Satan’s Accusations Are True!

Posted by Jim Thornber on January 18, 2015
Posted in: Christian Spirituality, Religion. Tagged: , , , , , , . 1 Comment

“These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved” — Acts 16:17

accusedI supposed someone has to say it, but I’m convinced that not everything the devil says is a lie. Sometimes what the demons in our lives accuse us of is absolutely true, and we need to get used to it. In fact, I think we should learn not only to embrace his accusations, but to rejoice in them as well. Can you imagine living your life in such a manner that when the devil talks about you he tells the truth and glorifies God? I can.

Now, before you write me off as just another heretic, let me explain. In Acts 16, Paul and his companions are in Philippi, staying in the home of Lydia, a recent believer. One day as they head to the place of prayer, they are confronted by a demon-possessed slave girl who told fortunes and made money for her masters.

This girl was literally possessed by a python spirit, which is the term used in the original Greek. The term python was used in Greek mythology for the snake that guarded the Oracle of Delphi, who was the priestess at the Temple of Apollo at Delphi in Greece. After Apollo killed the snake it became a designation for a person with the power of divination. The same Greek term is used for the woman with a familiar spirit at Endor who spoke to King Saul in 1 Sam. 28:7. The slave girl was possessed by an evil spirit that enabled her to tell fortunes.

For some reason, this girl went from making money for her masters by telling fortunes to following Paul and his companions around and shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved” (vs.17). It should remind you of some of the demons who shouted at Jesus in the Gospels, calling Him the “Son of God” (Luke 4:41) and “the Holy One sent from God” (Mark 1:25), and “Jesus, Son of the Most High God” (Mark 5:7).

Finally, Paul gets tired of this true but very annoying publicity and casts the demon out of her. Now, we’ve just read about demons who shouted about Jesus and Paul, showing an accurate acknowledgment of the true character of those they were confronting. Like I said in the beginning, sometimes what the demons in our lives accuse us of is absolutely true. Knowing this has me asking this very bothersome question: If a person with a demon were to follow me around, what would they accuse me of? Just to be fair, what would they accuse you of?

I’m not talking about all your sins. We can all be truthfully accused of greed, lust and hatred, jealousy, etc. But I’m talking about something different. What would the demons who’ve watched you live have to say about your character and the mission of your life? Would they accuse you of being a servant of the Most High God? Would they say your mission is to share the Gospel and tell people how do be saved? What would the demons accuse you of regarding the Kingdom of Heaven?

I want to live my life in such a way that if God ever points to me and says to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Jim? He fears God and shuns evil” (see Job 1:8), all Satan can do is deflect the question because he can’t deny it. Maybe I’m naïve, but I want to live my life so that when I head to a prayer meeting the demons say, “Uh-oh, here comes that servant of the Most High on His way to tell others of the greatness of God.” If I can live my life in such a way as to make that accusation of the devil come true, then I will not have lived in vain.

Are You a Disciple Or Are You Just Saved?

Posted by Jim Thornber on January 4, 2015
Posted in: Christian Spirituality, Church, Religion. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

“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” – Matthew 28:19

make disciplesCan I share something with you that bothers most pastors? It’s the fact that many good church-going people want Jesus to be their Savior, but they’re not too keen on letting Him actually be their Lord. They want to be saved from the penalties of their sins, but they don’t want that salvation to actually impede upon their way of life. They want the comfort of knowing they are saved, but they don’t want to be put upon to bring other people into the Kingdom. They want to ask forgiveness for their sins, but they don’t want to live in obedience to all the teachings of Christ.

This is seen in the ways people invest first in themselves, and then in others. For example, let’s look at the Great Commission of Jesus in Matt. 28:18-20. “Jesus came and told his disciples, ‘I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’” First, Jesus is talking to His Disciples, those who have taken up their cross and chosen to follow Him at all costs. Next, Jesus tells them to go and make disciples. This brings up two questions. First, are you in the process of being a disciple? Not a follower. Not a weekly church attendee, but a disciple, a person who seeks to study the Word, who gets together with other Christians to challenge and be challenged to live the life Christ died for us to have. Hebrews 10:23-25 says, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,  not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Look at that word “spur.” It means to provoke, incite, irritate. When you gather with other Christians you should be spurring them, provoking and inciting and even irritating them on towards good works. It also means when you gather you are willing to be spurred. But we cannot be spurred if we are not gathering, and we cannot be spurred or provoked towards good works if we only show up every once in a while to a church and leave as soon as possible. Still, this hspurs2appens week after week in churches all over the world. But according to the Great Commission, to be a disciple and to make disciples means you are personally investing in the lives of others.

