Journal - 30 Mar 2011 - Luke 20:1-8 - Asking the Right Question

My journal entry yesterday from our Bible Reading Planner was fascinating as I look at how Jesus handled opposition.

For those who are unaware, DUMC encourages the use of a journal when we spend time daily with God, writing down our thoughts. We use the process SOAR (Scripture, Observation, Application and Response).

S

¹ One day as he was teaching the people in the temple courts and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him. ² “Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,” they said. “Who gave you this authority?”

 ³ He replied, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me, ⁴ John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or from men?”

 ⁵ They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’ ⁶ But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet.”

 ⁷ So they answered, “We don’t know where it was from.”

 ⁸ Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

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Although the context of this passage is in a negative sense of wanting to trap Jesus, let me turn it around positively.

Here we see the principle of  Matthew 10:16 "Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves."

Sometimes, it is not our answers that will solve the matter. It is the conclusion of the one who asks when asked back!

A

Often we are too quick to give an answer. If we are to take time to think about how to help the person by asking the right question, it would have benefitted him alot more because he owns the answer by thinking it through. What a powerful principle! The power is not in the answers because answers can be easily found in the days of internet. It is in the right question. I have often encourage those in my MAG (Mentoring and Accountability Group) to ask good questions. "What do you think?" is often my reply. We use the QC process, one question and one contribution from each person. What is one question you would like to ask the group for their collective wisdom and what is one contribution you would like to give to the group. This will encourage a culture of not just receiving, but giving as well to the group. It also encourage every person that learning to ask the right question in life is the key to our spiritual growth. Right question produces the right answer!

R

Lord, give me the wisdom of Matthew 10:16 when I deal with opposition. Teach me to listen well, pray and help the person come to his own conclusion where possible. Amen!

Life Seasonings - Principle 7 of 10

Principle 7:  Walk in freedom 
(Walk light)

If we can have the ability to see the unseen in people, what will we see? In my imaginative mind, I see people with black backpacks on their backs with all sorts of things imaginable that they have accumulated along their life’s journey. Some have their backpacks so stuffed up that they are struggling to move, fumbling under the sheer weight. Some have even collapsed to the ground and not able to move at all. Yet I see others skipping joyfully around on very light backpacks, almost empty, with tell-tale signs of a carefree life. They can stop, walk or run with absolute ease.

And there are many types of people somewhere in between these two extremes. Two persons may have the same redemptive experience in the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, yet they are not the same in the way they walk (or run) their life’s journey. That’s why some Christians seem to be living their Christian life passionately whilst others drag their feet.

All Christians may start on the same line, that is, we are totally set free in Him. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1) But not all will run at the same pace and the same distance. Others are totally distracted from the journey and some, sadly, go backwards. If we have spiritual eyes to see, we see Christians with differing passion and love for God, weighed down by heavy or light backpacks. What makes one Christian on fire for Him and another living mediocrely and half-heartedly?

As a pastor, I have counseled many people. One common trait among those seeking help is this: They carry very heavy burdens in their lives. Although technically they have been set free from their sins at the point of their conversion, yet they continue to stuff back the very things they have left behind as new Christians. Sometimes they add on many other things as well.  Jesus puts it another way in the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:1-23). The seeds that were scattered fell into four places: on the path, rocky places, among the thorns and on good soil. The seeds represent the message of God that was sown into the hearts of men. The seed that fell on the path is liken to a man who has heard the message, but it is snatched away immediately by the evil one. It has no chance to grow. The person remains unfruitful. The second seed is liken to a man who receives the message with joy but because there’s no depth or root in the way the message has an effect in his life, and when trouble comes, he too falls away. The third man is choked with the worries of life and the deceitfulness of wealth, he is unfruitful in his Christian life by default. But the fourth man, who hears the message, understands and applies it, becomes a fruitful man, passionate about life and useful for the kingdom of God.

It is good to inspect right now what kind of Christians you are at this stage of your life. Regular inspection of broken walls, as Nehemiah did before he re-built the walls in Jerusalem, is a necessary part of maintaining a passion for God and living fruitful lives. Which type are you?

a.      You made a profession of faith before but the devil stole everything from you even before you made a start?

b.      Were you discouraged along the way because you couldn’t handle problems and you have been blaming God and others ever since?

c.       Are you distracted by worldly cares and values, are distracted and living mediocrely as a result? Somehow things just don’t make sense in this unending pursuit.

All the three above are big time contributors to your backpack. This list is not exhaustive of course. We are talking here about every sin that you have disobediently committed that grieves the heart of God in every conceivable area of money, sex and power, or as Apostle John puts it in 1 John 2:16 (NKJV) – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. For every commission of sin, we add another item into our backpack.

