Creation or Re-Creation - Which is the most Difficult?

       Creation or Re-Creation -  which is the hardest?


One of my favorite saints, Bernard of Clairvaux, wrote this 900 years ago:*

     'Creation was not so vast a work as redemption; for it
     is written of man and of all things made...'He spoke the
     word and they were made' (Psalm 148:5)

     But to redeem the creation which sprang at His word, what               hardships He endured, what shames and pain He suffered!

     In the first creation He gave me myself, but in His new
     creation He gave me Himself, and by that gift restored to me
     the self I had lost.'

I love that idea....At creation He gave me myself, but at my
redemption He gave me Himself!

It's the history of the world - from creation to re-creation...all that matters is what He did in the first place and then later in the second place, and then what He will do in the future!

It's all about Him - history is simply his-story!


*From On Loving God, by Bernard of Clairvaux

Not all that sure? C S Lewis

Just as the Christian has his moments when the clamor of this visible and audible world is so persistent and the whisper of the spiritual world so faint that faith and reason can hardly stick to their guns, so well as I remember, the atheist too has his moments of shuddering misgiving, of an all but irresistible suspicion that old tales may after all be true, that something or someone from outside may at any moment break into his neat, explicable, mechanical universe.

Believe in God and you will have to face hours when it seems obvious that this material world is the only reality; disbelieve in Him and you must face hours when this material world seems to shout at you that it is not all.

No conviction, religious or irreligious, will, of itself, end once and for all this conflict in the soul.

Only the practice of Faith resulting in the habit of Faith will gradually do that.

          --From 'Religion: Reality or Substitute?'
                  in Christian Reflections, by C S Lewis

Another Prayer from Daniel

 

                               Another Prayer from Daniel

Another notable prayer in the Book of Daniel is in chapter 9.

He begins, as in the prayer in chapter 2, with a song of praise and adoration: "O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of love with all those who love Him and obey His commands..."

And then he confesses the great sins of his countrymen..."We have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and rebelled,, We have turned away from your commandments and laws. We have not listened to our servants, the prophets."

He doesn't make excuses or blame their circumstances for their faithlessness to their ever-faithful God.

He just admits their sin.

And his conclusion to his prayer?

Maybe the most audacious request in Scripture: "We do not make our request of You because we are righteous, but because of Your great mercy.  Lord, listen; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, do not delay."

Remember the gospel song -- 'Grace that is Greater than all our Sin' --? 

And the contemporary song, 'His Mercy is More' -- "Our sins they are many, but His mercy is more"!

That's what Daniel is counting on! And so am I!

Without His mercy there would be no forgiveness. Without His Grace there would be no hope.

The Path We Are On Now - Looking Back

Lord, I feel myself getting tired and growing discouraged.

I am weary of  trying to work things out. I am tired of toilet paper jokes. I am tired of wearing a mask. I am tired of distance markers in my usual stores.  I am tired of wondering if I can approach and greet my friends.

I miss church.

But I remember You never grow weary or impatient.
You never give up.

Your love is never-ending  and without limit.

It always covers me, no matter where I am or what I am doing or what I am feeling. And it fills me with joy.

I praise You because I can count on that and I know that this path we are on has a purpose.

It is taking us somewhere. Somewhere You want us to be.
And this path is exactly where You want us to be right now.

And so I am content.  Just work Your will in us.

Our Father, You and pleasing You are all that matter to us!!!

What I love about Psalm 1

Blessed is the man who does not walk

in the counsel of the wicked,

Or stand in the way of sinners,

Or sit in the seat of mockers.

But his delight is in the law of the LORD,

and on His law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water,

which yields its fruit in season,

And whose leaf does not wither.

Whatever he does prospers.

Not so the wicked! They are like chaff

that the wind blows away.

Therefore the wicked shall not stand in the judgment,

Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous,

For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous

But the way of the wicked will perish.

I wonder -- who arranged the Psalms? Who decided this one should be first? Originally the Psalms were individual songs, or hymns, that were eventually collected into 5 books. All five of these Hebrew books make up our Book of Psalms today.

Most of the 150 psalms have titles from the Hebrew -- all but 34. Psalm 1 is one of these "orphan psalms."

Which Psalm came first? Probably Psalm 90, written by Moses.

But who arranged the collected Psalms in the order we read them today? Who numbered them?