And this is terribly inconvenient. It means you will have to invest the one thing that means more to many of us than money – our time. We would rather pay someone to take our neighbor to the grocery store than actually drive them ourselves. We’d rather pay someone to work on the church than show up ourselves. We’d rather buy someone a book on finances than commit to going to their house for 12 weeks and taking them through the book and teaching them through our own example. I’m very glad that Jesus didn’t send someone else to earth to do His work. He came personally. He took time away from His throne in Heaven to invest His life, and then His death, so He could make disciples. That is what it cost Jesus. What are we willing to invest to make disciples? It will cost us our time, our talents, our personal touch and yes, even some of our treasure. But that is what it means to be a disciple. So ask yourself: “Am I a disciple, or am I just content with being saved?” I don’t know how anyone can think of the price Jesus paid to bring us to Heaven and be content with merely being saved.

Some of you may be wondering why I’m saying this. Why do I teach in a way that provokes, spurs and irritates people? Because I don’t want anyone I know to face Jesus one day, and knowing what He did for you in order to save you from hell, say to Him, “Thanks for the salvation. Sorry I wasn’t really a disciple. Sorry I didn’t find the time to study your Word and or take the effort to make disciples. Sorry I didn’t find it a priority to teach a Bible study or a Sunday school. Sorry I didn’t make it a priority to invest my time in the lives of the people You died for.” I don’t want anyone to be sorry for the way they lived their life after they knew what Jesus did to pay the penalty of their sins. I want people to be able to declare their complete, not their partial, but their complete dependence upon God, and this means doing more than getting saved. It means taking the time and the effort to become a disciple.

So, are you a disciple or are you just saved?

She Kept On Not Leaving

Posted by Jim Thornber on December 14, 2014
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“A prophetess, Anna. . .was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day” – Luke 2:36-37

 

stop1I’ve been preparing for a series of Advent sermons, and one of those will be on Anna, the prophet who saw the child Jesus at His dedication in the Temple. All day this one particular phrase has bothered me– “She never left the temple.”

Here’s a woman who has been a widow for more years than I’ve been alive, yet she never left the temple. She never fell away or became faithless. She could have given up on God because she was a widow after only seven years of marriage, perhaps feeling neglected by God and society. She could have turned her back on her religion because life wasn’t turning out as she hoped. She could have shouted, “It MUST be someone’s fault. I’ll blame it on God! That’ll teach Him.” But she didn’t. She chose never to leave the temple.

In the Greek language this literally means, “She kept on not leaving.” She wasn’t too lazy to head for the door; she intentionally and actively engaged in not leaving the presence of God. Continue Reading

They Are Not My Disciples

Posted by Jim Thornber on December 7, 2014
Posted in: Christian Spirituality, Leadership, Scripture. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”

When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”

They said, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?”

“Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”­ – John 1:35-39

 

catch-and-releaseTwo items bother me about this passage. One, the disciple-making process is a catch and release program. And two, it takes a bit of faith.

But let’s back up. For four hundred years there has not been a prophet in Israel. Then John shows up, and he’s pretty weird. While wearing camel skins, eating locust legs and living in the desert, John stirs up trouble by calling the religious leaders to repent. Naturally, this behavior draws not only the ire of the religious, but also a crowd and a few disciples.

But John knows his place. John knows that he is God’s instrument to point the way to the Christ, but he is not the Christ. John knows he is not the Word, but his words reveal Jesus. This, of course, begs the question, “Do my words reveal Jesus, the Lamb of God, who came to take away the sins of the world?” Not always, but I’m getting off my point.

John knew how to make disciples, and he knew they weren’t his to keep. A wise friend of mine said that Christian discipleship does not come when a person receives salvation. Rather, discipleship comes when you make a friend and take them with you on your journey with Christ. Furthermore, it continues when you let them go to walk with Jesus on their own.

John knew that to be a successful follower of Christ he would have to point others to Jesus. He knew that, for a while, it was okay for others to hang out with him, but one day they would have to walk with Jesus and follow Him on their own. Likewise, there are people who are attracted to my teaching and me. But I must remember that they are not my disciples. I serve them best by pointing them to Jesus.

Each of us must come to the point where we ask Jesus, “Where are you staying?” And Jesus will reply, “Come and see.” This means I can’t know always know where Jesus is going until I follow Him. And I must follow Him without always knowing where He is going.

