Give All or Most...

To the Young Rich Leader who claimed perfection, Jesus reads his heart and mind and soul - and tells him to sell everything he owns. Not just sell it but give the proceeds to the poor

...and be left with nothing but an authentic trust in the Lord. Genuine Faith.

In Lukes Gospel, in the very next chapter we meet Zacchaeus, a jewish tax collector, seemingly a traitor working for the filthy Romans.

When Zac was acknowledged by Jesus on the road, before Jesus even had an opportunity to personally challenge him, Zac repents.

'Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor...[and to those I've ripped off] I will pay back four times the amount.'

To the Perfect Rich Leader, Jesus had to confront with a heavy challenge in order to see Truth.

To the filthy traitor tax collector, Jesus only had to acknowledge him and he was willing to repent.

What's interesting is what each man is convicted to give to follow Jesus. The Rich Leader was externally convicted to give up everything, it's what he needed to do in the deepest recesses of his heart to see Jesus' righteousness and find salvation.

Zacchaeus, however, was internally convicted to only give half of his possessions, not all possessions like the Rich Leader. Sure he would pay back those he stole from 4x over but Jesus never had to challenge him to leave his home, belongings or family. Zacchaeus understood repentance to find salvation.

From the Garden until today, God desires a righteous and willing heart to connect with. Even more - having a pure heart is great but without action the heart never experiences true holiness. Zacchaeus didn't have to give everything up - his heart connected with Jesus' truth and his actions showed this.

Maybe I need to give more than I have.
Maybe I need to search my heart the way Jesus does.
I truly hope the American Dream and all it's economic instability doesn't pull me down to the bloody depths...

Taken from Lukes Gospel 18:18-30/19:1-10

(R)Evolution of a Beard

Can Hate be Good

Should buying property ever take priority over responding to Jesus?

Should business opportunities take priority over living out truth?

Even marriage, does it come before our relationship with God?

'...any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.' (Luke 14)

I wonder if sometimes it just isn't alright to be comfortable. Sometimes it may simply be counter-Christlikeness to be in the world and live as though we're of it as well. How do you need to 'prioritize' in order to be a disciple? What do you need to 'hate' in order to love God and love others?

Taken from Luke 14

Walls

So this wall separating Israel from Palestine,
a wall 3x higher than the Berlin Wall,
separating people from their land,
from their families,
from civilization,
is designed by Israel in an attempt to...hmm.

This is a people, a tribe, a nation that knows suffering. From the calling of Abraham through the hatred of Hitler Israel has experienced unexplainable wealth and inexpressible suffering.

'In that day the remnant of Israel, the survivors of the house of Jacob, will no longer rely on him who struck them down but will truly rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.' (Isaiah 10:20)

These survivors, people that know separation and suffering...have not chosen to rely on the Lord have they? Not only has the Messiah been rejected, but the House of Jacob, instead of reliance on the Lord and faith in His plan and purpose for them, has become paralyzingly fearful. So much so that a cement wall has become the sole banner of protection for a nation once resting in the hands of The Almighty.

Referring to mans ability to see truth, Jesus notes how we're able to map out the weather - predict the rain and prepare for storms etc. And yet here was the Messiah, standing before their eyes performing miracles and speaking a revitalized Truth. Living a fleshed out Divinity. And the self-righteous men were unable to personally experience this truth, weren't even able to see it.

I don't know if the artist Banksy can see the Truth of Jesus, but I do know that he sees the ridiculous nature of the giant cement wall.

This wall in Israel is nothing new. Maybe it's merely the physical embodiment of the spiritual blindness they've experienced over the last 2,000 years.

I believe many Israelis disagree with the wall. Many believe their God has planned something better. Many who read Scripture know that every human is made in Gods image, that He desires reconciliation with all...not just Israel.

What Walls exist in your town, state, country, philosophy, worldview, belief, understanding, attitude? If this Israeli built wall looks this bad...what do your own spiritual, moral, mental walls look like?

Inside & Within

Imagine sitting in a theater waiting to listen to a fantastic speaker. Your favorite speaker in the world; they encourage you, everyone talks this person, it's a sold out venue, the lights go down, they walk on stage, pause...and look you, the audience, directly in the eyes and say, 'You are a wicked and dirty generation. You ridiculous fools living shameful lives...worse than some of the most vile sinners in history!'

Would you stick around?

