Recently Hurricane Florence came ashore in North Carolina.  In the days leading up to its landfall, my town of Richmond, Virginia was buzzing with activity as people prepared for the possibility of power outages, trees falling, and general chaos.  Like many, I watched the tracking of the storm, but with more concern than usual since my daughters live on the east coast.  The daughter I love the most lives in Charleston, SC, while my favorite daughter lives in Newport News, VA.  Or maybe it is the other way around.  Needless to say, a father always worries about his children, and this storm had me doubly worried.

The hurricane track ultimately focused on North Carolina, about 150 miles from Charleston and 210 miles from Newport News.  I silently breathed a prayer of thanks to God, that my kids were likely as safe as could be from this storm, with its track right between them.  My daughters’ extensive preparations were well thought out, and likely would have been effective, but we were relieved nonetheless.

I have thought about praying to God a lot these days.  At my church, Hope Church, we just finished a sermon series on prayer.  The crowds that attended attest to our natural curiosity about prayer.  The last sermon was one that highlighted questions we all have about prayer.

Hurricanes cause many to pray, before, during, and after the storm.  When we face challenging circumstances, we can and should pray to God, keeping in mind seven principles.

The first principle is found in Matthew, chapter 8.

²⁴ Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. ²⁵ The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

²⁶ He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

²⁷ The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

Here, we see that God controls the world, and everything in it.

The second principle is shown in 1 Kings, chapter 17, where Elijah remains with a widow and her son during a drought.  We read in verses 14 through 16.

¹⁴ For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’”

¹⁵ She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. ¹⁶ For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.

Here, we see that God provides for us.

The third principle can be viewed in Proverbs, chapter 2.

⁶ For the Lord gives wisdom;
    from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
⁷ He holds success in store for the upright,
    he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
⁸ for he guards the course of the just
    and protects the way of his faithful ones.

Here we see that God protects us.

The fourth principle is seen in Paul’s second letter to the Corinthian church, chapter 1.

⁸ We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. ⁹ Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. ¹⁰ He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, ¹¹ as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.

Here, we see that God delivers us from harm.

The fifth principle is recounted in Luke 5, verses 12 and 13.

¹² While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”

¹³ Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him.

Here, we see that God heals us, most notably from illness.

The sixth principle is shared in Psalm 145, verse 14 through 16.

¹⁴ The Lord sustains all who fall
And raises up all who are bowed down.
¹⁵ The eyes of all look to You,
And You give them their food in due time.
¹⁶ You open Your hand
And satisfy the desire of every living thing.

Here, we see that God sustains us.

The seventh principle is noted in many passages, with one oft-repeated from Psalm 23, the first three verses.

¹The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want;
²     he makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters;
³     he restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
    for his name’s sake.

Here, we find that God restores us, His ultimate aim and purpose.

God’s Word reveals His love for us, no matter our circumstances, and offers us these principles and many others that attest to God’s care for us.  As we face life’s uncertainty, may we always turn to the Lord and share our fears, our hopes, and our needs.  In prayer, God will always bring us closer to Him, as He wraps his arms around us in love.  Let us cry “Abba” (Daddy) to God, in our hurricanes.

You know how sometimes you wake up just enough in the middle of the night. Something makes a noise, or maybe you have to get up. This morning, sometime, in the darkness, a thought came to me, as I was not fully awake, but not asleep…

When love ends, judgment begins.

I hope that I can remember this, and when I sense myself judging someone else, that I try my best to stop and love them.

The Bible gives us these commands:

Love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:39)

Do not be judged, or you too will be judged. (Matthew 7:1)

And, as we wonder how to love others, the Bible teaches us:

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John 4:8)

May I know God more today, that I may love others like He loves us.

