V-THE PEACEFUL SIMPLICITY OF JESUS PLUS NOTHING

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This week I have been working my way through five essentials that will assist us in de-Christianizing Jesus in order to get to our final destination of lifting Jesus up to where He belongs.

· The 1st essential was the Preeminence of Jesus. · The 2nd essential is the Presence of the Kingdom. · The 3rd essential is the Power of the Few. · The 4th essential is the Practice of Persuasion Over Propaganda. · The 5th essential is the Peaceful Simplicity of Jesus Plus Nothing.

Paul said, "I'm afraid as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness that your minds might be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ." This is at the heart of the de-Christianization of Jesus. We seem to be terminal in our tendency to heap up lots of add-ons to our faith. But it's the add-ons that bury Jesus and our personal relationship with Him.

This has been a tendency since the beginning of time. Remember the incident of the golden calf? After being treated to a series of miracles from God Himself, they became very impatient with Moses taking so long to meet with Jehovah. So, they took their own gold and melted it down to sculpt a visible image of their god. That must have been an interesting pledge drive!

We aren't much different today. We want to add-on as many tangibles as we can. It seems to make us more comfortable. Give me a list of activities to check off or create an atmosphere with music and crosses and altars and smoke, so that I can almost touch God. Jesus was relentless in bringing everyone back to a personal relationship with Him. In each of His I AM statements it was clear that He was making it all about Him and how we respond to Him-Jesus plus nothing.

This is why Jesus went to great lengths teaching His disciples that we are like branches connected to the vine. And without the life-flowing nourishment from this vine there is no fruitfulness. Or as He said, "Without Me you can do nothing."

Nowhere is this principle of JESUS PLUS NOTHING violated more than in the way Christians believe they own Jesus. This could either be a 6th essential or a sub-essential under this one. I call it the Perforation of Christianity's Ownership of Jesus. Jesus isn't limited to the Western Christian culture. Jesus is not exclusive about who He will relate to. He will work with any culture-religious or non-religious. And, the Jesus movement continues to be breaking out in the most amazing places.

If you have been hanging out with us, you know what I am talking about as we work with the Buddhists, Moslems, Hindus, Jews, Animists and even the non-religious. Sometimes I feel a bit alone as I share these stories of how people from a variety of cultural backgrounds are learning to follow Jesus and Jesus is transforming their lives. Yet these people aren't Christians.

My heart was thrilled, when I read the website of Dr. Ralph Winter. Dr. Winter is the Founder of the US Center for World Missions. He is one of the great men within Christianity who has a heart for the many cultures of the world. I've always appreciated his leadership and his openness to learn.

Check out what he reports: The Largest New Factor in Mission Strategy in the 21st Century is the following: "Churchless Christianity," is the title of a book compiled by a Bible-believing Missouri-Synod Lutheran missionary and theology professor. Thus, when I speak of C hurchless Christianity I am referring to that book. The book contains the results of a scientific survey of the largest city in Southern India, Madras it was called, and today Chennai. It gives the evidence that masses of Hindus have a high regard for Jesus Christ, and about 25% of that city of millions of people have given up their idols and are daily Bible-reading followers of Christ. The surprise is that the majority of these followers of Christ study the Bible and worship at the home level, continue to associate within the Hindu social sphere, and do not routinely associate with the somewhat "western" Christian churches. That is why the book is entitled Churchless Christianity.

In my perspective it would be more accurate to speak of "Christianity-less churches." Why? Because we are talking about fervent, Bible-believers who at least meet in "house churches," in that they do not normally meet in existing "Christian churches." This fact is itself very reminiscent of the New Testament worshipping households, such as that of Cornelius, Lydia, Crispus. Moreover, this is not a tiny, isolated phenomenon. We are talking about millions of believers who neither call themselves Christians and nor are called Christians by their Hindu neighbors.

This subject which I have labeled the "Churchless Christianity Factor" is, however, little recognized. I myself have long been unaware of it. It is so little understood that we may need to describe it more fully before commenting on it from a viewpoint of mission strategy-that is, what we can or cannot do about it.

Dr. Winter has now come to see that this is the Jesus strategy, since writing this newsletter. And, this is precisely what I've been seeing in our experience.

The mission strategy from Jesus' viewpoint is I AM. That's all that mattered to Jesus in relating to the cultures He encountered. He wasn't concerned about changing their cultures. No one from a non-Christian culture should have to convert from their own cultures in order to become a Christian. He wasn't concerned about any set of beliefs to be endorsed. He was only concerned about how each person related to Him-the I AM. After a faith encounter with Him, Jesus never stopped them to make sure they signed up for Judaism 101 or a Christian discipleship class. He never endorsed an add-on. It was the peaceful simplicity of Jesus plus nothing.

IV-THE PRACTICE OF PERSUASION OVER PROPAGANDA

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I am working my way through five essentials that will assist us in de-Christianizing Jesus in order to get to our final destination of lifting Jesus up where He belongs. The 1st essential was the Preeminence of Jesus. The 2nd essential is the Presence of the Kingdom. The 3rd essential is the Power of the Few. The 4th is the Practice of Persuasion Over Propaganda.

There are two primary approaches to communication of any kind-persuasion and propaganda. Persuasion is moving people to action with proper reflection, so that the audience embraces it personally. Propaganda is moving people to action without proper reflection, just to get people to think, do and say whatever the propaganda calls for.

