Betrayed with a kiss
Mark 14:44,45 Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.” Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him.
As I read this passage today in my morning devotions, I was struck by how Jesus was betrayal with a kiss. What should have been a sign of affection, was in reality an act of betrayal. It happens all the time.
I have a photo of a young Indian girl in my office who has been rescued from a brothel after being sold into sexual slavery by a trusted community leader. Betrayal under the guise of affection. I think of Turning Point ministry in Monroe and the hundreds of women and children who have experienced abuse at the hands of men who were supposed to love them. Abuse under the guise of affection. It happens all the time. A spouse. A parent. A leader. A pastor. Betrayal with a kiss. Jesus understands that pain.
Fortunately, that pain does not have to define us. Why? Because Jesus did not stop when he was betrayed. He went on from there. To a cross. For you. Because of love. You may have been betrayed with a kiss. That is often the ways of humans. But you have also been loved with a cross. That is the way of God. Receive that today. The Savior knows the betrayal of a kiss, but it did not stop Him from loving you with a cross.
for the fame of Jesus,
Scott
The Blessing
Is There More?
In 1987, the Irish rock band, U2, released the song “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” which quickly made it’s way to the top of the music charts.
As a young follower of Jesus at the time, I was struck by the lyrics… “You broke the bonds /And you loosed the chains/ Carried the cross/ Of my shame /Oh my shame/ You know I believe it.” It was pretty stunning to hear a popular song expressing in such clear terms what I personally believed about Jesus and how He had impacted my life.
Yet, the song had a disconcerting refrain… “But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.” That made no sense to me. Jesus was without a doubt the thing I had desperately been looking for. I had the scars to show the proof of my desperate search. He was the answer to my life’s deepest questions. I had found what I was looking for.
Yet, twenty-four years later, I do find myself empathizing with the cry for more in my experience of Jesus. Maybe you do too. Do you ever find yourself asking God, is this it? Is what I experience on a daily basis with You the extent of Your power in my life, or is there more? Is what I experience with Your people on a typical Sunday the fulfillment of Your vision for the organization that You said would prevail against the gates of Hades, or is there more? Maybe I’m just a person with high expectations, but truthfully, I believe He has more for me, for you, and for His church.
That is why this week at Glenstone, we are beginning a study of the letter to the Ephesians. You see, the letter to the Ephesians pulls back the curtain on what God has given us. It describes the ‘more’ that most of us have yet to tap into. It expresses God’s grand purposes for the church, which few of us have ever experienced.
So come this Sunday. Come join us as we begin to hear God share with us the ‘more’ that He has promised and the ‘more’ that we privately long for.
See you there!
Scott
Don’t Quit Ministry
“Don’t Quit Ministry”
That is what I heard at the age of 27 as I transitioned from working in a Christian ministry to high school students to working for a fortune 500 company in the information technology industry. The guy who said it to me may have meant well, but his comment stung and reflected a pervasive and thoroughly unbiblical view of work and ministry. Let me explain.
Unfortunately, much of my Christian life up to that point (from the age of 15-27) had been dominated by a spiritual/secular divided view of the world. The teaching from the pulpit of the massive church I attended, with a larger-than-life evangelist-pastor was that there was ‘spiritual’ work and then there was ‘secular’ work. Spiritual work was identified as anything related to that particular church: the work of the pastors and staff, the work of ‘normal’ people in getting their friends and family to attend on Sundays and Wednesdays, the efforts to raise huge sums of money for capital campaigns, and the few specific outreach ministries of that church. All of these activities were promoted with dramatic Biblical illustrations of crossing the Jordan, rebuilding the wall, and Esther’s brave stand before King Xerxes. It was also typically identifiable on the promotional material by the logo of the church and a picture of the senior pastor.
