Tag: Gospel

all roads lead to jesus: an easter meditation

No, it’s not what you’re thinking. My theological sensibilities are well aware the title is misleading, but hear me out.

I was once in a coffee shop talking to someone who had a convoluted idea of religion. At one point he illustrated the road to salvation as being many. He waved his arm and said everyone sitting in the coffee shop at that time had come from different directions, on different roads, and by different means. “But we all got here just the same. It’s the same when it comes to ‘heaven’ (finger quotes). As long as our goal is to get to heaven, God will make sure we get there. And as long as the person is sincere and does good, no matter what religion or god they believe in, we all make it across the finish line. That’s how I see it.”

No, this post is not touting that. Not by a long shot.

Number one, our goal isn’t heaven, it’s Jesus. And it takes Jesus to get to Jesus. All roads may get you to Rome but only one gets us to the Savior.

Pssst…there is no number two.

This piece has more to do with the many kinds of struggles each of us have in our stories and, regardless of how deep and dark and devilish they may be, we can equally find the mercy of Christ that draws us to himself.

When you open Book 5 of the Psalms you immediately encounter a hymn to the steadfast love of God. It imagines a vast throng of the redeemed “gathered in” from all the cardinal points on a compass (Psa 107:3) to “their desired haven” (v30). It’s the only time “haven” is found in the Hebrew text, denoting a harbor or a safe place. We might call it a refuge.

They all come in curious ways. Some get there crawling, still more on hands and knees, many on their last gasp, and others with the stink of filth all over them. And how did they come to God’s encampment of grace? The *rest* (pun intended) of the chapter outlines it for us:

▪️ “Some wandered in from desert wastes” (v4)

Demoniac. Maniac. Boogeyman. He’s all kinds of crazy and you want nothing to do with him. Let him howl out there in the hinterlands, but make sure your doors are locked at night. Stories about him made children want to crawl into bed with their parents. He’s so bad the devil named him himself (Mark 5:9).

“Legion.”

One demon made him cut himself, another made him foam. Others made him curse and howl and rage against the light. Legion. Thousands. Who knows how many? Some of the demons gave him power to break his shackles. Stand clear of this, this…well, you couldn’t call him a man, could you? More like animal.

Easter comes for these guys too. There he stood, Light and Love, right in front of Legion. Walked right up to him. Sat down on a rock across from him. To everyone else, the creature was scary bad but to Jesus, he was a dying soul in need of a living Savior.

The power of the Man! No, not Legion. Jesus. The first thing he did was address the head demon; made him talk, tell him his name, beg for mercy. Think on this: the scariest demon inside this man crumpled at the voice of Jesus. Once he and his defeated army of demons left the pitiful creature, Jesus turned his attention to the man with eyes, undoubtedly, filled with compassion.

Just like that, the man was free.

Hear the gospel: no one, but no one – absolutely no one – is beyond the merciful reach of Jesus.

▪️ “Some…had been sitting in darkness and deep gloom” (Psa 107:10)

Mary Magdalene, the first witness of the Christ’s resurrection, came to the Easter story out of the dark dystopia of demonic possession (Luke 8:2). Seven demons crippled her soul and out of that gloomy dungeon of despair she found redemption and holy worth.

He brought [her] out of darkness and the shadow of death,
and burst [her] bonds apart.
(v14)


There was a day Jesus came to visit her at her tomb of despair and just before the first light of dawn on Sunday morning, she came to visit him at his. Mary wasn’t expecting to see what happened next, but she was the very first one to see it. She, a woman of questionable pedigree, was the first person to speak to newly-raised Messiah.

The event that was prophesied as early as Eden had an audience of one lone woman. Easter can sound pretty strange to the uninformed, but to the rest of us it makes all the sense in the world.

▪️ “Some were wrecked and ruined by a foolishly sinful life” (v17)

Jesus was being hosted at a dinner party (“party” being generous) when a woman stepped off the street and came into the dining area. Every man in the room sucked in air except Jesus. This unwashed woman was a known adulteress (Luke 7:39). Luke, who’s not disposed to hyperbole, used a label for her describing a whole other category of sinner. His particular word infers the woman has probably been condemned already by the synagogue and cast out, probably for adultery, or that she is perhaps a known prostitute.

Easter came early to her broken soul as Christ’s love resurrected her out of her corruption. The old hymn says,

“nothing in my hands I bring, simply to the cross I cling.“

This woman had nothing in her hands but she clung to the feet of Jesus, weeping with joy and gratitude and kissing his feet nonstop. She unbundled her hair and used her locks to dry the Savior’s feet.

Jesus didn’t seem the least bit embarrassed at the display. He remained in place, affording her the worship of humanly outlandish proportion. But it could never be enough for her lavishly forgiven heart. Love Incarnate elevated her to sit with him in heavenly places while pious Simon and his judgy buddies were left to deal with their own hardened and condemned hearts.