Some nights you fall asleep so deeply, that the next day you don’t want to get out of bed.  Some nights you can’t sleep, and you can’t wait to get out of bed.  Some nights you sleep, but you might as well be awake as you are dreaming of work.  We’ve all been there.  It’s those times in our lives when we face a daunting challenge.  We never know from where that challenge will come.  Often it is a project at work.  Sometimes it is even the job itself.  What do we do?  How?  Where can we find guidance for our work life?  Of course, there are many books on work to read, so many we don’t know where to start. In the modern world, we listen to podcasts and watch TED Talks for insight.  What we may not realize is that God’s Word shares a great example of getting things done.  Our example is in the book of Nehemiah.

Nehemiah was of the nation of Israel, and had been exiled to another nearby country in the continuing battles for regional supremacy of that time.  Even as a Jew, he had risen to a fairly high position, serving as an assistant to the king himself.  You might say he had it made.  But, Nehemiah realized one day that his city was in need.  Men from his home had come to visit, and shared a terrible story.  Walls torn down, gates shattered and tossed aside, and damage from the fires of a conquering army had made his city desolate.  It really wasn’t much of a city any more.

Hearing this report, Nehemiah was, in a word, broken-hearted.  We can imagine how we might feel, learning that our childhood home was burned and destroyed.  The emotional impact was so strong that Nehemiah could think of nothing else for days.  Nehemiah realized that he had a new job.  He had to rebuild the city.

When you read God’s Word, it is easy to let your eyes follow the words along, to read quickly, and to see that Nehemiah had a new job.  Sure.  Rebuild the city.  Wait!  Are you kidding me?  Rebuild a city?  If you’re like me, you can’t even rebuild the broken down decorative fence that surrounds the air conditioning unit at your home.   If you’re like me, you have several projects in the garage that are almost done.  Or almost started.  Or maybe you just need to go and find that special tool for the job, and then you can get started.  Rebuild a city?

How could Nehemiah even start?  Let’s look at the first two chapters and see how God’s Word gives principles about getting things done…

Verse	Observation	Application
1:2b	Nehemiah asks about his people	Do we have interests of others in mind?
1:4a	Nehemiah has true empathy	Do we emotionally respond to what we learn?
1:4b-10	Nehemiah takes time to think and pray	Do we react on our own too quickly?
1:11	Nehemiah prepares for the task	Do we prepare?
2:2b-2:3	Nehemiah overcomes fear in faith	Do we rely on God?
2:4	Nehemiah answers questions with prayer	Do we ask God to give us words for our response?
2:3, 2:4b	Nehemiah maintains faith-work balance	Do we maintain respect for our faith and work?
2:6-9	Nehemiah has a big picture view and communicates well	Do we create a vision and share the big picture clearly?
2:11-12	Nehemiah avoids making a quick judgment and solution	Do we take time to fully understand?
2:14-15	Nehemiah is diligent in adverse conditions	Do we continue when stopping would be easier?
2:16	Nehemiah does not share too quickly	Do we communicate too soon?
2:17	Nehemiah builds consensus and shares God’s grace	Do we bring others alongside our vision?
2:18a	Nehemiah highlights God’s graciousness	Do we share how God provides for us?
2:18b	Nehemiah lets the team work	Do we try to do it all?
2:19	Nehemiah faces ridicule	Do we expect smooth sailing?
2:20	Nehemiah gives God glory and restates his servanthood	Do we respond in faith and with grace?

To be sure, Nehemiah had an amazing challenge, one we will likely never face, to rebuild a city.  No doubt this vision was inspired by God.  But, in our everyday work, we all face challenges.  How we respond to our challenges is actually a chance for us to be like Nehemiah!  We can learn from his experience, and follow his principles.  The story of Nehemiah is one of reliance on God, and using God’s gifts to us.   Leadership, humility, wisdom, graciousness, and tenacity are all character traits God desires in us.  We can overcome challenges best if we employ God’s gifts to us, respond in faith, and give God the glory.

One of my favorite movies is “The Jerk,” starring Steve Martin.  In a scene played with the utmost sincerity, Navin R. Johnson finds his name in the phone book, and rejoices with his realization that he is somebody.  He remarks “Millions of people look at this book everyday…I’m in print…Things are going to start happening to me.”

