Kindle Notes & Highlights
by
R. Ashbrook
Read between
January 22 - February 11, 2019
Beginning her prayer time with a Bible verse, she would spend most of the hour sitting silently with a listening heart, as she did when Jesus was physically there.
She began to realize that she didn’t have to tell God how to run the universe. She could simply hold her concerns before Him, verbally or silently, and trust Him as her Good Shepherd.
He then had the group spend at least five minutes in silent prayer.
Lillian flabbergasted herself when she spoke up and defended Pastor Jim, “Maybe if we listen to God more, He might just guide us through the problems we’re facing.” She went home from the last Elder meeting actually inspired. Jesus seemed present.
“Margaret, that floor looks absolutely beautiful. Why, it makes the whole room shine with light; makes it a happier place.”
Not only were things disorganized, but now he realized that it had all felt empty, like a store without merchandise, or a play without actors, or…, he said to himself, “like religion without Jesus.”
Aaron’s wife commented about how good Pastor Jim’s sermons had been lately. “Instead of just being fed information,” she reflected, “I feel like I’m being introduced to a person, to Jesus. I really like the way the pastor talks about Him.”
The next day, Barry sold some of his best cattle. He cashed the check and put exactly five thousand dollars in a sealed envelope and included a note. “A dog can be a man (or boy’s) best friend.” Of course the note and envelope were unsigned. Pastor Jim found it the next Sunday on the pulpit, with another inscription written on the envelope, “Open AFTER church.”
All the “wind-and-weather” niceties exhausted in the nine holes, meaningful conversation now seemed appropriate. Jim opened with an honesty surprising among clergy.
“Let’s agree to pray about it first, though, check it with the Lord, and see if we’re as excited about it next week,
You see, Jim, I’ve established two levels of calling on your life. My “first order call” invites you to live as my beloved; that’s the foundation for abundant life. But there’s more, much more. My “second order call” invites you to follow me.”
“Before the beginning of time, I looked into the future and saw you and loved you – not just people in general, Jim, but you specifically. I longed for you to work with me in redeeming the world and establishing my Kingdom here on earth; I wanted you to be my partner, my coworker, my companion in my Father’s plan of mercy. But for that to happen, here and now, you have to learn to follow me.”
Using your own wisdom to try to build my Kingdom, you asked me to bless and empower the strategy that seemed right to you. When things went well, you basked in the accolades of others rather than in my love; when things went wrong, you blamed me. You asked me to follow you rather than help you follow me. When you did try to follow me, you did it as though I wasn’t really here. We need to turn all that around.”
But I don’t know how to turn that around, to follow You. It is one thing to have you sitting in my office, but it’s another when I can’t see or hear you. I still think You’re asking the impossible.”
can I
Barry almost sputtered, “That sounds easy enough when I can actually see You and hear Your voice, but what about the rest of the time?” Then Barry became more honest. “Besides, I’m afraid that You’ll ask me to do something that I don’t want to do or can’t do.”
With the inner wisdom of the Holy Spirit, you’ll know how to be present to others with a word, or just a kind smile. If people’s hearts hunger for me or seek me, even in the slightest, they’ll receive my touch in a profound way through you. That person may never know what’s happened, but a seed will have been planted. In the same way, your kindness may water a seed that I planted through someone else. You’ll be surprised to see what happens, not because you worked at it, but because you were attentive and responsive to my Presence. In time, following me becomes the most natural thing, and
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People make a mistake by trying to turn my giftings into programs for others.
Jesus looked Jim in the eyes and said, “Jim, in the Kingdom of God, leadership really means followership. You don’t have to be able to see and hear me physically to follow me; there’s another way.”
Manipulation does that to people; it enslaves them. You don’t want to be treated like a puppet on the strings of an unpredictable puppet master, do you?” Jim shook his head, and Jesus finished His thought, “The Father and I designed a better way. Here’s how it works, Jim. I exercise my Kingship in this world largely through adoption and transformation.”
As I said before, we bring in the Kingdom together. So, returning to our original question about how I exercise my Kingship, You see that much of what I do in the world is accomplished through my adopted family.”
sided
Jim sat thoughtfully for several minutes and then responded, “I think I get the adoption part; could you tell me about transformation?”
“No, lots of things would have to change. She would have to learn English, learn to ask for food rather than steal it. A doctor would need to treat her maladies, like the parasites she’s carried all her life. Becoming part of a new culture is no easy thing either. When you’ve been so abused, learning to be honest and trust others would take time and courage.” Then Jim got the point, “She would have to undergo a huge transformation, wouldn’t she? I think I get it.”
Jesus grinned at Jim’s astonishment and said, “I think of things like this.”
They needed the transformation of a new identity, a new sense of security in my love, a new dependence on the Holy Spirit, new vision by seeing through my eyes, and a new strategy of life by following me.”