I don't know. Maybe we will find out someday.

Anyway, it appears to me that Psalm 1 is the perfect way to begin to reading of the Book of Psalms. It is like a forward or a preface, or an introductory paragraph that leads right into the rest of the Book.

What I like about Psalm 1:

1. It is short and easy to memorize.

2. It is practical, reminding us that that should be our own mind-set as we read the rest of the Book so that God will achieve His purpose for our reading and studying His Word.

3. It reminds us that we have choices to make in this life. There are paths we should choose to follow God's plan. In this way it reminds me of Christ's Sermon on the Mount. At the closing He talked about contrasting ways to live: two gates and two roads, two trees and their two types of fruit, two houses and their foundations. All of these are about choices. A good thing to remember each day! Whose side are we on anyway?

4. About blessed... It means supremely happy or fulfilled. This is what James Montgomery Boice says:

In Hebrew the word is actually a plural, which denotes either a multiplicity of blessings or an intensification of them. The verse might correctly be translated, O the blessednesses of the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked.

5. I love the way the contrast between God's people and Satan's is pointed out right at the beginning of the first verse -- exactly where we start out on our Christian journey. We know right at the beginning that there are two roads to choose from, and they lead to distinctly different destinations. The signs are clearly marked. There are no detours. There are no shortcuts.

6. I like the way the words are chosen -- I know the main characteristic of Hebrew poetry is its parallelism and the repetition of thoughts in various ways --and these verses illustrate it perfectly -- but I also think that the words are chosen deliberately -- (1) walk, stand, sit, (2) counsel, way, seat, (3) wicked, sinners, mockers.

If I am walking with someone I am likely talking about casual things, or in a casual way. If I am talking earnestly I am probably sitting. There is a progression here that helps me understand how I get off track so often! It is a downhill progression -- from walking and having conversation with ungodly people to actually sitting down, or settling down, with those who reject God.

7. Another thing I like is this: the ungodly people hang out with their ungodly friends and associates....and what do the godly people hang out with? God's Word! We don't just hang out with God and His Word -- we delight in it! We meditate on it and we prosper. God's Word tells us about God -- what pleases Him and how He provides for us and directs our paths -- how He loves us and calls us to join His family! God's Word makes us supremely happy -- blessed!

8. And I love the phrase He is like a tree planted by streams of water. The tree has been planted -- it did not just spring up. It was planted in a certain place so its roots could reach deeply into the soil and find moisture and nourishment -- so that it could thrive and yield its good fruit.

The Hebrews knew of many dry areas, many deserts, where plants could not thrive. Only some brush and certain seasonal plants could survive.

But this tree is not planted there -- it is planted by streams!

9. And the chaff! Chaff was useless and chaff was burned! This pictures the life of the ungodly -- it is futile and empty and unrewarding. And then there is the judgment!

And the wicked will not be able to stand -- they will fall down before God.

There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it
leads to death.
-- Proverbs 14:12

Mid-way to Christmas!

Six months from today is Christmas  - the happiest, most glorious time of the year!

I think I "Need a little Christmas now!"

Yes, right now!

I am putting on my Christmas music and singing loudly - and remembering that old wonderful Christmas carol, "What Child is this?"




Remember that 2nd verse:

 Why lies Him here in such mean estate

Where ox and ass are feeding

Good Christians fear:

For sinners, here, the silent Word is pleading.

I had two thoughts:

(1) the glorious fact of our rescue plan...

designed by God before the creation of the world...

described to mankind at the beginning of history...

reminded to mankind continually throughout history....

revealed to mankind in the incarnation of Jesus Christ the Word....

explained to mankind through the

written record of the New Testament...

and finally, totally, accomplished through the coronation of Jesus Christ as Lord of all.

Then "every knee shall bow and every tongue confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord." (Philippians 2)

When Mary laid Him there in that manger, when the shepherds came to worship, when Joseph stood by to protect Him, in that tiny Body God's grace was already being worked out.

(2) God loves to surprise us!

Think of it!  The Creator--God--King arriving in Bethlehem of Judea in a stable! Who would ever make up a story like that!

And then in the last days John sees the throne of God and the elders call, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed."

And what does he see: "Then I saw a Lamb, looking as it it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne" (Revelation 5).

Not a fearful mighty Lion, but a wounded Lamb....the Lamb that was slain from the beginning of the world (Revelation 13).

