Being the Most Powerful Person in the Room

by Thomas Denegre

Today’s reading from Mathew 5:38-47

As a Christian, you are called to be the most powerful person in the room. I’m not talking about Bill Gates power, or President of the United States power, or a mafia boss power.  I’m talking about the power of God that is within us to change people and to change the world.  Let me tell you about Louie Zamperini.

In the true story called Unbroken, Louie Zamperini was an American Olympic runner from the 1936 Berlin Games.  In World War II his plane crashed in the Pacific and he spent 45 days adrift in a life raft. Hardly alive he was captured by the Japanese and was tortured for the next two years. Barely holding himself together after the war, he recounts his story to crowds of people.  But he must first numb himself with alcohol to tell his stories.  Living in a death-ward spiral in alcohol, Louie attended a Billy Graham crusade giving his heart to Jesus.  His life became transformed and renewed where he set up a powerful ministry transforming the lives of thousands. Truly, when his heart broke for Jesus, life, meaning, and power entered into Louie.

So let’s explore the nature of power.

To satisfy justice, Jesus explained the old way of tit for tat; or eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth.  Throughout the ancient world the custom was revenge for a wrong against you.  This was the code of the sinner or the ungodly, (Psalm 1:1) who used their force of will upon one another. Force is not power.

We all know the outcomes of using the force of our will against another because for every push we impose we get one back.  Force always has a counter force.  Force seeks conflict and justification. Force is prideful, selfish, and brutish.  Force seeks to judge and condemn.  It results in polarization, not unity and its costs are high. Someone must always win or lose, whereby enemies are created requiring a constant defense. Being defensive is always costly as the anger, bitterness, envy, lust, and resentment will result in negative outcomes personally and culturally. This is the way of the sinner, the ungodly person, and the wages of sin is death. Romans 6:23

Then Jesus tells us how to become the most powerful person in the room.  He said we must love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us, “that you may be the children of your Father in heaven.” (Matt. 5:45) Finally, Jesus said, “be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”(Matt 5:48)

Being perfect throws us all off, because we think it’s impossible.  Yet, we know our loving Father would never set us up for failure.  The Greek word here is 'teleios' and it can mean ‘perfect’ but it is more usually used to refer to maturity or wholeness. Research indicates the writers of the Vulgate translated the word into ‘perfectus’, when it really means “to be complete.” Or, to be made whole.

To understand this mystery the Lord brought to my attention two pieces of artwork.  In Japan, Kintsugi artwork will deliberately break a pottery bowl and mend it back with gold transforming it into a unique beauty.  The other artwork shows major cracks in a human sculpture with bright light shining through it.

The answer becomes obvious.  It is through our brokenness that our creator makes us whole and complete with the power of the Holy Spirit. Our brokenness does not come in our destruction, but when we open our hearts to God's love and trade in our pride for humility. In the same way, Louie didn’t become transformed and powerful until he opened his heart to Jesus. 

We become a unique beauty that radiates the light and power of God’s love.  By dying to Jesus, we admit to our brokenness, humility, failure, and incompleteness. We just can’t do things without God. By being born again, we become saints, (Eph.2:1-10) who are set apart to be with God. By living in life union with Jesus and having his words living powerfully within us, the power of God transforms us while His power radiates through our cracks into to the world.

When Jesus said, “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one,” (John 17:20-23) we become the most powerful person in the room as the same glory of God that filled Jesus, fills us.  Did not Jesus say we will be doing greater things than himself? (John 14:12)  By being broken to God, His glory and power is allowed to complete us and to transform.

As a son or daughter of God we must understand the power of God’s glory is within us. Unlike the sinner’s (ungodly) use of force, a son (saint) of the light knows God’s power is rooted in love, meaning, significance, and purpose. Rather than having a counter-power, power stands still. It is like a standing field, such as gravity, that does not move, for love, forgiveness, mercy, kindness, compassion, and generosity are always received and never reacted to.

By being in God’s power we find nobility of purpose and sacrifice are inspirational, giving life significance. Like water filling a sponge, God’s glory completes us, enables us, and nourishes us.  God’s power is self-evident in that life is more important than death, that honor is preferable over dishonor, that the constructive is preferable over the destructive, that forgiveness is preferable over revenge, and that mercy is preferable over judgment and condemnation.

We become the most powerful person in the room by allowing our brokenness or humility to reveal God’s power through non-judgmental love, understanding, mercy, and forgiveness. By extending these powerful forces to friend and foe alike, we allow God to disarm them while soothing their wounded heart.  By living in life union with Jesus, we are given the ability or power to see people as God sees them.  Compassion, wisdom, and mercy will arise in our hearts from Jesus to make us the most powerful person in the room to transform lives such that, “thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Your Life as a House

Romans 8:15-27

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%208%3A15-27&version=NIV;NLT

 

Have you ever watched the HGTV hit show, “Fixer Upper” with Chip and Joanna Gaines? The show takes place in Waco, Texas where Chip and Joanna run a remodeling and design business. In each episode, they take an old, “fixer upper” house, invest time and money and make it into a beautiful home.

 

About twelve years ago I tried my hand at flipping a few houses. The last one we did was built in 1925. Unfortunately, it had suffered over the years from a severe lack of maintenance, abuse of the owners and finally a devastating fire.

