SECRET #73 OF FOLLOWING JESUS

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One of the repeated themes and challenges within the teachings of Jesus is to have ears to hear and eyes to see. Jesus knows our human tendency to drift away, get off-message, become distracted, and to divide up and take sides. So, He warns us to be careful that we listen and see clearly. In the midst of His warning Jesus says that those who follow Him have been given ears to hear and eyes to see.  
And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?" Jesus answered them, "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, 'YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE; FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES, OTHERWISE THEY WOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES, HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.'" (Matthew 13:10-15)
 
"But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it." (Matthew 13:16-17) This is SECRET #73: The follower of Jesus has ears to hear and eyes to see.

To have ears to hear and eyes to see requires that you remove your religious blinders, think and evaluate what you believe Jesus' teaching really is. Don't be afraid to go with His teachings, when they counter things you have believed all your life. It may be a little shocking at first, but when the light bulb clicks on in your head and heart, you'll know what is true.

Nowhere is this clearer than when Jesus presented His first seminar that is normally called the 'Sermon on the Mount'. As Jesus came on the scene as the new and radical Rabbi, people were asking the question: "Jesus, how do your teachings differ from what we've been taught?" If you are going to do your part in having ears to hear and eyes to see, you must focus on Jesus and His teachings. Don't just read His teachings, spend time with Jesus as you meditate on them.

There are three habits that will help you focus on hearing and seeing Jesus most clearly that come up for me: FIRST-The habit of practicing the presence of Jesus in you! When you commit yourself to be a follower of Jesus, understand that you are entering into a partnership with Jesus. You are in Him and He is in you.

SECOND-The habit of practicing the power of Jesus with you. With your partnership with Jesus you can know the confidence of being empowered by Him in whatever you do. Wherever Jesus guides, He will provide the strength to get through it.

THIRD-The habit of practicing the potential of Jesus in others. It's seeing Jesus in others. You know, Jesus never saw a prostitute. He saw a troubled woman with great potential. As you follow Jesus more closely, you will see people much differently.

Jesus without religious baggage is awesome, attractive and even irresistible! The only thing Jesus requires of you and me is to be interested-to have ears to hear and eyes to see. SECRET #73: The follower of Jesus has ears to hear and eyes to see. And with these open ears and eyes, you will experience a whole new focus on the only thing that has ever mattered-Jesus.

SECRET #72 OF FOLLOWING JESUS

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In most every profession of life, even in most interactions between people, there is usually a hook or an agenda. An agenda is usually when you want something from another. Most everyone has an agenda of some kind. If you are up front about it, then there are no surprises or disappointments. There are two basic problems with agendas. First-Many times agendas are hidden and then have a "gotcha" effect on your audience. Hidden agendas are fundamentally out of bounds, if you are striving to be ethical in your dealings. Second-Many times agendas are assumed or presumed. This keeps the conversation or interaction on more of a surface level. These are agendas that have been proven to be true so many times that you just can't imagine them not being present. It just comes with the territory.
Presumed agendas occur in the religious arena frequently and therefore eat away at the heart of authenticity. For instance, if a person identifies himself as a Christian, this tends to put others on the defensive, believing they are now a target for a series of conversion tactics. Or, when you attend a religious gathering, there is a real presumption that they have as their agenda to either extract some money out of your pocket or convert you into their flavor of faith.

We face the agenda problem in our work nearly every day. You see, because people underwrite our work financially through a non-profit from month to month, we are free to be available to help anyone, any time, without ever having to deal with the financial issues at all. It is the most amazing privilege we've ever known.

We are free to live out the question: "What can we do to help?" and mean it! We approach our work with people in a five step progression: 1. We have no agenda. (We don't want anything from you.) 2. We have no answers. (We don't know anything. By the way, before following Jesus, I thought I knew everything.) 3. Jesus is the only answer we know. (Jesus knows!) 4. Jesus is the only agenda that works. (Jesus works with anyone!) 5. Jesus is the best Good News for any bad news that presents itself!

Now, this brings us to SECRET #72: The follower of Jesus seeks to live with one agenda-Jesus.

Every day you have the option of living according to the man-made principles of the world, limited by the best man can do-your own agenda. Or, you can choose to live by the principles of the Kingdom of heaven, limited by the best God can do-the Jesus agenda. When you choose the Jesus agenda, you will find yourself wanting to walk, talk, think and love as Jesus would do. Living with the Jesus agenda also creates a new heart in you to share the peace, love and joy of Jesus with those who need it. You have an increased awareness factor about your life-to make a difference.

Jesus taught that in order to live on the Jesus agenda, it's important to see things differently. He talks about you being able to actually see the Kingdom of heaven-to be aware of living on a different plane than the rest of the world. He taught this to one of the most religious men of His day and He shared with him what was required to be able to see the Jesus agenda clearly.