▪️ “Some because of desperate conditions and terrifying calamities” (Psa 107:23-27)

We call him “Blind Bartimaeus” (Mark 10:46). “Son of Timothy.” That’s like calling me “Tom Mitchell‘s crippled son.” There he was, just outside Jericho, fifteen miles from Jerusalem. He is sitting there with his begging blanket, the cloak used to catch coins tossed in his direction. Suddenly he hears a great noise, a crowd of people cheering and laughing. He’s blind and pathetic so he doesn’t know quite what’s going on but he’s making out some words from the onlookers.

Above the din, his voice is miraculously transported to the ears of Jesus.

“SON OF DAVID, HAVE MERCY ON ME!”

Jesus stopped dead in his tracks. Like the woman on an earlier road hemorrhaging blood, when Jesus knew someone in the crowd had touched him. Well, yeah, Master, everybody’s touching you! You are in a crowd of people pressing in on you! No, Jesus says, not everyone. Someone.

Here too, on this day, among a cacophony of voices, Jesus heard the one. A shipwrecked soul. A drowning man.

“Bring him to me.”

This had never happened to him before. Someone became interested in “blind son of Timothy.”

“He is calling for you.”

Not “son of Timothy” but you. You matter to him. You stopped him dead in his tracks. You will be his last miracle before the cross.

At once the man “sprang” from his prized beggar’s plot, leaving his cloak with coins behind him. Suddenly, Jesus became more important to him than those alms in his blanket. Nevertheless he left it all behind … simply because Jesus called for him (Mark 10:49-50).

Not all roads lead to eternal life. But all roads, especially the hard ones, can lead you to Jesus. It’s through Jesus, who is the Resurrection and the Life, we come to the end of our roads and finally make it home.

Some through the fire
Some through the flood
Some through great trials
But all through the blood.
Some through great sorrow
But God gives a song
In the night season and all day long.”

– George A. Young, God Leads Us Along, 1903

I’m reflecting this Easter season on the many paths of pain that have led me to Jesus. Not just disability, but a host of others. I’ve faced ruin and I’ve been broken up into pieces against the shore more than a few times.

There’s a lot of ugly in my story and things I’d rather not tell you about. Things that took me right up to the rabbit hole and might’ve pushed me over and disappeared me forever – save for the grace of God. I’ve dragged through trackless wastes and crawled on desert floors.

Fire, flood, great trials, you name it. There’ve been times I’ve made my own bed and had to sleep in it and times when the cards were stacked against me. But each and every time I’ve heard the rumor that Jesus is calling for me.

Turns out it was more than a rumor. And because of it,

I give thanks to the Lord
for he is good
and his steadfast love lasts forever (Psa 107:1).

Amen.

(Selah.)

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so i carry my mat

Let me tell you a Jesus story.

Several days later, Jesus returned to Capernaum, and the news quickly spread that he was back in town. Soon there were so many people crowded inside the house to hear him that there was no more room, even outside the door.
While Jesus was preaching the word of God, four men arrived, carrying a paralyzed man. But when they realized that they couldn’t even get near him because of the crowd, they went up on top of the house and tore away the roof above Jesus’ head. And when they had broken through, they lowered the paralyzed man on a stretcher right down in front of him! When Jesus saw the extent of their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “My son, your sins are now forgiven.”
This offended some of the religious scholars who were present, and they reasoned among themselves, “Who does he think he is to speak this way? This is blasphemy for sure! Only God himself can forgive sins!”
Jesus supernaturally perceived their thoughts and said to them, “Why are you being so skeptical? Which is easier, to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are now forgiven,’ or, ‘Stand up and walk!’? But to convince you that the Son of Man has been given authority to forgive sins, I say to this man, ‘Stand up, pick up your stretcher, and walk home.’” Immediately the man sprang to his feet in front of everyone and left for home.
When the crowds witnessed this miracle, they were awestruck. They shouted praises to God and said, “We’ve never seen anything like this before!”

Mark 2:1-12
(Passion Translation)

No doubt the same man had heard about the first round of miraculous healings (chapter 1) and may have even hoped someone would get him near the Healer. Now here he is, perhaps again, longing and hoping. The Healer is near.

The house is crowded, though, so how will he ever get close enough to the Man from Heaven? His hopes are flagging and he must be thinking, “I keep missing out. God’s blessings, it seems, are meant for others but not for me. I just can’t seem to find any way…”

“ I can’t get a break. Nothing changes, no matter how many times I lift up a prayer. My number never gets called. I guess this is just my lot.”

