Friday, October 29

Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they pleased with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. (v. 7) But just as you excel in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us – see that you also excel in this grace of giving. 2 Corinthians 8:2-3; 7

I have been blessed to have witnessed innumerable gestures of extraordinary generosity in nearly 25 years at FBCG. In just the last couple of months I have seen two separate gifts of $100,000 given to further the renovation of the East Campus facility. During that same period of time I listened as two different men, unbeknownst to each other, told me that at some point in their lives they felt the Lord call them to increase their personal generosity by 1% every year. Each of these people has learned what it means to “excel in the grace of giving.” Each is allowing God to draw their hearts into a kind of radical and uncomfortable generosity!

But there is one more, and very different, story I want to share.

Some 13-14 years ago a staff member at FBCG told me that the ushers had discovered an unusual gift in the offering plate the previous Sunday. It was a small gold ring – nothing fancy – just a small ring with a cross engraved on one side. I don’t know who put the ring in the offering plate or why – but something about that gesture touched me so deeply that I have kept the ring all these years (after making sure the value of the ring was retuned to the offering!). I kept it because it reminds me of the story of the poor woman in Luke 21. I kept it because it reminds me that love expresses itself through gifts given from scarcity; and true generosity begins in the heart – not the checkbook. And I kept it because it reminds me of what it means to “excel in the grace of giving.”

It strikes me that for some of us, to “excel in the grace of giving” might mean giving a gift of $100,000. For others, it might mean growing our generosity in an intentionally disciplined way over time. For yet others, it might mean simply giving what we have to give as a gift of love to the God who has given us everything!

Close your time with God by thanking him for his many gifts and blessings, and by asking him to help you to “excel in the grace of giving.”

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

2 Corinthians 8:9

Brian Coffey

Thursday, October 28

Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?”

“To buy your threshing floor,” David answered, “so I can build an altar to the Lord, that the plague on the people may be stopped.”

Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take whatever pleases him and offer it up…O king, Araunah gives all this to the king.”

But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”

2 Samuel 24:18-24 (selected)

Almost 30 years ago I spent a summer in inner city Pittsburgh working with Hmong refugee families. These dear people had fled their homeland (Laos) only to find themselves living in poverty in slum-like conditions in America. Early in my time there I learned that the Hmong women and children augmented the family income by digging for worms in the city park that was just across the street from the church where I lived. They would sell them at local bait shops and earned $7 for a gallon jug of night-crawlers.

One of the Hmong kids I got to know that summer was Neng – a 14 year old boy who was loud, angry and fond of using four letter English swear words. He was hard to have in the group and hard to like. But over the course of a few weeks I built a little trust with Neng and he told me some of his story. When he was 10 years old he watched as his father was gunned down in front of his home by guerillas; when he was 12 he escaped Laos by swimming across the Mekong River in a hail of gunfire. I remember thinking that when I was 12 I was playing Little League baseball.

A few weeks later the time came for me to leave Pittsburgh and head back to graduate school. We planned a little ice cream party for the Hmong kids – we had one last evening of fun together – then said our goodbyes. Later that night, as I was packing my stuff, I heard a voice called to me from the sidewalk below my apartment. I looked out the window and saw Neng motioning for me to come down. I went down to see what he wanted and he quickly shoved a small envelope into my hand and said, “Maybe you can buy some food,” and he pedaled away on his little sting-ray bike.

I stood there a long time before I opened the envelope – because I was afraid of what I would find. When I opened it there was a $10 bill inside. I never forgot that expression of love and generosity – because I knew what it had cost Neng to earn that money. I knew it was a gift given from scarcity.

I think that’s what Jesus is trying to teach us in this story. There is a kind of giving that flows from our abundance – and of course, that is good! But there is another kind of giving that comes from our scarcity – an uncomfortable and costly kind of giving. And it is this kind of giving that Jesus sees in the poor woman. This is what King David means when he says, “I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”

As I look at my own life, I see that this kind of giving - costly, sacrificial giving – always flows from love; not duty, not obligation, not guilt, but love. What my little friend Neng said to me through that $10 gift was, “I love you.” What the poor woman said to God through her gift of two small copper coins was, “I love you.”

That makes me wonder about what my giving says to God. Do my gifts say, “Here’s what’s left over,” or “If I have to, I suppose I can spare this!” or, “I love you!” Take a few moments to ask yourself these same questions – then take your answers to God in prayer. Ask him to help you to increasingly align your love for him with your generosity!

Brian Coffey

Wednesday, October 27

As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “I tell you the truth,” he said, “this poor woman has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” Luke 21:1-4

A few weeks ago I was on my way to meet my wife to watch a high school football game and I stopped for gas. I was also kind of hungry – so I went looking for a snack. Right in front of the cash register I noticed a display of a new kind of M&M's! They were called “pretzel M&M's” - that is, small pretzel bits coated with milk chocolate and a candy shell. I had heard about these new-fangled M&M's, but had never tried them, so I picked up a couple of bags. One for me and one for Lorene. I knew she would be pleased that I thought of her as well as my own sweet tooth!