The net effect was not lost on me as a young man growing up. I couldn’t have put words to it at the time, but I sadly concluded that much of my time and energy was spent in the more base and secular realms. You see rather than attending the local Christian school (where all the pastors’ kids went), I attended the local public high school. Rather than head off to one of the approved list of universities (Wheaton, Taylor, Moody Bible Institute), I attended a ’secular’ university (NC State). And, rather than pursuing a spiritual course of study, I chose mechanical engineering as a major. I wrongly concluded that much of what I did was not very important to God. It was not very important to His work in the world, apart from providing some funding for the ‘spiritual’ activities of the church.
So, it was with great surprise later in life, when I began to have this secular-sacred divide smashed. First, I saw that most of the great heroes of the faith in Scripture did not have ‘spiritual’ jobs like pastors, prophets, and priests. Instead they were ship-builders (Noah), ranchers (Abraham, Jacob), public officials (David, Daniel, Moses), and military men (Joshua, David). These were God’s men of faith. This was a shock to me! Second, I read the opening chapters of Genesis, where human beings are universally described as being created in the image of God. That meant that everything I did could reflect God’s nature (building, bringing order, organizing finances, distributing goods, and even procreating) Crazy stuff! Third, I read my hero Jesus say “seek first the Kingdom of God”, not “seek first the church” and I was liberated! The old secular-sacred paradigm was dismantled. Now, everything I did, whether working, studying, playing, organizing, building, talking, competing, etc. could be my participation in Kingdom activity. Now that Christ was redeeming me, everything I did could be a ‘spiritual’ activity, done to glorify God, and done with the passion of participating in His Kingdom on earth.
So, why do I write all of this? Because this weekend we celebrate Labor Day. And, many of you unfortunately look at much of your labor as secular, unspiritual, unimportant to God , and disconnected from His rule over the Universe.
Here’s my challenge: As you take a break from your work this Monday, consider that the Bible reveals a very different view of labor from what we often hear. The truth is that everything you do can be a spiritual activity. It can reflect your relationship with God. You have the dignity of reflecting God’s image in the world. The daily activities of life can be the material of a redeemed life. It can be an opportunity to live out the Kingdom of God. Seriously! Your life and your work matter to God. Thank Him for it. Recommit yourself to do it in a way that pleases Him. Do it in a way that reflects His greatness. You are a priest. It is ministry. Don’t quit!
Surviving the Cut
While on vacation this summer, my boys and I enjoyed several episodes of the Discovery Channel’s “Surviving the Cut.” Have you seen this show? It documents the intense and sometime brutal vetting of special operation soldiers. In one episode from Coronado Island in San Diego, CA, underwater combat divers were being weeded out. Trainers ambushed the divers underwater, tore their dive masks off, shut off their oxygen tanks, and tied their regulator hoses together, all while submersed in 50 degree water at a depth of twenty feet. These guys barely avoided drowning, much less got their gear back in place. It was unbelievable! Many of them tapped out. Only a select few “survived the cut.”
You know what struck me most about that show? The contrast with my own experience on Coronado Island! You see, I’ve been there. But rather than enduring brutal military training, I sat on the veranda of the Hotel Del Coronado (a beautiful 120 year old seaside resort) and had one of the best meals of my life! The setting was incredible… an historic inn, the setting sun, warm ocean breezes, and melt-in-your-mouth tenderloin steak.
So why do I mention all of this? Because I often find myself pleading with God for the veranda life and instead experience something more akin to “surviving the cut.”
Last week, I was feeling exceptionally weary and discouraged by life and ministry. So, I went to a little chapel hangout of mine to pray. I was asking God for His affirmation, a sense of His presence, and confirmation that He was for me. I spent two hours there. And God was silent. He seemed distant. In my disappointment, I turned to the book of Hebrews (which we just finished studying at Glenstone) and read these words: “Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons” (Heb 12:7,8). Can I be honest with you? It wasn’t the answer I wanted to hear. I wanted an experience with God on the veranda that day. Instead, He gave me reasoning behind enduring hardship! Images of “Surviving the Cut” came to mind with special op trainers beating the crap out of the soldiers. Oh man. Not what I wanted to hear. The one consolation – the trainers aren’t doing it to be mean, but to prepare soldiers for the realities of war.