Propaganda is the basis for much of the political communication in our world today. Facts and fairness of information are not part of the process. Propaganda tweaks the facts to fit the premise being pushed. Propaganda speaks deductively, telling people what they want them to know. Thinking is not promoted within the propaganda process.

Persuasion is inductive and people-oriented. Persuasion grapples with the needs of the audience and walks them through a process of thinking the options through to find solutions.

In I Thessalonians 2 there is a powerful illustration of how persuasion works. There are three appeals when the act of persuasion is in action-ethical appeal, emotional appeal and logical appeal. Ethical appeal answers the question: "Can I trust you?" Emotional appeal answers the question: "Do you care for me?" Logical appeal answers the question: "Do you know what you are talking about?" NOTE how these three questions are answered by Paul, Silas and Timothy with the Thessalonians.

CAN I TRUST YOU? 1 You know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not without results. 2 We had previously suffered and been treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in the face of strong opposition. 3 For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. 4 On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts. 5 You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed-God is our witness. 6 We were not looking for praise from any human being, not from you or anyone else, even though as apostles of Christ we could have asserted our prerogatives. 7 Instead, we were like young children among you.

DO YOU CARE FOR ME? Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, 8 so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well. 9 Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you. 10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. 11 For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, 12 encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.

DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT? 13 And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.

When they received the word of God, they accepted it not as a human word (just another religious experience or teaching), but as it actually is-THE WORD OF GOD-which is at work in you who believe. Because Paul, Silas and Timothy incorporated ethical and emotional appeals, those who heard from them fully accepted and welcomed the word of God as the real, authentic, and active word of God. Now, that's pure persuasion!

The de-Christianization factor here is based in the fact that persuasion's goal is to fully invest in another's life appealing to them to examine Jesus and embrace that relationship uniquely and personally. Persuasion only wants to stick to the message with great credibility, compassion and common sense. Propaganda is mostly interested in controlling the thinking of others. Persuasion is inductive with a desire to get you to think for yourself. This is why we want to introduce people to Jesus-to advance the conversation of Jesus. He will handle everything else in a person's life.

Propaganda is deductive with a desire to get you to think as they do. Persuasion assists you in developing the truth. Propaganda wants to dump the truth on you-their truth. Persuasion attracts. Propaganda promotes.

The practice of persuasion over propaganda goes a long way in de-Christianizing Jesus. You see, persuasion is people-centered and propaganda is content-centered. So when you are into propaganda, you are most comfortable with a content-centered approach that sells others on your set of beliefs-your content. When you are into persuasion, you are totally into people and therefore a personal relationship with Jesus makes more sense. Christianity tends to be mostly about doctrinal issues and a set of beliefs to buy into. Jesus is all about relationship. This is why we use the terminology that we use-JESUS PLUS NOTHING.

III-THE POWER OF THE FEW

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I am working my way through five essentials that will assist us in de-Christianizing Jesus in order to get to our final destination of lifting Jesus up to where He belongs. The 1st essential was the Preeminence of Jesus. The 2nd essential is the Presence of the Kingdom. The 3rd essential is the Power of the Few.

The primary example of the "power of the few" is found in Jesus' method of operation. Instead of using "Madison Avenue" marketing methods, Jesus launched His movement with a few-just three to be exact-Peter, James and John. He then selected nine more, then He sent out 72 in a 2 by 2 formation. Although Jesus spoke to large groups from time to time, He mostly hung out with a few at a time.

Jesus obviously believed the "few" were more powerful than the masses. Why is this? A long-time friend and mentor, Dr. Ed Neteland, used to say that he envisioned the concept like a rocket ship. In order to achieve blast off the power must all be put in a very small space.

Jesus not only practiced this principle faithfully, but He instructed His disciples to do the same. He sent them out in small groupings. And, even after the resurrection, we see the disciples of Jesus practicing this same principle.

The classic example is the threesome that walked into Thessalonica for about 3 and a half weeks. Their relationship was a powerful little fellowship of followers of Jesus, so powerful that the impact spread throughout Asia Minor. We miss the fact that all three men wrote the letters to the Thessalonians. We always think Paul did the writing, because most translations put that ascription at the beginning of the books. And, those notes and headings throughout the many translations are not Scripture, but man's interpretations and many times miss the real point of the passage.

Not only did Jesus use the power of the few most effectively and His disciples followed His example, but today it is so important that we catch the picture. This essential can be most helpful in getting our minds off of the massive shows and demonstrations of Christianity and focus on the life transforming dynamic of hanging out with a few in the name of Jesus. Jesus promised that He would show up whenever two or three gather together in His name.

I've spent so much energy producing the best possible communication to the masses. However I always knew that there are some universal principles at play in that sort of dynamic. Only 5 % really get it-a given message, 15% think they get it and 80% remain somewhere in the fog with no idea what was said. Oh, they will remember an illustration or two or a joke or two, but miss the essential point of the message. Now that I am into the power of the few, I am discovering that the few really, genuinely get it and embrace it for themselves. You see, when someone really gets what it means to walk with Jesus in His Kingdom presence, the message becomes contagious. To me, the power of the few is very effective in de-Christianizing Jesus and is a must for all who are serious about following Jesus.

