February 28, 2010

Mark 6:30-56
In the summer of '75 I was in Mombassa on a project with Campus Crusade for Christ Int. Our hotel was on the beach about 18 K and a ferry ride from the city. We went in to the city on a Saturday for some sight seeing and street witnessing. We met a group of guys waiting for a bus to take them to a soccer game. They were a semi-pro team. We shared the gospel with them. The keeper prayed to receive Christ with us. Two staff members and I decided to go watch him play his game. We told the other people to tell the driver of our ride to pick us up at the soccer stadium. We watched the first half of the game and then went out to wait for our ride home. It never showed up.
When the game finished it was getting late, we thought we had better find a phone and find out what happened. We walked to a bar and used the pay phone to call the hotel. We found out that the driver had no clue where the soccer stadium was, so he went back to the motel to await a call from us. We were then told that we had to find our own way to the ferry where we would get our ride. We walked to the bus stop and caught the next bus to downtown Mombassa. There we ran into another problem. We had no clue as to which bus to take to the ferry. As we were standing there discussing our problem, a man standing next to us was eavesdropping on our conversation, as he wanted a chance to practice his English. This was good in as much as the only language we spoke was English, and we did not know how to ask anyone else for directions. The man said, "No problem! I am going to the ferry. You just follow me."
On the bus one of the CCC staff members shared the gospel with him and he prayed to receive Christ! What a privilege! We had seen another person receive Christ as a result of our need! We had also seen Jesus provide for us as a result of our need! He showed us His glory by showing us He could communicate for us even when we did not know the language. At the place of our need He showed us His glory!
Jesus has some unusual ways to show His glory to us. He seems to delight in putting us in situations where we are forced to see our need, our lack. The disciples had enjoyed a great time of ministry. They were surely exhausted. They had received word that John the Baptist had been beheaded. Now was a good time for a retreat. A little R&R would do them all good. They jumped in a boat and thought about heading for a deserted place. Ah but the multitudes wanted more! They all jumped in boats too. Jesus had compassion upon them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. They got out, and Jesus taught them
I think I can hear the disciple's thoughts, "But I thought it was R&R time. Weren't we going camping? Oh no, here He goes again." Then when the day was about done, He turns to them and says, "You give them something to eat." Now checking their wallets, they know they don't have enough money and nobody takes American Express here. "Jesus, we're tired, and we are broke, and all that we can come up with is 5 loaves and two fish." Jesus has them all sit down, and He uses the 5 loaves and 2 fish to feed them all. When they were broke, He showed them His glory.
Okay, we can send them home now. Let's go camping! Jesus tells them to go on ahead to the other side of the Sea while He sends the multitude away. No sooner than when they were just on the edge of the horizon, a storm came up. They could make no headway against the wind. They had been ministering long and hard and now had no strength to fight the storm. In the midst of prayer, Jesus sees them from the mountain where He was praying. He goes to them, walking on the water. He came to the boat, and the wind ceased. "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." (It is interesting that Mark wrote under Peter's tutelage, and Mark does not include Peter's walking on the water here.) When the King of glory is with you, and your focus is upon Him, there is no need to be afraid. Often times He is about to break loose and show you His glory!
Are you afraid? Then one of two things is happening: either the Lord of glory is not with you or your focus is in the wrong place. As we make disciples, He promised to be with us always. We either are not making disciples, or our focus is wrong. He uses our need to show us His glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

Mark 7:1-23
We'd just had a great rainstorm and the water was running down the street in front of our house. It was just too tempting not to play in. Yes, I gave in to the temptation. Soon the run off was gone. I needed more water. Well, Hey! We had a garden hose. I was experimenting in making mighty dams to create lakes to build great hydro-electric power plants. It was great fun. Well it just so happened that when I was done that I wasn't what you might call, clean. I was literally covered from head to foot with mud. I honestly considered washing my clothes myself before she found out, but I wasn't sure of how to operate the washing machine. So I washed myself off with the garden hose, then went inside and took a bath and then presented my clothes to the dirty clothes pile.
My poor Mom! I was kind of expecting to be lectured. But I don't remember receiving one. Being the last of 5 children, 4 boys, maybe she had given up on keeping us clean from ourselves. Or maybe I was hopeless. Or maybe, she knew the nature of a boy and chose in this case to forgive me. If I were to ask her now, she probably wouldn't remember this particular incident, because the incidents were probably too numerous for just one to stand out.
What about our Lord? Our filthiness is beyond description before a holy God. Yes, He lets us know about our sin. But when there is recognition before Him that we are in a sinful state, He cleanses us. What causes the Lord the most pain is when we have the audacity to think that we can clean ourselves. Then the stench is just too great.
We tend to think that by doing certain things that the Lord will love us more, that we will be cleaner. I wonder, if I was able to do what it takes to make Cape Fear Alliance Church a church of a thousand people, would He love me any more than He does right now? I wonder, if I did what it takes to make Cape Fear Alliance Church a church of a thousand people and told other pastors, "If you do what I did, your church will grow too," would God love me more than He does now?
The glory of Christ is not that we clean up our act. The glory of Christ is that He cleans us from the inside out. The result is that acts seen on the outside spring up from His work on the inside. Our tendency is that we perform the acts outwardly in order to deceive people and ourselves. The truth is only He can clean the inside. Only He knows how to operate the spiritual washing machine for our hearts. Even more He loves to do it, if we will come to Him with heart in hand extended before Him saying, "Purify my heart." Oh Lord, do it again. I love You. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john