Who?

IMG_20130113_114110As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah,* John answered all of them by saying, ‘I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with* the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’ Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved;* with you I am well pleased.’ (Luke 3:15-17; 21-22 NRSV)

The picture is what we think of when we think of Jesus’ baptism. John and Jesus there in the Jordan and John pouring water over Jesus or helping Him under the water… But is that what the gospel of Luke actually says happened? Notice the reading above reading leaves out 3 verses. Read them here:

So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people. But Herod the ruler, who had been rebuked by him because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the evil things that Herod had done, added to them all by shutting up John in prison. (Luke 3:18-20 NRSV)

So John is in prison and could not have been there when Jesus was baptized. So then who baptized Jesus?

The Holy Spirit did it. It is wholly God that does baptism. God announces to us that we are a part of His family. That is why Jesus is baptized and the gift we get. The announcement that we are God’s child. We are loved and claimed by our creator.

So know that you are loved and accepted by God as His beloved child and this is all His doing. You are loved just as you are.

The Mind of God…

For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:11-16 ESV)

Do you know what someone else is thinking?

Have you ever seen someone who looked like they were thinking something and you just wondered what it was that was going on in their head?

We all do this, because we are creatures that want to know and control situations. But no one can know the thoughts of another except the soul of that person. Only a persons spirit knows what they are thinking…

So who are we to think that we know what God is thinking? We are quick to pass judgement on someone or some group because they are obviously not doing what God wants them to do. For instance homosexuals are all against God because they are sinning and living a life that keeps them from God, there fore they are not in God’s good graces… But the people who are divorced and remarried are ok because God would not want them to stay in the relationship that was causing them physical/emotional damage even though the scriptures are clear that divorce and remarriage are sinful. But one is wrong and the other is obviously forgivable because God would not want us to be alone or in relationships that hurt us… Does any one else have a problem with the double standards of that line of thought?

No one knows what God is thinking or going to do. He has called us to love as He loved us, unconditional. People do not need to change in order for God to accept them, why do they have to to join our gatherings?

He above picture is not about knowing the mind of God, but about those who think they do… It is like the book by Dan Merchant Lord, Save us from your followers. We need to not judge but love and that will draw others to Him…

be weak…

And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. (1 Corinthians 2:1-10 ESV)

Wisdom is not something you can read and just get. It is not about knowledge of a list of requirements. It is not memorizing a specific text or sets of texts.

Wisdom is not something that is acquired by reading and knowing a bunch of stuff. Wisdom is living in a way that allows God’s love to shine in and through everything we do.

So any one who claims to know who is in and who is not probably does not have true wisdom or knowledge and should not be using lofty speech and telling others to turn or burn… True wisdom allows God to work on His time. It is not about being strong and making others follow you. It is about showing your wisdom and weakness by letting God shine through.

foolishness…

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:18-31 ESV)

The cross is a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles. Why?

Because the Messiah was not suppose to die! He was suppose to lead the Jews out of bondage and into the wonderful life the covenant promised them. They should have over thrown the Romans and been removed from bondage. Yet that did not happen… How could the messiah up and die and especially die on a cross! That is the biggest humiliation there is. So that can not happen. It is a stumbling block, because they can not get past the fact that the messiah died, and that ain’t suppose to happen.

But what happens when you stumble over something? Well yes you fall, but what happens next? I always look to see what it was that I stumbled over… You see some might get hung up on the cross (pun not intended) but at least they are looking at the cross. They have been drawn to it, and will be transformed by it in His time…

And it is foolishness to the Gentile because what savior dies to save His people? It is like Superman being killed to save Lois… It is not what we want to happen, but then really when it is about us anyhow?

You see if you really stop and think about it, the cross is really not the way you wanted it to happen, but that is how God had it happen. Not how it had to, but how He had it happen. God chose to work through the messiah dying on a cross to draw all people to Him, so stumble and call it foolish, but allow it to work in and through your life so that you, like the disciples before you, are transformed!

When they bleed, He bleeds…

Foes will fall on their knees before God, his enemies lick the dust. Kings remote and legendary will pay homage, kings rich and resplendent will turn over their wealth. All kings will fall down and worship, and godless nations sign up to serve him, Because he rescues the poor at the first sign of need, the destitute who have run out of luck. He opens a place in his heart for the down-and-out, he restores the wretched of the earth. He frees them from tyranny and torture— when they bleed, he bleeds; when they die, he dies. (Psalm 72:9-14 MSG)

All will fall before the Lord our God and pay Him homage. Some of us will do this willing, others may not do it so willingly but the bible tells us every knee will bow and every tongue confess…

I think what this passage in the psalms tells us is money and power do not mean you are exempt from being in the need to pay homage to God, nor will you get what you want just because you think you might deserve it. God rescues the poor at their first sign of need. He frees them from tyranny and torture, He helps them to have a place to call home and restores the down and out. Did you who are rich and in power ever think that God helped you to have more so that you can help those around you? Not to rule it over those around you?

We all are the same in the eyes of God. When will we see with the eyes of God?

be wise…

Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:15-20 NRSV)

It is easy to say you have wisdom… When there is black and white and one way to do things that is right and moral and one way that is wrong and is immoral… But is that really the case with our lives and our world?

For instance, is it wrong to drink alcohol? Some religious people say that it is, some denominations say that this is sin because the Bible says it is. Like the passage above says do not get drunk. So we should stay away from alcohol because it is evil. The above passage does not say do not drink alcohol. If we are going black and white it says wine, which maybe why some congregations do not use wine for Holy Communion even though that is what Christ Himself used… But that is a different study and shows the depth of how far this goes. The above passage does not say do not drink alcohol or wine, it says do not become drunk. For that is debauchery… which is an extreme indulgence in sensuality. But is that wrong when done with your spouse? (Read Song of Solomon….)

The above passage also says to not be foolish but “understand what the will of the Lord is.” If this was spelled out plainly most of us would not feel like fools most of the time probably. We search and struggle to find the will of the Lord. We pray daily, hourly, every quarter hour or even more frequently to God for Him to make His will clear to us. But we still struggle and seem to be the fool…

We are also to be wise and use our time productively because the days are evil and pull us away from Him. This means do not be lazy and keep trucking away trying to do the work God has set before you, not being a fool and following after something which is not the will of God and so not be sensual about it…

Is that clear? So now we know how to be wise… or do we? It is not clear cut and needs to be interpreted every time in every situation. We need to discern what God’s will is all the time and live in tune with Him so that His will flows through us. And even when we are fools, we will be fools for Christ!