Tag Archives: Purpose

Pastor Rick’s Notes on John 7:37-43

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Pastor Rick’s Notes and Translation:

v. 37 Now during the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood up and, in a loud voice said, “If anyone is thirsty, let them come to me and drink.”

This is the last day as in the day after a seven-day Feast of Booths – representing the temporary housing in the desert as they moved toward the Land of Promise. It’s the Sabbath following the week-long feast of harvest and worship and this is significant. This celebration is noted for joy, abundance, relationship, future. And it was a reminder of God’s plan: He has a mission for His people.

Illustration: Have you gotten so caught up in the moment that you missed the mission? “One Job – that’s all I had to do.”

In the midst of the celebrations, and keeping of the laws and the feast, and checking off the boxes, the mission had somehow gotten lost. And here was the last day of the Feast.

  • First of all, everyone hung out for the eighth day since traveling distances was not permitted on the Sabbath. This made for a day to both recover and refresh on the eight day.
  • Second, there were special sacrifices and celebrations on this “afterglow” day. This was “celebration” without all the pomp. No trumpets accompanying the special promenades. No pouring out of the waters.
  • Third, this is the day that the prophecies of the “ingathering” culminate and are read when the Father will raise a banner over those who are lost and displaced and call them home. The redemptive time has come. The unveiling of God’s characteristics of joy and hope are unveiled. The Kingdom will be visible to the world. That’s the day Jesus stood in front of this throng and said – Come and drink! And our response is seen in the meal of the day: the plainness of matzah and the blended beauty of the wine. We respond with humility and joy. Redemption is here and God’s fulness is being spilled out on the world through His people.

The eight day, because it was a Sabbath, became the “mega-day of the Feast.” Literally. It was the feast of pouring out redemption, the second rain.

Jesus cried out in a loud voice. He was speaking to each person, to the nation, and down through the centuries, his cry is relevant. God’s Spirit is poured out as living water to the thirsty.

What does it mean to be thirsty for the Lord?

  • John 4:14 Life here. Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
  • Revelation 21:6 Life eternal. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

5He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

6He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.

  • Revelation 22:17 Life Offered. 17The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes, take the free gift of the water of life.

v. 38 “Whoever puts their faith in me, streams of living water will flow from deep within them, just like the Scriptures have said.”

All week long, for seven days, the crowd has watched as the water flowed to wash away the blood and grime of the offerings. But more importantly, the high part of the celebration happened when water was brought up from the Pool of Siloam to pour to the blast of trumpets and shouts the water over the altar.. But on the seventh day, this wasn’t the practice. The week of Booths, the offering is complete. Jesus stood in the place of the abundant water and offer clear, pure, living water, not to wash, not to pour, but to fill.

Joel writes in chapter two that “in those days, the father will pour out his Spirit on all flesh.”

It is more plenteous than we can hold, more powerful than we can stand against. Refreshing to all who get wet and drink.

Rivers plural.

The follower of Jesus can’t help but spill over onto others. The river doesn’t strain to spill water over the river rocks. It flows. Jesus does the same through His Spirit. We can choose to impede it or release it.

Ezekiel 47 Water ankle deep, knee deep, waist deep, flowed like a river. But where it came from and where it went is important. It flowed from the place of worship and it flowed toward the desert and the dead sea.

v. 39 Now, he said this about the Spirit whom those who placed their faith in him were soon to be given. But the Spirit had not been given to them yet because Jesus had not yet been glorified.

This aside is John’s perspective from the moment he heard the Savior cry out in these verses to the point where the Holy Spirit was poured out. In the Temple, the promise; in the Pentecost, the outpouring. Remember that he is writing His Gospel account later than the Synoptics, near the end of the century, and He has the most accurate perspective. He remembers what not being filled with the Spirit was; and he remembers Pentecost.

The Spirit comes in power when Jesus ascends to heaven. That’s the time line. Could he have done it differently? Sure. But while the Son is with the disciples, the Spirit awaited the time when he could be fully in them. Jesus to glory; the Spirit to fill, lead, and empower.

The order is essential, though. Jesus had to be rejected, arrested, tried, sentenced, and killed at the lowest point of any man; then the Father pointed toward His Son who has suffered such demeaning actions, and said “He is worthy, he is glory, and he is who will send the Holy Spirit.”

The Spirit is the source of living water; our willingness to drink is the source of water for thirsty people. Both sustenance and salvation included and intertwined.

v. 40 Out of all the crowd who heard him say these words, some said, “Surely this is the Prophet.”

Some were repeating what they’d heard before, “it’s the Prophet who will be forerunner to the Messiah.” Or perhaps the “prophet like Moses that was promised to come

v. 41 Others declared, “This is the Messiah, the Savior!”  Still other, however, claimed, “There is no way for the Messiah to come from Galilee.”

