes on a new identity. The law, no longer our master, fades as the love and joy of Jesus fills our lives. God lacks nothing, yet he intervenes to save the needy. Why? Because he is so full of joy, it is overflowing. He is so full of love, it is overflowing. His actions are a result of His love and joy.

When you are full of fear and hate and bitterness, you seek to share it. When you are full of love, joy, and peace,you share that too. And when you get grafted into the vine that is love, joy, and peace.....you can't help it. That becomes who you are.

Being a Christian is being free from status. What would it matter if I exchanged one activity I enjoyed for one I will enjoy even more? This would be the case for a Christian transitioning from engineering to full time missions. I believe a man I greatly respect once said, missions exist because worship doesn't. Worship is the goal of the church, not missions. Paraphrasing alot but, he goes on to say: because God is ultimate, not man. Whether I'm a slave, free, engineer, nurse, ditch digger, or whatever else - it is for worship. For joy. For the life I have in Christ. Missions is just one more role - but a temporary one like all the others. Preacher is temporary, because Jesus is our true shepherd. Engineer is temporary, because by Christ all things were made. Whatever role He puts us in, He is highest, not our role. He has called us to only one thing, to worship Him forever. The rest is just the details."

The Power of Proper Identity: Ministers of Reconciliation

2 Cor 5:18-20 – “Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.”

We must get the idea of a higher calling out of our collective minds. It is misleading and destructive to the pursuit of the Lord and hearing His voice in obedience. It puffs up if we receive what we feel is higher, and it casts down if we receive what we feel is lower. A higher calling alludes to a lower calling with lower standards…but there is only one standard: Christ. Therefore, there is no higher calling than to Christ Himself by Christ Himself. And if you call Jesus your Savior, you have received the highest calling, and one shared with everyone who calls Jesus Lord.

This calling is into full-time ministry, for we are ministers of reconciliation. At different points in my life, I have considered what is commonly referred to as “full-time ministry,” at times being very much unattracted to such a life and at times being very attracted. I have wanted to give my full life to Jesus so thoroughly, such that all that I do and every ability with which He has gifted me is to serve Him and His purposes, and to do this in a way that feels impossible or at least very hindered in a common “secular” job. And tonight I am convicted more than ever of my error in thought within the aforementioned framework.

I have heard it preached and have nodded my head in agreement with numerous others who sincerely follow Christ that we are all in full-time ministry, right where we are. But I challenge you as I challenge myself: how well are you attending to that calling and do you really believe it in your heart? Is it your identity or a side-gig that you continually wish was more dominant, but never seems to be preeminent?

I want to challenge our spiritual world views. When you view your head pastor and others such as John Piper, Francis Chan, or Billy Graham; or going back in time, Oswald Chambers, Charles Spurgeon, or Martin Luther; or even going back to Peter and Paul…when you view them in your mind, do you hold them higher? I certainly do. These are amazing and inspiring men after God’s heart and dedicated with lives that some even laid down both in the spirit and in final bodily death. Men who are mentors, if by their words and examples only, on whom Jesus has built His church. Men who fit together in the sentence above…a sentence that we wouldn’t dare place our names within and alongside these names. But what if you did? Peter, Paul, [Your Name]. How does that sound? I chuckle as I think, “Terribly inadequate or terribly and misguidedly prideful.” The truth is that we should never place our own names there. In fact, we should seek to have no separate set-apart list whatsoever. The reason is that we have all received the same call from Jesus: “Come, follow me,” and since then have been commissioned as ministers of reconciliation. Peter, Paul, [Your Name], ministers of reconciliation and disciples of Christ. What a privilege to be called as such…a privilege because of the nature of the blessed gift of the calling that we could never deserve, not because of the uniqueness of it, for we share it with every soul throughout time who calls Jesus Lord.

Too often we look at our new lives in Christ as adaptations of our old lives. We see where the call to be ministers of reconciliation fits into our day-jobs and lives as they have always been. We are set free to live a new life, yet we don’t. The truth is that for the newfound in Christ, there is no adaptation of the old life…the old life must die and a new life be erected in its place. This means that every framework of self that I have believed, every way that I perceive the world and my fellow-man, my every purpose and desire, is transformed into nothing less than Christ Himself. In Christ alone am I to know my identity, in Christ alone am I to perceive the world and fellow-man, and in Christ alone is my every purpose and desire. And therefore, any circumstance that lies before me is quite secondary to my identity in Christ. Any job or calling by which I am the hands and feet of Christ is quite secondary to the calling as a full-time minister of reconciliation. This may seem elementary or it may not, but how easily we get it squarely backwards! We try to build Christ into our frameworks that are external to Him. We try to fit the ministry of reconciliation into our lives, as if God was saying, “Will is a chemical engineer. How can I now work the ministry of reconciliation into that job?” God is not saying that, although I am prone to. Quite oppositely, as a believer in Christ, we have been called to the ministry of reconciliation since the foundation of the world.

