Thomas And “Them”…

When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. (Matthew 28:17)

On Sunday, Pastor Sam gave us an encouraging word: there can be authentic worship even in the face of doubt.

When we think of the word “doubt” in Scripture, most Christians familiar with their Bibles tend to default to Thomas, the disciple who had missed the first post-Resurrection meeting between Jesus and the other ten disciples. Thomas was very vocal about his unbelief concerning the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. But Thomas was present for the second encounter, and he believed. These eleven disciples then met the Lord in Galilee, having walked about 90-100 miles from where they had seen him in Jerusalem (see John 20:19- 21:14).

So, we have this curious post-Resurrection situation: Thomas had seen Jesus twice. The other ten disciples had seen Him three times. And, in the face of these multiple appearances, there was still doubt… and not just in the heart of Thomas. Other disciples felt it too.

What about you? Do you feel it? Have doubts clouded your discipleship? Do you have things happening in your life that make you question whether you've really had an encounter with the living God?

The prescription for doubt is authentic worship. Pastor Sam said (paraphrased here), If you are obediently worshiping instead of disobeying by staying away, if you are doing your best even in the face of doubts, if you are engaged with God through sincere worship of Him, then your doubts will be addressed by the resurrected Christ.

We serve an amazing Lord. In the Matthew 28 account, Jesus responded to the doubt with a declaration of His power and with a dispatching of His disciples: Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:18-19a). In other words, doubt could not disqualify the disciples from service so long as they were found obedient in worship.

Is there doubt in your heart today? Don't let it deter you from your devotion.

All Scripture references are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

How'd You Get That?

In this past Sunday's sermon, Pastor Althea shared four points about the scars of Jesus.

The scars of Jesus are:

• Evidence of His victory
• Testimony of who He is
• Authentication of His experience
• Signs of His triumph

For those of us who have chosen to accept Jesus as our Lord and King and Master, we can rejoice in His scars. What was our Lord's response to Thomas's doubt? "Look at My scars and believe in Me." (see John 20:27)

Are you also a doubting disciple? Do you have days or moments when you feel like your dreams have been cast to the ground? Jesus says, Nevermind what you feel. I have scars. I carry the proof of ultimate victory in My body. Look and believe.

Sinners Saved With Sermons.

How are they to call on one they have not believed in? And how are they to believe in one they have not heard of? And how are they to hear without someone preaching to them? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How timely is the arrival of those who proclaim the good news.” But not all have obeyed the good news, for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” Consequently faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the preached word of Christ.

But I ask, have they not heard? Yes, they have: Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world. But again I ask, didn’t Israel understand? First Moses says, “I will make you jealous by those who are not a nation; with a senseless nation I will provoke you to anger.” And Isaiah is even bold enough to say, “I was found by those who did not seek me; I became well known to those who did not ask for me.” But about Israel he says, “All day long I held out my hands to this disobedient and stubborn people!” (Romans 10:14-21)

This past Sunday, Reverend Courtney spoke about the power and efficacy of the gospel. The gospel of Jesus Christ is presented through the preached word: that is, sermons. The above passage from Romans indicates this.
But, what does a sermon look like? Is it always someone standing behind a pulpit, well-dressed, with or without notes, reading and commenting on Scriptures? Perhaps not. Reverend Courtney mentioned two instances where conversion occured in unusual places.

Instead of offering commentary, I simply offer you the word of God for today. I invite you to ponder your own thoughts on sinners, sermons, and salvation as reflected in the two passages below.

Jesus and Zacchaeus.
Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through it. Now a man named Zacchaeus was there; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. He was trying to get a look at Jesus, but being a short man he could not see over the crowd. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, because Jesus was going to pass that way. And when Jesus came to that place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, because I must stay at your house today.” So he came down quickly and welcomed Jesus joyfully.

And when the people saw it, they all complained, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stopped and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, half of my possessions I now give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone of anything, I am paying back four times as much!” Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this household, because he too is a son of Abraham! For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:1-10) 

Jesus and the unnamed woman at the well.