The power of the few is what we have always sought within the organized church when we promote "small groups" of any kind. But even a small group may not get the results that we're talking about in the "power of the few". The real dynamic of the "power of the few" is genuine fellowship-participation in one another's lives in such a way so as to develop a personal support system. This support system becomes so strengthening that it serves as your inner security system. I am stronger as I live my life in relationship with other brothers and sisters.

For instance, this last weekend I had the assignment of speaking to about 400 high school and college students from all over the world. Since teens are not my normal audience, I was very concerned as to whether or not I could resonate with them. The small group we walk with agreed to pray for me. I went to this event in San Diego last Sunday, but I didn't go alone or just with my wife, I went with great strength from the fellowship standing with me with a prayerful concern and enjoyed a terrific response from these teens.

Now, whether we are talking about events such as these or simply moving through our day, we all need the powerful, interactive, relational support of other followers of Jesus in our lives. THE POWER OF THE FEW. You see, Jesus said that where two or three are gathered together, He will show up. The power of the few is the dwelling place of the presence of Jesus, Himself. Now, if you were convinced that Jesus was going to show up some place, wouldn't you go and make yourself available to see Him? This is why you will want to do whatever you can to participate in the power of the few. Either make the commitment to participate with a few and enjoy the power of Jesus in your life, loved ones and livelihood or ignore the power of the few and lose what you have.

II-THE PRESENCE OF THE KINGDOM

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I am working my way through five essentials that will assist us in de-Christianizing Jesus in order to get to our final destination of lifting Jesus up where He belongs in our world. The 1st essential was the Preeminence of Jesus. The 2nd essential is the Presence of the Kingdom.

The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of heaven are used interchangeably. Even though Jesus teaches so little on the church (mentions it twice), He spends lots of time teaching about the Kingdom. Today the Kingdom concept has escaped our notice, even though Jesus places so much emphasis on it. It's not that the Kingdom has been rejected, but reduced. There are, at least, 5 ways that we tend to reduce the Kingdom. FIRST-It is MYSTICAL. If it's mystical, then it is very difficult to explain and understand definitively. It's sort of other-worldly. SECOND-It's HEAVENLY. This is a lot like the first. If the Kingdom is heavenly, then it has little, if any, application on earth. THIRD-It's APOCALYPTIC. This means it isn't for today, but is relegated to a time in the future when Jesus will set up His Kingdom on earth. FOURTH-It's EQUATED TO THE CHURCH. Many see the Kingdom as the local church and therefore it's limited to whether it's a good and healthy church or not. FIFTH-It's a SOCIAL CONCERN. To many feeding the poor and doing charitable deeds among the needy of our world is where the Kingdom is.

All of these are a little bit true. However, what has been missed or ignored is that Jesus makes it very clear that the Kingdom is here. In Jesus' first message He says, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near."

Then, after emerging successfully from the 40 day experience in the desert where He was tempted by the Devil, Matthew records: From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near."

When Jesus sent the twelve disciples out for their first mission He said, "As you go, proclaim this message: 'The kingdom of heaven has come near.'"

Jesus carried this same theme of the Kingdom beyond His disciples. According to Luke 17:20-21, Jesus was addressing His remarks to the Pharisees: Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is in your midst." Another way of saying this is, "The Kingdom of God is in you or among you all." I think what Jesus is saying is that He has brought the Kingdom-the presence of God to earth. You see, where the King is, there is the Kingdom.

On several occasions Jesus gives clear requirements for entering the Kingdom of heaven or the Kingdom of God. We will go through each of these next week. I suppose "entering the Kingdom" is most often considered as "getting into heaven", however the point I want to make here is that when Jesus spoke of entering the Kingdom, He seems to be saying you can enter it right now! So, you might say "heaven" (if that's what you call it) begins as soon as you enter it here. Or, "eternal life" begins at the point of entering the Kingdom.

Since Jesus is the King, His teachings and very presence brought the Kingdom to earth for us right then when He showed up with this Kingdom message. The primary action of the 8 parables about the Kingdom in Matthew 13 is the sowing of the seed and the seed is identified as the "message or word of the Kingdom". That's the good news message right here, right now. Those parables were describing what the invisible form of the Kingdom after Jesus had been rejected by the Jewish leadership would be-what it would look like from here on out.

Once you embrace the fact that the presence of the Kingdom is right here, right now, you can begin disciplining yourself to live in the Kingdom right here, right now. You embrace the Kingdom lifestyle by living out the teachings and principles of the King and His Kingdom. Jesus calls it following Him or doing the will of the Father or hearing His words and practicing them.

In other words, you can live in the Kingdom today, right now. When you embrace the Kingdom lifestyle, you will find yourself going against the grain and the natural flow of the world. Don't forget that the world system Jesus spoke so often about included the religious leadership of the day. You will find yourself caught up in the flow of the movement of the Kingdom of God or better yet, you will be caught up in the 21st Century Jesus movement. It's a revolutionary movement and Jesus is the one who leads it. So, see where Jesus is at work and get in there. See what Jesus does and says and then go mimic Him. You see, no matter your circumstances, you can practice the presence of the Kingdom and enjoy the presence of King-Jesus-right here on planet earth, right now.

I-THE PRE-EMINENCE OF JESUS

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This week I want to move through 5 essentials that are necessary for us to enjoy a relationship with Jesus and to embrace the Kingdom lifestyle Jesus presents.