And others were opening their eyes to this incontrovertible evidence that Jesus brought when he demonstrated the kingdom. He is the Savior.

And others repeated the misunderstanding that Jesus was from Galilee. Not so; he was Bethlehem of Judah by birth. This was ignorance on the part of the Pharisees and the throng; but not on John’s part. He knew the story.

v. 42 “Hasn’t Scripture said the Messiah comes from the descendants of David and from David’s village of Bethlehem?”

This apparently is from the “narrative” the Pharisees are putting before the people according to the verses just after our passage. They were stuck with a Galilean messiah which, according to scripture, was not possible. And they were right. Again, Bethlehem.

v. 43 And a division, therefore, occurred within the crowd because of Him.

The word schism comes from this Greek work. They were passionately divided over who Jesus was.

PRT (Pastor Rick’s Translation)

v. 37 Now during the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood up and, in a loud voice said, “If anyone is thirsty, let them come to me and drink.”

v. 38 “Whoever puts their faith in me, streams of living water will flow from deep within them, just like the Scriptures have said.”

v. 39 Now, he said this about the Spirit whom those who placed their faith in him were soon to be given. But the Spirit had not been given to them yet because Jesus had not yet been glorified.

v. 40 Out of all the crowd who heard him say these words, some said, “Surely this is the Prophet.”

v. 41 Others declared, “This is the Messiah, the Savior!”  Still other, however, claimed, “There is no way for the Messiah to come from Galilee.”

v. 42 “Hasn’t Scripture said the Messiah comes from the descendants of David and from David’s village of Bethlehem?”

v. 43 And a division, therefore, occurred within the crowd because of Him.

Moving On…

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We each need to move. Christianity is a faith of mobility. Biologists use the word “motility” to explain how a cells move almost instinctually toward its purpose. Spontaneous. Instinctual. As if responding to an inner call. Christianity is a faith of motility.

Forward (or backward) motion is a given in the life of the Christ-follower. While we may “stay” in place where we live, work, serve, play, worship, and learn; we are not “static” in our faith walk. Even our vocabulary urges us forward: walk of faith, run the race, stretching for the high prize of God’s calling. He speaks and we move toward His Voice.

Jesus made one final and specific demand on our lives… He is the Boss, after all. He told us to “make disciples,” “instruct in the faith,” “baptize new disciples,” and do it all “as we go.” His demand isn’t that we find the mountainside cave and meditate our lives away. He says “go.” We are a people on the move.

Proverbs 3:7 says “Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.” The Message captures this movement with this: “Run to God! Run from evil!”

The account of the Prodigal is a story of movement, too. The running from God toward evil that the younger son chooses is quickly followed by the running out of money he faces. Then, he makes a new, timid move back to the father. And the father’s response is both unbecoming and impassioned – he hikes his robes and runs to his son. Then, his next demand is to his servants – restore him to a place of honor and run and set up the party room.

  • Movement in repentance
  • Movement in restoration
  • Movement in celebration

When we move from a place of self-centeredness and sin, we join in the movement…and the Movement. The grace of God is this: He calls, we answer and move toward him, and He runs to us for the grand embrace. And we get to chase after Him in the race of a lifetime!

On the Move,

Rick

Surprised by an Angel… and the Call to Tell the Story!

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Nearly everyone loves to hear a good story. Movies, novels, poems, and digital versions of it all, invite us to become a part of the action or the suspense, or the romance, or the journey. Most stories we read or watch or listen to come and go. They may touch us or speak a bit; but they are easily filed away somewhere dusty and hard to find. Some stories are grab our hearts and our imagination. We identify with the people or the crisis they face and how they survive.

Then, there is the story that comes along once in a lifetime. Not only does it capture our imagination – it changes our lives. We look back on this rare story, the characters and what they experienced, and we realize that what happened meets us right where we live, it changes how we see life, and that story redefines who and, more importantly, why we are.

That’s the story the sheepherders found themselves a part of over 2000 years ago on the hillside overlooking the town of Bethlehem. Luke 2:1-20 are the verses that, surprisingly, make up an assignment my high school teacher at NMBHS way back when had me memorize and recite (yes, that was another day.)

It’s the story of Joseph and his betrothed wife Mary, their trek to Bethlehem, the birth of God’s one and only son, Jesus, and a bunch of unwary sheepherders who became a part of the Story of stories.

1At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. 2(This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. 4And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. 5He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child. 6And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. 7She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

This baby, who is both King and Savior, was born in perhaps the most available and approachable place in the town – in a stable around the corner from a hostel, just shouting distance from the streets of the town. God chose to send His Son, fully human and fully God, to be born where word would get out. And this prepared the town for what happened next. And, this is when the sheepherders are invited into the story.

8That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. 