God's amazing rescue plan -- wrapped in a surprise package -- and so we can now begin to glorify God and enjoy Him forever!

May the awe and wonder of Christmas astonish us every day!

Charles Spurgeon - The Winter in My Soul - Even in June

You have made summer and winter.

Psalm 74:17

My soul, begin this wintry month with God.

The cold snows and the piercing winds all remind you that He keeps His covenant with day and night and serve to assure you that He will also keep that glorious covenant that He has made with you in the person of Christ Jesus.

He who is true to His Word  in the revolutions of the seasons of this poor sin-polluted world will not prove unfaithful in His dealings with His own well-beloved Son.

Winter in the soul is be no means a comfortable season, and if it is upon you just now, it will be very painful to you: but there is this comfort, namely, that the Lord makes it.

He sends the sharp blast of adversity to nip the buds of expectation. He scatters the frozen dew like ashes over the once fresh green meadows of our joy.

He dispenses His icy morsels, freezing the streams of our delight.

He does it all; He is the great Winter King and rules in the realms of frost, and therefore you cannot murmur.

Losses, crosses, heaviness, sickness, poverty, and a thousand other ills are of the Lord's sending and come to us with wise design.

Frosts kill harmful insects and restrain raging diseases; they break up the clods and sweeten the soul.

O that such results would always follow our winters of affliction!

How we prize the fire just now!  How pleasant is its cheerful glow!

Let us in the same manner prize our Lord, who is the constant source of warmth and comfort in every time of trouble.

Let us draw near to Him, and in Him find joy and peace in believing.

Let us wrap ourselves in the warm garments of His promises, and keep working, unlike the lazy man who refuses to plow because it is too cold; in the summer he will have nothing and will be forced to beg for breed.


---- From Morning and Evening, by Charles Spurgeon

We Reap What We Sow

Meantime I seek no sympathies, nor need;
The thorns which I have reaped are of the tree
I planted -- they have torn me, -- and I bleed.
I should have known what fruit would spring from such a seed.

-- From Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, by Lord Byron


And from the New Testament....

Don't be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person
plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others --ignoring God! -- harvests a  crop of weeds. All he'll have a show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God's Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real, eternal life.
Galatians 6:7 (MSG)

Whose Work is More Spiritual? C S Lewis

                                           

                                                Whose Work Is More Spiritual?

Is your work more spiritual than mine? Is a musician's performance more pleasing to God than a ditch digger's labor?

Thoughts from C S Lewis:

"I reject at once an idea which lingers in the mind of some modern people that cultural activities are in their own right more spiritual -- as though scholars and poets were intrinsically more pleasing to God than scaverners and bootblacks...this is a dangerous and anti-Christian error. Let us clear it forever from our minds.

The work of a Beethoven and the work of a charwoman become spiritual in precisely the same condition: that of being offered to God, as being done humbly 'as to the Lord.'

This does not mean, of course, that it is a mere toss-up whether he should sweep floors or compose symphonies.

A mole must dig to the honor of God and a cock must crow. We are members of one body, but differentiated members, each with his own vocation."

     "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men...It is the Lord Christ you are serving."   (Colossians 3:23)

Overwhelmed and Forgiven

 

                                    Overwhelmed and Forgiven

"When we were overwhelmed by sin, You forgave our transgressions"

                                    (Psalm 65:3).

It's all due to His grace. So how should we live?

How can we display His grace each day?

"Lord, because Your grace is underserved I should be humble; because it is costly I should be holy and loving; because it is unconditional I should be at peace...and through it all I should  be supremely grateful every moment. Amen."

"Lord, help me be to others as You have been to me. Amen."

Looking for the Right Job? C S Lewis

 

                                               Looking for the Right Job?

Thoughts from C S Lewis:

"We have in our day started by getting the whole picture upside down.

Starting with the doctrine that every individual is of 'infinite value,' we then picture God as a kind of employment agency whose business it is to find suitable careers for souls, square holes for square pegs.

In fact, however, the value of the individual does note lie in him. He is capable of receiving value.

He receives it by union with Christ.

There is no question of finding for him a place in the living temple which will do justice to his inherent value.

The place was there first.

The man was created for it.

He will not be truly himself until he is there."

"For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2:10).

It Will Not Always Be Night

                                  

                                    It Will Not Always Be Night

"At the Last Supper, as recorded in John 13, we read, 'As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.'