Once we have completed these essentials, then I want to offer some recent thoughts I have on Jesus and the Kingdom, like how to follow Jesus and enter into the Kingdom right now.

The first essential is the PREEMINENCE OF JESUS. Let's begin with John 1 and Colossians 1. Within these two chapters you will find powerful references to the preeminence of Jesus.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God- 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only [Son], who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only [Son], who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

Colossians 1:15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him.

When Napoleon was exiled to the island of St Helena, he had plenty of time to think. This is what he wrote: There is something about Jesus Christ I cannot understand. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and myself have all founded great empires, but on what did these creations of our genius rest? Upon force. But Jesus founded his on love. This very day millions would die for him. I have inspired multitudes with enthusiastic devotion. They would die for me. But to do it, it was necessary that I should be present with the electric influence of my looks, my words, my voice. When I saw men and spoke to them I lit up the flame of devotion in their hearts. But Jesus Christ by some mysterious influence, even through the lapse of eighteen centuries, so draws the hearts of men towards him that thousands at a word would rush through fire and flood for him, not counting their lives dear to themselves.

Then, there is a writing called the INCOMPARABLE CHRIST: More than nineteen hundred years ago there was a man born contrary to the laws of life. This man lived in poverty and was reared in obscurity. He received no formal education and never possessed wealth or wide-spread influence.

He never traveled extensively. He only once crossed the boundary of the country in which He lived. But this man's life has changed the course of history.

In infancy He startled a king; in childhood he puzzled doctors; in man hood He ruled the course of nature, walked upon the waves, and hushed the sea to sleep. He healed the multitudes without medicine and made no charge for His services.

He never wrote a book. Yet His life has inspired more books than any other man. He never wrote a song. Yet He has furnished the theme for more songs than all songwriters combined. He never founded a college. But all the schools put together cannot boast of having as many students. He never marshaled an army, nor drafted a soldier, nor fired a gun. Yet no leader ever had more rebels surrender to Him without a shot fired.

He never practiced psychiatry. Yet He has healed more broken hearts than all the doctors far and near. Though time has spread nineteen hundred years between the people of this generation and His birth, He still lives. His enemies could not destroy Him, and the grave could not hold Him.

Today, Jesus still stands at the highest pinnacle of all humanity. I'm fascinated that one of the best known of the Hindu culture, Mahatma Ghandi, was so adored by his people and he was called Christ-like. I'm amazed that the best known Buddhist, the Dalai Lama, said that he was unworthy of tying the shoes of Jesus. I know Muslim leaders who follow Jesus and call Jesus Lord. He is not limited to Christianity and this is why He must be de-Christianized, so that the world may know this incomparable Jesus. Jesus is the most irresistible person of all! He must have first place in everything all the time. This is what I mean by the preeminence of Jesus. We must learn to live our lives bowing our hearts and minds to His preeminence. Jesus trumps everything.

DO YOU REALLY WANT TO BE LIKE JESUS?

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I hope you enjoyed walking through the Acts of Jesus. In my thinking there is no better book to get you caught up in the Jesus movement. AND, by the Jesus movement I am describing those who are doing their best to follow Jesus-to walk, talk, think, love and bleed like Jesus.

Most of the feedback to my writing and speaking about "Jesus plus nothing" is quite positive. The ones I love the most are when a light bulb suddenly switches on in a person's mind and heart. It's an "Aha!" moment regarding Jesus and His Kingdom. On the contrary, there is a steady stream of negative feedback that flows back to me-some directly and some in a roundabout way. Apparently, as I seek to be more like Jesus the more my thinking, speaking and writing goes from "preaching to meddling." I honestly don't think that I am pushing the emotional buttons that trigger the negative responses; I think Jesus Himself is pushing the buttons by His very life, by what He says and does. I know I am ruffled by what Jesus does sometimes, because He is operating outside the box I keep building for Him.

Let me offer an example that is very fresh for me. For nearly 43 years I have tried to contrast the difference between practicing religion and embracing a personal relationship with God through Jesus. It's the difference between religion and relationship. Religion is man's best attempt to please God and avoid going to hell. Religion is a man-made system of do's and don'ts to appease God. This system drives us to do, do, do and to do it better. In fact, you can never do enough! So we are haunted with a never-ending guilt-ridden, sense of doing more and doing it better-praying, reading, witnessing, giving, loving, and going to church more. Jesus has a better idea. It's not doing more, but accepting what is already done on your behalf! That's the Good News; Jesus is the Good News!

Not only have I taught this contrast/comparison between religion and relationship, I've heard it taught throughout the years by nearly every leader within Christianity. So, it's not anything new. So what is it that ruffles the feathers? Kenton Beshore, long-time friend and Sr. Pastor of Mariners Church in Irvine, CA, is leading a series right now entitled: "Why Jesus Hates Religion." He shared with me about the push back he is receiving on the topic. "Like they've never heard it before! We've talked about it for years!"

Why is it OK to speak of having a relationship rather than being religious, UNTIL you go from preaching to meddling into practical application of what this means? Maybe our spectators who sit in our churches week after week somehow missed it? Maybe our churches are filled with people who didn't inhale when the personal-relationship-with-Jesus pipe was passed out? It's one thing to talk about it and quite another to live it.