Let's listen in on it: Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him." Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?" Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'" (John 3)

Now, don't be alarmed with the "born again" term. Jesus wasn't using "born again" as it is so frequently used today to denote whether you are in or out. What Jesus meant by this is that this religious man needed to become like a little child again-to unlearn the religious teachings that kept him from seeing and hearing and to learn all over again as a little child-to be born again spiritually. Then Nicodemus could be able to see the Kingdom-the Jesus agenda. SECRET #72: The follower of Jesus seeks to live with one agenda-Jesus.

SECRET #71 OF FOLLOWING JESUS

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The name of Jesus is easily lost, ignored or maybe just forgotten. When it comes to the holiday season of Christmas, to remember that Jesus is the reason for the season requires a constant reminder. I've noticed Jesus frequently comes up missing in messages, newsletters, church bulletins and religious conversation. It's amazing how easy it is to talk about God, Christ, the Lord or the man upstairs and leave the name of Jesus out. This brings us to SECRET #71: The follower of Jesus lifts up the name of Jesus above all names.
There is a great worship song that goes, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, there's just something about that name." What is there about that name that is so important? In order to get this in perspective we must go way back to nearly 3500 years ago when Moses was being sent by God to face the people of Israel. Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?" God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you." (Exodus 3:13-14)

From the beginning God's name is very important. His name is I AM WHO I AM. This means that God exists and always has existed. It is spelled in the Hebrew language by four letters without any vowels. It is YHWH. Some ancient rabbis have described the name of God as like taking a breath. It is Yah-weh. And every breath you take is like saying His name. His name is revered so highly by the Jewish people that they wouldn't even pronounce it. Instead they would use the word for "lord" in its place. Even today, most Jews will not spell out the word, God. They usually write it with a hyphen, G-d.

When we come to the time of Jesus, there is a lot of emphasis placed upon the name of Jesus. In the first few verses of John it says, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all people. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only.

Later in John Jesus says, "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." What is it about this Jesus that is so attractive? Well, in Acts 4:12 it says, Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name given under heaven by which we must be saved. There is something about that name.

Remember when the Lord spoke to Ananias about what he was to tell Paul, who had just been apprehended by Jesus on the road to Damascus. He said, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel."

When Jesus prayed to the Father in John 17, He makes an interesting reference about the name of God, "Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me."

So what is the name of God that was given to Jesus? It is the name of Jesus or "Yeshua" in the Hebrew. NOTE what this means. It is a combination of YE, short for Yahweh, and SHUA which means saves. So, the name is YAHWEH SAVES-Yeshua. It's a combination of the name of God given to Moses and the Messianic name given to God in the flesh-Jesus-God saves!

Even more specific is that Jesus makes several claims to being the I AM. When Jesus announced to His disciples He would be leaving, Thomas said, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

There is something about that name. The name of Jesus sets Him apart from all others, everywhere. As a Buddhist friend of mine said, "Jesus trumps everything and everyone else!"

This is why Peter and John were able to give the healing touch to the lame man in Jerusalem. It was all in the name of Jesus. This is why when two or three are gathered together in the name of Jesus, He shows up in supernatural ways. This is why we are to pray in the name of Jesus and He responds to our heart's cries.
SECRET #71: The follower of Jesus lifts up the name of Jesus above all names. In the name of Jesus. There is something special about that name. JESUS.

SECRET #70 OF FOLLOWING JESUS

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There are three revolutionary habits we've taught over the past several years. They are simple and highly effective at the same time. The first is the habit of walking with Jesus-simply following Jesus the best you can. The second is the habit of walking with others who are walking with Jesus-doing life together with a few. The third revolutionary habit is waiting on Jesus to lead out with orders and opportunities. This is SECRET #70: The follower of Jesus waits on the Master for His orders and opportunities. Waiting on Jesus is not inactivity. In fact, waiting may be the toughest thing you'll ever learn to do. Waiting on 

Jesus is being active and attentive in the following ways:
FIRST-As you wait there is the action of readying yourself. Your responsibility is not to be in charge, but to be ready for the Master's orders.

SECOND-As you wait there is the action of relating to Jesus and to others-practicing the first two habits. Your responsibility is to continue these relationships within your support team-the "one another's" in your life. It's the doing of life together, not just sitting around and talking about it.

THIRD-As you wait there is the action of resting. Your responsibility is to be anxious for nothing, but to rest in your relationship with Jesus and with others. Now, keep in mind that Jesus may not have direct orders for you today. Don't be in a hurry to the point of being stressed. Following Jesus is all about rest. Jesus calls His disciples into His rest-confident, peaceful, everything-is-going-to-be-OK rest.

FOURTH-As you wait there is the action of resisting. Your responsibility is to resist all distractions, temptations, and detours that you have stirred up for yourself or that come at you. This resisting is a vital discipline for the disciple of Jesus and the Kingdom. It's resisting those things that have the potential of keeping you from following Jesus.