I found my wife in the stadium, gave her her bag of pretzel M&M's, and took out my own bag. No sooner had I opened the bag – and a lady sitting one row behind me said, “Oooooh, are those the new pretzel M&M's? I have to try one of those!” While her request certainly put me “on the spot,” I was proud of myself for not nodding toward my wife and saying, “Um,…she has a full bag too!” Instead, I quickly poured a few of my pretzel M&M's into her open hand – and that of her husband as well – then happily returned to enjoying my treats.

As I thought about it later, it dawned on me that I had been quick to share because my bag of M&M's was still mostly full. I still had plenty left over for myself. True, I had shared – and that is a good thing – but I had shared from my abundance!

I was thinking about that as I read the story of the poor widow in Luke 21. It struck me that sometimes that’s how I think about my giving to God! If I look at my checkbook (or bank account) and the amount makes me feel comfortable – then I feel like I can share some with God. But if that amount makes me feel a little uncomfortable – like I might not have enough left for ME – then I am tempted to wait for a “better time.” I would guess I am probably not alone in those feelings!

Jesus said, “All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth, but out of her poverty she gave all she had to live on.” I think Jesus is saying that while giving out of abundance is a good thing – God actually expects those of us who have been materially and financially blessed to be generous – it is a comfortable kind of giving. He wants his disciples, and us, to see in this poor woman another kind of giving – a giving that goes beyond the comfortable – to the uncomfortable.

Has Jesus ever called you to step out of your comfort zone when it comes to giving? Has Jesus ever nudged your heart to do something wildly generous? Are you willing to become a little more like that poor woman? Ask the Lord to show you what “giving your two cents” would look like in your life!

Brian Coffey

Tuesday, October 26

The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.

The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it an unscalable wall.

Proverbs 18:10-11

Have you ever thought to yourself, “If I had just ____________ (fill in the blank) more in my back account, retirement fun, investment portfolio (pick one), THEN I would be happier and more secure!” My guess is – if we are honest – most of us have! The amount that we think would fill in the blank might differ - $1,000 or $10,000 or $1,000,000 – but we all have a number that we think would make us feel more secure.

The ancient writer of the Book of Proverbs is pointing out that wealth not only can become our “comfort zone”, but we can also begin to find our security and identity in our wealth – which are much deeper and almost spiritual issues. Most of us spend at least some time and energy in financial planning. And this is a good thing! The Bible actually encourages us to be good stewards of the blessings God provides – and that wise planning is part of that. But it is interesting that we tend to refer to the goal of financial planning as “financial security” rather than, say, something like “potential generosity!”

Because we live in a culture that encourages us to see wealth as a source of comfort, security and identity, we are tempted to love money. This is why Jesus warned that “You cannot serve God and Mammon (Money)” (Matthew 6:24). This is why the Apostle Paul warned that “The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). And when we begin to love our wealth and when we begin to place our security and identity in our wealth, we tend to hold on to it tighter and tighter and we resist Jesus’ call into generous living.

In the story of the poor widow giving her two small copper coins, Jesus marvels at her extraordinary act of generosity. Obviously, he not impressed with the amount of her gift – but with the spirit of her gift. If anyone needed money for security – she did! And yet she gave all she had.

Now I don’t necessarily think that Jesus is saying that we all have to put everything we have into the offering plate this week. But I do think he wants to think carefully about our relationship to wealth: about the role that wealth might play in the way we feel about ourselves, about whether or not we find our security in money, and about how that relationship with wealth manifests itself in our generosity.

Ask God to help you wrestle honestly with the role that money plays in your life – and to help you find your deepest security in him.

Brian Coffey

Monday, October 25

As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “I tell you the truth,” he said, “this poor woman has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” Luke 21:1-4

A number of years ago one of our sons, who was about six years old at the time, spent a Saturday afternoon raking leaves for our neighbor. He received $5 for his efforts. After church the next day, he and I stopped at the “Pepper Valley Pantry” across from the East Campus to pick up a treat for the ride home. (That was one of our little “traditions” when the boys were young). His new-found wealth was burning a hole in his pocket – so he asked me, “Dad, can I buy something with my money?” I said, “Sure, bud, it’s your money.” A few minutes later he came back with a candy bar – which I expected – and one of those little paper flowers that come in the plastic tube. I said, “Why are you buying that?” He said, “I want to give it to Mom.” Then, for reasons that I still don’t fully understand, I said, “But that flower costs $2.99! You won’t have much left!”

Now, several questions come to mind as I recall that story! Like, “Why would I possibly want to discourage my son from giving a sweet paper flower to his Mom (my wife)?” Wouldn’t she assume that maybe I had put him up to it – and feel warm feelings toward me? What’s so bad about that? But the main question is, “What was it about my son’s spontaneous generosity that made me uncomfortable?”

The simplest answer, of course, is that money has a way of making me feel me comfortable, while giving it away (or spending it on paper flowers) makes me uncomfortable! We’ve spent the last six weeks or so talking about our “comfort zones” and how following Jesus often means stepping out of our comfort zones and into obedience, or service – or, in this case, generosity.