The Good New story met the sheepherders right where they lived. And it began with the herders who drew the night watch. While their partners caught up on sleep, an angel appeared right in the middle of their conversations. And this angel had just come from the presence of the Father to bring the news about the Son. And the glory of God remained.

And they were terrified. They were used to fighting off wild animals or climbing down the cliffs to rescue a lamb. But, an angel! How many times in the Bible did God show up through His presence, through a vision, or through an angel’s visit – They were scared beyond words. And the answer: Don’t be scared! God met these sheepherders right where they lived.

  11 “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

If the angel’s visit was at first terrifying, the message that he brought was liberating. As good Jewish sheepherders, they heard this message through all they knew about Lord God of Israel.

  • Good news means freedom.
  • Messiah and Lord means salvation.
  • And if you throw in King David, they understood they would be God’s people again, under the rule of His King.

The message from the throne room of God through this single angel literally changed who they were. Sure, they remained sheepherders. But this Good News brought the promise of…

  • Peace that comes with freedom from the oppression of the enemy.
  • Hope that comes with the promised Messiah.
  • Celebrative Joy that comes with being together as God’s people ruled by His King.

And whether in response to the Good News being proclaimed on the hillside or in response to the faith and joy of the shepherds, the worship of the heavens broke through into the physical realm, and…

13Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, 14“Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

This was more than the sheepherders could contain and, by now they were all together on the hillside echoing the same rejoicing. They had to see it for themselves.

15When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, 19but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.

There in a stable for animals, the greatest expression of God’s love slept. The message propelled the shepherds to check it out for themselves and discover if the Good News was really the Good News. And it was. And it changed both who and why they were. They had to tell others and fanned out through the streets of the town telling anyone they saw that Jesus, the Messiah, the Lord and King was born – in a stable, just around the corner, right where anyone could find Him.

The Good News met the shepherd right where they lived, and the truth of the message of Christmas transformed who they were and became the reason for why they lived. God’s great Story intersected their story and surprised them and transformed them.

  • This Christmas – surprise you with His peace, His love, His joy, His hope. He is God near to us.
  • His Good news meets us where we do life.
  • He invites you to approach Him, come to him – with fears, with broken plans and promised, with empty and dead spots in our lives.
  • And he speaks to you right now – no fear except the awe of a Savior with unchangeable love, no loneliness or emptiness because he fills us and comes close, no dead spots because he brings life and mercy.

Welcome again to the Story. Praying it intersects your story frequently in 2020!

Changing Lanes and Staying the Course

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One of my favorite teachers is Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa Pastor Brian Brodersen. I respect how he and his church pour into missions as if the Great Commission was given directly to him and his team. And that they hold to the never-changing Truth of the Scripture while expecting God to do a new and fresh work today. He and his church are a good example of what it means to be missional.

In a recent message here in Europe, he noted that we each are to follow our calling with energy, wisely and with a clear direction –  he likened it to staying the course in the “lane God has chosen for us.” That lane gives us guidance and intentionality, and a respect for those in other lanes following hard after God, too. We work better together trusting God’s work in each others’ lives – no judgment and no disparaging, but prayerful honoring since, after all, it is God’s work.

But, we also should know that, at some point, we will sense it is time to “change lanes.” And we can have one of two responses.

At some point, we may feel the urge to change lanes because we find the going difficult. It could be pressure from others, conflict in relationships, lack of measurable progress (which can easily happen on the mission field), or outright failure or major setbacks. In this instance, it’s best to first take the faith lesson that difficulty teaches and stay the course. This is probably the hardest to do, and to urge others to do with authenticity. It’s painful. And it seems that light and hope for God’s voice are furthest away.

But in another point, God will nudge us to consider “changing lanes”: we sense it will please Him, we gather that it will point to and honor His wisdom, and perhaps the stepping out of one lane shows us how God has been nudging us into another lane. It could be that serving and ministry is going great, or we may be struggling. We still sense before us an obedient step toward something new or different. The calling hasn’t changed, the location or mode perhaps has.

It’s a good idea to listen and step toward the new lane, even if it means leaving another lane behind.

In Italy, we’ve chosen to not have a car. I blame it on the cost; the truth is, I scare my wife when I drive in Italy. So, no car for now.

But when we drive and need to change lanes, we make sure we do three things: 1) communicate, 2) keep the pace, and 3) clear the lane. Same with “changing lanes” in missions or ministry:

  • As much as it depends on me, I need to send clear signals. I seek to communicate, to meet, to call, to follow up in writing, and make sure my signal in changing lanes is understood.
  • As much as I can, I need to keep my speed for the new lane. Even though it may be tempting to slow down in the work, I need to keep the pace as I move into the new lane. Even if responsibilities change (which they likely will), keep reading, keep listening, keep connecting, keep meeting, keep praying – in truth, extra speed in some of these areas will help the lane change succeed.
  • As much as it depends on me, leave the lane clean and clear – hand off a clean slate for those who will pick up where you left off. The previous lane had ministry, roles, relationships, and expectations. Few of us are irreplaceable. Give room for closure to roles and expectations (even the best of ministry relationships has varied expectations.) Carefully handle relationships from the new lane that have been important (you can’t change another’s lane for them.)