A Samaritan woman came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me some water to drink.” (For his disciples had gone off into the town to buy supplies.) So the Samaritan woman said to him, “How can you – a Jew – ask me, a Samaritan woman, for water to drink?” (For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you had known the gift of God and who it is who said to you, ‘Give me some water to drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

“Sir,” the woman said to him, “you have no bucket and the well is deep; where then do you get this living water? Surely you’re not greater than our ancestor Jacob, are you? For he gave us this well and drank from it himself, along with his sons and his livestock.” Jesus replied, “Everyone who drinks some of this water will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks some of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again, but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life.” (John 4:7-14)

Passion For Judas.

As we continue our reflection on the responsibility and accountability of the sent (John 20:21-23), let’s consider the sad end of an infamous ambassador of Christ: the betrayer, Judas Iscariot.

Iscariot was neither a fake nor a fraud. He was a bonafide disciple of Jesus. But he was also a selfish and self-serving man. And as Reverend Courtney shared with us on this past Sunday, “the life lived for self is a very small life”— a life stunted in its spiritual growth, stunted in accomplishments, and stunted in years. In other words, the devil takes selfish people and makes sure that they never fulfill their calling. Like Iscariot, their brief moments of ministry accomplishments are subsumed by their overarching penchant for disobedience and selfish gain.

Why did Jesus permit Judas Iscariot to retain his share in the ministry?

The following passages show us that Iscariot was granted a share in the ministry, and his share was never revoked. For the sake of context, here are the two passages of Scripture that discuss the concept of share.

Just before the Passover feast, Jesus knew that his time had come to depart from this world to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now loved them to the very end. The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, that he should betray Jesus. Because Jesus knew that the Father had handed all things over to him, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, he got up from the meal, removed his outer clothes, took a towel and tied it around himself. He poured water into the washbasin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to dry them with the towel he had wrapped around himself. Then he came to Simon Peter. Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus replied, “You do not understand what I am doing now, but you will understand after these things.” Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet!” Jesus replied, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” (John 13:1-8)

In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a gathering of about one hundred and twenty people) and said, “Brothers, the scripture had to be fulfilled that the Holy Spirit foretold through David concerning Judas – who became the guide for those who arrested Jesus – for he was counted as one of us and received a share in this ministry.” (Acts 1:15-17)

Here is what some of us would like to have read: “Jesus and His disciples held a board meeting. They confronted Judas Iscariot, chastising him for his embezzlement of funds and his collusion with corrupt priests. They dismissed him from his ministry position, and began the process of launching a lawsuit to attempt to recoup the money that Judas had stolen.” Friends, that is what we might be inclined to do… but that is not what Jesus did.

Jesus, in granting Judas Iscariot a share in the ministry, "kissed" him. The kiss Jesus gave to Judas was not physical, but was a spiritual act of grace. How gracious was our Lord? So gracious that He lovingly gave a spectacular gift to a man who had already determined to betray Him.

Behold the accounting: “Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin.” Judas, it’s over: you are destined for hell. You ignored My teachings. You chose to love your sin more than My salvation. But even though you have betrayed Me, I still love you! I cannot return your life to you, but I will give you one last gift: you will always be counted as a disciple of Mine. You have aligned yourself with Satan; your selfishness has destroyed your soul. But I will wash your feet and serve you your last meal—a meal that celebrates your culture, a meal that celebrates My passion. Messiah has come and you have given Him second place behind yourself. But I still choose to show you My love. Though the devil has consumed your heart, he will never consume your share in the ministry. I choose to allow you to die with your ministry position intact.

What kind of love is this? It is absolute, astounding, amazing passion.

What was Judas Iscariot’s response to this spiritual kiss of grace? A physical kiss of betrayal. And in the greatest instance of irony, Judas’s kiss--- intended to hand over Jesus to death-- turned and hurled Judas himself into hell.

Jesus is kissing you. What will you do?

Kiss the Son! Otherwise he will be angry, and you will die because of your behavior, when his anger quickly ignites. How blessed are all who take shelter in him! (Psalm 2:12)

Too Forgiving?

So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. Just as the Father has sent me, I also send you.” And after he said this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; if you retain anyone’s sins, they are retained.” (John 20:21-23)

In this past Sunday’s sermon, Reverend Courtney shared several points. Today, let’s reflect on the responsibility and accountability of the sent.

