Out of this World Power

Are you feeling a bit overwhelmed and powerless?

Did you vote for one guy and get the other?

Did you campaign for an initiative?

Did you have the thrill of seeing the majority of your fellow citizens supporting your initiative?

Have you since learned that those who opposed what you fought so hard to defend are filing lawsuits that will send the whole thing back to the self-serving powerbrokers who’re responsible for the whole thing in the first place?

Are some of your Friends in your Faith Community telling you to pray for those powerbrokers? Are they insisting that God is the ultimate authority and therefore supreme over all powers even those hostile to Him and what matters in His Kingdom?

Today I’ve been remembering some things that I find helpful. There’s an image that I’m recalling as I struggle with conflicting ideas surrounding the whole idea of power. You can see this image at

http://www.art.com/asp/sp-asp/_/pd--12624426/sp--A/Ecce_Homo.htm

The contrast between power and powerlessness is vivid in this painting. Jesus of Nazareth, nearly naked, and bound; surrounded by the powerful and the privileged facing a mob demanding his crucifixion – the most horrendous, barbarous method of execution every practiced by humans – is the consummate symbol of helplessness.

Yet, in that very moment, when He is clearly at the mercy of the Governor, Jesus says this to him. “My kingdom, doesn't consist of what you see around you. If it did, my followers would fight so that I wouldn't be handed over ... . But I'm not that kind of king, not the world's kind of king.” (John 18:36 THE MESSAGE)

“I’m not the world’s kind of King.”

What kind of King is He then?

For me the answer to that question is also the truth I need in the face of the powerlessness I feel today.

Wait! Don’t click me into cyberspace yet!

We, in our postmodern deference to feelings whenever faced with crucial decisions, are less and less convinced that there is such a thing as “truth.” So we run from any consideration that there might be. This poses a serious problem for any supposed Christ-follower. Jesus, Himself, said, “I am the truth.”

His “truth” stands front and center in the painting, “Ecce Homo” – “behold the man.” What He understood to be "truth" - the real meaning of things - was pitted against another "truth."

Who failed that day? Jesus or Pilate? Whose truth prevailed, His or that of the powerful in the world?

Please, put feelings aside for a moment. Jesus was crucified that day. Ironically, though, with His last breath, He claimed victory. “It is finished!” is the cry of a conqueror.

What gives here?!

What gives here is the essence of His “Other Worldly Kingdom.”

Three years before these confusing events Jesus and Satan -- the “Prince, the ultimate power of this World” -- met on another field of battle. It was a “desert place.” Jesus had been battling this enemy for 40 days. The struggle was so bitter that Jesus hadn’t taken time to eat at all during those days. What was at issue was precisely what interfaced on the porch of the Governor’s Mansion that morning in Jerusalem. Two powers toe-to-toe. How will the superior power prove Himself? At first Satan challenged one of Jesus truth claims. "If you are the Son of God," he taunted, "make bread out of the stones that are all around you." Satan's truth assumed that truly powerful men prove themselves by some sort of "power play." Jesus countered. Quoting an Old Testament document known as Deuteronomy He revealed the foundation of His truth, "Humans," He said, "do not live by bread alone. They live, too, by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord." Jesus' life was about more than food. He lived for other-worldly things; for the higher purposes of the "Lord," the God who speaks His truth in the pages of the Hebrew Scriptures. In response, with a bit of sleight-of-hand, Jesus and the devil were transported to Jerusalem, to the highest tower of the Temple. Satan, again, heckled Him. “If you are God's Son, jump.” The Devil goaded him by quoting Psalm 91: “ ‘He has placed you in the care of angels. They will catch you so that you won't so much as stub your toe on a stone.’” Do you get the picture? Satan is insisting that Jesus prove Himself. In the Devil's world anyone powerful does spectacular things. If Jesus is really powerful he’ll prove it by demonstrating His powers. “Jesus countered with another citation from Deuteronomy: ‘Don't you dare test the Lord your God.’” He understood that the power at His disposal was not His alone. It was, in fact, the “power of God.” He refused to use God’s power, even though He’d been promised it, for His own advancement. Undeterred, “the Devil took him to the peak of a huge mountain. He gestured expansively, pointing out all the earth's kingdoms, how glorious they all were. Then he said, ‘They're yours—lock, stock, and barrel. Just go down on your knees and worship me, and they're yours.’
Jesus' refusal was curt: ‘Beat it, Satan!’ He backed his rebuke with a third quotation from Deuteronomy: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and only him. Serve him with absolute single-heartedness.’" (Matthew 4: 5 – 10 THE MESSAGE) Jesus lived that “truth.” He did serve God with “absolute single-heartedness.” The ultimate authority in this “Other Worldly Kingdom,” is God the Father. Jesus would not misuse that authority selfishly. He would give absolute, single-hearted loyalty to His Father no matter what happened. So, that dreadful day, beaten until he could no longer be recognized; in pain so severe no language could describe it; humiliated and ridiculed like no one else ever was or ever would be, He trusted His Father with His destiny.

