Epistle for February 1, 2002
Posted by: ccfmo <ccfmo@...>
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Dr. Curt Scarborough, President FreeWay Foundation February 1, 2002
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In this Issue:
Sermon: Luke 2:43-46
Bible Study: Philippians 1:8-11
Personal Growth of the Minister
PIAC's Spiritual Mentoring Track
"A Day's Journey Away From God"
Luke 2:43-46
How far is a day's journey? That depends on the mode of travel. These days, we are able to travel thousands of miles in a 24-hour period.
But when I was a boy in Southern Illinois, it took us a whole day to travel to and from my home of Benton to visit my aunt in Marion. . . 17 miles away. Of course, Grandpa's 1937 Dodge wasn't extremely reliable. We frequently had a flat tire, and the road through Middle Fork Creek Bottoms near West Frankfort nearly always was an adventurous ordeal.
Luke 2 tells us of Jesus and His parents visiting the temple in Jerusalem where, at age 12, He celebrated Bar Mitzvah. Following this ceremony in which Jesus officially became a "Son of the Law," we find an interesting and instructive account of the journey back home to Nazareth.
A DAY'S JOURNEY
Joseph and Mary's "day's journey away from God" occurred immediately following a high spiritual experience. Often this is the pattern, Elijah's journey away from God, for example (I Kings 19:3,4) occurred immediately following the mountain-top experience on Carmel.
Notice, also, that Jesus did not leave his parents; they left Him. Always when there is a breach in close fellowship with God, it is the man or woman who did the moving away. Adam and Eve are the first
example of this truth.
HOW IT HAPPENS
Mary and Joseph didn't realize . . . for a whole day . . . that Jesus was not with them. Often our spiritual separation is unintentional, merely a gradual, unobserved drifting away from intimacy with God. Isaiah described this subtle wandering in chapter 53, "All we like sheep have gone astray."
Although His parents didn't actually see Jesus with them personally, they assumed He was present in the crowd. Sometimes we make the mistake of assuming God is with us, when He isn't. What a sad commentary on God's chosen deliverer, Samson: "He did not know that the Lord had departed from him," Judges 16:20. Assuming that God is present (as in church, for instance) without actually experiencing Him personally, is a mistake too many Christians make today.
SEARCHING FOR THE LORD
When Joseph and Mary finally missed Jesus, they started looking for Him in the wrong places. Sometimes we, too, use human logic or intensified effort in a vain attempt to restore spiritual communion with God. It doesn't work! When we drift away, where do we start looking for Jesus?
Finally, they realized who had left whom. Then they returned to the spot where they had seen Him last. When we experience a spiritual estrangement, we should return in memory (if not literally) to that spot where undeniably God's presence was manifested to us.
REUNION AND RESTORATION
Although Joseph and Mary had gone away from Jesus only "a day's journey," it took them three days to be reunited with Him. In the spiritual realm, full fellowship takes time. Hosea forgave and accepted Gomer back into his home immediately, but it took a period of time before the original relationship was completely restored.
The best place to look for Jesus after "a day's journey away from God" is in the place where God is working: "about My Father's business," Luke 2:49. Persons seeking restoration of fellowship with God should put themselves in the place where God is manifesting Himself . . . where God is working in power. Frankly, when I find myself cooling off spiritually, I go to a church, one where "Jesus is in the house."
HAPPY ENDING
When I was a boy, frequently I witnessed folks coming to the front pew at church to "pray through." Sometimes a brother on one side of the kneeling penitent sinner would advise "Turn loose!" while a brother on the other side would suggest "Hold on!" Such anxious searching for Jesus is not necessary, if we come to Him with a broken and a contrite heart. He always is available to be found, if we look in the right place.
The story in Luke 2 closes with Jesus going to Nazareth with Joseph and Mary. The message to us is obvious. When we invite Him to to do so, the broken relationship is restored and He accompanies us all the way home. He promised, "I am with you always."
Praying with the Affection of Christ
(Philippians 1:8-11)
I. Concentration: on Paul's prayer for the Phillipians (vv. 8-11)
1. That your love may abound still more in knowledge and all discernment.
2. That you may approve the things that are excellent.
3. That you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ.
4. (That you may be) filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by
Christ Jesus, to the glory and praise of God.
II. Meditation: on the spiritual traits in this text
1. Spiritual vision, v. 9.
2. Spiritual values, v. 10.
3. Spiritual virtue, v. 10.
4. Spiritual vitality, v. 11.
III. Revelation: spiritual discernment regarding these ideas
1. Abounding love results from knowing Christ intimately and discerning His
will . . . spiritual vision.
2. Such love (knowledge and discernment) causes a believer to be pleased
with (accept and commend) things that are worthy, choice, and remarkably
good . . . spiritual values.
3. Spiritual vision (#1) plus spiritual values (#2) produces spiritual virtue:
integrity - "sincere and without offense," v. 10.
4. Spiritual vision (#1) plus spiritual values (#2) plus spiritual virtue (#3) produce
spiritual vitality . . . fruitfulness: "filled with the fruits of righteousness," v. 11.