In this brief story, we see Jesus watching with great interest as people bring their gifts to the Temple. In that day giving was a kind of public event where people dropped their coins – many or few – into various offering receptacles stationed in the Court of Women. The sound the coins made indicated whether the gift was large or small. He watches as the affluent drop their large (and loud) gifts and the ensuing “ooohs and ahhhhs” from the crowd. He then notices a poor woman who drops what amounts to two pennies into the offering box. Perhaps he notices that several of his disciples smile or shake their heads at her pitiful gift. Then he turns

their assumptions about both money and generosity upside down when he says, “I tell you the truth, this poor woman has put in more than all the others.”

Jesus is trying to teach us that generosity is not defined by the amount of our gift – but by the condition of our hearts. He’s teaching us that true generosity begins in the heart and takes us beyond our comfort zone. Begin this week by asking several prayerful questions: What role does generosity play in your life? In your worship? When was the last time you were uncomfortably generous? Ask Jesus to open your heart to what he has to share with you this week!

Brian Coffey

Friday, October 22

Friday

Then he told this parable:  “A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any.  So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard,  ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’  “‘Sir,’ the man replied,  ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it.  If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”  - Luke 13:7-9

Jesus told this little story to illustrate the nature of true repentance.  It doesn’t take a Biblical scholar to figure the symbolism in this parable.  There is a vineyard (the kingdom of God), an owner of the vineyard (that’s God the Father) a caretaker of the vineyard (that’s Jesus), and a tree (that’s us). 

The owner wants the tree to be cut down because it hasn’t produced any fruit for three years.  The tree in the story is a fig tree.  It is a common symbol in the New Testament because figs were a favored fruit by the people of the ancient middle-east and these trees represented blessing and prosperity.  Fig trees generally took 1.5-2 years to mature and bear fruit.  If the tree in the parable hadn’t produced any fruit in three years, it would be logical to assume that it was never going to.  The tree was not doing what it was created to do, produce fruit.  You might even say that the tree deserved to be cut down (remember, we are the tree in the parable).

But…the caretaker of the vineyard intercedes for the tree.  He goes to the owner of the vineyard and begs him to be patient with the little tree.  He tells the owner that he will work with and work on that little tree.  He says, in effect, that he is not done with that tree and that he still has high hopes and big plans for the fruitless little fig tree (remember, Jesus is the caretaker).

Are you beginning to see the tenderness and beauty of this simple little story of Jesus? 

The primary point of the parable is that you and I deserve to be cut down.  We are (spiritually speaking) fruitless little fig trees.  But, Jesus is our caretaker!  He intercedes for us and works in us and on us.  He tends us, prunes us and gradually brings our hearts to a place of repentance. 

This is precisely what took place in the story of Zacchaeus, which we were reflecting on earlier this week.  Little Zacchaeus certainly didn’t deserve anything from Jesus.  God didn’t owe him any favors or kindnesses of any kind.  But, Jesus stopped and called him out of the tree anyway (it was a sycamore fig-tree by the way).  Jesus called him by name and came over to his house because he loved him and he wanted him to come to the joy of true repentance.

We deserve nothing from God, he owes us nothing!  Do you grasp that?  Most Christians (especially American Christians) live with the basic assumption that God owes them a certain level of comfort and security.  We might not say it quite that way, but it’s true isn’t it?  We feel that life is somehow unfair if we aren’t relatively happy and healthy.  But the truth is that all of us, just like Zacchaeus and just like the fig tree, deserve to be cut down.  We are sinful and undeserving people.  But Jesus is our caretaker!  He is working on us so that we do not get what we deserve! 

When you can accept the reality that you deserve nothing from God, then you can embrace the amazing truth that God has given you everything in Jesus Christ!  This is true repentance!


Jeff Frazier

Thursday, October 21

Thursday

Mark 1:15  - “The time has come,” he said.  “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!”

Mark 6:12 - They went out and preached that people should repent.

Luke 3:3 - He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

Luke 3:8 - Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.

Luke 5:32 - I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

What do you think of when you hear the word “repent”?  Does it sound like an old fashioned church word to you?  Do you immediately think of an angry preacher pounding the pulpit and shouting for people to repent of their sin?  Maybe you have no idea at all what this word is supposed to mean.  I think that most people (even Christians) simply don’t understand the nature of true repentance. 

Martin Luther once said that “most stare blinking at the doctrine of repentance like a cow stares at a new gate.”

Whatever it is, repentance seems to be pretty important to Jesus!  Most of us think it means being really, really sorry for the wrong things we have done, or feeling really guilty all of the time, or living with a vague sense of general self-loathing.  While it is true that the Bible teaches that we are all sinners, it also teaches that we are created in the image of God and loved with an everlasting love through Christ!  The biblical concept of repentance is not just about the first half of that message.

Take the often quoted verse Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”.  Do you realize that the very next verse (which is actually a continuation of the same thought) says, “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus”? Too many Christians think that repentance is only dealing with the first verse (3:23), but true repentance means to live in light of both verses (sin-3:23 & grace-3:24)! The Gospel is supposed to be the “Good News”, but the announcement that “all have sinned” is not really very good news (it is not even news) without also telling them that their sin can be forgiven and wiped clean by the free grace of God in Christ!

True repentance does not mean we must go through life beating ourselves up spiritually for being sinners.  It means that while cannot rationalize, ignore or justify our sin, we can be lifted out of it by the one who gives us divine grace!