Or, maybe it all goes back to what Jesus warned, when He said: "The world will hate you, because it hated Me." But hold on! Who is the world Jesus is referring to in John 15? He says, "They will throw you out of their synagogues." The world is the religious world!

I just found an article by Eddy Hall entitled, "If Sinners Were His Friends, Who Were His Enemies?" Eddy says: "Who would his friends be? He'd probably play golf with Methodist bishops and Presbyterian moderators and Nazarene general superintendents and at least once a year with the pope. (Well, considering the pope's age, he might have to settle for backgammon that day.)"

"And who would have the most to lose by Jesus' appearing on the scene? Well, that's not too hard to figure out either, is it? Pornographers and gangbangers. Drug pushers and addicts. Pimps and prostitutes. Anyone who makes a living from the sin industry. Because Jesus hates sin and he has the clout to do something about it. If Jesus shows up, these folks are in trouble. Yes, Jesus would make enemies, and they would deserve every bit of whatever he decided to dish out."

"There's just one thing wrong with this picture: it has nothing to do with the Jesus we see in the Gospels. The Jesus we see in the Gospels spent so much time hanging out with hookers and crooks and boozers that his enemies tagged him "a friend of sinners," but it didn't faze him. He just kept right on hanging out with the same kind of folk. He didn't leave these friends in their sin-made messes, of course. He forgave their sins and invited them into his community of people who were being made new."

Eddy goes on to say: "Though the implications (of who are Jesus' friends and who are His enemies) make me squirm, I'm forced to conclude that if Jesus lived in my culture, he would be just as quick to take on modern day Pharisees as he was to blast those of his day. Watching law-abiding Christians isolating themselves in their holy huddles while keeping a safe distance from the people he was proud to call his friends, Jesus wouldn't sit quietly. He wouldn't be nice. He would speak out. He would point fingers. He would call people names. Even if it got him killed."

Now, do you still want to be like Jesus? Really? Or, do you want to keep Jesus in your comfortable box, bigger than most boxes, but still in a box just the same?

ACTS 28

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1When they had been brought safely through, then we found out that the island was called Malta. 2The natives showed us extraordinary kindness; for because of the rain that had set in and because of the cold, they kindled a fire and received us all.

7Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the leading man of the island, named Publius, who welcomed us and entertained us courteously three days. 8And it happened that the father of Publius was lying in bed afflicted with recurrent fever and dysentery; and Paul went in to see him and after he had prayed, he laid his hands on him and healed him. 9After this had happened, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases were coming to him and getting cured. 10They also honored us with many marks of respect; and when we were setting sail, they supplied us with all we needed.

NOTE Paul didn't set out to participate in a healing that day on that island. However, God had one of his children on the island (Paul) and put His purpose for the father of Publius into action, using Paul. God again had set up another divine appointment. Paul showed up with an attitude of "What can I do to help?" When a follower of Jesus shows up with this kind of servant-heart attitude, God will do miraculous things.

11At the end of three months we set sail on an Alexandrian ship which had wintered at the island, and which had the Twin Brothers for its figurehead. 14There we found some brethren, and were invited to stay with them for seven days; and thus we came to Rome. 15And the brethren, when they heard about us, came from there as far as the Market of Appius and Three Inns to meet us; and when Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage. 16When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him.

17After three days Paul called together those who were the leading men of the Jews, and when they came together, he began saying to them, "Brethren, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. 18"And when they had examined me, they were willing to release me because there was no ground for putting me to death. 19"But when the Jews objected, I was forced to appeal to Caesar, not that I had any accusation against my nation. 20"For this reason, therefore, I requested to see you and to speak with you, for I am wearing this chain for the sake of the hope of Israel." 21They said to him, "We have neither received letters from Judea concerning you, nor have any of the brethren come here and reported or spoken anything bad about you. 22"But we desire to hear from you what your views are; for concerning this sect, it is known to us that it is spoken against everywhere."

As always, Paul has a habit of connecting with brothers in Jesus everywhere he goes. NOTE that Paul begins by inviting a group of leading men of the Jews. They had not heard of Paul's problems throughout the world, so they were interested to hear why he was a prisoner "for the sake of the hope of Israel." They had heard about this new Messianic movement.

23When they had set a day for Paul, they came to him at his lodging in large numbers; and he was explaining to them by solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus, from both the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, from morning until evening. 24Some were being persuaded by the things spoken, but others would not believe.

After quoting a passage from the prophet Isaiah, Paul said, 28"Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will also listen." 29[When he had spoken these words, the Jews departed, having a great dispute among themselves.] 30And he stayed two full years in his own rented quarters and was welcoming all who came to him, 31preaching the kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered.

NOTE the themes of Paul's message-the kingdom of God and the person of Jesus. I think this is most incredible and instructive for us today. After being educated beyond my intelligence with 4 years of graduate seminary, 7 years of Greek to study the New Testament and 3 ½ years of Hebrew to study the Old Testament, I have come to realize the powerful message of the 21st Century Jesus movement is very simple.

In fact, it's the same as in the 2nd Century. Two subjects that must be shared: FIRST-THE KINGDOM OF GOD SECOND-THE PERSON OF JESUS.

When I stick to this simplicity, then I find people drawn to Jesus and His way of living life. When I add-on to this simplicity and make it more complicated, I find people drawing lines in the sand, poised for a debate.

