"Hearing, Thinking, Doing"

"Post this at all the intersections, dear friends. Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God's righteousness doesn't grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life." James 1:19-21 MSG












I read this passage to my Bible class last Sunday morning and it generated much discussion about how the prevalence of anger has impacted all of human society. Learning to follow Jesus today is just as challenging today as it was in the mid first century when James wrote these words. Jesus taught and modeled a challenging new way of hearing, speaking and doing. In fact much of James' letter exactly mirrors Jesus' words from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5,6,7) with several direct quotes from Jesus' sermon.

For me, Eugene Peterson's (The Message) interpretation of the above passage speaks to the modern mind in a way that is unmistakable, undeniable and absolutely striking. Make your own comparison:

"My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life God desires. Therefore get rid of all mental filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you." James 1:19-21 NIV

As a follower of Jesus you face the same gut check challenge that your brothers and sisters in every age have faced - allowing God, through the Holy Spirit, to completely remodel your inner world. The process is always "snail-pace" slow because changing our thinking requires:

1. New information which we obtain from hearing, reading and observation
2. Asking questions of those we trust to speak truth (spiritual mentors)
3. Trying out what we learn at every baby step in order to make needed adjustments
4. Sharing what we learn with others in our life who are where we were

What all of that means is simply get your life involved with a Jesus following, Bible teaching church that makes your spirit feel humbled but excited! Surround yourself with people who have the joy of salvation and forgiveness evident in their faces, their words and their families. Consistent worship with this kind of church is an absolute must because none of us can get to heaven alone, which is why Jesus built his church and gave us his Spirit as a true gift.

James' three guidelines for building a righteous life pose a challenge. "Quick to listen" simply means quit talking so much and listen a lot more than you talk. "Slow to speak" means pay attention to what comes out of your mouth and learn to discipline your words before they are spoken. You don't always need to say everything you think. "Slow to become angry" means exactly what it appears to mean, keep your anger in check. Think about what pushes your hot button, seriously!

The payoff is enormous - God will use all the means at his disposal (which is a bigger thought than the human brain can even conceive) to "landscape you .... into a salvation-garden", the righteous life God wants all of us to experience to prepare us for eternity in his beautiful house.

Some final words to ponder from James 2:12-13 NIV

" Speak and act as those who are going to -be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!"

THAT my friends, is a whole mouthful of truth. Please let it filter into your life and relationships.

Until next time, keep on giving God the glory!

"Learning To Get Rid Of Some Stuff"

We all have "stuff" don't we! Not the stuff you have stored in your garage or that unused room in your house that you won't allow anyone to go into. Not even that storage unit you have been paying for all these years filled with stuff you haven't even looked at or thought about in a long time. No, we're talking here about the "stuff" that makes you feel guilty because it is useless in your walk with Jesus and you know it but somehow holding on to it seems oddly comforting. It's YOUR stuff.

One of the favorite "sidesteps" I've heard (and used on occasion too) is this old worn out way of trying to rationalize my "stuff"with the statement, "Well, that's just how I am. Yes I have a quick temper and you don't want to rattle that big dog's chain." Sometimes I've heard it in this way, "My daddy/mother was that way and I am too." Or try this one on for size, "Hey, I'm only human!"

As a new follower of Jesus, one of your greatest challenges, and the one with the greatest payoff, is learning to think right. I have no idea what kind of "stuff" you are guarding in your life. But, as a minister and church elder for a lot of years, I know that whatever hits your hot button and makes you want to tear down the walls when a teacher or preacher shines the light of God's word on your "stuff" should be a wake-up call for you. It might be your relationship with your spouse or someone in your family. It might be what you spend way too much of your family's income on for no spiritual benefit. It might that you whine about not having this new thing or that you have no friends or .... on and on and on.

Listen folks, Jesus died to give you the only true PRICELESS gift and that gift is God himself. In his moving prologue to his gospel, John wrote -
      "No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side
       has made him known." John 1:18 NIV

Before Jesus came, the world was held in the iron grip of fear and pagan superstition.  NO MORE! We can now KNOW God as our Father because the greatest gift of the gospel of Jesus is God the Father. The true sense of John's statement is this - being at the Father's side from eternity, Jesus brought him out, made him visible, understood, literally unfolded him. Because of Jesus, anyone can now know God as he really is, a Father who only wants the very best for his kids.

I think Paul said it clearer and better than I ever could at Romans 12: 1-2  -
      "I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and
       holy sacrifice, acceptable to God which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not
       be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you
       may prove what the will of God is, that which is good, acceptable and perfect." NASB

Take some time to sit alone and think clearly about your own "stuff". Please realize that God is not trying to make your life a daily exercise in boredom. He only wants to transform the way you think through the blood of Jesus and his Holy Spirit so that you can see him and learn to think his thoughts. He wants to be your FATHER. You must lay all of you on the altar of sacrifice. Only then can transformation begin. You may not jettison all of your "stuff" right away but make a start somewhere with something. You will be proud of who you see in your mirror and those around you may be shocked. But your Father will stand up and cheer.

Be blessed until next time.