1 Peter 1:20-21 – “He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you 21 who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.”

Eph 1:4 – “…just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love…”

Thus we see the Word of God paring up the commissioning as ministers of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:18-19) with Christ who was foreordained from the foundation of the world to reconcile us to Himself (1 Pet 1:20-21, Eph 1:4); therefore, our commission as ministers of His reconciliation is most certainly present from the foundation of the world. And therefore, it is preeminent over anything that you or I have become, learned, or have been gifted with. And so we must take on the new view in truth that our current circumstance, whether a job or otherwise, is a subset of the ministry of reconciliation, both in importance and in time. That means that what is commonly referred to as “full-time ministry” is also a subset of this same call to be ministers of reconciliation. In this we see the peer-to-peer brotherhood among all who are ministers of reconciliation, whether they serve in the church, on the mission field, at the office, or in the home.

The first misunderstanding that we have in our identity is that our primary calling is to any particular service or purpose...our primary calling is simply to Jesus Christ Himself, in the solitude of our hearts before Him. The second misunderstanding we have in our identity is placing the subset above the superlative office…i.e. placing any “full-time” ministry or “secular job” above the ministry of reconciliation to which we have been called. The final misunderstanding of our identity that I want us to examine is that one subset is higher than the other…which turns out to often be the result of the first and second misunderstandings. If our secular jobs or works in ministry were indeed our superlative calling and the ministry of reconciliation was but a subset of that calling, then there certainly would be a difference…for the observation is that much more reconciliation to Christ is happening in these works of ministry than in the common, secular workplace. But even in this misunderstanding, we have placed the value on the ministry of reconciliation itself after all, judging between the two callings, “secular” vs. “works of ministry,” by their fruit. In any case, we can more easily begin to see that the first calling was to Jesus Himself, being commissioned as ministers of reconciliation…a calling that we each share and that dominates our shared identities. Therefore, there is absolutely no difference in the height or greatness of the callings that lie in the subset…only a difference in obedience. Let us note that often the reason for attributing one calling as consistently higher than the other is that we perceive greater obedience to the call of reconciliation ministry within the works of traditional ministry. Oh, but what our world might look like if we took the same sold-out passion and love for Christ into our secular jobs! The fruit of the harvest that we could reap! This is where the droves of the lost reside, and we have been given access to the front lines of the battles over their souls, having greater contact with these than many of their closest family members and friends (how many people do you spend 40+ hours with each week?).

So what is the conclusion? Firstly, that there is one, singular calling to Christ, which is manifested in full-time ministry of reconciliation. Second, that this is manifested in numerous ways, for the Spirit gifts as He pleases (1 Cor 12:11). Thirdly, that all specific endeavors, works, and sub-callings are subsets of the calling to the ministry of reconciliation, and we need not consider that one calling is greater than another, such consideration being futile, elusive, and even destructive. And finally, that we cannot measure the greatness of the calling by the level of obedience of the multitude in that calling: Firstly, because we have examined that in principal, the callings are the same in necessity and value, though different in means; and secondly, by what means can we determine that one calling is greater than the other? We might better judge obedience, but even in that, we have difficulty seeing clearly the spec in another’s eye, due to the plank in our own.

I encourage you, I challenge you, I implore you: heed your calling. It is as magnificently great as it is common, the calling as a minister of reconciliation. As Christ dominates our identity, this ministry dominates our daily works. There is no greater calling than to Christ Himself. There is no greater blessing on this earth. There is no greater joy. And there is no escaping the full-time ministry of reconciliation as a follower of Christ, for to follow Christ is to minister to each other of reconciliation with Him. There are different ministry methods, but one ministry of reconciliation. May the Lord continually call you to Himself, and bless you abundantly in your personalized, yet shared calling as a minister of reconciliation. Amen.

*This post was inspired by current events in my life, as usual, as well as the first two chapters in "The Cost of Discipleship," by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a book that I most highly recommend.*