Here it is again: RELIGION AND ITS TEACHINGS DIVIDE-JESUS UNITES!

ACTS 27

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1When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, they proceeded to deliver Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan cohort named Julius.

9When considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous. Paul began to admonish them, 10and said to them, "Men, I perceive that the voyage will certainly be with damage and great loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives." 11But the centurion was more persuaded by the pilot and the captain of the ship than by what was being said by Paul. 12Because the harbor was not suitable for wintering, the majority reached a decision to put out to sea from there, if somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there. 13When a moderate south wind came up, supposing that they had attained their purpose, they weighed anchor and began sailing along Crete, close inshore.

NOTE Paul shared with the "powers that be" that he believed they should not try to sail this late in the winter, because of the certain storms. BUT they didn't listen to his wisdom and set sail for Rome, hoping to make it to one more port and spend the winter there.

Well, the worst happened. They went into a massive storm, verse 20: 20Since neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small storm was assailing us, from then on all hope of our being saved was gradually abandoned. 21When they had gone a long time without food, then Paul stood up in their midst and said, "Men, you ought to have followed my advice and not to have set sail from Crete and incurred this damage and loss. 22"Yet now I urge you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23"For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood before me, 24saying, 'Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has granted you all those who are sailing with you.' 25"Therefore, keep up your courage, men, for I believe God that it will turn out exactly as I have been told. 26"But we must run aground on a certain island."

27But when the fourteenth night came, as we were being driven about in the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors began to surmise that they were approaching some land. 28They took soundings and found it to be twenty fathoms; and a little farther on they took another sounding and found it to be fifteen fathoms. 29Fearing that we might run aground somewhere on the rocks, they cast four anchors from the stern and wished for daybreak. 30But as the sailors were trying to escape from the ship and had let down the ship's boat into the sea, on the pretense of intending to lay out anchors from the bow, 31Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, "Unless these men remain in the ship, you yourselves cannot be saved." 32Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship's boat and let it fall away. 33Until the day was about to dawn, Paul was encouraging them all to take some food, saying, "Today is the fourteenth day that you have been constantly watching and going without eating, having taken nothing. 34"Therefore I encourage you to take some food, for this is for your preservation, for not a hair from the head of any of you will perish."

35Having said this, he took bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of all, and he broke it and began to eat. 36All of them were encouraged and they themselves also took food. 37All of us in the ship were two hundred and seventy-six persons. 38When they had eaten enough, they began to lighten the ship by throwing out the wheat into the sea. 39When day came, they could not recognize the land; but they did observe a bay with a beach, and they resolved to drive the ship onto it if they could. 40And casting off the anchors, they left them in the sea while at the same time they were loosening the ropes of the rudders; and hoisting the foresail to the wind, they were heading for the beach. 41But striking a reef where two seas met, they ran the vessel aground; and the prow stuck fast and remained immovable, but the stern began to be broken up by the force of the waves. 42The soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners, so that none of them would swim away and escape; 43but the centurion, wanting to bring Paul safely through, kept them from their intention, and commanded that those who could swim should jump overboard first and get to land, 44and the rest should follow, some on planks, and others on various things from the ship. And so it happened that they all were brought safely to land.

NOTE what's happening here. The best wisdom would have been for them not to make the trip at this time, but they did. Now, Paul is stuck on the ship in the midst of the life-threatening storm. So, what can we learn from this scene? Three observations come up for me: 1. Even when we are caught up in bad or difficult situations, whether we caused them or they are caused by something else, God will still work in the midst of our troubles.

2. God seems to always have "His agent" hanging out in the midst of troubles.

3. If you are walking with Jesus, your life and its circumstances are not all about you. God has you where you are for a purpose and usually it is for the benefit of others who cannot help themselves.

This is just another version of DIVINE APPOINTMENTS. GOD SETS THEM UP-YOU SHOW UP!

ACTS 26

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1Agrippa said to Paul, "You are permitted to speak for yourself." Then Paul stretched out his hand and proceeded to make his defense: 2"In regard to all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, I consider myself fortunate, King Agrippa, that I am about to make my defense before you today; 3especially because you are an expert in all customs and questions among the Jews; therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently. 4"So then, all Jews know my manner of life from my youth up, which from the beginning was spent among my own nation and at Jerusalem; 5since they have known about me for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that I lived as a Pharisee according to the strictest sect of our religion. 6"And now I am standing trial for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers; 7the promise to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly serve God night and day And for this hope, O King, I am being accused by Jews. 8"Why is it considered incredible among you people if God does raise the dead? 9"So then, I thought to myself that I had to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10"And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being put to death I cast my vote against them. 11"And as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and being furiously enraged at them, I kept pursuing them even to foreign cities.

12"While so engaged as I was journeying to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests, 13at midday, O King, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining all around me and those who were journeying with me. 14"And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew dialect, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.' 15"And I said, 'Who are You, Lord?' And the Lord said, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 16'But get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you; 17rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, 18to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.'

19"So, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision, 20but kept declaring both to those of Damascus first, and also at Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance. 21"For this reason some Jews seized me in the temple and tried to put me to death. 22"So, having obtained help from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place; 23that the Christ was to suffer, and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead He would be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles."