Many believe, but they do not present themselves as a living and holy sacrifice. They don’t surrender their old dependencies and identities and receive the transformation that I offer. Most don’t understand how broken and wounded they’ve become until something challenges them to embrace radical change. It would be the same for our little Indian girl if she didn’t recognize her need or refused to learn the new ways of her adopted family.
That’s the right start, but my brothers and sisters must use their own wills to really desire to become like me and to love and obey the Father the way I do. They have to want it!
Jim pictured the scene again, brightened, and offered, “She was teaching her kits to fight, to learn how to attack their pray so that someday they could hunt food.”
Jesus went on, “That’s the Holy Spirit’s role with knights of the Kingdom of God. The Spirit teaches you how to use the power of God with the gifts of the Spirit, and then He becomes the communication link with the Commander and Chief, the King. Remember Ephesians 6:10?”
Jim thought for a minute and then responded with a frown, “It would be easier if I could just read them.” Jesus nodded, so Jim turned to Romans 12 and listed prophecy, service, teaching, exhortation, giving, leadership, and mercy. From 1 Corinthians 12, he read word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, working of miracles, prophecy, distinguishing of spirits, various kinds of tongues, interpretation of tongues. Finally Jim turned to Ephesians 4 and listed the gifted roles or functions recorded there: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers.
You’re given the gifts freely, but like the young knight, you have to learn how to use them and how to cooperate with me and with those who have other complementary gifts.” Jesus paused to let Jim catch up.
First, we’re adopted when we receive You as our Lord and Savior and accept Your forgiveness for our sinful condition and acts.” He took one step across the grass. “As adopted children of God, we gain all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of your family. However, we have been deformed and wounded by our own sin, the world we live in, and the devil’s schemes. We need the healing and equipping that will allow us to live out our new adopted identity. So, second,” taking another big step, “Your Holy Spirit fills us with His presence and begins a heart transplant so that we can fully
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“You see now, Jim? Yes, I have overcome the world. I have won the final victory. But I have entrusted the battle for my beloveds into my children’s hands, into your hands, Jim. You all have my wisdom and power available to you, the very Spirit of God; but they are your swords to wield. My followers write the history of this town, for better or worse. The extent to which I am recognized, known, and followed by the people of Emmaus stands largely up to you and the others here who know me. People will decide how they’ll respond to your witness, but they can’t respond unless they’re at least
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He turned to Colossians, the third chapter and read the well-known verses in Col 3:5, “Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.” The list seemed so starkly evil. Surely these things no longer posed a problem for him.
Then his attention gravitated to the other aspect of transformation they discussed. “Not only do we have to become like Jesus in the way He relates to the Father and to others,” Jim thought, “but we have to learn how to follow our King in bringing in the Kingdom.” Jim had always recognized his responsibility to share the Gospel with others and invite them to receive God’s grace for salvation. He understood his call to disciple new believers, teaching them to read the Scriptures, to pray, and to get involved in the life of the church. But he never really recognized his responsibility to
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It bothered them because it represented a change more than anything else. They had developed a sort of routine with Jesus.
as though they’d been suddenly catapulted onto an amusement ride that flung them in all directions at once.
And as a family, we live as believers together. In fact, it’s the only way we live.”
I know that you are not each other’s favorites, but I chose you as a group for a reason that you will eventually come to understand.
My family consists of people who know, trust, and love me, and hopefully, one another.
Then he turned to Jesus, “I am so sorry, Lord, for being so skeptical, so unbelieving. It’s amazing that You didn’t chuck the whole thing.”
I thought that Jesus only spoke to people through the Bible.” Then he looked up at the group and grinned, “You know it’s a lot safer that way!”
Remember, not a word, even to each other for now.
But they realized, at the heart of their disbelief, lay an underlying sense of self-degradation that found it almost impossible to believe that God would care enough about them to make such a thing happen.
The Bible may say that each one of us is called by God, but who really believes it? They reflected about the ways they’d tried to live on their own, while professing to believe in Jesus.
can’t believe the number of things I never prayed about! I assumed that Jesus was off somewhere doing more important things, and I only needed to try to get His attention for BIG issues like Elaine’s death.
It’s amazing that God wants to help and guide me with everything I do. I never even considered a partnership.”
“Can I really expect Jesus to be so aware of what I’m doing that He can become intimately involved? I’ve pictured God looking at me through a long-range telescope, getting the big picture. He only zoomed in for really big deals. All that changes with Jesus here, present. I’m not sure I know how to live in such an up-close way.”
Barry, Lillian, and Jim crossed paths several times that week, but they only nodded and walked on. To stop and talk would be out of the question. All their reflections and questions would flood out like a dam-burst and the wonderful adventure would evaporate. As their curiosity increased, it felt as though next Monday would never come.