Sent as Stewards. Jesus calls us to serve as His building managers. He says, “I will build My church… I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven.” (see Matthew 16:18-19) Though He is the one who builds, we are the ones who act on His behalf in the earth.

Sent with Resources. “But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of the gift of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:7) Jesus, who breathes His Spirit into us (John 20:22), has given us spiritual graces—gifts of God, intended to be used for the glory of God.

The System of Forgiveness. “If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; if you retain anyone’s sins, they are retained.” (John 20:23) We are ambassadors of Christ. We, like Him, have the authority to absolve. And, in order to retain our position as ambassadors, we must forgive. The Lord’s Prayer shows that our state of being forgiven is bound with the state of our own heart concerning forgiveness: “and forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.” (Luke 11:4a)

Then Peter came to him and said, “Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother who sins against me? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, I tell you, but seventy times seven!

“For this reason, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his slaves. As he began settling his accounts, a man who owed ten thousand talents was brought to him. Because he was not able to repay it, the lord ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, children, and whatever he possessed, and repayment to be made. Then the slave threw himself to the ground before him, saying, ‘Be patient with me, and I will repay you everything.’ The lord had compassion on that slave and released him, and forgave him the debt.

After he went out, that same slave found one of his fellow slaves who owed him one hundred silver coins. So he grabbed him by the throat and started to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ Then his fellow slave threw himself down and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will repay you.’ But he refused. Instead, he went out and threw him in prison until he repaid the debt.

When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were very upset and went and told their lord everything that had taken place. Then his lord called the first slave and said to him, ‘Evil slave! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me! Should you not have shown mercy to your fellow slave, just as I showed it to you?’ And in anger his lord turned him over to the prison guards to torture him until he repaid all he owed. So also my heavenly Father will do to you, if each of you does not forgive your brother from your heart.” (Matthew 18:21-35)

May I See Your License Please?

Listen to what the Lord says: “Get up! Defend yourself before the mountains! Present your case before the hills!” Hear the Lord’s accusation, you mountains, you enduring foundations of the earth! For the Lord has a case against his people; he has a dispute with Israel! “My people, how have I wronged you? How have I wearied you? Answer me! In fact, I brought you up from the land of Egypt, I delivered you from that place of slavery. I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to lead you.” (Micah 6:1-4)

In this past Sunday’s sermon, Reverend Courtney shared several points. Today, let’s reflect on the sovereignty and primacy of the Sender.

The Sender. Who is it that commissions us? Jesus says in John 20:21, “Just as the Father has sent me, I also send you.” In the same vein, Acts 13:2 indicates that “while they were serving the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ ” Our Sender is the triune God, in whom all things begin and end.

His Sovereignty. Micah 6 shows us the heart of our Sender. He is Sovereign, and as such He is to be obeyed. In Micah 6:4 God says “I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to lead you”—in other words, God sends prophetic people into our community. These men and women are our spiritual leaders. They serve as ambassadors of Christ and representatives of God. As King, He has commanded them to speak on His behalf.

His System. The use of “Moses, Aaron, and Miriam” in Micah 6 is significant. It was Miriam who God struck with leprosy after she disrespected Moses (Numbers 12:1-10). It was Aaron who fashioned the gold calf and supported ancient Israel’s grand episode of false worship (Exodus 32). And lest we try to deify Moses, Moses’ failure to honor God kept him out of the Promised Land (Numbers 27:12-14). But these leaders’ moments of failure did not negate their responsibility to lead in the roles that God had assigned to them.

This is difficult for us. We can write a fairly long list of flawed leaders who have failed miserably and discouraged the faith of many. But what do we say to God? It is His prerogative whether to allow the evidence of His Presence to be taken away from a person (First Samuel 16:13-14), or a place (First Samuel chapters 5 & 6), or whether to manifest His power through a man’s ministry for the duration of his life (Acts 1:15-17). In the face of flawed leadership, we are still called to obey God. Our prayer is that we will confess our faults to one another, that God will mercifully deliver us, and that His glorious Light will shine in spite of us.

