Start an Epidemic

We are drawn to our favorite people, those we like to spend time around. People who make us want to be a better person. This positive attitude and kind and gentle way is attractive. We want to enjoy time with them, we long to be more like them. We seek out ways to be near them. This is contagious living.

Jesus possessed this sort of disposition. Complete strangers drew close to Him. People listened to Him talk and wanted to spend hours in His presence. Even in a crowd of 5,000 or more, Jesus' character, and His teachings grew infectious. Once exposed, they wanted more.

Peter is one of those people who developed this infection. He prayed to his Lord while imprisoned, as did his friends. "So, Peter was kept in prison, but the church prayed to God for him." (Acts 12:5)

On the other side of this coin are those people we dodge. Those people who are disagreeable, who find fault with everything. They relish in, and thrive on, gossip. Once we recognize this personality type, we sidestep these people. Years ago, I was one of them. 

One day, I sensed there must be more to life than my self-absorbed world, and God's perfect timing turned my life around. The Holy Spirit stepped in and introduced me to the missing piece in my life, Christ. I was familiar with who Jesus was, but I didn't care...until I did. 

I became infected. An epidemic began in my life and the only cure--a healthy dose of Jesus and His Word.

Acts 12:5-11

The Good Life

READ: Philippians 3:17-21

What do you picture when I speak of the good life? Let’s weigh some common responses against the example of Paul and the words of Christ. 

Beautiful beach sunset? Paul writes from prison. Happy to be there because his captivity is advancing the gospel. (Phil 1:12-18)

Attractive spouse? Paul is single and content to be so. A married person divides attention, seeking to please both God and spouse. The unmarried person is completely focused on how he can please the Lord. (1 Cor 7:7, 32-35)

Great wealth? Christ says, “Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions,” (Luke 12:15) and, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:25)

Perfect health? Paul prayed for it. God said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor 12:9)

Great accomplishments? “I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.” (Phil 3:8)

Your many labors behind you? “If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me.” (Phil 1:22)

The love and praise of everyone you know? Jesus said, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven.” (Matt 5:11-12)

Our reward in heaven: Isn’t that really the good life? For what eye has seen, what ear has heard, what mind has conceived of the good things God has prepared for those who love him? (1 Cor 2:9)

I came for the cookies ...

The Sunday closing events for Kairos Prison Ministries weekends are awesome celebrations of God’s unconditional love and transformational power.  If you’re ever invited to one, do the unthinkable: go to prison.  You will be blessed beyond imagination. 

Probably what makes the closings so great are the testimonies of the inmates who have experienced God’s love and forgiveness over the past four days.  When it comes time for “open mic,” these guys almost race to the podium to bare their souls and tell their stories.  And one comment you’ll hear from time to time is this: “I came for the cookies, but I’m leaving with Jesus.”  Many come away from the weekend far different than when they came – stuffed with food, yes, but filled with love and hope and a better understanding of their worth. 

Today’s Bible passage is the epilogue to Jesus feeding the 5,000.  It is “the morning after,” literally.  What began as a teaching the day before became a miraculous feast ... and then a camp-out.  And when they people awoke to find Jesus gone, they launched out in boats to follow him. 

Was it another jaw-dropping miracle they sought?  More unfathomable wisdom?  The truth from “the Truth”?  No, no, and no.  “You are looking for me,” Jesus said, “not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.”  In prisoner parlance, they came for the cookies! 

How often to do we seek out Jesus simply for our own gratification?  Are we so lasered in on pleasing our palates that we ignore what’s important?   He gives us temporary treats, certainly, and it pleases him to do so.  But of far greater value is his sustenance for our soul – forgiveness and sanctification, peace and joy, life and love. 

Jesus redirected the people’s attention to what really mattered: “I am the bread of life.  Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”  By the end of the Kairos weekend, many of my friends behind bars understand this.  For having tasted the life and love of God, the cookies crumble in comparison. 

What will you feast on today?  And what kind of food will you offer to others? 

[Click here to see the daily reading in John 6:22-35.] 