It also means that sometimes “my” disciples will leave me in order to follow Jesus on their own. This is the way it should be, but I’ve noticed that some people have difficulty letting go. Have you ever left a church fellowship to follow Jesus’ calling on your life, only to discover that those you left no longer speak to you, or if they see you around town, feel uncomfortable in your presence? Yeah, me too.

After resigning my last staff position, a member of the church said, “I’m mad at you.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Because you left my church,” he replied.

“That’s true.” I said. “But I didn’t leave you.”

That didn’t seem to console him too much. I’ve seen him a few times since but he seems uncomfortable with me, and all I can do is pray for him.

My encouragement to you who are leaders is to know when to let people go, and when you do, make them feel comfortable and accepted in the going. Remember, they are not really leaving you. They are following Jesus.

 

 

 

 

The Focus of Jesus

Posted by Jim Thornber on December 6, 2014
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Jesus poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet (John 13:5).

 

Jesus Washing Peter's Feet -- Ford Madox Brown

Jesus Washing Peter’s Feet — Ford Madox Brown

It is the last night Jesus is on earth with His disciples. Knowing that a brutal scourging and the excruciating (from two Greek words meaning “out of the cross”) pain of a Roman crucifixion was waiting for Him, Jesus disrobes, wraps a towel around His waist and washes His disciples’ feet.

If it were my last night on earth, I’d want people to gather around me and tell me how great a guy I am and what a significant impact I made on their life.

Jesus washed feet.

I’d want my family and friends kneeling at my bedside, crying big tears while they sobbed and choked and blubbered about how their life just wasn’t going to be the same without me on earth.

Jesus washed feet.

I’d be looking back over my life, counting and calculating my works and the impact I’d made in people’s lives. I’d be wondering if I could have done more. I’d be worried that maybe God is going to tell me all the different ways I could have obeyed Him better and brought more people into the Kingdom. In other words, I’d be thinking about big about Jim and little about others.

Jesus washed feet.

Jesus had only a few hours left on the earth, and He spent a majority of them teaching others exactly what they needed to live a life for God. Jim would be worried about Jim’s needs at the end of his life. Jesus focuses on the needs of others.

I’ve been wondering just what it would take to respond like Jesus if I knew I was going to die tomorrow. What does Jesus know that gives Him the strength, courage and foresight to look beyond His own needs and focus on the needs of His disciples? Except for the prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus spends the last days of His life talking about the Father, the Holy Spirit and the Kingdom of God, faith of the disciples and the unity of the believers. Even though heaven and earth will one day focus on Jesus and the pivotal point in history known as Calvary, calling it the greatest act of love ever known, Jesus still focuses on the needs of the disciples. How does He do that?

I believe the answer is in Jesus’ statement from the Cross when He says, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46). Jesus knew His eternal well-being was in the loving, compassionate and capable hands of the Father, so He was able to focus on others. Perhaps in some ways I’m still wrapping my eternal well-being in the thin cloak of my good works, so when I think of the end of my life I’m focusing on myself.

Jesus served to the last moment of His life because He knew His purpose. I still struggle with that. I know I’m supposed to love God with all my heart and my neighbor as myself, but it is still hard to keep my thoughts about myself out of the mix. I think it is time to start praying the prayer of Jesus, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” Then, and only then, will my focus be the focus of Jesus.

Not Bothered About Being Bothered

Posted by Jim Thornber on November 28, 2014
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“When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.” — Matthew 14:14

broken-down-carHere’s the scene. Jesus has just heard that Herod, in a warped sense of duty, has presented the recently severed head of John the Baptist as a birthday present to his stepdaughter, who is also his niece, because his new wife, his brother’s ex, didn’t like John. Yes, it’s complicated. Anyway, upon hearing the news Jesus took a boat to what He hoped would be a solitary place. However, His hoped-for solitary place was now full of people and, having compassion on them, He healed their sick. Furthermore, if you keep reading, He also performed the miracle we call “Feeding the Five Thousand.”

Okay, here’s that part that bothers me: Jesus wasn’t bothered about being bothered.

Maybe it’s just me, but I know if I had recently found out that a drunken, immoral, quasi-religious dictator had beheaded my cousin, I would want to go away and find a quiet, solitary place to pray and cry and shout out my pain to God. And once getting there, the last thing I’d want to do is minister to a bunch of people who are more interested in themselves than in my pain.

But Jesus doesn’t do that. Instead, He has compassion on them.