History's greatest injustice was underway, yet Jesus declared, 'Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in Him.'

In a few hours, the disciples would experience panic, defeat, and rejection.

 But Jesus saw God's plan unfolding as it should.

When it seems darkness is winning, we can recall that God faced His dark night and defeated it. He walks with us.

It won't always be night."

                              -- Tim Gustafson

Jesus saw God's plan unfolding as it should. No, friends, it will not always be night!

Approaching Easter - The Curtain - Spurgeon

And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two,

from top to bottom.

Matthew 27:51

No small miracle was performed in the tearing of so strong and thick a curtain; but it was not intended merely as a display of power -- many lessons were contained in it.

The old law of ordinances was put away, and like a worn-out garment, torn and set aside.

When Jesus died, the sacrifices were all finished, because they were fulfilled in Him; and therefore the place of sacrifice, the temple, was marked with a clear sign of this change.

With the curtain torn, all the hidden things of the old dispensation became apparent: the mercy-seat could now be seen, and the glory of God gleaming above it.

By the death of our Lord Jesus we now have a clear revelation of God, for He was "not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face."

Life and immortality are now brought to life, and things that have been hidden since the foundation of the world are displayed in Him.

The annual ceremony of atonement was also abolished.

The atoning blood that once every year was sprinkled inside the curtain was now offered once for all by the great High Priest, and therefore the place of the symbolic act was finished.

No blood of bullocks or lambs is needed now, for Jesus has entered inside the curtain with His own blood.

Therefore access to God is now permitted and is the privilege of very believer in Christ Jesus.

It is not just a small opening through which we may peer at the mercy-seat, but the tear reaches from the top to the bottom.

We may come with boldness to the throne of heavenly grace.

Is it wrong to suggest that the opening of the Holy of Holies in this marvelous way by our Lord's expiring cry was signifying the opening of the gate of paradise to all the saints by virtue of the Passion?

Our bleeding Lord has the key of heaven; He opens and no man shuts; let us enter in with Him to the heavenly places and sit with Him there until our common enemies shall be made His footstool.

The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand

until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet."

 -- Psalm 110:1

Quotes to Ponder

Winston Churchill:

A lie makes it halfway around the world while the truth is still putting its shoes on in the morning.


Robert Jastrow, the founder and director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and author of God and the Astronomers, reaches this conclusion when considering modern scientific research:

For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries.

Robert Jastrow, God and the Astronomers



Samuel Adams, in a letter to his daughter, Hannah, in 1780:

If you carefully fulfill the various duties of life, from a principle of obedience to your heavenly Father, you shall enjoy that peace which the world cannot give nor take away...you cannot satisfy me so much as by seeking most earnestly the favor of Him who made and supports you--who will supply you with whatever His infinite wisdom sees best for you in the world, and above all, who has given us His Son to purchase for us the reward of eternal life.

Philip Yancey/C. S. Lewis

During a British conference on comparative religions, experts from around the world debated what, if any, belief was unique to the Christian faith. They began eliminating possibilities. Incarnation? Other religions had different versions of gods appearing in human form. Resurrection? Some religions had accounts of return from death.

The debate went on for some time until C. S. Lewis wandered into the room. "What's all this rumpus about?" he asked, and heard in reply that his colleagues were discussing Christianity's unique contribution among the world religions. Lewis responded, "Oh, that's easy. It's grace."

After some discussion, the conferees had to agree. The notion of God's love coming to us, no strings attached, seems to go against every instinct of humanity. The Buddhist eight-fold path, the Hindu doctrine of karma, and Muslim code of law--each of these offers a way to earn approval. Only Christianity dares to make God's love unconditional.

From What's So Amazing About Grace? by Philip Yancey

It's also about the land

Deuteronomy 11:11-12. But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven. It is a land the LORD your God cares for; the eyes of the LORD your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end.


God especially cares for the land He was giving to His people.


When imaging God's creative hand at work in the "beginning" it is easy to envision His mighty arm stretching out and casting rainbows of color and crystals of gems, scattering them in profusion across the watery landscape of the new earth.


Did He have a blueprint? Or did He just thrust out His arm and randomly scatter the vibrant shades  of mountains and flowers and animals as He determined at that moment? Did He "wing it?" Like an artist or interior designer, did He alter certain bits as He went along?