IV. Applications: as a Christian, I need to cultivate . . .
1. Spiritual vision - knowledge and discernment of God's love.
2. Spiritual values - accepting and commending God's best.
3. Spiritual virtues - integrity: sincerity without offense.
4. Spiritual vitality - bearing much fruit.
Prayer: Lord, give me greater knowledge of Your love and greater discernment of Your
purpose. Help me to prioritize the things which are spiritually excellent and
valuable. Strengthen me to walk in unfailing integrity. Use me to produce
abundant fruits of righteousness. Amen.
Personal Growth of the Minister
by: Dr. David Claybrook, Christ Church - St. Louis
Dear JD (Jesus' Disciple),
It is obvious from your communiques that you are really serious in your desire to grow in your love for Christ, and your effectiveness in ministry for Him. Let me direct you to another mandate Jesus gave to his didciples. "Then he said to them all: 'If anyone come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." (Luke 9:23) Why not stop right now, read the verse again. Jot down on paper what you believe Jesus is saying to you.
The most obvious to me is the point I made with you last time. All of us ministers would like to interpert "come after" as being " minister in my style and power" and surely that must be included, but don't jump over the application of "come after" which simply means to "be with" or "walk with." This is Jesus' main desire for all of us, now and in eternity.
I'm going to resist the temptation to give you a three-point outline on what Jesus requires to follow him. Instead let me zero in on the word "daily." Even though Jesus used it once, I beleive it applies to all three parts of the process. Once we acknowledge that our relationship with Jesus is the main thing, our next principle is to make sure that relationship is good today: not yesterday or tomorrow, but right now.
You see, JD, looking to either the past or the future will cause us to slip into one of two ditches which line our path: condemnation or complacency. Maybe your temptation is to look over your shoulder at the past. Two reasons would cause you to do that: failure or success. At least three times I know I have made major decisions out of fear. All three were wrong. I felt heavy condemnation and would often ask myself and God, "What if I had done this (or that) differently?" Of course, I didn't know the answers and God never ever responded to any of those questions. Finally I learned the God does not live in the world of "WHAT IF." It is a made-up world and he only lives in reality. God is not going to change the past but we must let him release us from it or it will destroy the present and cloud the future. I finally received release from condemnation by seeking God's forgiveness and by forgiving myself.
Past failure can cause us to fear failure in the present and future. This leads to complacency, ie. procrastination. I used to put off many tasks by saying that I was not sure of the plan of action. Later I realized I was afraid I wouldn't do it prefectly. I am trying to learn that, while good planning is important, every worthwhile project will require many course corrections along the way. (Ask the Apollo 13 astronauts.) God doesn't require perfection. He desires excellence. So get started!
On the other hand, maybe your past walk with Jesus has been one of great victory. There is danger here too. I read once that the hardest time to get soldiers to fight is while they are enjoying the spoils of victory. That is true with our walk with Christ. JD, let me ask you a question. Be honest. "Has there every been a time in your life when you were closer to God than you are right now?" If so, you may be relying on those "good old days" to cover your shortfall today. Also past victories tempt us to forecast better days in the future. That's OK unless it takes the pressure off to get it right today. Jesus says, "DAILY." So JD, how is it with you and Jesus, today? Do you need to put the past with its failures and victories behind? Do it! Do you need to forget about our future walk with Jesus with its opportunities for failure and success? Do it! Declare Jesus "Lord of your life" today. Acknowledge death to yourself today. Take Jesus' hand and walk on . . . today! KEEP ON WALKING!
DM (Disciple Maker)
PIAC'S Spiritual Mentoring Track
Since the dawn of civilization, the best method of teaching, and learning, probably has been one
teacher and one student, left alone together. As President James Garfield once said, "Give me a log
hut, with only a simple bench, Mark Hopkins on one end and I on the other." Hopkins (1802-1887)
was a famous American college teacher who served as president of Williams College for 36 years.
This tutorial system persisted through the days of Socrates, into the Middle Ages, where the great
universities of easly Europe - Oxford, Cambridge, Paris - operated on this principle. With the rise of
education for the masses, this system tended to fade away. But, happily, it survives in one unusual
and excellent institution in St. Louis, Missouri: The Pillsbury Institute of Applied Christianity.
Dr. Curt Scarborough, president and founder of the Pillsbury Institute in 1992, is available to mentor
a limited number of mid-career Christian ministers on a one-on-one basis. He will tutor mature
graduate-level students one day per month . . . any day of the week, except Sunday. On completion of a
contracted course of study (approximately 16 months for a masters; 24 months for a doctorate),
a Master of Applied Christianity or a Doctorate of Applied Christianity degree is awarded.
All degree programs are custom designed for individual students. Pillsbury Institute requires
a learning contract between the student and a mentor/tutor on the faculty. This contract specifies
in advance exactly what the student must do to earn the degree. The contract also requires completion
of a major project, including a thesis/dissertation or other type of formal report, plus an oral examination
at the close of the project.
INTERESTED? EMAIL DR. CURT AT [email protected] TODAY!
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Wit and Wisecrack: Twain says: "In order to make a man or a boy covet a thing, it is only necessary
to make the thing difficult to attain."