IDC - the witnesses

This week at IDC (our Bible Study group we’ve started with some friends), we began studying the Book of Acts. Officially the book is called “The Acts of the Apostles,” but as I told the group, I’ve heard it said so many times that it could have been called “The Acts of the Holy Spirit.” This is because the book outlines how the Holy Spirit used this motley crew of believers in Jesus to turn the whole world “upside down” in a very few short years. Starting with 120 believers in an upper room, waiting for a promise to come, in what form they didn’t know, to apostles and prophets, elders and teachers over the entire known world. Amazing feat, for such humble beginnings, especially considering the persecution that they endured to spread their message. I believe that is another “proof,” if you need one, of the transforming power of grace in their lives, because they allowed nothing to slow them down. When they got beat up, they prayed and went back at it. It had to be the sustaining power of grace through the Holy Spirit’s activity in their lives that motivated them.

It reminds me that we cannot try to do, even good things for God, without his help. Those zealous ones of us that try so hard to move out and “win the world” on our own, quickly find it to be a lonely place in life without the energizing power of God.

Jesus reminded the disciples as he was leaving them, that they were to wait for the Holy Spirit who would make them to become witnesses of him to the world, starting in Jerusalem, then Judea, Samaria, and then to the “outermost parts of the earth.” It wasn’t that the Holy Spirit would make them “witness” to others, but that he would give them the ability to “become the witness” of what God had done in them through Christ. We are to become a witness, an expert witness on the stand of life, testifying to what God has done in and through us because of Jesus. It’s not in ourselves that we can do these things, but only through him who loves us.

As we talked about this I asked the group, so where is your Jerusalem? Where is your Judea and Samaria? What does it mean to go to the uttermost parts of the earth? When I think of Jerusalem, I think of my home, my family, they are my primary responsibility and my first ministry. I think of Judea as my work, my ministry, my influence that increases around outside of my family. Then Samaria being those place that might be in my community that God is calling me to be an influencer, to “be a witness” of his grace, and then the uttermost parts are wherever the wind will blow us…that place that will call in the night like Paul’s Macedonian call, which says “come and bring the message to us.”

What are your Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria? Is it geography or relational? Is it a place in time or space? Where is your expert testimony being called to court?

IDC John 18-21

Tonight at IDC we will be exploring the last chapters of John, specifically the last days of Jesus’ earthly life.

Something that stood out to me in chapters 18-19 was how many times John was quick to remind the reader that certain events were direct fulfillment to Old Testament scripture. I have heard it said that the odds of Jesus, being one man, and fulfilling all the scriptures that he did, could be calculated to 1 in multi-millions. I believe that there is many proofs of Jesus’ life and resurrection, truth that he is the son of God, but I think this is a very important fact. He came to fulfill the word of God. He came to become the very word spoken from God. He was Word.

Another thing: there is a big news story about Jesus’ tomb supposedly found, and now there is “proof” that he married Mary Magdalene. Personally I agree with most scholars and archaeologists who are studying these artifacts that they could have been any person with the name Jesus, being that it was common, as well as Miriam. But as I was reading in John where Jesus is on the cross and he looks down and sees his mom, his aunt, and Mary Magdalene. Does Jesus address this “wife” of his? Does he make sure she is cared for and watched over? No, he simply addresses John and tells him to take care of his mother, that now she is his mother. Why would he not do the same for Mary? Would he not have words of comfort or love or even encouragement?

Ultimately, Jesus will not be known through scientific or archaeological proofs. I believe that is the reason for the some of the mysterious absence of articles from that times and gaps in the stories of his life, because Jesus is someone we meet by faith. He said that if we believe word, He and His father would come and live in us, and we would have fellowship with Him. This is how we know him, because we believe His word. He reveals himself in our faith.

IDC - John 7-11

Last night at IDC we talked about Jesus announcing himself as the Water of Life and the Light of the World. In John chapters 7-9, the timing of what Jesus is talking about takes place during the Feast of Tabernacles. In researching this passage of scripture, I found a couple of really great explanations of why Jesus called himself these things.

During Jesus' day, the participants saved up water and each day they would pour it out in the temple in remembrance of the water being poured from the Rock, which supplied for the Israelites in the desert. Picture Jesus standing in the temple as this ritual took place and declaring "Anyone who thirsts let Him drink of Me..." No wonder people got riled up whenever he started talking like this. He was comparing Himself (rightly so) to the Rock that followed the Israelites in the desert.

Also during that time, they erected four bowls with numerous wicks burning brightly for the first seven days of the Feast. These were massive candelabras, 75 feet tall. On the last day of the feast, they would extinguish the light to remind themselves that these were not the true lights, but only point to it. Imagine again, Jesus declaring to everyone at the feast that He was that true light of the world.

Both of these events took place on the last day of the feast.

Jesus was a master of taking what was happening around him and making it into a spiritual lesson that unpacks it so everyone can understand. This should be our prayer that we, like Jesus, can help others to connect with God through the events of our everyday life.

Special thanks to www.parkstreet.org/pulpit/studyq04/061106.shmtl

IDC - John 1-6

At our IDC (Intentional Discipleship Community) meeting last week, we started discussing the first 6 chapters of John. We're trying to work our way through the Gospels and Acts and Romans. With the Gospels, we're approaching them with these questions: What do we see Jesus concerned about? How do they apply to me? What can I take away from these stories of Jesus' life?

Some things we talked about this past week:

* It seemed that no matter how many supernatural things Jesus did and said, people still had trouble doubting him, or worse, wanting more of the flash than the substance. A good question to ask ourselves was: is that how we would respond if we were there then, or better yet, how do we respond to him now?

* Jesus was not concerned necessarily about drawing attention to himself. Like at the wedding in Cana, he only shared his miracle working power with the servants and his disciples. Are we drawn to spiritual experiences so it looks good on us, or that people will think we're something special?

* Jesus was always concerned about the marginalized, those who could be taken advantage of, the ones who the culture left out. Example, turning over the money-changers' tables in the Temple, speaking to the woman at the well, healing the man at the pool. He never seemed to care what the PC police thought of his actions. He healed on the Sabbath, he broke the rules of engagement with people outside of the Jewish culture, and he cared more about what God's opinion was than that of the religious elite. What motivates us? How much do we allow others to shape who we are or who we aren't by their opinions or judgments of us?

* Jesus challenged the religious to look beyond their understanding of the Law to see the principles of life behind them. Religion was not to be a box, or a prison, but a relationship with God and his children. The needs of others were more important than the religious rules or regulations of the day.

* How would we respond to Jesus if he came to earth as he did back then, or if we had lived in his day? Would we have followed or doubted?

Any thoughts?