"An Unconditional Follower"

Many years ago in an Indiana town I was preaching in a revival type meeting and an older gentleman came to be baptized at the conclusion of the service. We talked briefly and he affirmed his faith in Jesus as Lord but when he came out of the dressing room he stopped at the baptistry and asked me to wait a moment. He turned and went back into the dressing room and came out carrying his wallet. I hadn't seen this happen before so asked if he was afraid someone might steal his unguarded wallet. His reply went something like this: "No sir but I have lived all of my life for selfish things and now I want to follow Jesus all the way so I think I need to baptize my wallet too!" I didn't argue with that.

One of the hardest things Jesus ever said, at least in my mind, is these words:
      "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his
       brothers and sisters - yes even his own life - he cannot be my disciple. And anyone does not
       carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:26-27 NIV

To me, the word "hate" is such an ugly, unnecessary word in this context. I fully understand hating sin and the weaknesses of the flesh all of us struggle with. I get it that we must learn to love those who see us as enemies and vice versa. But my parents, my wife and kids, my brothers and sisters? Even my own life?! Then there is this word "cannot". That word is emphatic and has no hope in it. For a long time I have struggled to understand what Jesus is telling me to do because I too am an "anyone".

I have come to realize that Jesus' words must be interpreted within the context of the moment. Luke says that Jesus was being followed by large crowds who traveled with him. Not much different from today. Probably most of them were merely curious to see the next miracle he would perform than what he had to say. Or maybe these large crowds were just checking him out to compare him with the reported 60 or so others who had come on the scene claiming to be the Messiah. He did have a reputation of being somewhat subversive in his teaching about their religious leaders and the rules and regulations they had been taught all their lives.

In today's context, being a "church goer" or a "believer" is not the same thing as being a true "follower" of Jesus. The word "disciple" literally means putting your feet into the footprints of Jesus and walk where he walks. To do that, you must keep your eyes on him, not your parents or your family or even your own likes and dislikes. Many of those early Christ followers were ostracized, disinherited and disowned by their own families simply because of their faith in Jesus. Read the book of Hebrews carefully and you will understand that many of them were turning back to the familiar Judaism they had been reared in. The social pressure had to be enormous for Jews and Gentiles alike.

Is Jesus telling me that I must gather my parents and my family together and tell them I "hate" them? I hope not because I could never do that. I love them. So, I have to use a little common sense here and see Jesus' words in a realistic way. I need to be shocked into the reality that nothing and no one in my life is as crucial as my relationship with Jesus as Lord. He will be first or not at all. Is that difficult to do? I'll let you answer that for yourself.

My new brother or sister, following Jesus is a whole new way of thinking about how I relate to others, even in my own family. It can cost you relationships that you have had all your life but please don't surrender to the pressure that seeks to elevate any of them above Jesus. There is no conflict between being a Jesus follower and other relationships in your life. He wants you to be a model for them of what the love of God really is so take some time to read Matthew 5, 6 & 7, the Sermon On The Mount, and write down the specifics you find there about how to relate in this new way in your world. Above all, pray for guidance from the Holy Spirit to lead and instruct you. He is your guide in all things related to discipleship.

Be blessed until next time.

"Following Jesus Is A Learned Lifestyle"

After nearly a decade of blogging on "The Hallelujah Chorus" I have decided to create this new effort to try to reach out to a very special target group of folks who are new to following Jesus. Although what I write is easily appropriated by anyone who is seeking a deeper relationship with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, my primary aim is to encourage those who are new in Christ. Actually, I have to confess that I really have one particular, very special person in my heart for this project. As a new follower of Jesus only since the end of December 2013, she is mine and the Rose's newest daughter in Jesus. But, I have never seen one more excited and proud of what God is doing in her life.

During my half century of ministry and church leadership I fear I haven't done a good job of preparing most new disciples of Jesus for the ministry he has called all of us into. I've always known that to be a vital part of Jesus' commission to "make disciples.....baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." (Matt 28:20) However, I have no way of knowing how many of the thousands I have shared the good news with and/or baptized into Jesus learned to actually follow him as Lord. I pray every single one of them is still on that divine upward journey. 

Okay, so here we go.

Following Jesus isn't complicated but doing so can really complicate your life. All you need do is read about how Jesus' early disciples struggled to incorporate all he taught and modeled into their daily lives. Peter had a very difficult time getting past the racism his Jewish upbringing had drilled into him about all non Jews. Judas was fine with betraying Jesus to the Jewish leaders despite all that he saw and heard from him because he just didn't fit Judas' expectations of Messiah. Jesus' Apostles engaged in what might have been at least a 2 year argument over which of them was at the top of their "pecking order". Jesus taught them there is no hierarchy in his kingdom. Only servants who seek the welfare of others.

Here is how the mighty Apostle Paul learned to see this journey every disciple of Jesus must take:

     "One thing I do; forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press

       on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us

       who are mature think this way." Philippians 3:14-15 ESV

"Pressing on" with "upward" thinking is the road to maturity as we are Learning To Follow Jesus. Learn patience with yourself and others in your life. Always know that what Peter learned is true for you too:
      "Be self controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking
        for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your
       brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same sufferings. And the God of all grace
       who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will
       himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast." 1 Peter 5:8-11 NIV

Please feel free to share this with anyone you think can be encouraged by it. We will get down to more real nitty-gritty as we go along. The address is www.kentsutherlandnewblog@blogspot.com.
Til next time Be Blessed!