Did the angels sing and shout for joy at each thrust of His arm? Were they giving Him a standing ovation? Was that the "music of the spheres" and is it still echoing around this great universe?


Was His creation of nature general or specific?


It appears from the Old Testament that it was specific land He was creating to be the center of His Kingdom - and that He Himself is the Gardener - He cares for and watches over it.


Just glancing through the book of Deuteronomy the word land is used about 175 times - In Deuteronomy alone! and always  about how God is giving it to His people as a special gift!


What does tell me? The land matters! God loves this physical planet. He watches the land itself. We must care for it, too...not destroy its ability to renew itself - not exploit its treasures for our own greed. We must care for the land He has given us!

Grace Notes

A Glimpse of Grace
           .....from an unexpected place....

"Because of the love that was between this man and me, My Lord King Arthur and his noble knights now lie dead. Therefore, Sir Lancelot, I now repent; and I would enter the kingdom of heaven through the grace of the passion of our Lord Jesu: for many are now in heaven who were on earth as sinful as we."
(Words of Lady Guinevere)
                 
--from Le Morte D'Arthur [The Death of King Arthur], by Sir Mallory, written in 1485





From Jerry Bridges, written 2008. "Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace." We are never 'beyond the need' or 'beyond the reach.'




From Philip Yancy, written 2007. "There is nothing you can do to make God love you more. And there is nothing you can do to make Him love you less."

Whose Will?

                                                              

                                                                     Whose Will?

Jesus' prayer in the Garden was "Not My will, but Thine, be done."

Most often I would rather pray, "Let my will be done."

And that gets me into trouble! The sin in my life, and probably in yours, can be traced back to pursuing our own wills, goals and desires, rather than His -- the will of our heavenly Father who made us, knows everything and plans our best in all things all the time.

So when we pray we should ask  God to reshape our will, to realign it with His Will through the Word of God.

Our hearts are inclined toward sin, rebellion and walking out of step with God.

But God, in His infinite mercy and grace, has given us His Spirit and His Word to  reshape our will and recalibrate the desires of our hearts to bring us back into step with Him!

He always give us what we need to obey and glorify Him!

 What a great and loving Father we have!

Man - Doesn't Need Improvement - C S Lewis

Fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement: he is a rebel who must lay down his arms.


Laying down your arms, surrendering, saying you are sorry, realising that you have been on the wrong track and getting ready to start life over again from the ground floor -- that is the only way out of our 'hole.'


This process of surrender -- this movement full speed astern --is what Christians call repentance.


Remember, this repentance, this willing submission to humiliation and a kind of death, is not something God demands of you before He will take you back and which He could get you out of if He chose: it is simply a description of what going back to Him is like.


If you ask God to take you back without it you are really asking Him to let you go back without going back. It cannot happen.

 -- From Mere Christianity by C S Lewis

Trying to be Good - C S Lewis

 

                                    Trying to be Good  -  Thoughts from C S Lewis

A Christian is in a different position from other people who are trying to be good.

They hope, by being good, to please God, if there is one, or -- if there is not -- at least they hope to deserve approval from good men.

But the Christian thinks any good he does comes from the Christ-life inside him.

He does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us, just as the roof of a greenhouse does not attract the sun because it is bright, but becomes bright because the sun shines on it.

Where Did the Scientist Find the Theologian?

 

                  Where Did the Scientist Find the Theologian?

Robert Jastrow was a well-known and influential astronomer and physicist. He was the founder and director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and a self-described agnostic. He died in 2008. Before he died he wrote this:

     "For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason,

     the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountain of

     ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls

     himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who

     have been sitting there for centuries."

 

How amazing is that?

Jesus' Close Friend - Andrew - Part 2

From Part 1...


So we have seen that the New Testament only gives us 3 personal pictures of Andrew. And we see from these 3 incidents that he was a man who brought others to Christ, including his famous brother, Simon Peter.

Notes

1. Andrew's first mission field was his family. "We have found the Messiah!" he proclaimed to his brother.

Not, "we might have..", "we think we have..." "we want your opinion..."

No, he declared as clearly as a gold miner might cry out: "Eureka! I found it!"

WE HAVE FOUND THE MESSIAH!

The long-expected and longed-for Messiah, the Son of God, the Anointed of God to redeem His people had arrived!

There was no doubt in Andrew's mind.