Do you remember the outcome? Whose truth was proven superior that day?

Saul “Paul” of Tarsus describes it all in detail.

"Though He – Jesus – was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.
Instead, He gave up his divine privileges;He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.
When He appeared in human form, He humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honor and gave Him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2: 5 – 11 New Living Translation)

This is the “truth” that answers the question of our powerlessness today!

Christ-followers, we are citizens of a Kingdom of a different sort. “The kingdom of God, Jesus explained, does not come with signs to be observed or with visible display, nor will people say, ‘Look! Here (it is)!’ or, ‘See, (it is) there!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is within you (in your hearts) and among you (surrounding you).” (Luke 17: 20 & 21 Amplified) Furthermore, “In this world the kings and great men lord it over their people, yet they are called ‘friends of the people.’ But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant. Who is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the table, of course. But not here! For I am among you as one who serves.” (Luke 22: 25 – 27 New Living Translation)

We are powerless by design. Citizens of Christ’s other-worldly Kingdom are, by nature, sacrificial servants. We must, Paul wrote, “have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” (Philippians 2:5) With Jesus as our Master, we Christ-followers will walk into every situation of life in just the same way He walked. We’ll live ordinary lives. Maybe not as carpenters, but as everyday people who are reliable, always show up, give whatever they do their best shot, lookin’ out for the other guy, especially the underdog, taking time to insure that the people we hang out with sense their worth, and always lending a helping hand. We’ll tell folks the truth even when they misunderstand and reject us because of it. The first person in our lives will be our King who just happens to be our Father, “the one in the Heavens around us.” And it will be evident, to all who observe our day-to-day lives, that He’s really our King. There’ll be an undeniable confidence in our stride, regardless of what’s going on. We’ll have an uncanny resilience. And those who’re paying any attention at all will know that our strength is supernatural. It’s not natural for humans to be like that. Especially when practicing Christ’s sacrificial love is costing them everything.

The irony is that the power of such love is undeniable. The man half-naked on the porch that day in downtown Jerusalem is the victor. He, “the Son of Man will be – is – seated in the place of power at God’s right hand.” (Luke 22: 69 New Living Translation) His representatives, like Himself, are suffering servants. In the First Century their sacrificial love overturned a great empire. They did not need an alliance with the “prince of this world” any more than their Master did. They were rarely spectacular about anything they did. Spectacles maybe, but rarely celebrities. Subsequent generations of Christ-followers graced the lifescape of Centuries with a nobility, generosity, and creativity that lead to one of the most exceptional epochs in human history. To this very day, suffering notwithstanding, they are, as one great man described them, people “who have been made new by Jesus Christ, and in whom what they want to do and what they ought to do are one and the same thing ... Spirit-lead people who are the happiest, most lovable, and most creative people in the world.” (Sam Shoemaker)

People like this are never “powerless”! They’re too busy making the most of every breath of life they’ve been given; sharing with folks they love a joy they find even in their travail!

Live Generously ... It's the Right Thing to Do Part 4.