The apostle Paul tells us that it is the kindness of God leads us toward repentance. Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?

-       Romans 2:4

Sin, guilt, judgment and death are in the Bible, but they are only half of the story and these words will not bring anyone to true repentance without the second half of the story.  The second is the part about grace, forgiveness, mercy, joy, hope and freedom!

It is only when we can truly acknowledge the first half (our sin and guilt) that we begin to experience the power of the second half (God’s forgiveness and grace).  When you put these two together in the human heart, you get true repentance!

Oh Lord God you are high and exalted.  You are the Holy One and the Lord of all creation.  We are weak and corrupt and undeserving creatures.  Yet you have poured out your love on us through Jesus.  Teach us the meaning of true repentance that we might become humble and joyful servants – Amen.


Jeff Frazier

Wednesday, October 20

Wednesday

But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord,  “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”  Jesus said to him,  “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.  For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”  - Luke 19:8-10

Here we come to the end of the story of Jesus’ encounter with Zacchaeus.  Jesus has called the little man out of the tree, he has invited himself over to his house to stay for a few days, and now we find out what has happened to Zacchaeus as a result. 

Zacchaeus makes a public declaration that he is a changed man.  He announces that he intends to give half of his possessions to the poor and that he is going to pay back four times the amount of anything he has taken dishonestly.  This is a shocking declaration and an extreme commitment.  Jesus then states that salvation has come to his (Zacchaeus’) house.

It is important that we don’t misunderstand what is happening here.  We have to understand what Tim Keller calls the “order of grace”. The order of grace is; first Jesus comes in, then a changed heart and life follows.  This story does not teach (and neither does the Bible) that you have to do great things for God before you can get salvation. 

Salvation did not come to Zacchaeus because he pledged to give a lot of money away…he decided to give half of his possessions away because salvation had already come into his life and heart!

Jesus ends by saying that he came to seek and to save the lost.  Most of us hear the word “lost” and immediately think about someone who is not a believer.  However, the word for lost actually refers to being in the wrong place.  Remember that Zacchaeus was a Jew, he was born into the OT covenant as a child of Abraham.  The point is that it is possible for a person to be from a good family, go to a good church, do lots of good service, and yet still be in the wrong place spiritually.  This is precisely Zacchaeus’ situation and it is the reason that Jesus called him out of that tree.

I can’t help but wonder what those few days were like for Zacchaeus and his family with Jesus (the Lord of heaven & earth) as a house guest.  What did they talk about?  What did they eat?  Did they hang out together on the back deck in the evenings and swap stories?  Did the disciples organize a block party?  Whatever happened, one thing is certain, Zacchaeus emerges as a radically changed man.

This is the most profound truth of this whole story – when you let Jesus all the way in to the center of your life, genuine life change will always follow!

Oh Lord, we confess that we are lost without you.  We acknowledge that we are often in the wrong place in our lives.  You have told us that you came to seek and to save those who are lost.  Come into our hearts and save us from our lost condition and put us back in the right place, closer to you – Amen.


Jeff Frazier

Tuesday, October 19

Tuesday

When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him,  “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”  So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.  All the people saw this and began to mutter,  “He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner.’”         - Luke 19:5-7

Can you imagine being Zacchaeus in that Sycamore-fig tree when Jesus stopped and called him by name?  Luke tells the story in such straight-forward manner that it is easy for us to miss the real drama of that moment.  Zacchaeus ran ahead and climbed a tree, he didn’t push his way through the crowd to see Jesus.  It is reasonable to assume that Zacchaeus simply wanted to see and hear Jesus, not necessarily to be called out by name in front of everyone. 

I can just hear the whispers and murmurs in the crowd at that moment, “Isn’t that Zacchaeus the tax-collector?  I hate that guy!  Why is Jesus talking to him?  He should knock him right out of that tree!”

But Jesus stops, he notices the little man in the tree, he calls to him by name, he tells him to come down, and then he says something absolutely astounding, he says that he (Jesus) is coming over to stay at his house!?  This does not mean that Jesus is going to drop by for a few minutes on his way out of town.  When Luke tells us that the people of that town saw this and began to mutter that Jesus had gone to be the guest of a sinner, the implication is that Jesus was going to be staying for a while. 

In ancient eastern cultures, the ultimate symbol of personal acceptance of another individual was table fellowship - to sit and share a meal with that person.  When Jesus says that he must stay at Zacchaeus’ house, he is making a shocking statement.  Jesus is saying (In effect); Zacchaeus, we are going to eat together and sit down together and talk together, I am going to be in your home - the very center of your life!  In that culture, no self-respecting Rabbi would ever have entered the house of a tax-collector!  Jesus is making a serious breech of social and religious etiquette (but that is nothing new for Jesus).

Little Zacchaeus is getting much more than he bargained for when climbed that tree by the side of the road!

(It is not uncommon to hear some evangelical Christians talk about inviting Jesus into your heart.  But apparently, according to this story, Jesus can also invite himself into your heart and life too!)