It was true then, and it is true now, that most people who come to Christ, come because of a testimony of another family member. The biggest mission field in the world is right at our own doorstep.


2. Andrew was sure of his message because he had spent many hours with Christ. From 4 PM until the following morning he had experienced being in the presence of God. We don't know what they discussed, likely much like Jesus' words to the disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24) when they reported, "were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"

Andrew did not go into great explanation to Simon. He did not argue. He did not "set up" the conversation with questions and thought-provoking
scenarios. Just a statement: "We have found the Messiah!"

When we have spent time with Jesus, our hearts will "burn within us" and we will feel compelled to go to our family and friends, with fervor and confidence.


"Come and you will see," Jesus had told them. And they did.


3. What happened to Andrew? According to tradition, Andrew was crucified during the reign of Nero, about 60 AD, in Patrae, Greece. We are told he "embraced" his cross and welcomed the opportunity to suffer as Christ suffered.

A more recent legend (14th century or so) tell us that he was given (or requested) an X-shaped cross, like we see today on his icons for his position as Patron Saint of both Scotland and Russia, as well as various
old manuscript illustrations and tapestries and paintings.

Questions

1. When Andrew brought his brother to Jesus, do you think he knew he would himself take a smaller role in the group of followers around Jesus?  Did he anticipate that his brother would eclipse him in position and influence?

(Andrew is always listed in the group of disciples as one of the first four - along with Peter, James and John.)

2. Why do you think Andrew told Jesus about the young boy with a few loaves and fishes in John 6 at the Feeding of the Five Thousand event?

3. What do you admire most in Andrew's life?  What would you wish to imitate?

4. When the Greek came to Philip and asked to meet Christ, why do you think Philip went to Andrew first? Why did the Greeks approach Philip?


Philip was a Greek name, meaning, "lover of horses" and was a popular name among Greeks, probably because of Alexander the Great's famous father, Philip of Macedon, who lived in the 4th century BC.

Did Philip perhaps speak Greek? (Andrew was also a Greek name.)

AfterThoughts

Hardly anyone remembers the name of Mr. Edward Kimball. But he was a very influential man and his dedication to Christ's mission changed the lives of thousands about a hundred years ago, just as Andrew's testimony to his brother Peter changed history two thousand years ago.

Mr. Kimball was a Sunday School teacher at Mount Vernon Church (Boston) where one of his young students (age 16) was Dwight L. Moody.

On young Moody's first Sunday in class, Mr. Kimball handed him a closed Bible and told him the lesson was in John. Moody fingered the Bible, opened it and began looking for the text.

Other young boys began to react to his ignorance, making fun of him as he attempted to locate the proper place in scripture.

Mr. Kimball realized what was happening and gave him his own Bible which was already opened to the text. Moody recalled that kind act years later.

But just teaching Sunday School class was not Mr.  Kimball's full mission. He also visited with his young students and sought every opportunity to explain the full gospel message to them.

He decided to visit Moody at his work (Moody was a shoe salesman at Holston's shoe store). Kimball relates later:



    I started down to Holston's. When I was nearly
    there, I began to wonder whether I ought to go
    just then, during business hours. And I thought
    maybe my mission might embarrass the boy, that
    when I went away the other clerks might ask who
    I was and when they learned they might taunt
    Moody and ask if I was trying to make a good
    boy out of him.

    While I was pondering over it all, I passed the
    store without noticing it. Then when I found I
    had passed the door, I determined to make a
    dash for it and have it over at once.

    I found Moody in the back part of the store
    wrapping up shoes in paper and putting them
    on shelves.

    I went up to him and out my hand on his shoulder,
    and as I leaned over I made my plea, and I feel
    it was a very weak one. I don't know what words I
    used...I simply told him of Christ's love for him
    and the love Christ wanted in return. That was all
    there was to it.

    I think Mr. Moody said later that there were
    tears in my eyes. It seemed the young man was
    just ready for the light that then broke over him,
    for there in the back of that shoe store in Boston
    the future great evangelist gave himself and his
    life to Christ.


Later Mr. Moody recalled, "....here is a man who
never saw me until lately, and he is weeping over
my sins and I never shed a tear about them.

"But I understand it now, and know what it is to
have a passion for men's souls and weep over
their sins. I don't remember what he said, but I
can feel the power of that man's hand on my
shoulder here to-night."