As Pastor Sam says from time to time, and I paraphrase here, “God uses fallible people to speak on His behalf. ” That is the system God uses.

Will you submit to the Sovereign Sender?

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, we must get rid of every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and run with endurance the race set out for us, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set out for him he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. Think of him who endured such opposition against himself by sinners, so that you may not grow weary in your souls and give up. (Hebrews 12:1-3)

Impartations.

The Lord God formed the man from the soil of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7)

So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. Just as the Father has sent me, I also send you.” And after he said this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (John 20:21-22)

In Sunday’s sermon, Reverend Courtney Richards emphasized that when God gives His people vision, He also gives them provision. It is God who equips us to do what He has called us to do.

And, lest we might be tempted to pretend we don’t understand, Reverend Courtney shared a number of very practical applications. It is God who gives us the capacity to recognize His sovereignty. It is God who gives us the desire and longing that we have for Him. It is God who empowers us to testify of His goodness even under the threat of death. It is God who imparts the ability to be and to do. It is God’s air we are breathing, physiologically and spiritually. There is no good thing we have that He did not grant us.

So, in light of God’s provision, what hinders us from achieving His vision?

We are hindered when our lives are not submitted to His Spirit.

We are insensitive when our attention is taken by the world.

We are fools when, in the face of God’s knowledge, we choose to disobey Him.

This might be a good time to use another practical application. Reverend Courtney spoke on the topic of giving to God. He posited that a lack of giving to God is particularly dangerous for the person who has unabashedly given themselves to the world and the world’s system of excess. While Courtney did not condemn anyone for having things, he warned of the dangerous state of things having us. It is a state in which we brag about the things we purchased “on sale” for hundreds of dollars, but we whine about the appeal for giving to the work of the Lord.

And in the tenor of Pastor Sam, and even more so in the tenor of Scripture, Reverend Courtney warned against the act of giving to God’s work with a heart of resentment. Courtney said, and I paraphrase, “If that’s your attitude, keep your money. God has no lack and He will provide what I need, with or without your participation.” Amen.

God has given to us: His life, His Spirit, His provision.

What are we giving to Him?

In The Court of Kings.

 Yesterday’s guest speaker, Reverend Courtney Richards, spoke on the topic “Commissioned To A Mission”. At the core of his theme was the fact that we are called to be missional, visional, and relational. For Bronx Bethany, this has been a recurrent theme of our local ministry.

Over this week we will reflect on different points from the sermon. For today, let’s remain conscious of the Scripture reference from Sunday:

So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. Just as the Father has sent me, I also send you.” And after he said this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; if you retain anyone’s sins, they are retained.” (John 20:21-23)

Be conscious of the peace of God which He has made available to you.

Be conscious of the Spirit of God which He has made available to you.

Be conscious of the forgiveness of God which He has made available to you.

Be conscious of your deep need to accept all that He freely offers.

The Magdalene In Me

This week we have reflected primarily on Thomas, but today I'd like to look at another individual mentioned in John 20: my friend Mary Magdalene.

After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod's household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means (Luke 8:1-3).

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene (John 19:25).

Jesus said, Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God. Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: I have seen the Lord! And she told them that he had said these things to her (John 20:17-18).

You know, I wonder if you would permit Mary Magdalene to sit on your trustee board. Or join your pastoral staff. Sometimes when we're aware of a person's past history we get nervous about allowing them to do certain things in the church. Our guest speaker from this past Sunday was a former drug dealer who God wondrously saved and delivered from that lifestyle. God chose to elevate him and give him full-time work in the kingdom of God.

In our frailty and fear we are less willing to give people second chances. Moses the murderer and David the adulterer would be told, Well, historically people with your background have a tendency to relapse or to never reform, so we really can't take the risk of putting you on the board... certainly we can't put you in the pulpit... Fortunately, God is not afraid to give people second chances! He says, Go and sin no more.

I love the approach of one of my former pastors, a Salvation Army officer who witnessed the conversion of a former alcoholic and drug addict. What did my pastor do? He gave the individual the keys to the church van after a night service and said, Drive these people home. The individual was shocked at the level of trust extended to him, and viewed the assignment as a tangible proof that, just as God forgot the former sins, our pastor too treated the individual in the same way: We will not remember your former sins. Drive this van and embrace your new identity as a trustworthy child of God.