Have you noticed that our journey along the path of history has taken us away from the question of national behavior and brought us face-to-face with a special Community and their practices? This Community is an ever growing company of Christ-followers we know as the Church. The nation they lived in was Rome. It was a worldwide Empire ruled by an Emperor who was viewed as a deity. This community had no say in how things were done in the Empire. Unlike us, on the eve of a national election, they could not look at several possible leaders and choose the one they wanted based on whether or not he or she would honor principles important to them. They were stuck with what they had for leaders and if they resisted they were crucified. It was that simple. But something quite remarkable happened. They practiced this principle of “generosity” in a tireless commitment to the “sacrificial love” of Jesus in their dealings with each other and their world. And their world was radically changed as a result.

Charles Colson, a lawyer once implicated in the notorious Watergate scandal that spelled the end of Richard Nixon’s political career, now a devout Christ-follower and founder of a renowned ministry to prisoners known as Prison Fellowship wrote about the revolutionary influence of this generous movement. His book is titled The Faith. In it he writes, “ … consider the inexplicable (to the world) love and sacrifice Christians modeled in Roman times when devastating plagues arrived. … (A)t the onset of a plague, the wealthy fled to their country estates. But Christians believed each human being was made in the image of a loving God. Instead of fleeing, they ministered to plague victims, often at the cost of their own lives. Their tending to the sick increased the survival rate of plague victims by as much as two-thirds, and this witness attracted many new converts. By acting on the teachings of Christ, without regard to their own welfare, these Christians progressed from being a small sect to the dominant cultural group.” Dominant cultural group? They grew in numbers and influence so radically that the once great Empire was
Christianized and survives today as the widely diverse and worldwide Christian Church. And, still, the practice of “generosity,” in the form of Christlike “sacrificial love” is their trademark.

In “Guardian,” September 12, 2005, Roy Hattersley wrote, “Faith does breed charity. We atheists have to accept that most believers are better human beings.” He went on. “Late at night, on the streets of one of our great cities, that man – a Salvation Army Captain I know – offers friendship as well as help to the most degraded and (to those of a censorious turn of mind) degenerate human beings who exist just outside the boundaries of our society. And he does what he believes to be his Christian duty without the slightest suggestion of disapproval. Yet, for much of his time, he is meeting needs that result from conduct he regards as intrinsically wicked.
Civilized people do not believe that drug addiction and male prostitution offend against divine ordinance. But those who do are the men and women most willing to change the fetid bandages, replace the sodden sleeping bags and - probably most difficult of all - argue, without a trace of impatience, that the time has come for some serious medical treatment. Good works, John Wesley insisted, are no guarantee of a place in heaven. But they are most likely to be performed by people who believe that heaven exists.
The correlation is so clear that it is impossible to doubt that faith and charity go hand in hand. The close relationship may have something to do with the belief that we are all God's children, or it may be the result of a primitive conviction that, although helping others is no guarantee of salvation, it is prudent to be recorded in a book of gold, … as "one who loves his fellow men". Whatever the reason, believers answer the call, and not just the Salvation Army. When I was a local councilor, the Little Sisters of the Poor - right at the other end of the theological spectrum - did the weekly washing for women in back-to-back houses who were too ill to scrub for themselves.
It ought to be possible to live a Christian life without being a Christian or, better still, to take Christianity à la carte. The Bible is so full of contradictions that we can accept or reject its moral advice according to taste. Yet men and women who, like me, cannot accept the mysteries and the miracles do not go out with the Salvation Army at night.
The only possible conclusion is that faith comes with a packet of moral imperatives that, while they do not condition the attitude of all believers, influence enough of them to make them morally superior to atheists like me.”

What Hattersley cannot grasp is that the Spirit of Christ who compelled the 1st Century Jewish Passover pilgrims to follow this God-man changes human hearts. Those changed hearts become like God himself. For them, as Tolstoy put it, “what is good and bad change places.” It is, for them, the “right thing” to be generous. To give until it hurts. Men and women filled with the Spirit of Christ become, increasingly, like Jesus and instinctively practice His “sacrificial” brand of “love” because they have His heart.

