Greater Things…. Elevation and upgrade

“I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” (John 14:12)

Being raised in the world it is so easy, and so natural, to think the way the world does. No matter how hard I try I tend to get caught up in the world’s definition of things. At the beginning of this year I felt the Lord’s words for us for 2017 were “Elevation and Upgrade”. So, my ever present and persistent flesh was like “Woohoo! NOW we’re talk’n!” I probably don’t have to tell you what I was picturing in my mind as to all the ways we could be “elevated and upgraded”! Even though I have tried to avoid coming to conclusions, trying NOT to form a mental picture and expectation of what God has in store for me, I still do it!

As I listen to Jesus in the gospels I hear Him saying things that can be so easily considered contradictory or even understood differently than what He is actually meaning (i.e. we see through the temporal perspective instead of the eternal perspective). One day, after listening to the scripture above, (“I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” John 14:12), I couldn’t help but think “God’s definition of “greater” must be very different than mine!” We automatically think that, if Jesus is healing and casting out demons, then “greater” for us would mean even more amazing things than He did!! Our definition of “greater” would mean that we will become famous healers and go around the world healing everyone and casting out more demons than Jesus did! MORE miracles, MORE people are healed, MORE deliverances and MORE people are raised from the dead… But, as much as I have wanted to believe this, I just don’t see it happening anywhere in this “greater” way. Yes, people are healed and delivered but, “greater” than what Jesus did?? And the famous quote of Inigo Montoya comes to mind again saying “I don’t think that word means what you think it means”!

And then a bunch of scriptures started to come to mind, like:

“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” John 13:12-17

“And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3-4

“Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave-- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Matthew 20:26-28

“The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” Matthew 23:11-12

“But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all." Mark 9:34-35

Looking at these statements that Jesus makes, He is clearly stating that “greater” in the Kingdom of Heaven is being last, a servant, having a childlike faith and humility, and having no need or desire to exalt himself. Jesus is our example of humility, laying his life down as a ransom for many. So, with this in mind, now I am trying to wrap my mind around what HE would define as miracles that are “greater” than what He did. Since it is NOT about “exalting” ourselves or greater numbers or bigger miracles, maybe it is just the opposite and it is quietly serving in ways that are not acknowledged or noticed? Maybe it is loving the unlovable and rejected people of the world? Maybe Mother Teresa nailed it! How many miracles of “service and love” did she perform in her lifetime!? She may not have “healed” people outright in miraculous signs and wonders, but how many were transformed spiritually and emotionally by her care, time and love!? I can’t say I have figured this out… but, what do you think? If God’s perspective is “eternal”, and our physical body is “temporal” and doomed anyway, why would an eternal God focus on healing our bodies? Of course it would be important to us but I don’t think God is on the same page as us in that regard. We may get a healing but ultimately our bodies will die. But our emotional and spiritual healing will last through eternity!

Yes, Jesus did heal people! He told John the Baptist’s disciples when they asked "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.” (Matthew 11:5). But, I believe He did those amazing miracles to show them who HE was! Only the Son of God could do the things He did with the Love and compassion He had for people. He WAS the One who was to come and these signs and wonders proved it! We don’t have to prove anything like this, he already did it. His command to US was to LOVE ONE ANOTHER as He has loved us (John 15:12). Which, in this day and age is most definitely a “greater” miracle!

And if that doesn’t convince us, then we have these scriptures to tell us a little more about what Jesus thought about miracles:

“The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name." He replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." Luke 10:17-19

“Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'”  Matthew 7:21-23

“Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, "Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you." He answered, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” Matthew 12:38-39

What I understand Him saying through these scriptures is, it is not the miracles and signs and wonders that He wants from us! While He may do those things through us, He wants us to focus on our relationship with HIM and each other, loving HIM with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength, and loving our neighbors as ourselves and trusting Him with the rest.

So needless to say, as this year is coming to a close, our “elevation and upgrade” did not come in the way we thought it would! But, we have been humbled more and we have loved and served more and in that way we feel like we are doing God’s will and are closer to God than we were at the beginning of this year. I guess, for me, that truly is my goal. My flesh would like things to be more “comfortable” but my heart and my spirit are willing to do whatever it takes to KNOW God in new and wonderful ways! Even if it means that I will be an unnoticed servant, a slave and the very last of all.

The First Evangelists... how low can you go?

“Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” John 4:29

When you think of “evangelists” who comes to mind first?? Ok, I am sure you have thought of all the usual suspects, but did you think of people back in Jesus’ time? Yes, the disciples but… there were others even before them! Can you think of any? Let’s see.