However, we ARE waiting for Jesus to show up in our lives. We ARE waiting for Jesus to give us answers to our heart's cry-an impression, a peace, a desire or a thought. We ARE to wait to bring restoration to those God brings to us. We ARE to wait for God to bring people into our lives for us to walk with in fellowship and support. WAITING ON JESUS TO LEAD OUT is demonstrating a ruthless trust in Him to come through on our behalf with opportunities and orders for us to follow.

An ancient Jewish prophet, Isaiah, comes to mind. He wrote some inspiring words about waiting. Isaiah says: He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary. (Isaiah 40:29-31)

Then I am drawn to what happened just before Jesus left the disciples. In the first chapter of Acts Jesus gave orders to wait in Jerusalem for next steps! Jesus spent 40 days with the disciples, just hanging out with them and He spent that time teaching them about the Kingdom. "He said to them, 'It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.'" In essence, the disciples were still hung up on the physical, political motif of the Kingdom and Jesus is expanding on His former words to them that He has already brought the Kingdom. Now, they must wait for the permanent, abiding presence of God through His Spirit to empower their Kingdom living. The same is true for us today. We are to pray for Jesus to lead out and we are to follow Him. So we are praying and waiting for Jesus to lead the way.

Think of it this way: #1-Jesus is calling you today. All He requires of you is to be interested, believe in Him and follow in His steps. #2-Jesus believes those He calls are good enough. In other words, He believes you can do it. #3-Jesus believes you can be like Him-to perpetuate His lifestyle in you. #4-Jesus empowers you by His presence as 2-3 of us gather together in His name.
It's all about the simplicity and purity of devotion to Jesus and following Him.
Three habits. Walking with Jesus. Walking with others. Waiting on Jesus to lead out with orders and opportunities. SECRET #70 is: The follower of Jesus waits on the Master for His orders and opportunities.

SECRET #69 OF FOLLOWING JESUS

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If you are serious about following Jesus, it's important to understand as clearly as possible what Jesus did. Years ago a good friend convinced me that "What Did Jesus Do?" (WDJD?) was more important to know and study than "What Would Jesus Do?" (WWJD?)
At the heart of what Jesus did do is the primary reason Jesus came to earth. It's what Jesus' ultimate mission was. Jesus speaks to this mission in a prayer recorded in the Gospel of John. There Jesus says that He finished the work the Father sent Him to do. Even though Jesus said, "It is finished" while on the cross, the finished work of Jesus was not dying for the sins of the world according to what Jesus said. It was something that is easily overlooked in the life of Jesus and yet must be understood in order to follow Jesus more closely. This is SECRET #69: The follower of Jesus continues to do the finished work of the Master in order to transform the world one person at a time.

A few days before Jesus died on the cross, He revealed what His finished work actually was-the bottom line reason why He was sent to earth. So, what did Jesus say was the work he came to complete? When Jesus prayed to the Father, He prayed for Himself, for His disciples and for us today. This is really the Lord's Prayer. The "Our Father Who art in heaven" prayer is better viewed as the disciples' prayer, when He was teaching the disciples how to pray.

So, what was it that Jesus came to do? What is the work He came to complete? The finished work of Jesus is more than what we normally think. It's within these words of Jesus' prayer that we can find the true revolutionary nature of what Jesus came to do and what He expects from us as followers. Jesus said that He finished the work the Father sent Him to do. He said, "I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do." Notice what Jesus says is the finished work He came to do. "I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You; for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me. But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. I have given them Your word."

Jesus came into this world to invest His life in a few men and now He sends us out to do the same. "As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."

Jesus invested in a few-all those God brought to Him. I believe this is the finished work of Jesus. He invested in the 12 and lost one of these, so He gave Himself to eleven men. Jesus saw clearly that in order to touch the entire world, He must invest Himself completely in a few so that they really "get it". Now if this strategy was good enough for Jesus, then don't you think it's the best strategy for you and me as well?

Practically speaking, most likely God has already given you a few people in whom to invest yourself. Start with your family first. It's your family members who are given to you and primarily to you. These family members can be either your greatest accomplishments or your greatest failures. In other words, your impact upon your family members is undeniable. After family members, you know those friendships, colleagues and acquaintances who have been obviously brought into your life for your personal investment. It's SECRET #69: The follower of Jesus continues to do the finished work of the Master in order to transform the world one person at a time.

I spent most of my life preparing and training to invest my life to move the masses toward Jesus. Now I know this was the wrong strategy. Just as Jesus met and gave healing to one person at a time, so we are to do the same. Let me ask you something. What are you doing with the people God has brought to you? Are you investing your life and teachings in these few? Jesus saw this work as the most important work ever. Don't you think we can take a clue from Jesus and do the same?