This reminds of the numerous times I’ve seen people working on their car by the side of the road. And instead of helping them, I’ve rationalized (a compound of two words, rational and lies…) how I probably don’t know how to fix their problem, or I need to get to work or an appointment or church and I don’t have time to stop and give them a hand. Hmmm, do I see shades of the religious hypocrites in the Parable of the Good Samaritan?

(NOTE: I had to stop writing at this point and go to work. On my way, I saw a man working on his car at the side of the road. I immediately thought about this article, considered that I needed to get to work, and drove by. I failed my first test of the day at being bothered. . . . . . . . AUGGGHHHHHH!!!).

            However, I also find myself getting impatient with people who interrupt my current agenda, be it writing, helping somebody at my job, or meeting the needs of a customer. I truly desire to live such that no one will see my impatience, anger, or easily bothered attitude. This is why Jesus challenges me so much. Of course, Scripture is rather silent on the ways Jesus might have shown impatience with people. And even though He says things like, “O you of little faith” (Matthew 8:26; 14:31), I don’t think He was showing exasperation as much as His desire for His disciples being able to grasp His main message.

And me? Have I grasped the main message of Jesus? Not completely, and you can tell this by the way I live, or don’t live, His most basic teachings. But that’s really not my point. My point is that the ease with which Jesus moved from pain to compassion reminds me of how far I’ve yet to go to obtain Christlikeness in all my ways. The good news is I’m a lot better at it than I used to be, as any of my long-lasting friends can testify.

So here is my challenge. The next time someone interrupts my agenda, needs my presence, requires my compassion, or (take a deep breath) is broken down by the side of the road, I hope to show the same love and compassion for the person in need as Jesus has shown to me.

 

           

           

 

           

The Poor Widow’s Rich Offering

Posted by Jim Thornber on November 23, 2014
Posted in: Christian Spirituality, Religion, Scripture. Tagged: , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

“A poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins. ‘I tell you the truth,’ Jesus said, ‘this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. . . she, as poor as she is, has given everything she has.’” — Luke 21:2-4 (NLT)

small coinsThis passage is an instant challenge and bothers me for one reason: I don’t know if I could drop everything I have in God’s collection box and walk away.

Yet, that is exactly what this widow did. She took her entire net worth, two of the smallest of Jewish coins, walked into the presence of God, and without considering anyone was watching, especially God as Messiah, dropped them in the collection box and walked away. She didn’t get a receipt, couldn’t write it off on her taxes as a charitable donation and didn’t tell the pastor she no longer had food money or bus fare to return home. She simply gave her all to God and walked away because that was what her heart wanted to do.

Not me. My ego always struggles with acknowledgment. I want the leaders of the church and denominational officials (and truth be told, God, to a lesser extent) to know exactly what I’m sacrificing. I not only want my left hand to know what my right hand is doing (Matt. 6:3), I want them to get together and start an avalanche of applause because I’ve done it. Who really wants to give in secret when a bunch of our friends can get together and give us a big party for all our generosity? Continue Reading

Facebook Christians

Posted by Jim Thornber on November 15, 2014
Posted in: Christian Spirituality. Tagged: , , , , , , , . 8 Comments

“[Jesus] said to another person, ‘Come, follow me.’ The man agreed, but he said, ‘Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.’” — Luke 9:59

Thumbs upHave you ever met people who say they like Jesus or even follow Him, but their life and actions seem to be far from the Jesus we read about in Scripture? Me too. And after thinking about this for a while, I am starting to refer to them as “Facebook” Christians. What on earth could I mean by that? Let me explain.

Whenever I write a new blog, I always put a link to the blog on my Facebook page. As you know, the Facebook link only allows a small excerpt from the entire article. Therefore, I try to make this brief excerpt intriguing in a way that will encourage the reader to click on the link and read the whole article.

What I’ve noticed, however, is how often someone will “like” my excerpt without actually clicking on the link and reading the article. Then there are others will leave a comment that has nothing to do with the main point of the blog.

How do I know all the “likes” I see on Facebook haven’t read the entire blog? Because WordPress tells me how many people have clicked on my link in Facebook. I may have fifteen “likes” on Facebook, but WordPress tells me only three people have actually clicked the link.

Furthermore, I have 149 people who say they follow my blog. This means 149 people get an email notice whenever I post a new blog. Still, I may only get fifty or so visits after posting a new blog, meaning two-thirds of the people who say they are following me really aren’t.