For almost 39 years I have believed and insisted that, if the Church of Jesus Christ, Christ-followers wherever they may be found, truly had their hearts changed until the sacrificially loving Spirit of Christ unquestionably determined the guiding principles and real practices by which they lived, any politician offering welfare carrots to the electorate would find he or she had no audience. He’d be beating a dead horse and getting nowhere. For there would hardly be “a needy person” to be found.

It may sound idealistic. But before you dismiss my proposition completely remember. A ragtag band of ordinary folk from Palestine started a movement that, without raising a sword or rousing support for a Liberationist Revolution, transformed an Empire and continues to multiply into the billions on the principle that God will “bless – treat lavishly, generously – all the families of the earth through a people who, like Him, live generously and do so because they’re convinced they are their “brother’s keeper.” Our nation and our world is being transformed by this movement. Jesus of Nazareth is bringing “abundant life” to more and more millions all the time. The “poor” are hearing “Good News,” as they did while He walked this earth. Liberty is a gift of our God. He’s been setting people free since the beginning of time. He will do so now. The most significant thing that can happen this Election Day is a Church wide resolve to reassume responsibility for “feeding the hungry, giving water to the thirsty, housing the stranger, clothing those who need clothes, caring for the sick, visiting the prisoner, bringing Good News to the poor, and sight to the spiritually blind, offering freedom to the oppressed, and extending, to all who will receive it, the Grace of God. This resolve, sealed by genuine repentance for the wrongs we have done, and a new determination to do what is right in the eyes of God, will, more than any other change, make this nation more and more the land our Founders dreamed it would be.
God will bless America but only if we do the right things.

It begins with generosity.

Live Generously ... It's the Right Thing to Do Part 3.

Well they didn’t go Home right away. They continued to live in this Community enjoying fellowship and learning more and more about Jesus from those who lived with Him and learned from Him. It took severe persecution to move them out.

When the “dispersion” had cleared all but some of the Apostles out of Jerusalem you might expect there’d be changes. People returning to their Homes or settling in other parts of the world would resume the lives they’d known before. It would be pretty much normal life in an oppressive “dog-eat-dog” world. But not exactly. As-a-matter-of-fact they still practiced this re-discovered principle. Not much later many of the Christ-followers who remained in the region near Jerusalem were hit with at least one famine. There’s reason to believe there were several similar instances. In this one case the scattered, growing Church took it upon themselves to provide for the needs of these stricken fellows. Saul “Paul” of Tarsus personally conducted a fund-raising campaign. In his second letter to the Corinthians Christians he writes, convincingly, about how this principle of “generosity” would apply to the Christian Community. His instruction takes up most of two chapters, 2 Corinthians 8 & 9. He begins by telling about how one group put the principle into dramatic practice. “I want to report on the surprising and generous ways in which God is working in the churches in Macedonia province. Fierce troubles came down on the people of those churches, pushing them to the very limit. The trial exposed their true colors: They were incredibly happy, though desperately poor. The pressure triggered something totally unexpected: an outpouring of pure and generous gifts. I was there and saw it for myself. They gave offerings of whatever they could—far more than they could afford!—pleading for the privilege of helping out in the relief of poor Christians.” Inspired by such generosity he addresses the Christ-followers in Corinth. “You are familiar with the generosity of our Master, Jesus Christ. Rich as he was, he gave it all away for us—in one stroke he became poor and we became rich.” Apparently these Corinthians were better off than the Macedonians. “You've got what it takes,” he writes. Yet he insists that they “do what (they) can, not what (they) can't,” reminding them that, “the heart regulates the hands.” The funds he’s raising must be given from hearts that are like the heart of Jesus Himself. Not “stingy” but willing to “give it all away,” if necessary, out of sacrificial love. And he reassures them that, “this isn't so others can take it easy while you sweat it out. No, you're shoulder to shoulder with them all the way, your surplus matching their deficit, their surplus matching your deficit. In the end you come out even. As it is written, Nothing left over to the one with the most, Nothing lacking to the one with the least.”