I couldn’t help but to recall that scene as I read chapters in the Old Testament from I Chronicles, chapters 1 through 8.  Here we see in a very organized list the sons of sons of sons…page after page after page…take a look at one such list…from Chapter 6

---

 ¹ The sons of Levi:

Gershon, Kohath and Merari.

² The sons of Kohath:

Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.

³ The children of Amram:

Aaron, Moses and Miriam.

The sons of Aaron:

Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.

⁴ Eleazar was the father of Phinehas,

Phinehas the father of Abishua,

⁵ Abishua the father of Bukki,

Bukki the father of Uzzi,

⁶ Uzzi the father of Zerahiah,

Zerahiah the father of Meraioth,

⁷ Meraioth the father of Amariah,

Amariah the father of Ahitub,

⁸ Ahitub the father of Zadok,

Zadok the father of Ahimaaz,

⁹ Ahimaaz the father of Azariah,

Azariah the father of Johanan,

¹⁰ Johanan the father of Azariah (it was he who served as priest in the temple Solomon built in Jerusalem),

¹¹ Azariah the father of Amariah,

Amariah the father of Ahitub,

¹² Ahitub the father of Zadok,

Zadok the father of Shallum,

¹³ Shallum the father of Hilkiah,

Hilkiah the father of Azariah,

¹⁴ Azariah the father of Seraiah,

and Seraiah the father of Jozadak.

¹⁵ Jozadak was deported when the Lord sent Judah and Jerusalem into exile by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.

---

Can you imagine how it would feel to have your father’s name, followed by your name, followed by your son’s name, in the holy books of the nation of Israel?  These scrolls would be carefully stored, brought out on special days, and read to an assembly.  These scrolls would be memorized by the priests, as part of their training for the priesthood, and recited verbatim.  Your family name would be forever spoken!  In the first fifteen verses, we see 27 generations of men carefully recounted.  That’s over 500 years of history, in only fifteen verses.

In following books in the Old Testament, we see additional lists of names.  Looking ahead, in the book of Ezra, chapter 10, verse 18, we see a name listed there “Joshua son of Jozadak,”  Jozadak!  He received special mention in 1 Chronicles 6:15 as one of the men exiled to Babylon.   The exile to Babylon was a terrible experience for the nation of Israel, and the exile was in fact a judgment from God against the sins of the entire nation.  In Ezra, we read of the return of the Israelites to their land, and the reading of the Book Of The Law to the assembled people.  In response to the reading, the people repented of sin, and endeavored to live according to the commands of God.  Joshua son of Jozadak made what had to be a difficult decision to divorce his wife from another nation.

Think of the pain it would be, to divorce your spouse recognizing how vital it is to obey God’s commands.  But, we have to remember this special time of restoration and the chosen role of Levi and his descendants.  Levi and his sons served God as priests, bringing God’s Holy Word to the nation, leading the festivals, and performing all the acts of sacrificial worship on behalf of the people.  Levi and his sons were forever to serve God, to be holy, and to represent the nation before God.  In one very solemn annual event, the Levites were to ceremonially reestablish a holy relationship between God and the nation on the Day of Atonement.

So, in reading the long lists of names, we can skim over the names as if the list were pages in a huge phone book.  Or, in reading the names, we can pause, if only for a moment, and recognize each name represents a generation who chose to live for themselves, or to live for God.  Each name represents a generation living in shame, or living in holiness.

We all can remember the words of Revelation 21:27, God’s prophecy of a new city where citizens dwell with God in a new Jerusalem…

²⁷ Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

I can’t help but think we all are going to be just like Navin R. Johnson, excitedly waiting for the new phone book, the “book of life,” flipping pages madly to find our name.  I rejoice that on that day, like Navin, I can exclaim “I’m in print!” Let’s endeavor to lead holy lives, now, as we look ahead to that day when God and man return to full fellowship in the new Jerusalem.

 

 

Some of us can remember Paul Harvey, the renowned radio announcer who came on the air at about 12:05 pm on Saturday, after the top of the hour news.  In the next fifteen minutes, he told an amazing story without divulging the name of the principal subject, and in such a way, that those casually hearing the news actually stopped what they were doing to listen.