Notice how Zacchaeus responds to Jesus command to come down and invitation to come over - So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.  Don’t overlook this simple statement.  It was a very significant thing for Zacchaeus to come down out of that tree and to welcome Jesus into his home.  He was allowing Jesus into the center of his life. 

Most of us are content to keep Jesus on the perimeter of our lives, to talk about him, to read about him, to sing about him in church, but not to let him have full access to our hearts.  The trouble with this is that Jesus will not be a house-guest with limited access in your heart.  He will have all of us or none at all! 

What are the “rooms” in your heart that Jesus does not yet have full access to?

What parts of your life are “off limits” to Him?

Jesus comes to each of us, just as he did to Zacchaeus, and he calls us by name.  He says that he wants to come in to the center of our lives, he wants full access to our hearts.  What will you do?  Will you welcome him gladly?

Oh Lord Jesus, forgive us for keeping you on the periphery of our lives.  Help us by your grace to give you full access in our hearts. Come in Jesus and sweep every room in our hearts clean, shine your light into every dark corner and transform us from the inside out – Amen.


Jeff Frazier

Monday, October 18

Monday

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through.  A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy.  He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd.  So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.  Luke 19:1-4

The story of Zacchaeus is familiar to most people who have grown up in the church.  Many of us know the cute little Sunday school song about the “wee little man” who climbed up in a sycamore fig tree to see Jesus.  I can even remember some of the hand motions that went with that song and I have vivid images in my memory of my 5^th grade Sunday school teacher, Mrs. Kingston, wagging her finger at us as she sang the words “Zacchaeus, you come down!  For I’m going to your house today, I’m going to your house today.”

Despite the cute (or obscure depending on your background) references to Sunday school lessons, there is a great deal more to this story in the Gospel of Luke.  We can learn quite a lot form just these first few verses of the story.

First of all we learn that Zacchaeus was a tax collector.  Tax collectors were hired by Rome to ensure that the citizens of a town or village paid the taxes they owed to Caesar on time.  Most tax collectors were wealthy men, not because Rome paid them so well, but because they charged far more than Rome actually required.  They paid Caesar what he was owed and they pocketed the difference.  They had the backing of the Roman army (which they frequently bribed to turn a blind eye to their extortion), so it was useless for the common Jew to resist them.  Luke tells us that Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector.  This meant that he was in charge of the collection of Roman taxes for an entire region of Judea.  He would have been very wealthy indeed.  It is not hard to understand why tax collectors were so despised by their fellow Jews.  They were considered traitors to their own people and sellouts to the hated Romans.

We also learn that Zacchaeus was vertically challenged – he was short. 

Do you have the image of this man in your mind yet?  A short, rich, unscrupulous, corrupt, little cheat, despised by his own countrymen.  Ironically his name actually means “clean or pure”!

But the most amazing thing we learn about this man is that he wanted to see Jesus!  He wanted to see Jesus so badly that he was willing to do some pretty astounding things in that culture.  Notice that Luke tells us very specifically, that Zacchaeus did two things in order to catch a glimpse of Jesus.

1.    He ran ahead

2.    He climbed a tree

Those two details might not seem like much to us, but such behavior would have been absolutely shocking in first century Jewish culture.  First of all grown men, especially respectable wealthy men, did not run around trying to see passers by.  It was undignified and would have been looked at with scorn and disdain by other Jewish males.  Secondly, if respectable grown men did not run around like teenagers at a rock concert, then they certainly did not climb trees like little children!  This was unheard of and totally shocking behavior.

But (and here is the point) apparently Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus more than he wanted his own dignity!  He cared more about Jesus then he did about the opinion of the crowd. 

What about you?  What are you willing to do to see Jesus?  How far are you willing to go to meet him?  How foolish are you willing to appear to get a glimpse of Jesus?

Take a lesson from the little guy - don’t let the crowd hold you back from meeting the Lord Jesus Christ! 


Jeff Frazier

Friday, October 15

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God has prepared in advance for him to do.                                 Ephesians 2:10

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”

“What do you want me to do for you,” he asked.

They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”

“You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”

“We can,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. Those places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”

Mark 10: 35-45

About seven years ago, I met an angry man named Jeff Ward. He was angry because the construction crews working on our new West Campus property were starting work before 7 am, which was a violation of a local ordinance – and a violation of Jeff’s enjoyment of the morning. He called my office phone repeatedly – finally threatening to disrupt our East Campus worship by playing his electric guitar in our parking lot during services if we didn’t find a way to get the construction crew to respect the ordinance. We were finally able to get the construction crew to wait until 7 am to begin – and I figure I had heard the last from Mr. Ward. Not so!

To my surprise, he walked into the East Campus lobby a few days later saying, “I complained when the work started too early, so it’s only right that I thank you when you got it to stop.” And that’s the day that Jeff and I began a very unlikely and unusual friendship. He was very clear with me that he was not a Christian, didn’t attend a church, and was very skeptical about organized religion. But he was very smart, wickedly funny – and honest. I tried to be honest back with him – about myself, my faith, and the weaknesses – as well as the strengths – of the church, and of FBCG.

Eventually Jeff learned more about FBCG and the variety of ministries our people are passionate about. He was particularly interested in ministries to “forgotten people” – the poor, the homeless, and those in prison. At the time we had several folks who were visiting young men incarcerated in a local facility – and Jeff began to give money to FBCG to help with this cause.