24While Paul was saying this in his defense, Festus said in a loud voice, "Paul, you are out of your mind! Your great learning is driving you mad." 25But Paul said, "I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I utter words of sober truth. 26"For the king knows about these matters, and I speak to him also with confidence, since I am persuaded that none of these things escape his notice; for this has not been done in a corner. 27"King Agrippa, do you believe the Prophets? I know that you do." 28Agrippa replied to Paul, "In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian."

29And Paul said, "I would wish to God, that whether in a short or long time, not only you, but also all who hear me this day, might become such as I am, except for these chains."

30The king stood up and the governor and Bernice, and those who were sitting with them, 31and when they had gone aside, they began talking to one another, saying, "This man is not doing anything worthy of death or imprisonment." 32And Agrippa said to Festus, "This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar."

How else would Jesus be lifted up before the governors and the kings? This is how it works, isn't it? We are caught up in a horrendous predicament from our vantage point, but God uses this predicament for a much greater good. Maybe the governors, Felix and Festus, would not have heard the message of Jesus were it not for Paul being in this difficult situation. Maybe King Agrippa would not have heard the message either!

What is needed from us when the door opens is a personal testimony-your personal story. Your personal story includes three ingredients. What your life was like prior to meeting up with Jesus. How Jesus apprehended your life. What has happened since meeting Jesus.

Your story is really His story through you. Try writing out your personal story and then share it first with some trusted friends. Then you will find yourself more comfortable sharing your story with those who need to hear it. Remember, your story is all you've got to share. To do more than this is to preach and no one is asking you to preach; otherwise they would be asking you to start up a church. Your personal story is your highest credibility. No one can argue with it, because it's YOUR STORY. TRY IT OUT!

ACTS 25

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Festus, the new governor of this region, was bent on hearing Paul's defense in Caesarea. Note in verse 8: 8while Paul said in his own defense, "I have committed no offense either against the Law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar." 9But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, "Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me on these charges?" 10But Paul said, "I am standing before Caesar's tribunal, where I ought to be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you also very well know. 11"If, then, I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die; but if none of those things is true of which these men accuse me, no one can hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar." 12Then when Festus had conferred with his council, he answered, "You have appealed to Caesar, to Caesar you shall go."

Festus was a different type from Felix. Felix was actually an enemy to the Jews and was more concerned about himself and his image than the people he governed. We know very little about Festus, but what we do know proves that he was a just and upright man. He died after only two years in office, but he died with an untainted name. The Jews tried to take advantage of him; they tried to persuade him to send for Paul to come to Jerusalem; for once again they had formed a plot to assassinate Paul on the way. But Festus was a Roman, with the Roman instinct for justice; and he told them to come to Caesarea and plead their case there. From Paul's answer we can deduce the malicious charges which they leveled against him.

13Now when several days had elapsed, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea and paid their respects to Festus. 14While they were spending many days there, Festus laid Paul's case before the king, saying, "There is a man who was left as a prisoner by Felix; 15and when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against him, asking for a sentence of condemnation against him. 16"I answered them that it is not the custom of the Romans to hand over any man before the accused meets his accusers face to face and has an opportunity to make his defense against the charges. 17"So after they had assembled here, I did not delay, but on the next day took my seat on the tribunal and ordered the man to be brought before me. 18"When the accusers stood up, they began bringing charges against him not of such crimes as I was expecting, 19but they simply had some points of disagreement with him about their own religion and about a dead man, Jesus, whom Paul asserted to be alive. 20"Being at a loss how to investigate such matters, I asked whether he was willing to go to Jerusalem and there stand trial on these matters. 21"But when Paul appealed to be held in custody for the Emperor's decision, I ordered him to be kept in custody until I send him to Caesar."

22Then Agrippa said to Festus, "I also would like to hear the man myself." "Tomorrow," he said, "you shall hear him." 23So, on the next day when Agrippa came together with Bernice amid great pomp, and entered the auditorium accompanied by the commanders and the prominent men of the city, at the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. 24Festus said, "King Agrippa, and all you gentlemen here present with us, you see this man about whom all the people of the Jews appealed to me, both at Jerusalem and here, loudly declaring that he ought not to live any longer. 25"But I found that he had committed nothing worthy of death; and since he himself appealed to the Emperor, I decided to send him. 26"Yet I have nothing definite about him to write to my lord. Therefore I have brought him before you all and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after the investigation has taken place, I may have something to write. 27"For it seems absurd to me in sending a prisoner, not to indicate also the charges against him."

Agrippa was king of a small part of Palestine, which included Galilee and Perea; but he knew quite well that he held even that limited realm by the grace of the Romans. They had put him there and they could just as easily remove him. It was therefore his custom to pay a courtesy visit to the Roman governor when he entered his province. Bernice was a sister of Drusilla, the wife of Felix, and she was also a sister of Agrippa himself. Festus, knowing that Agrippa had the most intimate knowledge of Jewish faith and practice, proposed to discuss Paul's case with him. He gave Agrippa a characteristically impartial review of the situation as it existed at that moment; and now the stage was set for Paul to plead his case and bear his witness before a king.

Festus had gotten himself into a difficulty. It was Roman law that if a man appealed to Caesar and was sent to Rome there must be sent with him a written account of the case and of the charges against him. Festus' problem was that, as far as he could see, there was no charge to send. That's why this meeting had been convened.