Risky? Yes, of course. But Jesus took the ultimate risk by dying for all of us while we were still sinners. What has He said?

-Mary, you were bound severely but I set you free. I have seen you demonstrate your love and support and I know I can count on you: deliver this message to My disciples.
-Genise, in your weakness I am your strength. I know I can count on you: keep doing the works I've assigned to you.

What about you? I pray that you will be able to say, Yes, God, You can count on me: I will forget about my past and do what You are telling me to do now. Amen!

The Scandal of Distrust

"Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it." John 20:25

Why is it that we don't trust each other?

I won't be too hard on Thomas because I've seen the same scenario played out over and over again. Let me explain.

Thomas was called to be a disciple. He and eleven other men spent three years as a cohort, working together collaboratively to learn from Jesus, to follow Him, to cast out demons and heal the sick in His name, et cetera. The guys knew each other.

But at the end of the day, when Thomas (for whatever reason) missed that post-resurrection encounter with Christ detailed in John 20:19, Thomas would not accept the word of the men who were his closest colleagues.

Yes, I hear the elation in your voice, but I don't believe your testimony.
Yes, I see your overjoyed faces, but I don't believe your testimony.
Yes, we've been working together for three years, but I don't believe your testimony.
Unless I see and touch Him for myself, I will not believe it.

Have you been on the receiving end of the distrust of someone who is supposed to be your friend and fellow soldier in the fight of faith?

Yes, I believe God spoke to the pastors but I'm not doing this Back to Basics thing.
Yes, I know that God opens heaven when we tithe but I just can't.
Yes, I've read that when we give God causes others to give to us but I am not on board with Forward in Faith.
Yes, I love Pastor Sam but he's kind of gone too far out into the deep water; I just don't believe we'll see a new physical plant.

If that's you lurking behind those italicized words, may I implore you to give God a chance? May I implore you to walk in obedience to Him?

Back to Basics- obedience in meditating on the word of God (Psalm 1)
Tithing- obdeience in giving back to God what is rightfully His (Malachi 3)
Giving- being a blessing to others by sharing, even out of our lack (Mark 12:41-44)
Believing- demonstrating our faith in God by believing His word and the message of His servants whom He sent to teach us (Second Chronicles 20:20)

What is the word to Thomas? "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29). Will you make that word your own?

True Privilege

As we continue our reflections on this past Sunday's sermon, let's consider one part of one verse: ...the disciples were together with the door locked for fear... (John 20:19).

For the first-century church, there was a definite fear of the Jews. People like Saul were traveling the countryside with warrants to arrest men and women who claimed Jesus Christ as their Lord. And of course we can't forget our Revelation series, which informed us of the crises imposed upon Christians by imperial Rome. Certainly no one would condemn the Christians of that time for hiding behind closed doors. Right?

And here we are in the twenty-first century...and things like that don't happen anymore, right?

Wrong.

We have Nazarene pastors that, in our time, are hiding in fear of their lives. We have Christians whose homes and businesses have been burned to the ground. There is real persecution and conflict that is based not on what they have done, but is imposed because of Who they love and serve. I'd encourage you to read this for yourselves... http://www.ncnnews.com/nphweb/html/ncn/article.jsp?id=10006338.

Unfortunately we in the West have become accustomed to a gospel of ease and prosperity, not heeding the warning of Christ that the world hates us just as it hated Him (John 15:18-25). A couple of days ago I was watching a certain religious program and the preacher kept saying, "No Christian is going to suffer! The economic crisis is not going to even come to your door!" Well, when there's no food, no gas, and the infrastructure of the city has collapsed... when pastors in India are hiding in the forest trying to stay alive... when Christians in Muslim nations are handed the death penalty for embracing Jesus as their Lord... well, that all sounds like suffering to me.

What does the apostle Paul say? In the middle of Philippians, the epistle famous for its constant use of the words "joy" and "rejoice", Paul says this: "I want to know Christ, to be like Him, to suffer with Him, to have in me that same power that raised Jesus from the dead" (Philippians 3:10, paraphrase mine).