He concludes with one of the most powerful challenges to Christ-followers concerning the way they use their wealth. “Remember: A stingy planter gets a stingy crop; a lavish planter gets a lavish crop. I want each of you to take plenty of time to think it over, and make up your own mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm-twisting. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving.
God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you're ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done. As one psalmist puts it, He throws caution to the winds, giving to the needy in reckless abandon. His right-living, right-giving ways never run out, never wear out.
This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God.
Carrying out this social relief work involves far more than helping meet the bare needs of poor Christians. It also produces abundant and bountiful thanksgivings to God. This relief offering is a prod to live at your very best, showing your gratitude to God by being openly obedient to the plain meaning of the Message of Christ. You show your gratitude through your generous offerings to your needy brothers and sisters, and really toward everyone. Meanwhile, moved by the extravagance of God in your lives, they'll respond by praying for you in passionate intercession for whatever you need. Thank God for this gift, his gift. No language can praise it enough!” (2 Corinthians 8 & 9 Selected Passages THE MESSAGE)

Wow!

This is as articulate a statement of the principle as you’ll find anywhere. The generosity of God is most clearly demonstrated in the practice of Jesus. He gave to the point of radical personal sacrifice. This “sacrificial love,” is the mandate He gives to His followers. “Love one another the way I love you.”

Live Generously ... It's the Right Thing to Do Part 2.

Of course an immediate and valid question would be, “But how does this apply in the modern milieu?” Our nation is far more vast and diverse and our economy, as well as the world’s economy, is far more complex. Can these principles really be applied?

Let’s look at the history of this practice among the people of God. The answer is there.

Consider the citizens of Israel in a little different setting. Thousands of them, some born Jews, others of them converted to Judaism, but all of them living in the First Century Roman World, have come together in Jerusalem for Passover. It’s been an unusually eventful pilgrimage for them. A man, Jesus of Nazareth, whom some believed to be Messiah has been crucified. Some claim He’s been raised from the dead. One of his followers declared publicly, powerfully, that the news of Jesus’ Resurrection is true. His proclamation was extraordinary. Thousands of these pilgrims were convinced that his words were true. They knew he was inspired as he spoke. He and his fellows, men and women, were actually filled with the Spirit of God. They believed in Jesus and claimed Him as their Messiah. Though these converts to Christianity were pilgrims and would soon be returning to their Homes all over the Empire they couldn’t bring themselves to leave right away! They had to hear more about this Jesus. So they stayed. And Luke, an investigative reporter, tells us that all the Christ-followers living in the surrounding area took unusual steps to accommodate them. “(A)ll the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person's need was met. (Acts 2: 44 & 45 THE MESSAGE) Do you get the picture? Later in his account of what went on during these remarkable early days of the Christian Church’s History Luke writes, “The whole congregation of believers was united as one—one heart, one mind! They didn't even claim ownership of their own possessions. No one said, ‘That's mine; you can't have it.’ They shared everything. … And so it turned out that not a person among them was needy. Those who owned fields or houses sold them and brought the price of the sale to the apostles and made an offering of it. The apostles then distributed it according to each person's need. (Acts 4:32 – 35 THE MESSAGE)

Granted we’ve not yet entered the world of modern commerce. But we have looked at a people who, though not a Nation, were an extension of Judaism; converts from multi-national backgrounds, once devoted to the Jewish faith, now Christ-followers. The people of God, they instinctively honored the principle that “generosity inspires generosity.” God’s been generous with you. Share the wealth!
Let’s look a little farther into the history of this practice among the people of god. What happened when all these pilgrims went Home?

Live Generously ... It's the Right Thing to Do! Part 1.

Does God really care about all the hoopla that’s been generated by this Election over the past, well, nearly four years since the last Election?

Actually He does. King Solomon tells us – Proverbs 14:34 – that “Godliness makes a nation great, but sin is a disgrace to any people.” This wise man, given his wisdom by Jehovah the God of Israel and considered by many in his time to be the wisest of all men, knew that there was a “right” way for people to live. He knew that this “right way” was not simply for individuals. It was the path God intended nations, also, to follow. Nations that rejected this “way of God” did so to their peril.