I don’t know what you are facing this week. I hope for your sake it is “the veranda life.” I really do. But if life feels more like “surviving the cut”, then know this: 1) you’re not alone, and 2) God is in the business of raising up tough kids.
Peace out,
Scott
Adjustments
Adjustments
John Stott
I received the news from two different friends yesterday that British pastor, theologian, and leader, John Stott, died yesterday at the age of 90. I had the privilege of spending a weekend in London with John Stott when I was 26 years old (he was 70), and my time with him made a lasting impression on me.
I found several obituaries on John’s life yesterday and they were great reminders and encouragements to me. One spoke of John’s unique leadership in the evangelical church during the 20th century in re-uniting the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. Go make disciples and love your neighbor as yourself. These two themes have often been expressed by the conservative and liberal sides of the church respectively. It was encouraging to know that John shared the desire to see these re-united in every church: Uncompromisingly sharing the message of the cross while simultaneously caring for the poor and vulnerable.
The second quality of John that was highlighted was John’s continuous challenge of the church to be reaching out to people who had yet to embrace the Gospel. I often feel overcome by God’s love and sacrifice for outsiders and lonely in feeling so close to God when thinking of outsiders. It comforts me to know that this great man had a similar passion.
Thirdly, I personally remember John for his humility. I joined him at his flat in London for breakfast one day and sat stunned as he deliberately had me and some others sit while he waited on us. I couldn’t believe it. He was committed to the simple tasks of making me feel welcomed and cared for in his home, even though I was just a young single American guy. It was a stunning contrast to what we often see in Christian leaders who pander to power brokers and consider themselves above menial tasks.
Lastly, I sat with him over an adult beverage and asked him what he thought the greatest challenge for today’s church was. He said authentic and godly leaders in the pulpit. In a country like the US which seems obsessed with all thing large, loud, and proud, John’s words help me stay focused on the quiet and profound struggle of being made like Christ.
John’s journey to heaven is our loss and heaven’s gain. Here’s to a life well-lived. Better still… a life exceptionally-lived. Thanks for showing me Jesus, John. I am a better man for it.
Sun Benders
My wife, Angie, loves sunflowers. Maybe it was our road trip across South Dakota several years ago, where she and I saw miles and miles of fields filled with the biggest sunflowers you can imagine. Maybe it is her love for the simple taste of a sunflower seed. Regardless, she planted a few of these interesting plants in our back yard this Spring.
Well, last week I wandered out into the back yard with her to check on the progress of her new venture. The sunflowers are coming along nicely. And, it was there that she showed me something I never knew before. Sunflowers are ‘heliotropic’. Literally, they are sun benders. Every day, their stems turn so that the face of the flower is always turned toward the sun in the sky. They actually follow the sun from dawn to dusk, and during the night, they slowly turn back East to face the morning horizon! This may be common knowledge to many of you, but I was humbled and amazed at the behavior of these simple flowers, these sun benders.
Here was the lesson for me that day… maybe it will encourage you. I was made to follow the Son. Yes, Son not sun. With simplicity, faithfulness, and at times not a lot of fan-fare, I am designed to follow the Son, wherever He goes. When the world screams for my attention, when the headlines wear down my optimism, when I see my own inadequacies and am tempted to lose heart, I am called to face the Son. With a faithful simplicity, I am called to turn my face toward the source of life. I am called to anticipate His arrival, follow His presence, stay focused on Him. I needed that lesson that day.
How about you? Do you need that reminder? You are made to be a Son bender. You were created to deliberately and faithfully keep your face turned toward the One who offers you life. I don’t know what your challenges are today. But, let’s take a lesson from a funny yellow flower. Face the Son.
Cheering for you today,
Scott
Hoskins Park