Friends, will you say yes to the privilege of suffering with Christ? Will you take pleasure in bearing disgrace for the sake of His name? Will you "rejoice and be exceeding glad" (Matthew 5:12) when it's your turn to hide in forests and catacombs?

India is not so far away.

BBCN, Apostolic?

We see in John 20 and Acts 1 that most of the disciples experienced two impartations of the Holy Spirit: the first being "receiving the Spirit" through the resurrected Christ's breathing on them in John 20, and the second being "baptism with the Spirit" promised by Christ (Acts 1) and made manifest during the feast of Pentecost (Acts 2).

Which disciples missed out on the initial event of "receiving the Spirit" (John 20:22)? Judas Iscariot, who had already committed suicide; Thomas, who was not in the room; and presumably Matthias, who was not selected to replace Judas until after the event. Thomas and Matthias were present for the subsequent "baptism of the Spirit" recorded in Acts 2. (I don't mean to imply that they were 'less-filled' than their peers for having missed the first event, just making the observation that some of them 'didn't get the first memo'.)

What happens when the Spirit is present?

The Holy Spirit imparts to us the authority to forgive. "If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven" (John 20:22). We should keep in mind a parallel passage regarding forgiveness: it appears after the end of the Lord's Prayer. "But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins" (Matthew 6:15). It seems that John 20:22 gives much credence to the act of absolution, and the Matthew 6 reference suggests that it would be in our best interests to offer absolution so that we in turn will receive that same grace of forgiveness!

The Holy Spirit imparts to us power to work miracles. The word "power" (Acts 1:8) in the Greek is dunamis, the root word from which we get our word "dynamite". Certainly incidents like Philip the evangelist being transported to another town (Acts 8:36-40) suggest activity that has no alternative explanation- it can only be called a miracle. If you want to read more about Philip the evangelist, you can also check out Acts 8:4-13.

The Holy Spirit imparts to us the ability to embrace martyrdom. "And you will be my witnesses..." (Acts 1:8). The Greek word that our Bibles translate as "witnesses" is the word marturios, which is the source of the word martyr. Marturios also gives the connotation of testimony, as if a person were on trial. Do you really want to walk where Jesus walked? It's not about taking a flight to Jerusalem. It's about demonstrating the miracle-working power of God and joyfully suffering the consequences, just as the Jesus and the early apostles were questioned and maligned for speaking the truth and healing people.

Well, I hope I have not been too radical by blogging about absolution and martyrdom and speaking the truth and healing people, but I encourage all of us to reflect on this. If we are (as Pastor Sam said during last July's Nazarene conference) "preoccupied with the ministry of the Spirit", then we would do well to meditate on the scriptures that clue us in to the way the Spirit operates. And, just as the apostolic community of the first-century church experienced this amazing outpouring, we too have the privilege of experiencing God in this twenty-first century... with power to forgive from the heart, power to to be used in the miraculous, and power to witness for Jesus even if it costs us our lives.

So... are you one of those Apostle guys? Don't you wish everyone was?

I Want More, I Want More.

Today let's begin digging into John 20.

Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you!"
Have you ever had to tell someone the same thing over and over again? In scripture we often see this Judaic way of being emphatic- that is, saying the same thing twice. A more famous example of this effect is "Verily, verily (truly, truly)". Jesus is saying something important... Peace (20:19)! Peace (20:21)! Don't be agitated or afraid.

"As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."
Jesus named the successors to His earthly ministry: Us (20:21). Disciples across the ages, in every nation, have been commissioned by Jesus to carry on the work He began. If we are being sent, then it is disobedience to remain behind locked doors (20:19; 20:26).

And with that He breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit."
Do you think the disciples remembered the promise Jesus made before the crucifixion (John 14:16)- the promise of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit who indwells us and teaches us and convicts us? Well, whether or not they remembered, Jesus certainly remembered and kept His word (20:22).

Tomorrow we will continue our reflection by focusing on the impartations of the Spirit recorded in John 20 and Acts 2.