Christ Protects His Church

Today’s lesson is from Acts 16:35-40. Paul and Silas had been whipped and thrown in prison, illegally as it turns out, because their message had caused an uproar among Philippi’s inhabitants. 

An earthquake, God’s work, caused the jail doors to open, yet Paul and Silas did not leave. They waited in prison until the magistrates (city officials) released them. Not only that, Paul demanded, and got, an escort, for all the citizens to see, out of prison.

Why did Paul demand an escort? This seems self serving. That is, it seems that Paul wanted honor from the magistrates who treated them poorly. This does not seem right. After all, we are told to “turn the other cheek” when we are wronged.

Paul was not, however, acting on his own behalf. He was acting on Christ’s behalf, and more to the point, on behalf of Christ’s Church. Paul and Silas getting a formal, public release was God’s way of telling Philippi’s inhabitants, who caused the uproar, that Paul had done nothing illegal.  The citizens of Philippi were wrong, not Paul. It also helped ensure that Christian converts in Philippi would not be persecuted because of the behaviors of its non-believing citizens.

Jesus, via Paul, was protecting his Church, which was under attack.

Worthy of note, too, is that Paul and Silas waited patiently when the jail doors were thrown open by the earthquake. Had they been acting in self interest, they most likely would have fled at the first opportunity to leave. Rather, Paul stuck with the conflict, painful as it might have been, until its final, righteous resolution was worked out.

Jesus’ Church is under attack today, and has been for 2000 years. Sometimes what I see angers me. Sometimes it even directly impacts me.

I have to remind myself to respond like Paul. Will my response further the Kingdom of God? If not, I need to turn the other cheek. My response would only be self serving. I need to be patient until God’s solution is worked out.

Most importantly, though, I need to remember that Christ protects his Church, and he protects me! What a blessing that is!

1 Corinthians 6:12

Before I was convicted by the Holy Spirit to follow Jesus and to build a personal relationship with Him, I was a prisoner in life.  My past kept me in bondage.  My childhood experiences were as chains keeping me down, tying me to painful memories. It seemed that everything I enjoyed doing was wrong and my feelings of guilt and shame formed a jail of sorts, if only in my mind.

Freedom is found when Christ is part of our life. This sounds like a trite statement, but I find there is often truth in triteness. I struggle with overeating and I love sweets and I often turn to food when feeling lonely or bored.  This verse is helping me to recognize that moderation is key for me. Life Application Bible Notes teaches us to be careful that what God has allowed us to enjoy we don't turn into a bad habit.

1 Corinthians 6:12 (NIV)

 "Everything is permissible for me"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"--but I will not be mastered by anything. 

As a child I turned to food for comfort and joy. As an adult I know this is false happiness and that I need to lean on God for true joy and freedom. This is another simple thought and a truism, but a fact none the less. When I give up my wants and allow God to provide for my needs, the chains fall away. 

When I am dealing with the pain that accompanies the chains of this world there is only one way I can turn.  I have to submit and surrender my will and pray for the grace to overcome.  God's grace is the key to unlocking the prison doors.

Those Sitting in Darkness - Psalm 107:10-16

The people in prison were there because of their rebellion against God. God humbled them by putting them in chains and making them work hard. They were miserable and stumbled in the darkness. They felt they would die. There was no one to help them. They were without hope. (v 10-12)

They cried out to the Lord. God, in His infinite grace, heard their cries and rescued them out of their darkness. (v 13-14)

The Psalmist jumps ahead and enters what their response to being saved should be: ”Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds…” (v 15-16)

We can be frozen in our world by unexpected life situations: the death of a loved one, loss of job, illness, or terrible accident. We can stumble around in life when we feel helpless in our addictions. We can be blinded by our habits of anger, overwork, wanting more than we need. We invite or allow these things to imprison our minds and hearts, and turn us away from God. We create our own darkness.

When we find ourselves sitting in darkness, fear, pain, or helplessness we can turn to Him. He will rescue us. Thank God for His incredible patience and for His abounding mercy and forgiveness in Christ. Confess to Him any ways in which you resist His care and control of your life. Ask forgiveness and choose to trust Him.

He, alone, offers hope and strength to those who sit in darkness.

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