Tom and I were talking one day and he was getting ready for his group and the Lord was really speaking to him about how Jesus went out of his way for the unloved, disliked, rejects of the world. This is a very important point for the guys that he works with because that is exactly how they feel!! Unloved, disliked and rejected by everyone around them, their friends, wife, family, church friends, leaders of the church and sometimes their Pastors (thankfully not all of them!). So, they automatically think that Jesus feels the same way about them and have a hard time pursuing a relationship with Him. But, what is so cool about Jesus is, those are the very people He goes to! Yes! He goes to the physically, emotionally and spiritually bankrupt people that the religious Pharisees have cast out and rejected.

Before we get to my selected evangelists, I would like to address the obvious ones that Jesus chose as His “disciples”, I say chose because that is what he says in John 15:16 “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit”. These were fisherman! Rough, gruff, dirty men who were “Unschooled and ordinary men” (Acts 4:13)! He didn’t pick from the knowledgeable, wealthy, clean cut group from the Pharisee school… So, it makes me wonder, why do we?

Ok, first up on my list is a woman. Yes, a woman! In Jesus’ time that is truly unheard of! Can you guess who this is? I probably gave it away with the first scripture. Yep, the woman at the well. In my journey to know God I have become more and more aware of the fact that NOTHING is a coincidence or accidental! God does not waste a moment, movement or word but EVERYTHING that happens, is done or is said for His purpose in His amazing plan, and this little rest stop at the well is no exception! Jesus KNEW who was coming to the well and he was there for HER. Who was this woman? She was an outcast and rejected by the towns people so much so that she had to come to the well to get water when there was NO ONE else there. He spoke to her kindly, lovingly, and did not cast judgment or stones at her. Typically men did not speak to women and additionally Jews didn’t speak to Samaritans but Jesus did not follow man’s rules but did only what the Father told Him to do. In the Biblical account, in addition to kindness, He gave her words of LIFE, freedom and Living Water! He made such an impact on her that she went and told the town’s people all about him! “Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I ever did." So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers. They said to the woman, "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world." (John 4:39-42).  He chose her too! She was one of the first evangelists! He didn’t choose the qualified, but he qualified the chosen.

Next up has to be one of our favorites. He is one of the lowest of low, so low he couldn’t even live among the living but lived in a grave yard! Tortured, naked, demon possessed, screaming, cutting himself with stones and broken in every way imaginable. “…no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him.” (Mark 5:3-4). But Jesus had an appointment with this man and nothing was going to stop Him! Even as they were crossing the lake to the region of the Gerasenes to meet this man a furious storm came upon them and they feared for their lives. But Jesus spoke to the wind and the waves and stopped the storm (Mark 4:35-41). This man was important and Jesus was not to be detained from meeting with him. Jesus did not see this man the way everyone else did, He saw him through the eyes of love, grace and compassion and knew just what he needed. Just like He spoke to the storm and calmed the raging waters and the wind on the lake, Jesus spoke and cast out the demons and then spoke truth and life into this tortured and rejected man! And when He was done “... they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid… As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.” (Mark 5:15-20).

Initially the people were so afraid of Jesus because of what he did with that man that they asked him to leave. I don’t think He was surprised at this, I think He knew all along that this man was the only appointment he had there. But, after the man of the tombs did what Jesus told him to do, and told everyone what Jesus had done for him, the next time Jesus was in that area, he fed 4000 people who had gathered to hear him (Mark 7:31, 8:1-10)! One of the first evangelists was a broken, rejected, unloved, demon possessed man! He didn’t choose the qualified, but he qualified the chosen.

The third person was a very small man by the name of Zacchaeus. While he wasn’t as bad off as the man of the tombs, he wasn’t very well liked by many people because he was a chief tax collector and made himself wealthy doing it! Everyone saw him as a ruthless sinner and low life but to Jesus, he was the perfect evangelist. He had an appointment with a low life, cheating tax collector and actually invited himself to his house! Because Zacchaeus was so short he had to climb a tree to see Jesus through the crowd, and when “Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.' "  But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount." Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." (Luke 19:1-10) I believe Zacchaeus was no different than the women at the well or the man in the tombs, Jesus touched his heart in a way that no other did, or could, with love, acceptance, approval, kindness and grace and transformed him to be another evangelist who told everyone what Jesus had done for him!

Jesus loved the unlovable and touched the untouchable without flinching or fear. How about the leper!? Jesus could have “spoken” words of healing to this man but instead, he TOUCHED him! An unclean, contagious leper! This was not an accident and He was fully aware of what He was doing. He was making a point to everyone around who was watching Him, there was nothing that He could not do and there was NO ONE He did not love or care for. “A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy. Then Jesus said to him, "See that you don't tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them." (Matthew 8:1-4) Even though Jesus said not to tell anyone, you KNOW he did!! Another evangelist sent out to tell people about Jesus!

How many more of these encounters and appointments did Jesus have that were not recorded? I believe there were many, many more.

So, how about you? Do you feel unloved, unqualified, rejected and cast out? Then I believe that Jesus has an appointment with you!! For, it is by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony that we overcome the enemy (Revelation 12:11)!