I can remember every Saturday at the gas station where I worked in 1977-1979 how we turned up that old AM radio, which was covered with greasy fingerprints, while eating lunch and taking a break from oil changes, tire repair, and pumping gas.

 

The story always ended with the big reveal of the person who experienced the events.  You could never expect the ending.  Not in a million years.   At the last possible moment, Mr. Harvey would intone…”and now, you know the rest of the story” as he signed off.

 

 

 

If we read the Old Testament, like a book, at times the stories from one chapter don’t make sense at first.  In Exodus 32, we read of the tribes of Israel rebelling against God, while Moses was on Mount Sinai, and his brother Aaron the high priest actually creating the idol of a calf for worship.

We all naturally wonder how God would ever permit Aaron to take one more breath, with that kind of sin.  We struggle to understand God…His apparent forgiveness…for something so bad…and specifically, it seemed, for Aaron.

But, many pages later, we’ve moved into a very interesting passage, one where Moses himself is speaking to the tribes.  Imagine, if you will, Moses being on the air on that old AM radio, like Paul Harvey, and all the tribes gathering around to hear him.  The stories are retold, but this time, in the first person.  “I fell prostrate before the Lord…” and “So I made the ark out of acacia wood…and I went up on the mountain with the two tablets in my hands.”  The personal recollections speak powerfully to us.

And, in this passage, we read something of great importance.  It is, if you will, the rest of the story.  Look at Deuteronomy 9:20

“And the Lord was angry enough with Aaron to destroy him, but at that time I prayed for Aaron too.”

Wow!  What seems at first to be most confusing, yes, even concerning, now becomes clear.  God in his righteousness wanted to express His valid judgment against Aaron.  God in His holiness had every right to destroy Aaron.  Moses, in his position as both God’s leader and Aaron’s brother, had a terrible realization that he loved God, and yet he loved his brother too.  Can you imagine the conflict he felt inside?  We can’t know what Moses prayed, but I imagine it was words recognizing both God’s holiness and judgment, and Aaron’s shortcomings and humanity.

So we see that God remained God, throughout this time.  Aaron, a high priest, experienced a restoration through repentance, yet also was punished in accordance with his sin.  God in his sovereignty chose, on His own, to forbear Aaron’s sin, to provide absolution, and to use Aaron for many years in leading the nation in worship and adoration.  Moses learned time and time again that prayer allowed God to show Himself, His true nature, His power, His holiness, and His faithfulness to His chosen people.  Prayer didn’t change God, to be sure.  Prayer changed Moses.

Read God’s Word!  Trust that God will never change, and that He will reveal Himself to you in your time together.  When you find something that doesn’t make sense, allow it to be a time of learning.  Pray.  Pray like Moses did.  And in time, God may give you a chance to share with your tribe the faithfulness of God in your life.

In blog posts on Luke 9, we have considered three questions so far.  “Am I Radical?” , “Am I Following?”  and “Am I Proclaiming?” We’ve looked at these teachings of Christ as Luke describes the movement of a group of disciples from Samaria to Jerusalem.  We can only imagine what it must have been like to be in this group, and to realize that we have a chance to speak with Christ the Teacher.  Now, let’s finish the journey by studying perhaps the most difficult verses:

61Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” 62Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

Why are these two verses so troubling?  I think it is only natural, as we all face the three elements of verse 62.  Do I want to serve?  Have begun to serve?  Have I stopped serving?  Oh boy, I am not fit to serve any more!  Sadness, fear, uncertainty, or disappointment in oneself could follow.

 
Another point of concern is the apparent linkage of following Christ and not being a part of your family from that moment on.  Christ’s response sounds harsh – are disciples not permitted to speak to their family?  Are disciples not permitted to visit their family?  Why is Christ concerned about a person following Him and remaining in the person’s family?

