Vol. 18 No. 04 | January 25, 2016

Once Jesus was talking to His disciples and began to explain to them that He about to enter a time when He was going suffer, be rejected, killed and then rise on the third day. From the disciple’s perspective He as gaining influence and power so they could not imagine things turning in that direction, so Peter speaks up tells Him, “Never, Lord! That shall never happen to you!” (Matthew 16:21-22)

When I read that I cannot help but think of the times when the Lord has spoken to me through His word, or after praying I sense His leading me in a direction I prefer not to go, or when I see a person behave in a particular way that seems beneath me, and I responded with, “Never, Lord!”

Like the time years ago when it seemed pretty obvious that the Lord was leading me into full time ministry. “Never, Lord! Do you realize what that might cost me?” Then, I went into full time ministry.

Like the time several years after having been in full-time ministry for a while when it seemed clear that transitioning to preaching seemed to be God’s plan for me, “Never, Lord! Do you realize how difficult that will be for me?” Then, I started preaching.

There were the times before I was married when I would see a husband behave in a manner toward his wife that did not seem appropriate and I would say, “Never, Lord! I won’t ever treat my wife that way.” Then, I got married.

There were those times before we had children when I would watch parents and proudly announce, “Never, Lord! I won’t ever be that kind of a Dad.” Or, “My child will never act like that!” Then, we had children.

I can remember times when the decisions and direction of the church where I happened be serving went against what I thought was best and I would say, “Never, Lord! This is not what You want, is it?”

It is one thing simply to remember those times, but it is even more significant when you read what Jesus said to Peter after his emphatic, “Never, Lord!”

Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” (Matthew 16:23, NIV)

If I understand what Jesus is saying to Peter, and to me when I say, “Never, Lord!” it is a pretty serious comment. “You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” Ouch! I just thought I was expressing my opinion. I never thought that I might be a stumbling block to Jesus. Never meant to be, nor do I want to be.

The second part of the statement may be even more convicting, and probably more accurate. Although my intentions are to have in mind the “concerns of God” there  is no doubt my interests are more often than not “human concerns.” More specifically, my concerns. I want what I want. So, I pray…

Father, forgive me for all the times I have been more interested in human concerns…my concerns…than I have been in Your concerns. I repent of my selfishness. I will try to do better in the future.

Tom

A Norvell Note © Copyright 2016. Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved.

Vol. 18 No. 03 | January 18, 2016

Suppose someone moved to your community and they are looking for a church. They ask around and someone directs them to your church. They Google your church name, find the link, pull it up, check it out, then call the office number. When you answer the phone they ask, “Hi, I’m new to the community and I am searching for a church. I have heard some good things about your church and I have spent some time on your website. I see your meeting time and have found your location. I’ve had some experience with church but I’m a little nervous about finding a new church. I’m thinking about coming to your meeting on Sunday, but I have a couple of questions Are you a church I can trust? Are you the church I read about in the Bible?”

How would you respond?

Would you say, “We meet every Sunday, sing without instruments, have preaching, say prayers in the name of Jesus, partake of the Lord’s Supper weekly, and take of a collection.”

Would you say, “We believe in the autonomy of every local congregation. Our leadership structure is predominately male leadership consisting of elders (also called shepherd, or bishops), deacons, and in some cases ministry leaders.”

Would you say, “We have ministries and classes for all ages. Groups for senior citizens, young adults, college students, high school and middle school student, and children’s ministries. We offer support groups for the grieving, the divorced, alcoholics, and for those suffering from other addictive behaviors.”

Would you say, “We read from the King James Bible, or the New King James Bible, or the American Standard Bible, or the New International Version, or the original Greek New Testament.”

Would you say, “We believe in God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God given to us by God as an expression of His love for us and instructions on how to live a healthy, holy, and productive life. We believe in Jesus as the Son of God and that is our goal to live according to the teachings of the Scripture, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and the lifestyle of Jesus Christ. And it is our desire to share the love of God and the message of Jesus with as many people as possible. And we believe the best way to share that love of God is by loving one another and serving the world. We believe that if we adhere to these teachings, and follow the lifestyle of Jesus as closely as possible lives will be changed, souls will be saved, people who have lost a vision for life will regain it, people have been crippled by sin and addictions and the schemes of the Devil will learn to walk freely and vibrantly again, those who have had their lives ruined by sin and destructive behaviors will be restored to life abundantly, and the good news of Jesus will bring hope and joy and peace to all people.”