Facing the final days of our Election we Americans must understand that to deviate from the way our Creator designed for Nations will lead to our “disgrace.” We will become the object of ridicule among all nations. But we will, too, fall from God’s favor. What is right or wrong as it relates to every issue we might want to discuss is a most critical question we must ask as we make our decisions tomorrow.

Obviously this is not the forum nor do we have the time to consider all of those issues. But one of them involves our care and concern for the less privileged and marginalized in our Nation and the world.

The fifth book of the Bible, Deuteronomy, is an extensive discourse by Moses, the great Leader of Israel during their Exodus from Egypt. He is outlining the principles and policies that will be their “Constitution,” if you like, when they become a Nation. He talks about so many things. He reminds them that their God is the one and only true God. He reminds them of God’s favored treatment of them. He talks about God’s commandments and principles and how crucial these are to their quality of life. There’s to be one place of worship. Any semblance of disloyalty to God or His decrees must be eradicated. God and God alone is worthy of their allegiance. Moses talks about practical things meticulously. He talks a lot about money. He speaks in strong tones. He’s conveying commands given to him by God. He is telling the people of Israel what is the right way to handle money matters. For example, he explains that every seven years all debts the Israelis owe one another must be forgiven. With outsiders it will be different. With each other it’s all forgotten. “You may collect payment from foreigners, but whatever you have lent to your fellow Israelite you must write off.” (Deuteronomy 15:3 THE MESSSAGE) Now this is generous! However it is not optional. It must be done this way! But there’s more to it. In the very next paragraph he commands, “There must be no poor people among you because God is going to bless you lavishly in this land that God, your God, is giving you as an inheritance, your very own land. … When you happen on someone who's in trouble or needs help among your people with whom you live in this land that God, your God, is giving you, don't look the other way pretending you don't see him. Don't keep a tight grip on your purse. No. Look at him, open your purse, lend whatever and as much as he needs. Don't count the cost. Don't listen to that selfish voice saying, ‘It's almost the seventh year, the year of All-Debts-Are-Canceled,’ and turn aside and leave your needy neighbor in the lurch, refusing to help him. … Give freely and spontaneously. Don't have a stingy heart. The way you handle matters like this triggers God, your God's, blessing in everything you do, all your work and ventures. There are always going to be poor and needy people among you. So I command you: Always be generous, open purse and hands, give to your neighbors in trouble, your poor and hurting neighbors.” (Deuteronomy 15: 4 – 11 THE MESSAGE)

Always be generous! This is the point. Generosity is a right attitude! A “stingy” heart is destructive.

Generosity is a principle God practices. God’s way is always the right way. If He gives away His wealth lavishly then His people must do the same.

In the next paragraph Moses makes one more application of this obviously serious principle. “If a Hebrew man or Hebrew woman was sold to you and has served you for six years, in the seventh year you must set him or her free, released into a free life. And when you set them free don't send them off empty-handed. Provide them with some animals, plenty of bread and wine and oil. Load them with provisions from all the blessings with which God, your God, has blessed you. Don't for a minute forget that you were once slaves in Egypt and God, your God, redeemed you from that slave world.” (Deuteronomy 15: 12 – 15 THE MESSAGE) God has blessed you! Share the blessing with others, even your slaves! Remember, you were slaves once and would still be if it weren’t for God’s generosity in liberating you!
As we wrestle with questions about what’s right for nations – our nation in particular – these excerpts from Moses’ National Policy speech are of major importance. We must manage our wealth with full recognition that we have prospered because of God’s favor. We have been blessed. God has been most generous with us! Let’s be generous. God’s been lavish with us! Let’s be lavish in our dealings with our own “poor” and the “poor” of the world! We live, by God’s determination, in a land of plenty. There is abundance. We will do well to live, as Moses suggested, generously; with “open purses.” Share the blessing – your bounty – with others, even your slaves! For that matter Moses even included foreigners, widows, and orphans among those who must be included in the generous sharing of their bounty. God told Abraham, their Father, that He intended to pour out “blessing” upon “all the families of the earth,” through him and his progeny. He meant it and expected that they would take Him seriously. Broadly inclusive generosity is His way. If it’s His way it is the right way.