Let’s review the entirety of the passage again, briefly, so we can fully appreciate verse 62.  Jesus has been transfigured.  Christ has healed the sick.  Jesus has predicted His death.  Jesus is moving through a people group normally antagonistic towards Jews, and has experienced some hostility there.  Jesus has prevented his disciples from acting in anger towards that people group.  Now, he is on the way to His crucifixion, and leading a group of men who are declaring their allegiance to Him.  In this context, Christ is speaking with individuals who make a discipleship decision – to follow Christ.  Are we in that group?

Now, in verse 62, it is helpful to check the original Greek text verb tenses to understand the word picture in its entirety.  The verb for “puts a hand” is aorist tense, a past complete action.  The verb for “looks back” is present tense, a current continuous action.  We see a one-time decision to believe in Christ, “puts a hand to the plow,” but a continuing action of “looks back” after that decision has been made.  I wish we didn’t have to “look back” at Greek but sometimes it really helps!

We read in Mark 10:28-31 a heartfelt cry of devotion that mirrors the what we read in Luke 9, the man’s plea to go back to his family.  The disciples lament, in a way, what they have done for Christ:

28Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!”  29“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

Today our missionaries see what happens to families when individuals make decisions for Christ.  Do their families come to rescue them from a “bad” decision?  Do they leave their families?  Are they shunned by their families?  Can they return to their families, often hostile to our faith?  And, to be more complete in our view of families and the person’s relationship with them after making a decision for Christ, we can look at Mark 5:19 where a man is told by Christ to return to his family to witness to them.  In Acts 10:24 we also read of how a righteous man brings Peter to speak to his entire family, resulting in their salvation.

So, we can see in Christ’s admonition to this man who wanted to return to his family Godly wisdom and direction.  It is not so much that Christ wants the man to leave his family, or to prevent him from witnessing to his family.  But, it is that in following Christ, we are to avoid losing focus as we return to old ways, to old customs, and to old beliefs.  We are to be new creations, to be His disciples!

A friend of mine was on mission in a developing nation, and was given the opportunity to plow a field just like they had done for hundreds of years.  The plow was pulled by oxen, which were led by a young man.  The plow had to be forced downward into the ground to bust the soil.  That’s some hard work!

  As my friend plowed, he naturally looked backward to see how he was doing.  Before long, the plow was well off the intended line, and everyone was laughing at the result.  We can laugh with my friend, as we think about what it must have been like to try something new.  But, we can also see why Jesus chose this word picture for people who seek to serve Him.  If we want to serve, if we take on the job for which He calls us, we can never lose focus on Him.  When the plowman looks back, the results of his service are not what Christ intended.  The furrow that is not straight can’t be used.  The seed that Jesus wants to plant in that field can’t be sowed. And the harvest Christ hopes for must wait.

Let us not forget the work for which we are called (Luke 9:60).  We are to plow a straight furrow in proclaiming the kingdom of God!  Remember the meaning of proclaim — we are to make a loud noise about a kingdom that we belong to now, and that is to come in great glory in the future.

As disciples of Christ, let us focus on Christ as we plow, and never look back!  Let us answer the question “Am I serving?” with a simple exclamation —  “Yes!”

In the blog post “Am I Radical” we considered how each of us might be more like a first responder to an emergency, where the emergency is the eternal status of a friend or acquaintance.  In the post  “Am I Following” we wonder how to respond as Jesus challenges us to GO on His behalf to a fallen world.  Going to our world, we read an interesting command found in Luke 9:60:

60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

What comes after “go?”—“proclaim the kingdom of God.”  The more I thought about it, the more interested I became in the meaning of the command.  Most likely, we’ve all rushed over these words and thought “yeah yeah, proclaim the kingdom of God.  Got it.”

Let’s take a look at the command in more detail, as is fitting for such an important instruction.   As a church worship band might wrestle with chords, phrasing and timing for a new song, we must take time to learn something new.  God’s Word deserves nothing less.