Some may have guessed or already know. Susan and I have “changed lanes.” We closed out a 1 1/2 year of working alongside the Padova Calvary Chapel. We have good friends and frequent reminders to pray because of our journey with the pastor and his wife along with the people who have come in and out of our experience there. But, we sensed last year that we needed to “change lanes” and move out so we could move toward.

For those who wonder, we have begun worshiping in Italian on Sunday nights at a Baptist fellowship and investing in an International Fellowship at other times. We continue to meet with internationals and students, look for ways to reach out to our city, and above all, pray, study, listen, and knock on doors and build bridges so that the Gospel of truth, peace and compassion will connect others to the Kingdom of God who loves them.

From a “new lane” – Rick

 

The word for the year…anonymity

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A friend of ours planned a tour of Italian museums and recalled afterward that, while there were some awe inspiring artists –Caravaggio, Giotto, Tintoretto – the favorite by far was an “unknown” whose art was everywhere, very diverse, and over the nameplate of Sconosciuto.

My wife and I just finished reading through the Bible in a Year (on the YouVersion app under As it Happened – we recommend it for its chronological order). Near the end of our journey through the Bible, we read Hebrews, a book written to next-gen Jewish followers of Jesus. In the famous “Hall of Faith” chapter, the writer recounts the faith (and fate) of well-known Hebrew heroes. He also cites the unwavering faith of a crowd of believers who stood firm, often to the death, in their belief that God is worth it all. They are anonymous, at least on this side of heaven.

I have discovered that the biggest fear I’ve faced for years is anonymity – call it a fear of obscurity or becoming unknown, unseen, or unheard – but, until recently, this fear has been an overlooked but active drive in my life.

I know I can acknowledge this, and choose to turn from this fear … and embrace the privilege of obscurity.

My word of guidance for 2019 is Anonymity.

A university library in England maintains a seven-section archive of journals, pictures, magazines, and records related to Chinese missions over the past 150 years. When the first (and current) Chinese president of China Inland Missions, long-since renamed Overseas Mission Fellowship, walked into one of the rooms housing these records, he was overcome by the magnitude of seemingly anonymous people who had given their lives for his country-people, many martyrs for the Gospel of Jesus.

Dr. Fung told this story to students attending the missional conference Urbana ’09 (you can hear his story in the interview online) that, as he scan through the extensive lists, journals and pictures, he was reminded that the work of evangelism is done by people willing to live without a desire for fame, glory, and recognition.

When John the Baptizer saw Jesus gaining attention, he was asked by a somewhat envious follower what he should do. His response is timely and timeless: “Jesus must increase; I must decrease.”

In my case, the fear of anonymity has been too frequently a companion. I want Jesus to be enthroned, but I want a chair close by near the right side.

It has guided decisions. I’ve chosen worry and delayed action and played it safe so I wouldn’t look bad. And usually looked bad anyway.

It has silenced conversations. I’ve talked myself out of conversations I should have had or introductions to Jesus I should have made so I could protect my insecure reputation. And stayed insecure.

It has hidden love. I’ve left too many relationships lingering on the surface because I either didn’t want to know or chose not to be known. And loved less by doing so.

Today, careers are made by being seen, heard, photographed, liked, shared, hearted, retweeted, and reposted. Fame is even possible by taking the stage “anonymously.”  Artists hide their identity behind walls, bags, masks, and pseudonyms and “stay famously in the dark” to become celebrità oscura – Sia, HER, Elena Ferrante, Daft Punk, Banksy.

The most visible evidence of following Jesus is that I love in greater and greater measure. And the greatest measurement of love is sacrifice, putting others above myself, pushing others up and staying below the stage lights, decreasing so Jesus will be famous. He says He sees what’s done secretly and perhaps that’s more than enough recognition.

Maybe this year will produce such a beautiful work of truth and healing and compassion that anyone who sees it will know it was the hand of the Master Artist Who crafted it. I will decide more selflessly. Speak more freely and compassionately. Love without fear or shame.  I expect to be tempted to pick up a brush every now and then and offer to script my name into the corner. But, it’s my desire that it remain His work under the name plate of Sconosciuto.

In my own words,

Rick

P.S. I know it ironic to blog about anonymity. I like to know my words matter. And I’ll keep working on my motivations.

P.P.S. Conosciuto means “known.” Scononsciuto means “unknown.”