                                  ~~~~~

Historical Marker

Historical Plaque commemorating the place where Dwight Moody was converted in 1855:

D. L. Moody
Christian Evangelist
Friend of Man
Founder of the
Northfield Schools
Was Converted to God
In a Shoe Store On
This Site
April 21, 1855

~~~~~

[Note: Notice Kimball's hesitation and second thoughts before he actually came to Moody and spoke with him. Ever feel that way?]



Jesus' Close Friend -- Andrew - Part 1

Jesus' Close Friend - Andrew

Setting the scene....

The River Jordan, where John the Baptizer is with two of his disciples (Andrew and the unnamed disciple - probably John, the brother of James, who later became the famous disciple of Jesus).

Jesus, returning from his 40 days in the wilderness,
had seen the Baptizer the day before and had requested that he himself be baptized. John reluctantly agreed and received the heavenly sign that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah.

Now Jesus approaches the area again.


     The next day John was there again with two of
     his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he
     said, "Look, the Lamb of God!"

     When the two disciples heard him say this, they
     followed Jesus.

     Turning around, Jesus saw them following and
     asked, "What do you want?"

     They said, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher),
     "Where are you staying?"

     "Come," he replied, "and you will see."

     So they went and saw where he was staying
     and spent that day with him. It was about the
     tenth hour.

     Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the
     two who heard what John had said and who had
     followed Jesus.

     The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother
     Simon, and tell him, "We have found the
     Messiah" (that is, the Christ). And he brought him
     to Jesus.
                        --John 1:35-42



Scripture does not tell us a lot about Andrew. Certainly far less than of his famous brother, Simon Peter.

But we do know that Andrew is the one who first recognized the Messiah and the one who brought Peter to that same knowledge.

Mostly we refer to Andrew today as "The brother of Simon Peter."

What do we know about Andrew?

There are only three pictures of Andrew himself given us in the New Testament.

One is this glimpse here of Andrew's eagerness to share his great news -- We have found the Messiah -- with his prominent brother.


The second story is in John 6 when a multitude of spiritually hungry folks are listening to Christ's message (after all, He is the "Bread of Life") and it comes time for physical food to feed them.

Jesus asks his disciples, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" (They were on the far side of the Sea of Galilee.)

Philip quickly answers, "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!"

But Andrew, appearing before Jesus with a young boy, says, "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves, and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?"

This story still amazes me. Why would Andrew even mention the boy with his small lunch? Did the other disciples roll their eyes in scorn?

"Andrew, for Pete's sake (pardon the pun), why are you bothering Jesus with that information?"

Was Andrew expecting something miraculous? We know from the early verses in John 6 that the crowds had been seeing the miraculous signs Jesus performed with the sick. Was Andrew looking for another miracle? Well, that's what he got! We call this event in  Christ's ministry The Feeding of the 5000.

If I had been there, would I have brought the boy over to Jesus and offered that small meal? Or would I have reacted like Philip -- looking for an earthly, human solution to a crisis?

But Andrew expressed some kind of positive trust and hope in his statement -- "What are they among so many?"


In the third picture of Andrew's life (recorded for us in John 12), some Greeks, in Israel to "worship", came to Philip and said they wanted to be introduced to Christ.

The text says they were "Greeks," not Hellenistic Jews. So they must have been Gentiles, perhaps hearing about the Passover Feast, in curiosity, traveling to Jerusalem to be part of what was going on.

Or maybe they had family in the Jewish faith and took this opportunity to visit them.

Or maybe they were "seekers" who were drawn to the Holy City who truly wanted to find and worship the One Holy God. 

This was Passover Week, the last week of Christ's ministry. Their famous request was, "We would like to see Jesus!"

So Philip went to Andrew and then both men went to Jesus and told him about the request from the Greeks.

Andrew Brings Others

So in these three brief glimpses of Andrew (from the beginning of Christ's ministry to the end) we see that he is someone to comes to Christ and who brings others.

As soon as he identified Christ he brought his brother. He brought the young boy with his meager lunch to Jesus. And then he comes with Philip to share the request of the Greeks visitors, who said they wanted to see Jesus.

Andrew does not rush off on his own (as perhaps his brother might) but he relies on his closeness to Jesus for his answers.

Notice in John 1 when Andrew and John (the other disciple referred to) meet Jesus they spent "the day" with him. Hours of listening to the Master, to the Teacher.