To make a long story short, Jeff eventually got a job writing a kind of political/social commentary column in a local newspaper.  A couple of weeks ago he wrote a very critical column (as most of his columns are) about a political figure – but in the midst of his comments, he had this to say about FBCG:

“And there just happens to be a local congregation that takes social justice very seriously…This congregation clearly understands that faith is a verb – it only works when you put it into practice.”

That is so cool! Here is a guy who is not a Christian, who does not believe Jesus is who I believe he is, but who sees something genuine, something true, something attractive in the way people from FBCG serve the world! This reminds me that it is rarely our words, our statement of faith, or our theological arguments that lead people to Jesus – rather it’s what they see in us that allows them to see Jesus.

It turns out that the little boy in Tuesdays story – the boy who wanted the first pancake – was right: “You get to be Jesus today!”

Ask the Lord to show you an opportunity to be like him today.

 Brian Coffey

Thursday, October 14

 “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.”                                                           Mark 8:34-35

I began my ministry career as a youth pastor back in the early 1980’s. In those days there was something of an emphasis on entertaining students. You wanted to plan plenty of fun events – trips to amusement parks, pool parties, video nights, etc., in order to attract kids – then you tried to get them interested in spiritual things. And while that isn’t a bad strategy – and still works in some ways today – I slowly discovered that, hard as it was to believe, adolescent students had more fun shoveling concrete in the Dominican Republic than they did riding roller coasters at Great America. Don’t get me wrong – they still enjoyed amusement parks and pool parties – but there was just something different about the kind of fun they had when they gave themselves away in service to others.

In this brief passage from Mark 8, Jesus is not telling us that we all have to be martyrs for our faith – although that has certainly been true for many Christians throughout the centuries – but rather he is calling us to examine the central motivation of our lives. Do we live to serve our own pleasure and happiness – as consumers in a consumer society – or do we live to serve Jesus by serving others? Jesus is saying that when live to serve ourselves we actually begin to die – spiritually speaking. But when we give ourselves away to that which is outside of ourselves – and greater than ourselves – we will truly live.

This is why entertainment eventually becomes boring; and why shoveling concrete in the Dominican Republic becomes fun! This is why staying within our comfort zones causes our hearts to grow lazy and dull; and why stepping out of our comfort zones into service – while uncomfortable and even painful at times – causes our hearts to grow strong and passionate.

Jesus never promised that following him would be easy – in fact, quite the opposite! He tells us up front that there will be struggle, trials and pain. But he does promise that following him will lead to life – a life of joy, peace, love, and purpose – and life that is eternal!  “I have come that they might have life and have it more abundantly!”  John 10:10

Thank God for his promise of abundant life, and ask him to continue to you’re your passion to follow him.

 Brian Coffey

Wednesday, October 13

When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”                                                 Mark 10:41-45

My boys used to have a little competition that could be called, “shotgun.” Whenever I would need to drive more than one of them somewhere – and as we headed to the car – one would call out “Shotgun!” For the uninitiated – “shotgun” refers to the front passenger seat in a car – as in “riding shotgun.” I’m sure this must come out of the “Wild-wild west days” – but I’m not really sure. But the unwritten rule is whoever calls “shotgun” first gets to sit in the front passenger seat – meaning he gets more leg room PLUS the power to control the radio.  The one who rides “shotgun” has the position of both privilege and power!

In a sense, James and John are calling “shotgun” with Jesus. They are assuming that if there is going to be a kingdom and Jesus is the king – then they have a good shot at getting the best seats in the house! Notice that the ten other disciples were “indignant” when they heard what James and John had asked of Jesus. I think they were upset NOT because these two guys were not serving Jesus the way they should but because THEY had called “shotgun” – THEY were tying to get the places of honor and privilege when they ALL wanted those for themselves!

We live in a culture that teaches us not only to be consumers – but to be “upwardly mobile.” That is, we are encouraged to climb as high as we can on the social ladder of success – in education, profession, salary, and material possessions. While some degree of personal ambition is good - Jesus is teaching his disciples – and us - us that greatness is not found in position, power, or prestige, but in servanthood. Jesus is turning greatness upside-down. He is encouraging us to be willing to intentionally climb DOWN the ladder of servanthood and into true discipleship.

Ask God to make you more and more aware of the pull of “success” on your heart – and more and more available to his call into service.

Brian Coffey

Tuesday, October 12

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”

“What do you want me to do for you,” he asked.

They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”                                                                         Mark 10: 35-37

The mother of two young sons was making pancakes for breakfast. She overheard her boys arguing over who would get the first pancake; “I get the first pancake,” the older one said. “That’s not fair,” cried the younger brother, “you ALWAYS get the first pancake! I want the first pancake this time!” And on and on it went. The Mom, seeing an opportunity to impart a spiritual lesson said, “Now boys, if JESUS were here with you would HE be arguing about getting the first pancake?” The boys had been to Sunday School and therefore knew the answer their Mom was looking for. They both looked down sheepishly and said, “No.” She was pleased and said, “That’s right boys, if JESUS were here he would say, ‘That’s alright, my brother can have the first pancake, I can wait.’”