“Proclaim.”  That brings to mind an immediate movie scene or two, don’t it?  “Hear ye, hear ye, … , “ as the town crier unrolls a parchment scroll and reads some order from the king.  What does the word really mean, though?  At first, I thought it might be from “pro” and “claim.”  You know, pro, like “for” and “claim” like “it’s mine.”  Let me tell you, I am NOT a linguist.  Not even close.  The simple view of the word from its Latin origin is found online:

proclaim c.1400, from L. proclamare  “cry or call out,” from pro-  “forth” + clamare  “to cry out” (see claim). Proclamation  “that which is proclaimed” is recorded from 1415.  Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010

I like it!  “Clamare” sounds a lot like our word “clamor” which is what worship band drums sound like sometimes.  Noisy.  Loud.  Energetic.  Attention-grabbing.

But of course, the online dictionary of the English language is not a perfect Biblical analytical tool.  Looking at the different translations of the same source text can give us an idea of the meaning of this important word.  Here are a few of the words synonymous with “proclaim:”  Publish, tell, preach, announce, give news of, and spread – all words trying to convey something that in Latin makes the most sense – “to cry out!”

Of course, we are to be noisy about “the kingdom of God.”  So we have to truly seek its meaning.  And, we have to recognize that Christ Jesus gave these words as if the man walking alongside Him would easily grasp the meaning.  It was not a long sermon!  Go, proclaim the Kingdom!  What did He mean?
It is interesting if you do a phrase search for “kingdom of God” using either the old-fashioned concordance or a modern online resource like http://www.biblegateway.org.  If you place quotes around the phrase, seeking an exact match, the first reference is…drum roll, please…in Matthew.  Many topics are found throughout the Bible.  This concept , the kingdom of God, appears to be solely in the New Testament.   We can read Luke 16:16 to be sure:

“The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing their way into it.”

Now, describing the kingdom of God is difficult.  Scholars do debate and discuss its essence.  Reading the verses about it just in the Gospel of Luke, we can see some of its many attributes:

It belongs to the poor [Luke 6:20]
It is a place of ranking [Luke 7:28]
It is good news [Luke 8:1]
It is near Luke [10:9]
It is like a strong tree [Luke 13:18-19]
It is like a tiny organism that can’t be stopped [Luke 13:20-21]
It is a place where the patriarchs and prophets exist [Luke 13:28]
It is a place of all peoples Luke [13:29]
It is a place of feasting Luke [14:15]
It is not something to be observed [Luke 17:20]
It is now [Luke 17:21]
It is a belonging [Luke 18:16]
It is received by childlike faith [Luke 18:16]
It is difficult for some to enter [Luke 18:24-25]
It is to come [Luke 22:18]
It is worth waiting for [Luke 23:51]

We could continue reading all the references and continue to be amazed!  I can only sit here and wonder “how am I going to proclaim all of this?”  I can’t even understand some of it!

I guess we can take heart in the way Christ spoke of the kingdom of God.  Did He offer all these descriptive words at once?  Did He try to cover the entire subject in one lecture?  Did He drop a few drachmas at the local Fedex Office store to make copies of His latest manuscript to hand out to the followers?

No, of course not.  Jesus spoke of the kingdom of God just as we should—ministering to those in need, as they needed.  He spoke simply.  He spoke clearly.  He spoke in ways that made sense to each person that asked a question.  Let us think deeply about the meaning of the kingdom of God, so that we do understand as much as we are able.  But, may we be ever more like Jesus as we “cry out” about His kingdom!

Am I proclaiming?

In the blog post “Am I Radical?” we thought about how each of us might be more like a first responder to an emergency, where the emergency is the eternal status of a friend or acquaintance.  We marvel at the willingness of everyday heroes like police, fire, and Coast Guard to risk it all for strangers, while we stay safe at home.  Why are we staying safe at home?  Why aren’t we risking it all for Christ?  Let’s remind ourselves of selected verses in Luke Chapter 9, verse 23 and verses 57 through 62.