Christ has set us free. Why have we robbed ourselves and allowing the evil one to rob us of that freedom? The passionate plea of Apostle Paul is “Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” It is so easy to go back again to our old life. Repent from your ways, stand firm and be like the fourth man, and the journey that you will embark from then on will be an incredible one. So, walk light and walk free!

Life Seasonings - Principle 6 of 10

Principle 6:  Grow Well and Deep 

(Be Like An Oak Tree)

“Superficiality is the curse of our age. The doctrine of instant satisfaction is a primary spiritual problem. The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people.” A profound statement made at the very beginning by Richard Foster in his book “Celebration of Discipline”.

Often we want and desire to extend the breadth of our influence in our ministry or career and these are the obvious and tangible things we see in our outward accomplishments. The downside is that if we are not careful, we get sucked into this curse of superficiality. We are uncomfortable with these inconsistencies because we have an in-built integrity check called “conscience”, an innate desire in our spirit to operate ethically or morally and be the kind of person exhibiting godly character and strength. We would like to grow well in breadth but we also know, like a tree, if it is without a deep root system, we will fall and crumble when floods and wind come. The oak tree is a common symbol of strength and endurance and has been chosen as the national tree of many nations. From just a sapling, it grows into a giant that spread its branches, seeking light to nourish itself and searching with roots deep into the ground for water. What we can’t see are the hidden roots that feeds the majesty of the tree.

Many people may start well but they finish miserably at the end of their lives, or at best mediocrely. As the adage goes, “We live the first half of our life learning how to live the second half better.” With the experience of our first half, we hope to build a wealth and reservoir of godly wisdom, deep-rooted character that will enable us to live a remarkable second half. By remarkable I don’t mean the spectacular. I mean living life with a sense of destiny and purpose. I have always believed life really begins in our forties, the second half of our life. It will be much more exciting and significant because we would by then have the experience, wisdom, influence, respect and esteem to do what we can’t before when we were younger, and influencing many like-minded others alongside our cause. What many don’t realize are the bad decisions they had made in the first half which caused them to climb the corporate ladder, by hook or by crook, and having reached the top, to realize they are on the wrong wall! By then, climbing down and starting all over again on the right wall would be a little too late because the runway is so short and some consequences are irreversible.

Why is growing deep important? I have learnt earlier in ministry this important principle: “Don’t go places where your gifts take you but your character cannot sustain you.” It simply means that if you don’t intend to grow deep, then be very careful about going wide. If we take care of the depth of our life, God will take care of the breadth.

Why is it difficult to grow deep? Because it takes dedicated time, dogged determination and disciplined commitment. We live in an age that expects instant answers, gives up too quickly and easily distracted. We have more to eat, more to spend and more to enjoy, yet are we any better on the inside? There is certainly an ongoing search for a greater sense of purpose, fulfillment and significance. The world cries out for people with high ethical and moral standards.

We are all too familiar with the term IQ (Intelligent Quotient) that tells us something about our mental capability and capacity. Then someone invented the term EQ (Emotional Quotient) that reveals our abilities in handling our feelings and that of others. Now, another term emerges, SQ (Spiritual Quotient). It is about the ability to handle one’s life purpose, about growth, maturity, fulfillment and significance. As a Christian, this is not new. The concept of spirit, soul and body (1 Thes 5:23) and inward regeneration (Titus 3:5) is taught in Scripture and it is this regenerated spiritual man that is in tune with God who allows for that depth of life and character.

Why is growing in depth important for the Christian? Because it glorifies God and his life becomes a blessing to all those around him. He charges people up, rather than discharging them. His life becomes a source of refuge and strength. “He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” Psalm 1:3

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” Colossians 2:6-7

Wouldn’t you want to go near a man or woman like this?

Thinking & Living Christianly (Rom. 12:1-3; Phil. 4:8,9)

Pr Daniel Ho's sharing at March 2011 Leaders' Meeting 1. Be aware of how we really think and therefore, believe and behave. How we think affects our living. 1 Cor 14:20 - think maturely. 2. Be aware of how God wants us to think He wants us to think after His thoughts - mind of Christ. Need to align our thinking and see if it is in line with the mind of Christ. 2 Peter 3:1 The best way is to read and understand His Word. Inconsistencies will show in our lives. 3. Renewal of the mind is a lifestyle, not an experience 2 Cor 3:15-18 4. Renewal of the mind involves putting off and putting on (Eph 4:22-25; Col 3:5-10) 5. Our mind must be focused on that which is right, good and positive (Phil. 4:8; Col. 3:2) 6. Our soul, mind and will prosper and emotion must prosper before our life will prosper (3 John 2) Our health has to do with our inside. Many diseases are psychosomatic in nature 7. Abundant life has been provided and we must possess it (John 10:10)