The story reminds us when it is our time, Jesus will make a way. It may take uncommon methods, a circuitous route, or a banging on and barging through a door that seems to have you locked out. His Presence will draw you to himself much like the Eye of Sauron drew the One Ring to itself. Only you won’t find a mount of doom waiting, you’ll find a world of mercy.

God may choose to use other ways and means to get you to himself, but only he can lift you. Other means can bring you, only Jesus can save you.

If you’re stuck in the “lying paralyzed on a mat with no hope or help in sight” mode, just remember, as with this paralyzed man, Jesus wants to do an interior work in you first; that is most important to the Savior. You want to “walk,” he wants you to live – free, whole, and forgiven!

What, then, are we to make of the mat? Doesn’t it belong in the incinerator?

Why, oh Jesus, did you tell the healed paralytic to take it with him?

Ah, that’s the beautiful mystery unveiled to those who know the painful holiness of hard surrender. That smelly old, foul mat, the bane of his miserable existence, suddenly became his fragrant testimony!

I have been paralyzed for nearly 40 years but God has done a healing work in me of such magnitude that the miracle of walking would pale in comparison. My wheelchair is my mat and I take it with me everywhere I go to testify to the goodness and graciousness of God. 

…Jacob still walked with a limp. 

…The apostle Paul bore the brand marks of Jesus in his body.

…Peter lived with the memory of denying his Jesus thrice but became one of Christendom’s greatest preachers.

…Moses carried his grand mistake to his grave but it didn’t define him.

Will I walk again? Absolutely. 

I have faith for that. 

All in due time, brothers and sisters.

All in due time.

And until then, I carry my mat and give thanks.

Are you depressed?

Have your dreams fallen to dust and left you groveling in sand?

Take your burdens to the Lord; yes, a million times yes.

But also. (Hang with me here.)

Reach out to someone who sits in the Room of Grace with Jesus regularly, and ask them to pray for you.

Let me tell you another Jesus story. This will be quick I promise.

I’ve been facing a situation that has taken the wind out of my sails and many have been praying, and God has heard every petition and has acted accordingly. But my situation has not reversed.

Last week, when the family’s greatest prayer warrior, my precious Aunt Jean (my mom’s sister), set camp in her prayer room, the very next morning there was significant change. The doctors marveled, the outlook is nowhere near as ominous, and a fresh wind of hope has lifted my sails and borne me aloft. The road ahead will still be tricky but the Lord has given me a soft spot in the way. He’s spent considerable time hugging and loving on me by way of his Nearness, intercedings, and answering the prayers of his people who love me.

You have people who love you too. Send them an S.O.S.

Sometimes we carry our mats, and other times someone else will carry it for us.

Oh, and one last thing. After healing the guy and forgiving his sin (not in that order), Jesus told him to “go home.” I have no doubt the guy told everybody his story “on the way home.“ No doubt he testified by waving his mat around!

That’s what is required of us when the Lord intervenes and changes our story: don’t keep it to yourself, don’t hold it inside; in fact, if God has delivered you from previous hardships, text or email or call someone and tell them how Jesus loved on you then.

“All the way home.”

The very act of praise opens doorways into greater miracles, I’m convinced of it.

Wave.

Your.

Mat.

T E S T I F Y.

That’s  it for now, beloved.

Until next time.

Selah

called to smaller places

“O, Theophilus…” Acts 1:1

I was recently in a conversation with a close friend and regular reader (and commenter) here, about how our respective ministry lives have shrunk down and how to make peace with that.

I remember telling my friend “I must rededicate myself every day to the prospect of making an eternal impact on a single individual if that’s all I’m called to do for that day or for the rest of my life.”

This is quite a turn of events for someone who has preached to audiences of mega-churches and statewide youth rallies and professional ball clubs and national conferences. It’s not a gig I would’ve signed up for 40 years ago, but here we are.

It isn’t that I don’t get opportunities here and there to mount the platform and proclaim the word. I’ve probably preached more in the last six months than I did in the previous 10 years. This, too, is a mercy of God. Just three days ago I sat in front of a packed house of highschoolers and laid myself bare with a message on brokenness. It was glorious. And (dare I say) fun. I say ‘fun’ because this is what I’m wired for and called to.

But this morning, my heart’s ‘check-engine’ light came on as I found myself settling in for a fresh rereading of Acts. No, it wasn’t an angry red flashing light but rather an amber light informing me I needed some routine maintenance; an oil change, if you will, to insure I’ll be fit for the next 3,000 miles.

So, yeah, the book of Acts….

….written by Dr. Luke, the eminent travel secretary and personal physician of Paul.

This one single man contributed to nearly HALF of the New Testament and that fact alone blows my mind.

Think of it: half your New Testament is the private correspondence between two people!