A few moments of silence went by, then the older brother looked up and said to his little brother, “O.K. Tommy, YOU can be Jesus today!”

I love that little story because so often I am like that as well. Like the little boys in the story, my default mode is to think of myself first. And that’s what is happening to James and John. Jesus has just been talking about (earlier in Mark 10) his coming arrest, trial and suffering – and yet James and John can think only of what’s in it for them!

Sometimes, I fear, that’s the way we approach our faith. When we pray, we tend to do a lot of asking God to do things for us. When we read the Bible – we look for words that will encourage us or make us feel better about our lives. When we go to church, we hope that the worship will include the kind of music and songs that we like most, and that the pastor’s sermon will be interesting. If we are not careful, we approach our faith from a “what’s in it for me?” perspective!

Jesus is teaching his disciples that following him means learning to think backwards. It means learning to ask not, “What’s in it for me?” but rather, “What do you want me to do for someone else?” Ask God to give you an opportunity to serve someone else today!

Brian Coffey

Monday, October 11

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”

“What do you want me to do for you,” he asked.

They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”

“You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”

“We can,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. Those places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”

When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”                                                 Mark 10: 35-45

Have you ever complained about poor service in a restaurant? Most of us have! About a month ago I took my two older sons to a “Buffalo Wild Wings” near my older son’s college campus. We arrived to find the place packed – evidently it was “Ultimate Fighting Championship” night and there are A LOT of UFC fans in Marion, Indiana! But we went ahead and put our names on the “to be seated” list because we were hungry - and waited. And waited. And waited. We waited for 45 minutes only to finally notice that no matter how many people left the restaurant there was still no room for us. The whole time we were waiting to be seated – other people just kept coming in and walking right by the guy taking names and sat with their friends. Finally, we noticed that the guy taking names was no longer standing at his post – he was just gone. It became obvious that we were not going to be seated and we were not going to be served – and we were upset! So we left in a huff and found another restaurant willing to serve us a late-night meal! How many times have you found yourself saying something like, “You just can’t get good service anymore!”

The truth is that we all like to be served – especially when we are hungry! It is also true that we would all rather BE served than serve. I think this is because our culture has taught us to be good consumers rather than good servants. Whether we like to admit it or not – we would rather stay in the comfort zone of consuming - being served – having our needs met - than step out of that comfort zone and find a way to serve someone else.

In this conversation – first with James and John – and then with the rest of the disciples – Jesus is turning their, and our, understanding of service upside-down. As followers of Jesus we are not to see ourselves as “consumers of religious service,” but rather, “servants of all.”

Take time this week to notice how often your instinct is to seek good service – in a restaurant, in stores – even at church. Ask God to begin to turn your heart toward service – ask him to show you ways to become more servant than consumer!

Brian Coffey

Friday, October 8

Friday

So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body,   - 2 Peter 1:12-13

And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.  – 2 Peter 1:15

Apparently Peter takes this remembering business pretty seriously.  He repeatedly states that he is going to keep reminding these Christians for as long as he is alive.  I particularly like the way that Peter says he knows that his readers are firmly established in the truth (spiritually mature) but that isn’t going to stop him from reminding them.  It is as if he is saying, “I know that you have heard this stuff before, but I don’t care, and I am going to tell you anyway!”

Peter must have been a good friend to have (and sometimes probably an annoying friend too).  He cares more about his fellow Christians living for the glory of Christ than he does about them being annoyed or offended by his constant reminders.  It is easy to convince ourselves that if we don’t have anything new to say, then we should just keep quiet.  We may also be tempted to question our right to remind someone of spiritual truths that we ourselves often forget. 

But the truth is that we have the responsibility and the privilege of reminding one another!

I am firmly convinced that the most profound truths in our lives are not new ideas, they are the truths we have ignored or forgotten, and need to be reminded of. 

Years ago, when I was just starting out in ministry, I had the joy of leading several young men to the Lord in the space of just a few weeks.  These young men were very excited about their new faith and were sharing it with anyone and everyone who would listen (and few who didn’t want to listen).  It was a very exciting time for them and for me as I met with them each week and began to lead them through the study of the Bible.  The trouble was that a couple of these young men came from families that did not share their son’s excitement about Jesus Christ (to say the least).  These parents questioned my motives and my interest in their sons and convinced them that it was unhealthy for them to be too overly involved in “religion”.  Eventually some of these parents even forbid their sons from participating at all in our youth ministry and the rest just kind of drifted out of involvement altogether.  In the space of about a month I went from the joy of having a small group of 6 brand new believers to the frustration and emptiness of having them all drift away from me and from the church.  I became very discouraged and I wondered if somehow it was my fault, if I had done or not done something that might have changed things.  I even began to have second thoughts about whether I belonged in ministry at all.

A friend came to me at my lowest point and reminded me that ministry success was really not up to me at all.  He quoted to me the verse 1 Corinthians 15:58, Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.  The ironic thing about this was that this was the theme verse for our entire ministry season and I had been the one who had selected it!