23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.
57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
59 He said to another man, “Follow me.”  But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”  60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”  62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

These verses speak of people who are risking it all, walking towards an uncertain future with Christ.  Today, we might look at people in our church, people who are on fire for the Lord, people who are witnessing to perfect strangers and seeing salvations and think “why not me?”  We might cast a glance at someone with passion, energy, commitment, and  think “boy, I wish I was serving the Lord like he is!”  If we received Christ as a youngster, or if we found Christ as an adult, time passes and our early fervor for Christ may have cooled.  What makes one person a stalwart soldier for Christ and another person a silent sage?

 
I think the answer is found in two words – “follow me.”  It is so simply stated, yet so incredibly described that it merits our attention.  Christ’s clear call to follow Him has at its heart the desire to be Christ’s disciple.  Re-read Luke 9:23…the desire to be a disciple comes first!  It could almost be expressed as a logic statement in a computer program – IF you want to be Christ’s disciple THEN deny yourself AND follow me.  This oft-repeated verse is quoted to emphasize the denial of self.  I think it better if we focus on the desire to be a disciple!  Do we truly want to be Christ’s disciple?

 
Imagine what it must have been like to be in the group of disciples on the way through Samaria to Jerusalem.  Go ahead, put verse 57 in modern terms…wouldn’t it be like running into some incredibly famous pastor like Rick Warren or Tim Keller or David Jeremiah after a visit to their church?  We’d be so tempted to say just what we think the pastor needs to hear.  We’d be likely to stumble and stammer as we try to remember the sermon and say “I agree with you—you made so much sense when you said…”  Here, a disciple must feel some sense of excitement as he finds Christ along the road.  I know I would!  How does Christ respond?  He doesn’t say “Thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed my sermon and found it applies to your life.”

Christ says so much more!  In His response, he affirms one fact that we might fail to see if we don’t pause to listen…in following Christ, we are to GO!  The disciple says “wherever You go” and Christ doesn’t say “hey, friend, I’m glad you are planted at a great church where you can hang out and enjoy fellowship with other believers.”  Christ says “I’m going—are you with Me?” simply by describing His journey.  Read verse 58 again.  Is it a pleasant trip?  Is it a night at the Courtyard with WiFi?  Road warrior or occasional traveler, this journey will have us calling the front desk clerk to complain…we are NOT going to get what we reserved!  Our going with Christ, our following Him, is likely to be the toughest journey we’ve experienced.  Will we GO?

In His conversations with the many taking the trip to Jerusalem, Christ challenges someone to follow Him.  To me, this challenge describes most of us clearly.  Let’s look at just the words used by the individual in response to Christ in verse 59:

Lord – a clear indication that the man knows Christ’s position, His authority, His identity
First—a time word, a word that conveys the order of things, and a word that shows the man has not completely subjected himself to Christ’s Lordship
Let me – a plea for permission, perhaps a polite way of addressing Christ as Lord, but in this conversation more evidence that the man has not relinquished control
Bury my father – clearly an important task, one falling to sons, and one that is not dishonorable in the culture, or to the man’s friends.  It is an expected duty, and a duty not to be forgotten.

Do we resemble this man at all?  Do we know who Christ is, but do we have our own vital task for which we cannot immediately follow Christ?  Do we have our own agenda (a sense of timing and order) for which Christ must wait?  Surely we are all like this man in some way, at some time.

 
Two things are clear from Christ’s response in verse 60.  First, the task that is so important to us now must indeed be done.  Second, we are not the ones to accomplish that task!  Christ never says “Look, honoring your father, providing a proper burial, dealing with the legal issues, doesn’t matter.”  Christ instead says “I release you from this task!”  What is so amazing is the task with which He charges us “GO (there’s that word again!) and proclaim the Kingdom of God!”  Will we GO and proclaim His Kingdom?

 

Now, Christ finds yet another disciple who initiates a conversation as one desiring to follow Him, yet expresses some feelings with the same telling words, seen in verse 61:  “But…” “first” “Let me…” “family…” Only natural.  We’d all feel the same way!  Wouldn’t we?  Christ’s response in verse 62 has troubled so many people over the centuries – but should it?  Is Christ linking our faith in Him and our service to Him to an abandonment of our family?