While eating with some Pharisees (religious leaders) Jesus didn't wash his hands. Simple mistake right? The Pharisees wanted to make this a big deal, a sin. Jesus simply replied saying, 'you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness...'

Now, before dinner Jesus was in town speaking to a crowd and told them that the 'eye is a the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body is full of light but when they are bad, your body is full of darkness. Make sure that the light within you is not darkness...'

So, if we're dirty on the inside we'll be dirty on the outside. If we're living shameful lives on the outside odds are we're sinful and dirty on the inside. The audience didn't get this. They assumed that by looking clean on the outside they were clean on the inside; in their hearts and minds and spirits.

Jesus came and said...NO!

The inside matters. What you think matters to God. What you believe matters to God. What you desire matters to God. What your eyes see matters to God. What your hands touch matters to God. What you clean on the outside matters to God. What you transform on the inside matters to God. Everything you are matters to the God that made you.

What is inside you? What is within you? Is it light or darkness. Are you clean inside and out?
We have the knowledge, power, wisdom, insight, truth, righteousness, perfection of Christ within us.

Let's not be a wicked generation. Let's not remain fools.


- Passages from Lukes Gospel 11:29-41

LWBC: An Ugly Toddler 4

Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament and the work of God throughout all of history. Let's finish His role in the ridiculously fantastic temple in the History of His people.

4) Table of Showbread: once a symbol of communion with God - Now, Jesus is our communion with God. Not only do we eat bread and drink wine remembering His life and death but He IS the Bread of Life, 'I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry...' (John 6:35). Faith in Christ is what fills us and connects us to God.

5) Candleabra: once a set of candles lit in the Holy Place - Now, Jesus said, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life' (John 8:12). If we carry that truth, that light within us then we too are lights shining in the world (Matthew 5:16).

6) Altar of Incense: fragrant offering to God - Now, Jesus is that beautiful offering, as Paul the Apostle said, 'live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God' (Ephesians 5:2). Likewise, the faith and actions of a Christian replaces the Incense on the Altar, our lives in Christ are a pleasing aroma to God (2 Corinthians 2:15), our lives have been safed from eternal decay and our actions aren't to stink anymore.

7) Ark of the Covenant: once the seat of God on earth - Now, Gods Spirit lives in us, we are the Most Holy Place on earth! (2 Corinthians 6:16). We are the Temple, the church, Gods people, those who trust in Jesus Christ have replaced that gold covered box behind closed curtain and now live out in the open arena of the market, the world for all to see, all the time.

As dearly loved children of God, we are made new and pure and righteous and holy and all that is Christ we are called to be.

Our attitudes, our worldview, how we think, how we view life and live it out...this 'should be the same as that of Christ Jesus,' (Philippians 2:5).

Go and be the Temple of God.

LWBC: An Ugly Toddler 3

The Ugly Toddler, Israel, just didn't get it. No matter how much blood they spilled in order to reconnect with God in a state of forgiveness, they would return to their old life, their old ways, their law that didn't seem to require a heart change.

Let's go back to the Temple. Now we already discussed the purpose for each of the elements, tools or items in the temple (bronze sea, candleabra, etc.), so lets take a look at their eternal significance. Are they more valuable than their physical worth in bronze and gold? Do they have eternal spiritual sybolism...

1) The Bronze Sea: once its water cleansed the priests - Now, the Spirit cleanses the believer from the inside out. In response to His closest friends and students Jesus said this referring to salvation and the purifying Spirit 'A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his who body is clean' (John 13:10)

2) The Altar of Burnt Offerings: once it was the holy place of shed blood and forgiveness of sins - Now, through the death, pierced hands and feet of Jesus on the cross, shed blood and ultimate resurrection to eternal physical/spiritual life we no longer have to shed animal blood. Jesus was the final blood sacrifice. 'We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all' (Hebrews 10:10).

3) Jachin & Boaz: once symbols of power at the temple entrance - Now, we are called to 'be strong in the Lord and his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand...' (Ephesians 6:10).

Jesus Is.

Everything points to Jesus and His power and purpose and love for His people. He became a flesh and blood man in order to show us how much He truly does love us.

The Old Testament Temple was a model of His life and His plan for salvation, unfortunately it (the temple) was imperfect so finally he decided to come and get rid of the temple and replace it with the body of believers faithfully following Him.