Deliverance Promised

Micah 2:12-13

¹² “I will surely gather all of you, Jacob;

    I will surely bring together the remnant of Israel.

I will bring them together like sheep in a pen,
    like a flock in its pasture;
    the place will throng with people.
¹³ The One who breaks open the way will go up before them;
    they will break through the gate and go out.
Their King will pass through before them,
    the Lord at their head.”

We may not like to admit it, but most of us like following someone’s lead.  Left on our own, we’re a mess.  We need a leader.  And who better to lead than God.  God loves us so much he promises to break through the gates of sin and lead us to salvation.

John 10 provides beautiful examples of this played out in the New Testament… The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out (3).  I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (9-10).

Show us the way, Lord.  Gather your sheep. Go before us to get things ready and then call us by name to join you in Heaven.  We are hungry for a life to the full.  Amen

2 Timothy 3:16-17

Teaching

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 

Envision the Holy breath of God, exhaling His own words through the air into the heads and hearts of the scripture writers. Through them the Lords message was placed onto common scrolls transforming simple parchment into sacred documents from Heaven. What an honor to have been chosen by God as a vehicle for expressing His love.

Those writers were common folk, as are you and I. They became teachers as they discovered God’s design for themselves. Throughout the ages, their writings have impacted and changed the course of history.

We do not have to be teachers by profession to be instructors in the way of an honorable life. Others learn from us by our every word and action.

Romans 12:5 speaks of those in Christ belonging to each other. Our spiritual gifts are expressions of the Holy Spirit. I recall being stirred to reality a couple years ago when one of our young Pastors delivered a message on spiritual gifts, he summarized them as follows:

Prophecy         bringing the message of God to his people

Service            always seeking needs

Teaching         helping people understand biblical truth

Exhortation     an encourager-build people up

Giving             give freely to others to bring glory to God without recognition

Leader             get people organized and focused on God’s plan

Mercy             compassion, kindness, empathy-drawn to the hurting

Though I AM a teacher by vocation, I see that teaching is not necessarily my spiritual gift. Perhaps I am teaching in order to use my spiritual gifts to reach others who may not have otherwise been reachable. What are your spiritual gifts, and how are you using them to reach and teach; to change the course of history for yourself, and for others?

Passing the baton

“When he had said this, he knelt down with all of [the Ephesian elders] and prayed.... What grieved them most was that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.” Acts 20:36-38

[To read today’s entire text, Acts 20:13-38, click here.]

One of my (few) favorite things about airports is watching families eagerly anticipate the arrival of loved ones and then joyfully greet them with smiles, hugs and kisses. Even stoic handshakes between father and son are strengthened in the silent speech of admiration and affirmation, and warmed in the moisture that brims their eyes.

The Apostle Paul was big on greetings. Really big on them!  Not only did Paul begin his letters with an elaborate “hello,” he was still scribbling out greetings as he closed them!  “Greet Priscilla and Aquila ... Epenetus ... the churches in Asia ... all the saints ... Andronicus ... Archippus ...”  It was as though he held a fun-loving “hi” quill in his left hand that trailed behind and undid all the responsible work of the “bye” quill in his right hand.  “And by the way, Epaphras says to say ‘hi’ ... and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke.”  It’s a good thing the churches didn't have phones back then, because this guy would never hang up!  “Oh, and tell Onesiphorus ...”

But now his time on earth was nearing the end. It was time for this “Paul-mart” greeter to say farewell. And it was time for this leader to leave the Ephesian elders one more life lesson: how to pass the baton. Let's learn from his example ...

Paul identified and removed the obvious distraction to his message. Wherever he went, he had been warned about the hardships that awaited him in Jerusalem.  Anticipating the same concern in the minds of the elders, Paul took the initiative to name it and address it. Whatever he had to say to them would be heard.

Paul relied his “full body of work” as credibility for his final instruction. Having led a life of faith and obedience, Paul’s integrity was not a question, but rather an inspiration. Whatever he had to say to the elders would be trusted.

Paul cautioned the elders and committed them to God: “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock.... Be shepherds of the church.... Be on your guard!”  Whatever their leadership status, it would pale compared to their leadership responsibility.

Paul knelt down with the elders and prayed.  And what could be more important?  For there is nothing more unifying ... nothing more comforting ... nothing more clarifying ... and nothing more powerful ... than prayer.  Whatever these leaders asked of God in faith would be done.

Paul moved on. The baton had been passed. There was no need to look back, no need to second-guess, no need to fret.  Whatever unknowns lay ahead of him, he was going forward ...

... to a place where there are no “bye” quills … only “hi” quills.

Follow Which Leader? -- 2 Peter 2

I remember playing a game called Follow the Leader. This popular past time for the kids in my neighborhood was a game which involved lining up behind the 'leader' and then mimicking his or her every move. I have not thought about this game for 50 years, but when I read the second chapter of 2 Peter, it came to mind.

Often, when playing, the leader would try to trip up his followers by doing something or taking us somewhere we were not allowed to go. If we did not do just what the leader did, we were considered “out”. As a young person I never wanted to be "out", so I often found myself in trouble as a result.

But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. (2 Peter 2:1-2)

I have since learned not every leader should be followed, not every authority figure is headed in the direction I need to be going. When deciding whom to follow I am reminded of words my grandfather used to say to me when he recognized the trouble I would find if I did not think for myself. "Monkey see, monkey do," he would tell me. Today these words mean that I need to follow Jesus, the one true leader and not mimic the behavior of those around me.

To read all the text for today go to Biblegate and 2 Peter 2. To return to this posting hit the back arrow.

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