Dear Student of the Word,
Greetings from the UK. I got up early, so decided to get this latest study out to you while I had the chance. This week, we finish up the story of the confrontation caused when Jesus healed the man by the pool in John 5 and begin to look at Jesus' discourse on heavenly bread in John 6. This week I wrote on day five of this seven-day study:
Why is this? It is because we don’t know how to hear the voice of God and instead accept the voice of men as our standard. We accept many who present their own credentials and those credentials are usually dramatic public results, like the crazy man who was recently ministering in Florida. He claimed to have regular angelic and heavenly visitations, while he tattooed his body from head to toe. He was and is a nut case, but people flock to see him. He divorced his wife and remarried and is “back” in ministry less than a year after his divorce. The man is a loon but he proclaims his own credentials and people receive him.
v. 44 – Ouch! I have worked to obtain this praise from others. Yet I have not been as diligent to obtain the praise that comes from God. I have very often been more concerned with what others think about me than about what God thinks of me. I have not done things that God put in my heart to do because I was concerned what others would say. Lord, forgive me for stopping short of seeking You by seeking the praise that comes from men. Have you been guilty of the same thing? Don’t answer too quickly.
vs. 45&46 – Moses was the leader of the Jews and they were all his disciples, so to speak. They took great pride in being part of Moses’ spiritual lineage. Yet Jesus said that Moses their leader would condemn them because Moses spoke of Jesus! I see this same dynamic in the church. People put their hope in their spiritual leader and the leader sometimes allows it to happen. They call this leader their covering. I am intrigued by that word that appears no place in the Bible. When people want me to be their covering, I tell them that I cannot stop a common cold so why would they want me to be their covering.. I can’t cover or protect them. I point them to Jesus and advise that they ask Him to be their covering; He is much smarter and more powerful.
Who is your covering? Whoever it is, does this person or group over-promise what they can do for you spiritually? Do you put your faith in them, their ministry or anointing or do you put your trust in Christ? Don’t answer too quickly.
v. 47 – Jesus was not winning many friends in this dialog. He accused the Jews, those followers of Moses, of not believing what Moses had written! They spent their days and nights studying and discussing what Moses wrote and Jesus dismissed their studies as irrelevant because they did not lead to Him. If what you are doing spiritually, even if it is in and through your church, doesn’t lead you to Jesus and a closer walk with Him, then it is spiritual foolishness and a waste of time!
Are you guilty of accepting someone who comes in their own name and not in the name of Jesus? If so, what are you prepared to do about it?
As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. You can write them or find the studies to Corinthians, Colossians, First Timothy, and Matthew's and Mark's gospels on the site where this week's entry is posted. You can also go there to sign up to receive each week's study.
Plus my website archives contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse Bible studies from Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, Romans, 1&2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians, 1&2 Timothy, Hebrews, James, 1&2 Peter, Hebrews and Revelation, along with the unpublished Faith Files.
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THE SOPHIA FUND: I received the following email from Kenya this week, written by Pastor Francis at the Upako Orphanage:
This is to let you know that we received $1000 from you through Sarah Network for the feeding of the orphans at Upako Centre Nairobi.We are indeed very grateful to you and all involved in this and we have channeled the money to the children's food kitty and to no other use. I will give the breakdown of what we bought with the money after use.
I also want to congratulate the wonderful people who visited Kenya with you and got the opportunity to visit Upako,they too made a difference and may God bless all of you. Finally, keep us in prayer so that you may continue helping Upako Children alongside other projects in Kenya.
Every
penny you send will go to feed the poor in Zimbabwe
and Kenya. Nothing goes to overhead or administration. Won't you
consider helping orphans and widows today? You can read about my
rationale for The Fund here (named after my late mother) that will help feed
widows and orphans in Kenya and Zimbabwe.
Please consider a contribution of at least $5 toward the fund and hopefully more. You can use the "Chipin" widget on the Monday Memo site to contribute, or go directly to my website to contribute there through PayPal, or send a tax-deductible check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 91099, Pittsburgh, PA 15221. Make sure you let me know it is for The Sophia Fund. Don't delay; give today and make a difference in the world.
The most recent posted entry about The Sophia Fund is here.
Dr John:
As usual, your insight is timely, relevant, and invites debate and I love it. You are my hero. (How about that as "praise from others"?
There was a pastor who once spoke for me in Atlanta. He was making the comment, "If you had someone who preached on worshipping trees, chances are good that within 30 days he could find others who would worship them as well." That is a sad and sick comment upon our society, yet true. I believe this goes to a logical conclusion that everyone wants to believe in something....
As to your covering implication; maybe covering is not the word we are looking for. (Especially since the gift, office, or work, so to speak is only attributed to God). Maybe a more accurate word is accountability. The Apostles were accountable to the church of Jerusalem and there is a clear implication Timothy, Titus, Epaphras, and others were accountable to the Apostle Paul and others. Everyone needs someone who can be straight, honest, and "speak the truth in love."
Just this week, a very famous Pastor with a very large church (at one time) died as a result of cancer. His lack of being accountable to anyone for his behavior was legendary. There is, however, a sadder note that feeds into the first comment of this blog reply. Apparently, no one cared and the Pastor, throughout the years, has drawn thousands to his church. What is the answer to this complex dilemna? "On Christ, the solid rock, I stand. All other ground is sinking sand."
Posted by: Paul | April 04, 2009 at 09:56 AM