Once, while in prison, John the Baptist, heard stories about the man known as the Anointed One’s teachings and healing. Matthew 11 records his confusion, his question, and Jesus’ response.

Quite frankly, John is perplexed. He has been awaiting the Anointed, but he believes that person will be a great political ruler, a king, or a military hero. Jesus seems to be all about healing people and insisting that the poor and the meek are blessed.

So John sent his followers 3 to question Jesus.

John’s Followers: Are You the One we have been expecting as Savior for so long? Are You the One Scripture promised would come? Or should we expect someone else?

Jesus: 4 Go back and tell John the things you have heard and the things you have seen. 5 Tell him you have seen the blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers cured, the deaf hear, the dead raised, and the good news preached to the poor. 6 Blessed are those who understand what is afoot and stay on My narrow path. (Matthew 11, The Voice)

Tom

A Norvell Note © Copyright 2016. Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved.

Vol. 18 No. 02 | January 11, 2016

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.’Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.’” (Matthew 6:1-4 ESV)

Jesus introduced a new concept to his followers when He instructed them to do their good deeds and kind acts in secret instead of making a who of it. He followed up this discussion with similar discussions on prayer, and fasting. His message is simple: when you do these things do them quietly and without drawing attention to yourself.

Apparently that was a problem for religious people in Jesus’ day. Jesus criticized them for the way they loved to show-off with their acts worship. When they gave they enjoyed people around knowing how generous they were. When the prayed they loved to perform as if on stage using flowery and pious language, being long and repetitious, and making sure they were recognized for their godliness. When they fasted they made sure everyone knew the sacrificial act of worship they were engaged in. Long faces. There was possibly moaning and groaning about the lack of food.

Jesus says to His disciples, “This is not the way we do things.” The same wisdom should still apply.

As disciples of Jesus, when we do good things, just do them. It is not necessary to call attention to it. It is not necessary to get credit. It is not necessary to hear a “Thank you.” It is not necessary to be repaid. If you intended to do a good thing, do not ruin it by letting everyone around you know what you did. It is enough for the Lord to be praised for the good you do.

When you pray, especially in public, be quiet about it. When you pray use your simple everyday language. It is not necessary to develop a holy sounding speech pattern. If you say a prayer before your meal in a public, don’t announce to all the others in the restaurant, just say your prayer. You are talking to God, if others hear you, so be it. If they do not, so be it.

And when you fast, do not tell anyone. Do not announce it in your Sunday School class or small group. Do not ask them to pray for you because you are fasting. Wash your face. Take a shower. Keep a pleasant look on your face. If someone notices you not eating and asks you about it, just give them a polite, “I’m just not eating today” and be done with it.

For Jesus, and for Jesus people, it is not about the show. It is about going about the life quietly, simply, and without drawing attention to what you do. It is not necessary to announce, “Hey everyone I’m about to do something that looks like Jesus. Watch me!” Just be like Jesus. Let the show end.

Tom

A Norvell Note © Copyright 2016. Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved.

Vol. 18 No. 01 | January 4, 2016

Early in the chapter Paul wrote, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” (Colossians 3:1-4, NIV)

At the end of the chapter he writes, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:15-17, NIV)

These thoughts surface from this text.

There is an appropriate posture we take once Jesus Christ raises us from death. Our hearts and minds are set (corrected, fine-tuned) to focus on things above. We stop giving so much of our attention to the things of this world and the things of the earth. We look up toward Jesus. We “fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” (Hebrews 12:1-2, NIV)

Once the position of heart and mind is adjusted we, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…” Peace rules your heart. Peace controls your heart. Peace. Real lasting and often peace that passes understanding leads us wherever we go. Peace — a peace that changes lives and goes against the grain. What an opportunity we have to go into the world and be messengers of peace. Because we have been raised with Christ, we have that opportunity.
We “let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” When the message of Christ dwells in us can we help but share it, teach it, sing with gratitude? The answer is no we cannot.

Since we have been raised by Christ with Christ we do,“Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Imagine living in a way where you are thrilled about your life. Because of our relationship with Christ we have the opportunity to live with energy. Because of our relationship with Christ we have the opportunity to live with gratitude. Because of our relationship with Christ we have the opportunity to live robustly.

Today you have an opportunity to make a difference in the world around you. That opportunity exists because you have been brought from death to lift by Jesus Christ. Let this be the beginning of not just a new year but a new way of living.

Tom

A Norvell Note © Copyright 2016. Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved.