eDevs

Wednesday, June 5, 2024

EmmDev 2024-06-05 [The Discipleship Journey] Civil Servants #1

Civil Servants #1

Matthew (aka Levi) and Zacchaeus were tax-collectors. Civil Servants. But in Jesus' time, Jewish tax collectors were considered "sell-outs" and "traitors" by the Jews. They were given broad powers and it was easy for them to abuse the system and claim more tax from people than was actually due.

Today we look at Matthew's story...

After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. "Follow me," Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.
Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" (Luke5:27-30)

It seems that Matthew was an honest tax-collector.
We know Zacchaeus wasn't because when he met Jesus, he was moved to promise to pay people back for money he had unjustly taken from them.
We have no record of Matthew having to do this.

What we do have is that Matthew, Mark and Luke record the story of Matthew's calling, his immediate response and the party he hosts to introduce his friends to Jesus.

So here are some observations about Matthew:

He was so taken with Jesus that he responded instantly, left everything and followed Jesus.
Sometimes, meeting Jesus will mean a radical change. It might be lifestyle, job or the company we keep. But when Jesus calls us, we need to be ready to respond.
It is clear that meeting Jesus was a big deal for Matthew, because he holds a party big enough for the Pharisees to notice. We can only imagine a that Matthew experienced the love and grace of Jesus in a significant way. One wonders what it was...
Was it His unconditional acceptance?
Was it the warmth of His love?
Was it the forgiveness He offered?
Was it the peace He exuded?
It's certainly one of the things I'll be asking Matthew about when I get there.
Matthew's party wasn't only a celebration. It was an outreach. Matthew wanted his friends to meet Jesus. This is a mark of a true disciple: they want others to have what they have found.

One of the devastating statistics about Christians is that, in general, the longer we have known Jesus, the less likely we are to share our faith with others. Ironically, new converts are the best evangelists.

This sad statistic does not have to be true of us. I have a good friend who has just reached retirement age and she is still ready, given half a chance, to winsomely and attractively share her faith with a fellow passenger, a waiter or anyone God brings across her path.

I regularly pray that I will be more like her and Matthew.

Tuesday, June 4, 2024

EmmDev 2024-06-04 [The Discipleship Journey] In His Steps

In His Steps

The story goes that when they translated the NT into one of the San (Bushmen) dialects, they couldn't find a word for "disciple". Eventually they settled for the word "tracker".
I'm tracking Jesus.
I'm on the trail of Jesus.
I'm following His steps and going where He went.

It's a lovely picture.

Peter is talking about being "Aliens and Strangers" in a world that is hostile to the gospel. He's been addressing slaves, masters, wives and husbands. In the middle of all of that comes this general admonition to closely follow the example of Jesus.

As you read it, please note the following things:

We're to follow closely - In His steps
We're called to a high standard
It isn't always easy. We may have to go through persecution and insults. After all, so did Jesus.
He did something we won't have to do: He carried our sins. It's done.
We have good reason to follow Him. We were lost, but He found us.

Enjoy this beautiful passage!

For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in His steps. He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. He did not retaliate when He was insulted, nor threaten revenge when He suffered. He left His case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly. He personally carried our sins in His body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By His wounds you are healed. Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls. (1Peter2:21-25)

Tuesday, May 28, 2024

EmmDev 2024-05-28 [The Discipleship Journey] Relationship, Process, Journey WITH Jesus

Relationship, Process, Journey WITH Jesus

Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve--designating them apostles--that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons. (Mark3:13-15)

He called them to be WITH Him...

This is the bottom-line of discipleship.
We are to be WITH Jesus.

Jesus spent 3 years with 12 men.
The "did life" together.
Walking long distances, sharing meals, working, serving, hearing, seeing, experiencing the "rhythms of grace" present in Jesus.

They would have seen how He treated people, kids and animals.
They'd have seen how He was unaffected (and unimpressed) by fame, money and status.
They'd watch Him eat, share, teach and heal.
They'd know that He practised what He preached.
They'd experienced His love and kindness.
They'd seen His righteous indignation and zeal for God.
They knew by experience that He was the real deal.

Discipleship is caught - not taught.
If I tell you I have mumps but actually I have measles, what will you catch?
Measles!

When Peter and John heal the lame man at the gate called beautiful, the Pharisees and Rulers arrest them and threaten them with a very heavy hand. This does not phase the disciples. Here's the observation Luke makes: "When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus." (Acts4:13)

WWJD.
What Would Jesus Do?
This question is key to the transformation of our lives.
But it means we need to have been with Him.

Being with Jesus is a relationship, a process and journey.

People will see it, if we've been doing it.
Have you been with Jesus today?
First prize is that we started the day with Him, reading from His Word, talking to Him in prayer and drinking in His presence.
If your day didn't start that way, it's not too late.
Quieten your soul now, ask Him to be with you, to guide your steps and to walk today with you.
Then, when you hear His whisper, answer.

Friday, May 24, 2024

EmmDev 2024-05-24 [The Discipleship Journey] Called

Called

After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"
As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him. (Mark1:14-18)

In Graeco-Roman times students chose their masters, learners chose their teachers, and philosophers like Plato and Aristotle had followers chose to be with them. Jesus does things differently. He calls us.

Did Jesus know Simon, Andrew, James and John beforehand? There is speculation... There are some who suggest that Salome, mother of James and John, may have been the sister of Jesus' mother Mary which would have made the brothers (aka "Sons of Thunder") cousins of Jesus. Even if they were not cousins, Jesus had been around Galilee for a while and may have come to know them. It is also possible that Jesus was simply guided by the Spirit. The gospels record that He spent the night in prayer before appointing the twelve and so we know that His actions are deliberate and focussed...

What is important for this conversation is that Jesus calls. We are not here by whim or accident. We are called.

What is the nature of this call?

It's away from our nets. This doesn't mean that we all have to quit our jobs, but it does mean that I am not first and foremost an accountant, lawyer or teacher. It's about identity. I am first and foremost a follower of Christ.
We're called to Follow Him. To go where He goes, to hear His voice, to see what He does, to experience His presence, love and grace. We don't have His physical presence like the disciples had, but we have the Scriptures and the promptings of the Spirit. We're to "walk in His footsteps" as Peter puts it in his letter to the church in Asia Minor.
We're called to be fishers of souls. Our new passion, our new identity, is to be focussed on reaching others. We will do this reaching Spiritually with the Gospel and Practically and Emotionally with charity and working for justice and equity in our society

Although we talk about "giving our hearts to Jesus", the truth is that we can only do this when we hear His call.
May you and I respond afresh to this call:

What nets (entanglements) do I need to leave behind?
Do I have a clear picture of Jesus and His footsteps? What's the next step I need to take in following Him?
Can I open my heart to people afresh and anew? He died for them and wants me to reach them.

Use these questions as a measure for where you are right now...

Thursday, May 23, 2024

EmmDev 2024-05-23 [The Discipleship Journey] Reading a familiar passage properly...

Reading a familiar passage properly...

Hi everyone
After a longer break than expected, I'm picking up the EmmDevs again.
I'm going to be exploring a theme that's been starting a fire in me over the last few weeks.
That theme is "Discipleship."
- What does it mean to be a Disciple?
- How do I become a Disciple?
- How do I make Disciples?
I think we're in for quite a journey!
GodBless and Love,
Theo
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Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Matthew28:19-20)

We have heard so many sermons on this gripping, memorable and important text. While it is called "The Great Commission", the reality is that it is often "The Great Omission"!
I remember preaching on this text at Trinity Grahamstown's evening service which was packed with students, and it was all about the first verb in the passage: "Go".

Sadly, many of us have made the same mistake, making this passage all about "Going" and thinking that we have to "Go" before we can make disciples. This leads us to think that unless we are going to Timbuktoo or some other exotic location, we are not really doing the work of the Great Commission.

What is fascinating about this passage is that there are actually four verbs: "Go", "Make Disciples", "Baptise" and "Teach" and these four verbs are not equal in weight...

Three of these verbs are Greek Passive Participles (Verbs that have become more like Nouns) and they serve the task of sketching the background. So, for example, the verb "walk" in a Passive Participle becomes "one who is walking". "Go", "Baptise" and "Teach" are all Passive Participles: "As you are going", "ones who are baptising" and "ones who are teaching"

The remaining verb is a Greek Imperative - a command, an instruction, and the central thrust of the sentence.

So, if one pays attention to the forms of these verbs, then maybe we need to translate the as follows:
"So, as you are going about life, make disciples and as you're doing that you'll be baptising and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you..."

That really puts a different perspective on it doesn't it? The key verb isn't "Go", "Baptise" or "Teach" but "Make Disciples" and we can execute that key verb while we are "Doing Life" (Going). While we commute with others on a bus, train or taxi. While we work alongside others. When we serve with others on a Parent's Association or a Neighbourhood Watch. Whenever and wherever we are, we can be helping others to be disciples.

And a Disciple is a follower - not in the Facebook sense, but the "Tracker"/"Student" sense. This is best "caught" and not "taught" - we have to model it more than we preach it. The turning point is Baptism which is a symbol of a public stand, indicative of the work of God in us and a sign of cleansing, renewal and new beginning. The nature of our disciple-making is Teaching people to be more like Jesus.

And the good news is that we are not alone, He is with us and will unleash His grace and power in us.

Tuesday, May 21, 2024

EmmDev 2024-05-21 [Treasure Cupboard] 20,000 Days

20,000 Days

Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom. (Psalms90:12)

Today is a special day in my life - today I am 20,000 days old.
In August I will celebrate my 55th year in this world, but today is my 20,000th day.
The Scriptures tell us that God's mercies are new every morning. (Lam.3:22-23)
That means that I have experienced God's new mercies 20,000 times.
And that's just His general "because-I-am-a-generous-God" mercy.
That is not even the mercy I experience every time I need forgiveness or guidance or enter His throne-room in prayer and worship or intercession for others.

I'm writing this from the very beautiful Uithoek Guest Farm near Fouriesburg where we have overnighted on our way back from conducting a wedding down at Sani Pass...
Justin and Tayla's marriage is on day 3.
I've been married for 11,456 days and Caleb is 8707 days old.
It's a good opportunity to give thanks and reflect on the goodness of God.
Furthermore, if I'm blessed with good health and God's providence, I will have 30,000 days when I am 81 and 8 months.

My point? Each day is a special gift. I look back on 20,000 days and am profoundly grateful: The good days outnumber the bad days by far and the bad days still had a warm bed at the end of them and I woke up to God's blessing of the next day and the bad day was but a memory.

The temptation is to ask what the next 10,000 will look like.
But I think the more important question is: What will today look like?
How will I live today?

So three questions to ask you:

How many days old are you? (Thumb-suck it or ask ChatGPT...) Take a moment to thank God for the gift of all your days. (Whatsapp me your day-age...)
Joshua tells the people, "...choose this day who you will serve" (Jos24:15) In Zacchaeus' home Jesus says "Today Salvation has come..." (Luk19:9)
Will you give this day to Him?
Do take a moment to think about the quality of each of your days ahead... How do you want to live? How can you be more in tune on a day to day basis so that your next days will be even more full of God's grace?

Thursday, March 28, 2024

EmmDev 2024-03-28 [Lent2024 Exodus Explored] Passover 3 - Excited Expression

Passover 3 - Excited Expression

The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, "This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household... The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. Do not eat the meat raw or cooked in water, but roast it over the fire--head, legs and inner parts. Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it. This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the LORD's Passover. (Exodus12:1-11)

The Final Aspect of Passover is the fact that the Israelites were to eat it with cloak tucked in and sandals on their feet - ready for action. They were to be ready to start the Exodus straight away.

Like the Israelites we also have a journey ahead of us: The rest of our lives here on earth.
Lives we live in the hope of our eternity secured by our Passover Lamb.
Lives we live in the comfort of His fellowship - He meets us in His Word, at the table and in our hearts through the Holy Spirit.

We don't need a pillar of cloud and fire, we have His Holy Spirit guiding and leading us.

We celebrate our Passover, knowing that Jesus laid down His life for us and then took it up again when He rose from the dead. We are ready. Ready to love, to serve, and to shine as we walk into the rest of our lives.

Someone tweaked the children's song: "Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning burning." In the last verse they added "Give me batteries in my torch, keep me shining for the Lord..." and then in the chorus they changed "Sing Hosanna" to "Ever-ready ever-ready ever-ready for the King of Kings..."
That sounds about right!

The joy of "our Exodus" needs to be "Excitedly Expressed" in the rest of our lives. Let's worship Him this Easter and let's enjoy fellowship with God and His people but let us do it ever-ready to excitedly express what God has done for us!

Have a blessed Tenebrae, Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday!
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I am taking some waaay overdue long leave in April and so I won't be doing EmmDevs for a month. We'll be road-tripping and camping - please pray that God fills our tanks and renews our strength.
Blessings and Much Love,
Theo

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

EmmDev 2024-03-27 [Lent2024 Exodus Explored] Passover 2 - Extended with feasting.

Passover 2 - Extended with feasting.

The meal part of Passover is interesting. As a ritual, the slaughter of the lamb and painting of blood on doors is already quite memorable but it is very striking that the sacrifice is extended with a feast.

What does the feast do?

It creates a sense of valuable community: Both with God and Others.
The meal was expensive: They walked through a blood-painted door to sit down at the table.
It reminds us that we have a story to tell: The Jewish tradition is that the youngest child at the table asks a scripted question: "What makes this night different from any other?" and the eldest at the table would say: "Well... on this night God rescued His people from slavery..."
It reminds us that we have a new beginning: The Israelites ate unleavened bread. Yeast is the fastest growing organism that we know of. It was also the symbol of sin. Eating bread without yeast as a rising agent was symbolic of a new beginning, leaving our sin behind us and committing ourselves to the Lord.
The Lamb is roasted and nothing is left: This is reminiscent of the burnt offering which symbolised total commitment to God. Jesus was totally committed to God and to us and gave Himself to us totally.
It is a meal of gratitude for our salvation: They ate bitter herbs with the meal to remind them of the hardship of their slavery and how God had redeemed their sadness and brokenness.

And so the Passover Feast is as important as the Passover Sacrifice.
It calls us to community, our faith is not individual or personal, it is shared and communal. It is an expensive meal that calls us to a fresh start. It is a meal of gratitude and proclamation, but most of all, it is a meal that reminds us that Jesus is our Passover Lamb who gave Himself completely for us.

I wonder if we "feast" enough over Easter? I don't mean eat lots of Easter eggs, I mean share in joyful community and celebrate what Christ has done.

Hmmm, now there's food for thought...

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

EmmDev 2024-03-26 [Lent2024 Exodus Explored] Passover 1 - Expiation

Passover 1 - Expiation

As we head towards Easter, I want to highlight three aspects of Passover for the next three days.

The first aspect of Passover I want to explain is "Expiation".

Expiation: "the act of atoning for wrongdoing or sins, typically through some form of reparation, penance, or punishment. It is the process by which someone seeks to make amends or restore balance for a moral or religious transgression. Expiation often involves acknowledging one's faults, seeking forgiveness, and undertaking actions or rituals to cleanse oneself of guilt or sin." (ChatGPT)

In the context of Moses and the Israelites, the Angel of Death was going to visit the Israelites because they too had been worshipping Egyptian gods. (This is confirmed in Joshua 24:14) They needed forgiveness too.

The act of expiation God gave them was to offer an unblemished sacrifice and to paint its blood on the doorposts and thresholds of their homes.

At Easter we celebrate that Jesus willingly became the expiation for our sins.
He is the "Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." (John1:29)
And because He was without sin, He could die in our place so that we could be forgiven.

We should "paint" His blood at entrance and exit of our day to day lives:
As I start each day, I remember that He loved me so much that He died for me.
At the end of each day, I remember that He paid for all my sins.

Because of His expiation I am a loved, forgiven and restored child of God.

Friday, March 22, 2024

EmmDev 2024-03-22 [Lent2024 Exodus Explored] Exalt, Examine, Exert and Expend

Exalt, Examine, Exert and Expend

(Apologies for the missed devotion on Wednesday - and yesterday was a public holiday...)

We've had nine plagues and the tenth is coming. The Israelites are called to celebrate the Passover and the first thing we must note about the Passover is that it inaugurates a new calendar for the Israelites.

The nation of Israel observed two calendars, a religious one and a civic one. The civic one was announced by Rosh Hoshannah ("Head of the year") and was accompanied by the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement round about our Sep/Oct. The religious calendar started in March/April with Passover and the Feasts of Unleavened Bread and First Fruits.

It's really appropriate for Passover to be a "new beginning". It was the festival that defined Israel's identity. They were helpless slaves who were rescued by God and given a new beginning. They would celebrate the Festival year after year as a reminder of their identity as loved, redeemed and chosen by God.

As we will see over the next few days, the Passover Feast is a powerful blueprint or dress rehearsal for Easter.

But here's the thought for today...
What if we do what the Israelites did?
January to December can be our civil calendar and appropriately it ends with Advent and Christmas - God gave us His Son.
But Easter can mark the start of our religious calendar. It is the reminder that we are loved, redeemed and chosen by God.
As we journey through Palm Sunday, Tenebrae, Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday, may we exalt our rescuing God, examine ourselves and re-commit to exerting and expending ourselves in God's service.