Take No Staff for Your Journey

For many years my wife and I were faith missionaries. Our salary was based upon the contributions of supporting churches and individuals. Because of the faithfulness of our support team, we were able to be "full-time" as church planters.

Being a faith missionary keeps you humble. Each month you trust God, and the generosity of His people, to meet your housing, food, health, and transportation expenses. We saw plenty of lean times, but God always showed up to provide.

One of our hardest months was right after the terrorist attacks in 2001. For whatever reason, our support account took a big hit in the weeks that followed 9-11. Apparently people were so shaken by the threat to our nation that many did not give the way they usually did.

We barely made our condo payment, and we weren’t sure how we would buy food for the month.

We didn’t communicate any of this to our supporters. But God told them anyway. One friend called us out of the blue and announced she was coming by to drop off some groceries. She had been at the store and felt the Lord telling her to buy double of everything. Other friends, also church planters, sent us an encouragement note with a check. It just seemed like we might need it, the Lord said to them.

That month was one of many where we saw quiet miracles from a faithful Lord.

It goes back to something Jesus told His first disciples: Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money, and do not have two tunics (Luke 9:3). That’s how He sent out the twelve, to train them not only to preach and heal, but also to trust.

I admire how Jesus takes care of His own.

On Memorial Day

We admire and give thanks for those men and women who have walked into battle, put themselves in harm’s way, knowing that there was no chance they would make it out alive. They lay down their lives for the freedom and protection of others.

Which is why we admire and love and give thanks for the Lord Jesus today, and every day.

Surely he has borne our griefs

and carried our sorrows;

yet we esteemed him stricken,

smitten by God, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions;

he was crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

and with his wounds we are healed.

Isaiah 53:4-5

Comfortable in His Skin

Sometimes Jesus said what He didn’t know. Like the time of His Second Coming: But concerning that day  or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Mark 13:32.

Jesus had no problem understanding and articulating the distinctions between Himself and the Father. He was not defensive when He said there were things He did not know and the Father did know.

If ever a man was secure in His own skin, it was Jesus. Surely that is a great miracle.

Rescue Mission

We all know the story of Christ’s calming the sea. But did you ever wonder why Jesus and His disciples were out there in the first place? Jesus didn’t fully explain to His disciples. He simply said, "Let's go over to the other side of the lake." So they got into a boat and set out (Luke 8:22, NIV).

And you know that they encountered a ferocious storm that would have sunk their boat and drowned them all had not Christ stepped in and calmed the storm (Luke 8:22-25). So why was Jesus so determined that they would cross the lake?

Well, His miracle on the water undoubtedly stretched the disciples’ faith. And it also created a record of His greatness for all of us to read and rejoice in.

But I think the primary reason for their voyage was to rescue the demonized man on the other shore. Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met him a man from city who had demons (Luke 8:26-27a, ESV).

You Have NOT Been Pardoned for Your Sins

What if I told you that you, as a Christian, were not pardoned for your sins?

Wait a minute! You might say. I know I’ve been forgiven of my sins. The Bible says so!

Right. But I’m not saying you’re not forgiven. If you have repented and trusted in Jesus, you are forgiven. What I am saying is that you have not been pardoned. A pardon is not the right word for your forgiveness. Christians are justified by God, but not pardoned by Him.

Here's how Jerry Bridges puts it in The Discipline of Grace:

Life Verse

Do you have a life verse? If so, feel free to share it.

A “life verse” is a Scripture passage that has special meaning to you. A promise you want to guide and encourage you, a challenge you want to meet, a purpose you’ve given your life to. 

My life verse is: But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. (2 Corinthians 2:14, NIV). I've got a long way to go, but I'm trying to follow and trust the Lord's lead, and in the process, let the sweet smell of Christ fill the place.

Did you ever wonder if Jesus had a life verse? This one comes pretty close. He used it in His first sermon in Nazareth:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19, ESV)

I don’t know if He thought of it as a life verse, but it fits Him well, don’t you think? For all of us who have been spiritual destitute, enslaved, blind, and broken, how grateful we are that He came to proclaim good news, forgiveness and freedom, hope and peace.

So what’s your life verse?

The Real Deal

A couple years ago a North Carolina man was convicted of impersonating a decorated Marine officer. He got sixteen months in the slammer. Not to mention the disgust of all of us who revere those who truly wear the uniform.

We all know people who pretend to be something they’re not. They're contemptible.

That’s one of the reasons to admire our Savior--His kingly authority. He is authentic, true, genuine.

He acts and speaks without pretense, with the calm assurance of absolute sovereignty. For example, multiple times in the Sermon on the Mount, He says, You have heard it said...but I say to you. (Compare Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28, 33-34, 38-39, 43-44). Christ is saying that His own word supersedes Jewish tradition and established interpretation of Scripture.

Or like the start of His ministry in His hometown of Nazareth. He read an 800-year-old prophecy about the Messiah who would preach good news to the poor, liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind, and freedom to the oppressed. (See Luke 4:16ff). Then He sat down and said, in effect, Today this prophecy is fulfilled--by Me (vv. 20-21).

Making claims like this is repugnant in weak, pretentious people. We pity, resent, and despise those who try to appear superior. We see that they are unqualified and unworthy.

But when Jesus speaks and acts as the King, we believe Him. When He tells us the secret of happiness, as He does in the Beatitudes, it rings true. When He says, "your tradition says one thing. But I'll tell you the truth," He is more than credible. He is compelling.

He's the real deal.