 
I think not.  Christ, in His response sees deep into the nature of man.  It is difficult to say for certain, but I believe Christ is speaking to the challenges of serving Him, and what happens when we look back at the way things were.  I have never attempted to plow a straight line behind a strong-willed mule, but I have tried to aerate my yard with a rented machine that weighed about half-a-ton and had a mind of its own.  Just controlling the general direction of the aerator was hard enough.

When my wife graciously came out to offer a glass of iced tea, and I looked back…well, you get the idea.  I think Christ is not asking us to abandon our family, but is admonishing us that our focus from this moment on needs to be on serving Him!  Will we GO and never look back?

Am I following?

A few years ago I was laid up with one of those odd illnesses that was just strong enough to keep me from work, but thankfully not so aggressive that I couldn’t function.  I stayed home, and drifted in and out of sleep while the TV kept me company.  You’ve seen those shows that highlight the adventures of fishing vessels, I’m sure.  One episode recreated a life-threatening illness of a crew member that needed immediate rescue.  A Coast Guard helicopter was dispatched, and flew 90 miles through hazardous weather to the ship.  It hovered over the ship, in storm-tossed water, and lowered a rescue diver via line to the pitching deck.  A cage-like litter was lowered to the deck, the ill crewman was strapped in, and the rescue diver and the litter were winched up through the driving rain to the helicopter.  There, the ill fisherman vomited blood all over the cabin, creating a biohazard for all the Coast Guard on board.  The chopper turned for home, rushed the shipmate to the waiting ambulance, and we were told that the chance of survival was good.

Wow!  Talk about radical action!  Here half-a-dozen men braved the elements, executed a difficult flying operation, performed medical triage, and got a total stranger out of harm’s way.  They didn’t think twice.  They just went.  They are not unlike many first responders I know.  Police go at a moment’s notice to deal with armed robbers.  Firemen go in the blink of an eye to homes ablaze.  EMTs head for accident after accident at crazy speeds in a big truck, then care for their charges on the way to ERs.  What is common to all these acts?  First, they are all dispatched by someone else, and willingly obey a voice on a radio saying “Go!”  Second, they all go without hesitation, and with a great sense of passion.  Third, they all risk their own lives for the sake of others.

I thought about these radical responders in comparison to my own life in Christ.  Am I radical?

Luke Chapter 9 is a challenging passage.  If we look at selected verses, we see:

²³ Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. ²⁴ For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. ²⁵ What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?

⁵⁷ As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” ⁵⁸ Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

⁵⁹ He said to another man, “Follow me.”  But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”  ⁶⁰ Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

⁶¹ Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”  ⁶² Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

There are three questions that arise:

1. Am I following Christ?
2. Am I proclaiming the Kingdom of God?
3. Am I serving the Lord?

First, are we following Christ?  The text describes a difficult journey, one without comforts, one without rest.  It is a journey with Christ, though, (wow!) and allows us to share in His suffering.  Following Christ brings us from that initial joy of salvation to a deeper understanding of His Being, His Love, and His Sacrifice.

Second, having followed Christ, are we proclaiming the Kingdom Of God?  That’s a difficult concept, especially for those in a culture of democracy.  Is the Kingdom Of God now, or in the future?  Scholarly arguments abound, but to me, what is important is the proclamation of the sovereignty of God and His desire for a sustaining relationship with the individual.  Am I proclaiming that Kingdom?  How?  To whom?

Third, after following Christ and proclaiming the Kingdom, am I consistently serving God?  One can imagine the joy of salvation leading to an intense period of discipleship and then a cheerful sharing of the gospel.  But, are the cares of this world, the duties of work, even the joys of family life now keeping us from serving our Lord?  Do our experiences in church, serving diligently, simply wear us down?  As we mature, as we age, as we transition from one life stage to another, are we still focused on doing what Christ asks of us?

For what Christ asks of us is simple to say, and difficult to do.  We are to love one another (the body of Christ, the church) and we are to witness to the lost.  It’s not unlike the first responders we admire.  They truly love one another serving as brothers and sisters, and they go to the lost without question, without regard for their own safety or life.

Am I radical?