The good doctor never attained apostle-status as he was not an eyewitness of the Resurrected Lord, but he is always mentioned in the same breath as those who founded the Church, especially God’s choice apostle, Paul.

He may not have been at the tomb or touched the hands and side of Jesus, but he was in the front row of many of the most critical events and “greater things” of which Jesus told his followers they would participate.

Here’s what hit me, and why I want to share it with you today. I’m imagining that you might be reading this having memories of times when you were able to use your gifts more regularly and that  they felt necessary, and appreciated, and beneficial to the Kingdom.

Today, or in this season, not so much. The luster is buffed out and you feel you may be a forgotten commodity and way past your prime. You can remember a time when your name came up in conversations and when stuff needed to get done, you were the go-to guy or gal. But now you’re rusting in a corner, feeling more of an afterthought or anachronism.

You are most definitely NOT.

I hope you hear this. If you can, understand you are in maintenance mode (from which you will be updated and glitch-free); in a holding pattern (from which you will most certainly  land); in a winter of unseen, unfelt growth (out of which Spring will come again); God is not finished with you; he may just be redirecting you to where – and to whom – you will do HIM the most good.

Case in point….Luke.

What struck me about this amazing servant of Christ was a note I put next to the first verse. The verse reads:

Acts 1:1

In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach,

And this is what I wrote:

Luke wrote his two tomes for one man (“lover of God”), so it could be said that a greater portion of the NT was written to convince a single man of the nature and validity of the Gospel! Thus, Luke was one of the most ardent disciple-makers in the NT.

That’s what I call a ‘SINGLES’ ministry!

Most certainly, Luke routinely disconnected from his wider ministry alongside Paul to make sure there was a single man properly discipled from new birth to seasoned faith. There could have been literally scads of letters exchanged between the two over a long period of time. We just have these two preserved in canon.

Luke’s  gospel was a primer for Theophilus to better understand the Christian faith, and his chronicles of Acts were a user’s manual Theo could carry about so as to discover for himself life in Christ through the operation of the Holy Spirit.

I hope you’re as encouraged as I am! Being a physician by trade, Luke was more familiar with one-on-one ministry anyway, but as a skilled researcher and writer, it was necessary for him to accompany Paul and other early ministry teams in their travels. He saw the really cool stuff. He wrote about it all.

Thank God for the preserved record, the intimate details of Christ’s suffering sweat-drops of blood and the first-hand testimony from those who experienced Pentecost! Just remember, he did it ALL for a single individual.

Dr. Luke made a huge difference in the one, and we are all the better because of it.

In the past decade I’ve come to accept that I can do perhaps even more good off the platform, investing in the few. These days, a living room or a cozy corner in a coffee shop is my nave and I’m seeing the kingdom play out just fine in the lives of a handful rather than a crowd.

I recall the story of Jesus praying alone when Peter & Co. interrupted, informing him he was needed elsewhere. They wanted their Messiah to finish up (?!?) and giddyup and go. Bigger fish to fry, they told him. Jesus brushed that notion away and said something that goes against the grain of our American ‘event-driven-crowd-gathering-go-big-or-go-home’ ministry ideal.

Jesus told them he needed to go to the smaller places too. (Mark 1:37-38)

Theophilus was Luke’s “smaller place.”

Lydia was Paul’s “smaller place” (Acts 16:13-14) and from that encounter the Church at Philippi was birthed – one of the apostle’s most enthusiastic supporters.

The Ethiopian eunuch was Philip’s “smaller place” when he was uprooted from a big-tent revival in Samaria (Acts 8:26) and whiplashed into the desert.

A single person.

Big ministry.

Great reward.

Where is your smaller place? It may be that you are resisting going there because you feel (sorry not sorry) too gifted, too called to bigger things. You’re missing something quite beautiful right under your nose.

That lone eunuch evangelized an entire African kingdom.

Sometimes…big things come in small packages.

Edward Kimball paid a visit to a young man in his Sunday school class at his workplace and shared the love of Jesus with him. Young Dwight Moody got saved and became one of the eminent gospel evangelists of history. Through a line of converts spilling from Moody’s ministry came J. Wilbur Chapman, Billy Sunday, Mordecai Ham, and Billy Graham. And it all goes back to a man with a burden for a single young man. Moody was Kimball’s “smaller place.”

Don’t let the earlier point mist away from view: we have the Gospel of Acts and the Chronicle of the Acts of the Early Church because Luke followed his Lord’s example and went to the “smaller places” too. Remember that the next time you hear a sermon from his gospel or read a devotional from his other letter.

It started when Luke got a burden for one person and decided to write him a couple letters. You don’t need a microphone or a following or a reputation. You just need a big, small heart, a single purpose, and maybe a pen.

Remind me to tell you about “Puavo Fivre”….