It was not until after these hours of sitting at the feet of Jesus that Andrew went to find his brother. Is there a lesson here for us?

AfterWords

When Things Happened

1. John the Baptizer baptized Jesus.

2. Jesus led by the Spirit into the wilderness for 40 days.

3. John the Baptizer pointed out Jesus to Andrew and John (John 1:35: "Look, the Lamb of God!") and they followed Jesus to where He was staying.

4. Andrew finds his brother, Simon Peter, and tells him, "We have found the Messiah!" Andrew brings him to Jesus.

5. John the Baptizer sent to prison by Herod for speaking out against his marriage to Herodias

6. Jesus begins His ministry in Galilee and calls His first official disciples: Peter and Andrew and James and John.

     After John was put in prison, Jesus went into

     Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God.

     "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom

     of God is near. Repent and  believe the good

     news!"  -- Mark 1:15


[Note: The Herod who arrested John the Baptizer was Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great (who, thirty years earlier, had the babies killed in the vicinity of Bethlehem at the time of Jesus' birth, to destroy the new-born 'King of the Jews'. He was also, like his father, a cruel client king of Rome. He ruled an area smaller than his father's for about 40 years, and died a few years after Christ's crucifixion (39 AD).]

   

He Loves Me...He Loves Me Not...

Remember that silly game? What  a trivial way to assess someone's love for another!
And to measure another's love on nothing more substantial than the number of petals on a garden flower...or the random throwing of dice....

Talk about missing the point. Talk about trivializing a truth of great importance....well, that was
me and my friends when we were growing up (back in the dark ages).

I started thinking about a reunion we hosted recently, a re-gathering of the church members of the small inter-denominational church I grew up in -- folks we had known 40 years ago and had not, in most cases, even seen since.

Everyone brought pictures of their families, their homes and pets and awards, all brought out of their
purses or pockets with "bragging rights."

"And this is our granddaughter. She is 16 now. We are so proud of her! She's in the honor society!"
"Here's a picture of my grandson in his baseball uniform. He loves baseball and leads his team in scoring!"
"Oh, here's a picture of my son -- he's a doctor, you know -- and a professor at UT Medical."

On and on. "Bragging rights."

It is easy to notice that each person comments only on the good things about his child or grandchild.
Maybe there is also real concern and maybe heartbreak in the picture, too. Maybe that young girl's
friendships are leading her down a slippery path into drugs. But that story is not told.

Maybe that young boy is often disobedient and disrespectful to his parents. Maybe there was a loud and angry family row just as they were leaving to come to the reunion.

We don't know -- because, of course, deep down every person displaying their photos are exercising their "bragging rights" and they are proud and loving of their children.

They are not remembering their grievances and disappointments. Like a fine painting, their loved ones are being displayed in the best possible light.
Now that I am older I see that much of my life I have labored under the misconception that God is, if not angry, then disappointed in me. That He looks at me, not with pride, but with my faults on His mind.

I see it differently now. God is not filling His mind with petty thoughts about my failures. He is not
keeping a list (we are told in I Corinthians 13 that a loving person does not do that, and God, is, above all, a loving God).

He loves us (me). Really, really loves us (me). He's proud of us (me).

He is gracious, seeing all those evidences of His grace in my life. He truly loves me.

Now I think I understand Job 1:8 when God challenges Satan: "Have you considered my servant Job?"
God was exercising His "bragging rights."

And Zephaniah 3:17:

The LORD your God is with you. He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you.  He will quiet you with His love. He will rejoice over you with singing.

The picture is perfect: a mother quieting her baby with a soft lullaby.  Expressions of delight and love
cover her face. (Even if he has a dirty diaper!)

That's God. He loves us. He really really loves us. He is not filling His mind with our failures. He
delights in us just as He delights in His Son.

Now that I think about it -- what about Hebrews 11 -- that list of faithful God-honoring people that God calls to our attention. They were, none of them, perfect. Many were very far from perfect.

But God is relating their faithfulness and the things He brought out, produced, in their lives. The righteousness of His Son -- shining through their sinful, selfish lives.

                His desire is to lavish His love on us (I John 3:1)
                He is our Father and loves us even as He loves His Son. (John 17:23)
                His plans for our future has always been filled with hope (Jeremiah 29:11)

Have you considered My servant, Job?

              God's bragging rights include me!

WOW!