This makes me wonder how many people “like” Jesus without fully reading and studying His Word, and how many claim to be His follower but never really follow up on their commitment. Continue Reading

Answers to Imperfect Prayers

Posted by Jim Thornber on November 9, 2014
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“Meanwhile, Peter continued knocking. When they finally opened the door and saw him, they were amazed.” – Acts 12:16

 

FamilyPrayingHandsHere’s the scene. A group of Christians has gathered together for an all-night prayer vigil to seek God for the life of their beloved friend and leader named Peter, whom Herod has arrested and plans to execute. They are crying out to God for Peter’s life and the prayers take them into the early morning.

Then a knock comes at the front door. A servant girl name Rhoda is sent to see who it is. Rhoda must have been very familiar with Peter to recognize him just by his voice, because she left the gate locked and ran back to the prayer group and told them Peter was here.

And, being the faith-filled, Spirit-led, Holy Ghost baptized believers that they were, they immediately dismissed Rhoda’s news by telling her she was crazy, it was just probably just his angel. Say what? Here these people are involved in some serious prayer but when the answer comes knocking at the door, they don’t believe it. THAT is what I mean by this being an imperfect prayer – they didn’t even have enough faith to think that God would answer their prayers.

What this means for all of us is that it isn’t the “perfect” prayers we pray that finally prevail. It wasn’t the extraordinary faith they all had that moved God to release Peter. In fact, they didn’t show much faith at all. Here they are, all gathered together to pray for their beloved friend, and when he shows up in answer to their prayers, they don’t believe it. So, how much faith does it take to pray for something and then, when you get it, turn it away because you doubt? Not much faith. Not much at all. But what we learn from this passage is it isn’t the amount of faith you have but Who your faith is in. Continue Reading

Who’s Following Who?

Posted by Jim Thornber on November 3, 2014
Posted in: Christian Spirituality. Tagged: , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

“As they were walking along, someone said to Jesus, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’” – Luke 9:57-62

 

PieIn a previous blog I wrote about some of the catch-phrases Christians use that drive me nuts. I’d like to add to that list. It is the phrase that says, “I’ve invited Jesus into my life.” How does a person do that? It makes Jesus sound as if He is a cosmic add-on whose primary purpose is to enhance our current desires and give religious legitimacy to our plans for the good life, whatever that may mean. Inviting Jesus into your life takes on the idea that Jesus can tag along with you, be your friend when you need it, your confessor when you’ve done wrong, your savior when you begin to fear hell. Other than that, you are good on your own. It reminds me of the bumper sticker that said, “God is my Co-Pilot.” Really? Do I want to confess that Jesus is my Lord, my Savior and my Master, only to confine Him to the co-pilot’s seat so that He can assist me in times of difficulty or take over when I can no longer handle it?

In Luke 9:57-62 we have a scene where Jesus and His disciples are walking through Samaria from Galilee, on their way to Jerusalem. As He is walking and talking, someone approached Him and said he would follow Him wherever he goes. Jesus said that the “wherever” will include places that won’t have a five-star bed. We don’t hear anything more from this man. Next, Jesus invites someone to follow him and the man says okay, but says there are conditions first. We don’t hear anything again from him, either. Another person comes up and says he wants to follow Jesus but not just yet. Jesus says, in effect, “It’s now or never. There isn’t a more convenient time.” Three conversations; three dropouts.

As Eugene Peterson writes in Tell It Slant, “We get the message; following Jesus doesn’t take place on our terms. We follow Jesus on his terms.” Or, as I like to tell my congregation, “When you ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior it means you are buying the whole pie. You can’t have a piece of the pie or most of the pie. It is an all or nothing proposition.”

I don’t invite Jesus into my life: I accept what He has already done for me on Calvary and rejoice that He has invited me to participate in His life, which is why He said “I came to give life with joy and abundance” (John 10:10 Voice). Before Jesus revealed Himself to me I didn’t really have a life to invite Him into. I only have a life because I have chosen to follow Jesus, not because I’ve allowed Jesus to tag along in mine.

When I look at some people’s relationship with the Lord I want to ask, “Who’s following who?” Are you truly following the ways of Jesus, or have you just tacked Jesus on to your life like you do His name at the end of your prayers, so you can consider yourself saved and a disciple and insure life goes your way? What we often fail to understand is this road through Samaria and onto Jerusalem led Jesus to a crucifixion at the hands of the people He chose to die for.

            “Lord, please be quick to remind me anytime I start to make You an add-on in my life. Don’t let me expect You to walk behind me and approve of my comfort-filled direction, but to follow you wherever You lead, even if it is uncomfortable and leads to my own Jerusalem. Amen.”