Into such a scene came Paul, the little Jewish tent-maker, with his hands in chains; and yet from the moment he speaks, it is Paul who holds the stage. When a man has Christ in his heart and God at his right hand he has the secret of power. Of whom then shall he be afraid?

I'm reminded of the scene where Jesus was sending out the 12 (Matthew 10) or the 72 (Luke 10) and He made it clear that they were to look for the leadership in a city and bring them the peace of God. He called them the "worthy" people-those who were interested. They were sent out to take the message of the Gospel-Jesus-to these cities. And, if these presumed "worthy" people rejected their message-were not interested anymore-then they were to shake the dust off their feet and move on. Then, Jesus makes an interesting statement in Matthew 10: 16"Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. 17"But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues; 18and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19"But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. 20"For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you."

This is precisely what is happening here. Paul brought before governors and kings and about to speak, maybe his best message to the king in the next chapter.

The Spirit of God is still working in the same way today. When you are in a situation and you don't know what to say, He will give you the words. This is a great evidence of God at work in you. Count on it next time you are caught in this kind of situation, where you know you must say something, yet you don't have any idea of how to say it or what to say. Count on the Spirit of God to give you the words and then marvel over what you just said.

ACTS 24

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After 5 days, the high priest, Anaias, came down to Caesarea and brought Paul's case before the governor Felix. Their accusations were made up, for the most part, and in verse 5 the attorney Tertullius says:

5"For we have found this man a real pest and a fellow who stirs up dissension among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. 6"And he even tried to desecrate the temple; and then we arrested him. [We wanted to judge him according to our own Law. 7"But Lysias the commander came along, and with much violence took him out of our hands, 8ordering his accusers to come before you.] By examining him yourself concerning all these matters you will be able to ascertain the things of which we accuse him." 9The Jews also joined in the attack, asserting that these things were so. 10When the governor had nodded for him to speak, Paul responded: "Knowing that for many years you have been a judge to this nation, I cheerfully make my defense, 11since you can take note of the fact that no more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. 12"Neither in the temple, nor in the synagogues, nor in the city itself did they find me carrying on a discussion with anyone or causing a riot. 13"Nor can they prove to you the charges of which they now accuse me.

14"But this I admit to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect I do serve the God of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets; 15having a hope in God, which these men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. 16"In view of this, I also do my best to maintain always a blameless conscience both before God and before men. 17"Now after several years I came to bring alms to my nation and to present offerings; 18in which they found me occupied in the temple, having been purified, without any crowd or uproar But there were some Jews from Asia 19who ought to have been present before you and to make accusation, if they should have anything against me. 20"Or else let these men themselves tell what misdeed they found when I stood before the Council, 21other than for this one statement which I shouted out while standing among them, 'For the resurrection of the dead I am on trial before you today.'"

22But Felix, having a more exact knowledge about the Way, put them off, saying, "When Lysias the commander comes down, I will decide your case." 23Then he gave orders to the centurion for him to be kept in custody and yet have some freedom, and not to prevent any of his friends from ministering to him. 24But some days later Felix arrived with Drusilla, his wife who was a Jewess, and sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus. 25But as he was discussing righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix became frightened

NOTE that Paul was a real pest, a fellow who stirs up dissension among the religious Jews around the world, a ringleader of the group of the Nazarenes (named after Jesus of Nazareth), he was considered a revolutionary!

But just being these things doesn't qualify a person to be a REVOLUTIONARY in the sense of being a part of a movement of transformation. NOTE what else Paul uses to describe himself.

1. a servant of the God of our fathers, JUST AS THOSE JEWISH LEADERS VIEWED THEMSELVES.

2. believing all that is in accordance with the Law and the Prophets, JUST AS THESE LEADERS BELIEVED.

3. having a hope in God that there will be the resurrection someday, JUST AS THESE LEADERS HOPED IN THE RESURRECTION.

4. doing his best to maintain a good conscience before God and men, JUST AS THESE LEADERS WANT TO DO WITH THEIR LIVES.

So, what's the difference here? Well, Paul is appealing to the hearts of his hearers. They have plenty of common ground to bind them together. They serve the same God. They believe in the same kind of practices that are righteous. They hoped in the same resurrection from the dead. They believed in keeping a good conscience before God and men.

The difference is in the reality of the experience. Paul didn't just talk a good game, but he walked it, too. He really practiced these same things that they all taught and believed in. He was not a hearer of the word who deludes himself. A hearer who deludes himself is one who hears a truth, agrees with it and becomes all enthused about it, yet does nothing about it. Don't be merely a hearer of the word, but BE A DOER OF THE WORD.

Jesus said, "A wise man is one who hears my word and practices it and a foolish man is one who hears my word and doesn't practice it." And then He said, "Just because you speak or perform miracles in my name, this doesn't mean that you are genuine related to Me." "But those who do my will are the ones who will enter the kingdom of heaven." PAUL WAS A DOER. HE PRACTICED WHAT HE PREACHED! He was the real deal. And, when you are the real deal, religious people tend to get jealous and angry and want you removed in some form.

The simplest instruction I've ever heard is, "SEE WHAT JESUS SAID AND DID, THEN GO SAY IT AND DO IT!" That's what it takes to be a revolutionary!