 

As we got into it, we discovered even more problems which included termite and structural damage. I’m sure that when she was first built she was a beauty. But by the time we bought her, she was a mess. She had endured a painful existence.

 

Our daughter and son-in-law were going to buy the house so they invested their own sweat equity along with ours and a crew of skilled contractors. Here are some before, during and after pictures to give you an idea of the process.

 

Before

 

 

During

After

 

If the house could have talked, she might have said how painful it was to be neglected and abused all those years. The possibility that she might be able to return to her original glory was unthinkable with the previous owners. But as we began the remodeling she must have felt a spark of hope.

 

 

In some ways, we’re like that house. We’ve suffered from a lack of maintenance, from abuse and maybe even a devastating life event. But there is hope. There is hope to rebuild our life; to return to our original glory. And that hope comes solely from Jesus Christ.

 

¹⁷ And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. ¹⁸ Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.  NLT

 

Through his Spirit, God gives us the inheritance to experience his Glory, as a foretaste now, but fully later. Your life as a house does have hope.

 

 

 

Jesus is the radiance of God’s glory

2 January

Scripture Reading

Read Hebrews 1:1-12 and reflect on the passage.

Happy New Year! Day 2 of the new year has come—have you started your New Years’ resolution? It seems that every year I make the same list of core commitments to myself—eat healthy, lose weight, get in the gym, save money, spend time with family, read through the Bible, pray every day, read books, watch less TV, control my calendar, and be more disciplined. I typically don’t start until today—the 2nd of January—because I stayed up to watch the ball drop and there is always food left over from Christmas. I’m just trying to be practical.

Unfortunately, starting on the 2nd shows my true commitment and inability to grow into my new life on my own. What I have discovered is that I need help to make real change. Someone who knows me and is strong enough to push me when I get stuck or stubborn.

The good news is that is that I know the One “who made the universe” and sits at the right hand of God. He too wants me and you to have new life—new life in Him. Through His power we can change and have new life.

Questions

1.      Are you satisfied with your life? Are you who you want to be?

2.      When did Jesus become more than just a name to you? Will you let Him help you become the person God made you to be?

Prayer

Jesus, I want to change and I can’t do it myself. Send Your Spirit to help me be the person You made me to be. Amen.

—Joe Valentino

Acts 3:12-4:4

When life is going well, when things just seem to fall into place and I am happy and content I seldom give God the glory.  For some reason, when there is little strife in my daily life and I can face each day without worry or regret I forget to thank God.  Humility disappears and I give all the credit to myself.

When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? (Acts 3:12)

After healing a man crippled since birth, the people who knew him were amazed.  Peter used this time to point the crowd to Jesus.  He did not hesitate to give all the glory and credit to Jesus.  Peter's humility is admirable for he recognized from where and from whom his power to heal came. Peter could easily have taken a bow at this moment, could have grabbed glory for himself and set himself up as someone he wasn't.  Peter reminds the followers that day that Jesus, the one they killed, healed the man. 

The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. (Acts 3:13)

Jesus, the author of life, is the one who heals, who causes my life to go smoothly, and who blesses me with abundance and joy.  I must remember this and give glory where glory is due.

Read Acts 3:12-4:4 here.

I Didn't See That Coming - 1 Corinthians 1:26-2:5

Does God ever shock you? I am constantly amazed at the road God leads me down. So often it takes twists and turns that I never saw coming. Almost ten years ago, God moved me and Steve to California to serve him away from our family. Little did we know that in doing this our family would grow, I have gained a son, nephew, and sister-in-law all through obediently coming to California.

Now God is moving us to Wisconsin. At first when we were considering this move I was excited about being closer to my parents again. I was anxious to make up for the years apart. Again I didn’t see the twist life would take with the unexpected death of my father.

Our scripture passage today has Paul explaining that if we boast about anything let our boasting be in God. I think God gives us these twists and turns so that we know it was all Him. I would not have chosen the road I have traveled so far, but I have been blessed by it, so I boast in the Lord.

I would never have chosen my father’s death to come at this point in time, but again I boast, “To God be the glory.” God is clearly at work and it is going to be exciting to see where this new chapter will take us.

Read today's passage at Biblegateway 1 Corinthians 1:26-2:5

Shine On, 2 Corinthians 3:12-18

Can I confess something? I don’t like children’s sermons. Hear me out. Back in the day, I loved them. I loved the cute kids, and laughed whenever they gave away a family “secret”. That was, until I had a little one up there.

As a pastor’s kid, Evan is extremely comfortable at church. He thinks his job is to entertain everyone. So of course they love to give him the microphone during children’s sermons. I guess it’s not the children’s sermon I dislike so much as I fear what my son will say. One mention of how our family passes gas or how I lose my temper and the sweet Christian family, the congregation has pictured is shattered.

Can you hear my sarcasm? I hope so.

Today’s scripture requires us to keep things in perspective or we will be too intimidated to be effective. 2 Corinthians 3 says, “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory.”

Did you know when the Holy Spirit is at work, you reflect the Lord’s glory? You glow. This is scary if we take ourselves too seriously. Remember we are not the source of the glow, God is. With all our flaws, God still shines his glory through us, for those who are seeking. So shine on flawed one.

Read the entire passage on Biblegateway.com 2 Corinthians 3:12-18

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