"Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults-unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging."
One of my recent prayers has been for God to help me with my critical spirit--when I have it, when I want to have it, when I don't know I have it. How can I more frequently simply live my part in the story?
"Don't reduce holy mysteries to slogans. In trying to be relevant, you're only being cute and inviting sacrilege." What does this say to seeker-focused worship?
"Don't bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need."
"Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Add up God's Law and Prophets and this is what you get."
"Don't look for shortcuts to God...The way to life-to God!-is vigorous and requires total attention."
"Be wary of false preachers who smile a lot, dripping with practiced sincerity. Chances are they are out to rip you off in one way or another. Don't be impressed with charisma; look for character. Who preachers are is the main thing, not what they say. A genuine leader will never exploit your emotions or your pocketbook."
"What is required is serious obedience--doing what my Father wills."
"These words are foundational words, words to build a life upon. Work them into your life."
"Jesus was living everything he was saying...it was the best teaching they ever heard!"
It's hard to believe that this was the "best" teaching they'd heard, as offensive and counter-cultural as it was. In some ways makes me ask Jesus' question: "Why do you call it good?"
EP: "Jesus says be poets (doers). Make something of these words I've spoken to you. Make a life, epic and poetic. And make it beautiful. Make it a work of art."
"Master, if you want to, you can heal my body." "Your cleansed and grateful life, not your work, will bear witness to what I have done."
"I've yet to come across this simple trust in Israel, the very people who are supposed to know all about God and how he works...Go. What you believed could happen has happened."
Demon-afflicted people. Who is that today? What are your demons?
"Are you ready to rough it? We're not staying in the best inns, you know."
"First things first. Your business is life, not death. Follow me. Pursue life."
"Why are you such cowards, such faint hearts?"
Jesus banishes the demon spirits into nearby pigs, who then run off a cliff...and Jesus promptly leaves that territory...
Acts
Cornelius. A thoroughly good man. Go get Peter. Peter's trance--unclean food and more food on a blanket. Voice says: "Go to it, Peter. Kill and eat." Peter: "No! I've never eaten anything unclean!" Voice: "If God says it's OK, it's OK." Happens three times for emphasis and completion. So...were all of the food purity laws man made?
Peter to Cornelius' house. "I'm sure that this is highly irregular. Jews just don't do this-visit adn relax with people of another race. But God has just shown me that no race is better than any other." Peter shares his witness, the gospel, with Cornelius and his household. "It's God's own truth, nothing could be plainer: God plays no favorites! It makes no difference who you are or where you're from-if you want God and are ready to do as God says, the door is open. The Message he sent to the children of Israel-that through Jesus Christ EVERYTHING is being put together again-well, he's doing it everywhere, among everyone."
"Our witness is that Jesus is the means to forgiveness of sins is backed up by the witness of all the prophets." No sooner were these words out of Peter's mouth than the Holy Spirit came on the listeners. The believeing Jews who had come with Peter couldn't believe it, couldn't believe that the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out on "outsider" non-Jewws, but there it was-they heard them speaking in tongues, heard them praising God. "Do I hear any objections to baptizing these friends with water? They've received the Holy Spirit exactly as we did." Spirit came first, then the sign of water baptism.
"What do you think you're doing rubbing shoulders with that crowd, eating what is prohibited and ruining our good name?" Peter replays chapter 10. Hearing it laid out like that, they quieted down. Oh, that we would claim the power of story and of sharing experience so we might see how frequently God acts beyond the borders we have prescribed!
"It's really happened! God has broken through to the other nations, opened them up to Life!"
"Barnabas was a good man that way, enthusiastic and confident in the Holy Spirit's ways."
Are you a "good" man or woman?
King Herod (ruling authorities) goes after some of the church members. First James. Now Peter, heavily under guard in the jailhouse. Powerful prayer-strenuous. Angel comes, Peter walks. Not a dream. Rescued. Mary's house, packed with praying people. Peter knocks. Rhoda doesn't even open the door--knows it's Peter's voice, but leaves him standing in the street. People inside don't believe it's Peter's voice either...she's crazy! Finally they open the door and see him.
Do we ever pray and pray and pray, and the answer stands outside the door, but we think it's impossible that the answer would be there, that the prayer would be heard and responded to?
Those poor guardsmen lost their heads for Peter's escape, which had been divinely orchestrated.
Herod's demise as his kingdom began to crumble. Exterior was all show. Interior was worm-ridden, diseased, and hollow.
Who is going to be lord of our lives? The God who reveals himself in Jesus and saves us or the Herod who pretends to be God and tyrannizes us?
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