The green, green grass of home…
Filed in Devotions & Studies, General |Journal,
In my devotional time this week a portion of Scriptures really stood out to me. I’ve been thinking about it quite a bit. It was as though the Lord were reminding me of what my walk with Him is about. Listen:
“And it happened that He was reclining at the table in his house, and many tax collectors and sinners were dining with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many of them, and they were following Him.
“When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they said to His disciples,
“‘Why is He eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners?’ (Mark 2:15,16 nasb)
To the Jewish people, tax collectors were the worse of sinners. They were seen as Jewish traitors who collected taxes for the Romans. But the term sinners took in most everyone else. It was often especially directed to prostitutes.
Point at hand is seen in the Lord’s response to the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
I’ll come back to this is a moment. First let me touch on something else.
Did you know that one of the greatest signs of the wrap up of the age has to do with Jewish people turning to Jesus. The Lord is reaching out to the Jewish people through Jewish voices, and it often begins with a Christian voice.
An example of this is the Isaacs. The Isaacs are one of the most soul stirring gospel groups to be heard today. Lily Isaac was a former Jewish folk singer who now sings for her Messiah Jesus.
A former Jewish folk singer …
There is a wonderful atricle about Lily Isaac in the Baptist Press. Go to:
http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=27437
The point is that more and more Jewish people are turning to Jesus. I’ve read that a number one topic of discussion among Jews in Israel today has to do with Jesus. This is a telling change for the Jewish people. (Keep in mind that most Jews in Israel are not religious. Thus they are more open in their approach to Jesus.)
Over the centuries the Jewish identity of Jesus was obscured to the Jewish peoples. But now there is a rediscovery of Jesus among the Jews, and a move to reclaim Him into their history. It is quite easy to find books about Jesus, written by Jewish authors. This reclaiming reaches several levels. Some see Jesus as a great Rabbi, while others are actually taking Him to their heart as Lord and Savior. All of this is a prelude to the greater movement to come.
Today the Lord is reaching His ancient people largely through the Christian witness. It is through the life testimony of Christians, that our Jewish friends are being awakened to Jesus. And it is these awakened Jews who are becoming the Jewish voice to Jews around the world.
Would you like to hear the Jewish testimony in song? Listen to the Isaacs. You have several to choose from. Here is one of my favorites, Umbrella:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=5muhL3×3KJk&feature=related
What about the tax collectors and the sinners…
This brings me back to where the Lord stirred up my heart once again on what my walk with Him is all about. I’ve been reminded of a dream the Lord gave me a number of years ago. The dream related both to my call, but it would surely apply to every gospel carrier. See if you can identify with it –
In the dream I was walking across a large open field. The grass was brown and dying. When I looked behind me, I saw a group of people in the distance looking at the ground and then looking up at me. It puzzled me. ‘What were they looking at?’
But when I looked at where I had walked, every footstep I made had green grass springing up in it.
It was from of this dream that I was reminded of what Jesus said to the first disciples, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
The green grass speaks of our journey of life, which, in turn, speaks of our journey home, which in turn, speaks of our following in the footsteps of Jesus, which in turn, speaks to leaving a trail in life that others can clearly see. The trail is the trail of a life bringer.
It is our love for Jesus and our Christian bearing that draws others to the Lord. This is true for every believer, but it is especially true for the one who is designated as a carrier of the gospel. Listen to Paul:
“How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things.‘” (Rom 10:14,15 nasb)
And this is where a crucial point needs to be made.
God’s people must beware of seclusion…
One of the most valuable keys in sharing the gospel has to do with our association with the world. Certainly Christians are to insulate themselves spiritually from the workings of darkness, yet we are not to isolate ourselves from those to whom Jesus would reach. The Lord said, “As the Father has sent Me, even so send I you.”
During the time of Jesus, the religious leadership had become so distant and untouchable that many of the people saw no hope in the system. Jesus said the people were like sheep without a shepherd.
The answer is that Jesus did not come to the people as a religious person. He walked right into their world, identified with them, loved them, and in doing so, He turned their hearts towards Him.
Is this not our purpose as believers? What then does the Lord have to say to the self-righteous religious person? Listen:
“[Those who say] ‘Keep to yourself, do not come near me, for I am holier than you!’ These are smoke in My nostrils, A fire that burns all the day.” - Isaiah 65:5
But what does Jesus have to say to the true believer? Listen to how the Message speaks to this:
“Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.
“Here’s another way to put it: you’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you?
“I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand–shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:13-16 Message)
What was the accusation made against Jesus, early on…
The accusation was that Jesus had made Himself to be a friend of tax collectors and sinners. Should not the same accusation be made to all believers?
It isn’t a matter of becoming a sinner among sinners. Jesus never did that. So why were the sinners so attracted to Him? Answer that one and you’ll have a handle on what your walk with the Lord should be about.
Think about it.
Much love coming your way,
Buddy