My friend (like Peter) gave me the great gift of a, much needed, spiritual reminder at just the right time.  I am so grateful that he did!  I have often reflected on that experience and it has motivated me to do the same for others where God gives me the opportunity. 

What about you?

Who do you know that needs a reminder?  Who has perhaps drifted from or forgotten the truth of the Gospel?  Who do you know that needs a little encouragement or a little nudge in the right direction?  Who needs you to challenge them with the truth (which they have heard before)? 

Remember, you have the responsibility and the privilege of reminding them…will you?

Thursday

Thursday

But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.  – 2 Peter 1:9

Every time I read this verse I am struck by the word forgotten.  Peter says that if we are not growing in our faith, it might be that we have forgotten something of critical importance. 

It is true that human beings are naturally forgetful (at least I am).  Just last week, my wife told me that we were out of salt in our water softener.  I told her that I would pick some up on my way home, but I forgot.  The next day she reminded me and I said I would be sure to stop and get some before I got home, but…I forgot again.  Day three came and she reminded me twice about how much we needed the softener salt.  I reminded her that I was going from church to my daughter’s volleyball game, then to my son’s football game, but I assured her that I would get the salt before I got home that evening.  Can you guess what happened?  Yes, it’s true, I forgot again.  But, on day five I finally went out at 9:00 p.m. and got the salt!

We have all had experiences like this, where we let important dates or details slip our minds.  However, Peter is talking about a different kind of forgetfulness.  He is talking about a spiritual forgetfulness that is in each one of us, a forgetfulness of soul.  Because of sin, we all have a tendency to forget who God is and what he has done for us and we drift toward fear, doubt and self-reliance. 

We are in constant need of reminder that we have been forgiven by Christ and that the power of sin & death in our lives has been conquered through the cross! 

We might call this the discipline of remembering;

Remembering who God is.

Remembering that God can be trusted. 

Remembering that God’s word has power.

Remembering the price he paid for us. 

Remembering who we are because of Christ. 

Remembering that we can do nothing apart from him.

(the list goes on and on)

Peter also says that when we forget these things we are “nearsighted and blind”.

The word he uses for nearsighted is the Greek word muopazo, it is the source of the English word "myopia”.  Myopia is a condition of the eye in which parallel rays are focused in front of the retina.  Nearsighted people focus right in front of them, but the further out they look, the worse their vision becomes.  Distant things are not in focus.  That is the spiritual condition that Peter is referring to.  When we forget the Cross, we become focused on the immediate difficulty or struggle, and we cannot see the big picture. 

I like this image because it reminds me that as a Christ-follower, I must live with an eternal perspective.  This does not mean that you are immune to daily struggles or trials if you are a Christian, but it does mean that you do not despair because of them.  The Apostle Paul puts this well…

 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

–      2 Corinthians 4:17-18

Paul is actually practicing the discipline of remembering in this verse!

It is as if he says to us, “Remember that this life is not all that there is!  Remember that there is a greater story and a greater glory that the current issue you are facing!”

So, why don’t you take a few moments before going on about your day to practice the discipline of remembering yourself?

 

Questions for reflection:

In what area of your life are you spiritually nearsighted right now? 

What have forgotten or lost sight of about the character of God? 

What have you forgotten or lost sight of about your identity in Christ?

Heavenly Father I praise you that while I may sometimes lose sight of you, you never forget about me.  Help me everyday to remember that you are always in control and that I am lost without you.  May I never forget the Cross, and the price you paid for my sin.  In Jesus name – Amen.

Wednesday, October 6

For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.   – 2 Peter 1:8

Several weekends ago I set out to trim some trees in our backyard but I couldn’t find my handheld limb saw.  I searched all through the garage with no luck.  I finally found it outside under the woodpile in back of our house.  Apparently one of my children had left it out there several weeks earlier (don’t even ask why one of my children was playing with a saw).  The handle was loose, the blade was caked with dirt and it was completely dull.  I tried to cut those limbs with the saw, but it was totally useless to me.  So I just hacked away with my dull hatchet on those poor tree limbs!

Peter warns us in this passage about the danger of an ineffective and unproductive spiritual life.  Which of us wants to live an unproductive life?  Who wants to live a useless or ineffective spiritual life?  Are you content to have a dull faith that makes no real impact in the world around you?

For that saw to be useful to me, it must maintain the qualities of an effective saw; a clean and sharp blade, tight handle, etc.  For us to be effective and useful to God, we must maintain the qualities that Peter mentions earlier in this passage; goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love.  Peter goes on to say that we should be possessing these qualities in increasing measure.  We should be growing, increasing, and gaining ground in each of these areas.  A blade will eventually grow dull with use, or even if left alone, it must be sharpened.  Likewise, we must continually be growing (increasing) if we are to stay spiritually sharp.

In Paul David Tripp’s book Instruments In the Redeemer’s Hands, Tripp argues that if we want to be useful to God, the best thing we can do is to become like Him.  I know many Christians who are doing a lot for God.  They are busy serving and leading in multiple ministries.  They are considered by others to be very “spiritual” and godly.  But the truth is that while they may be doing a lot for God, they are not increasing in becoming like Him in their character.

Frankly, it is far easier to look outward at the needs of others and the opportunities for ministry, than it is to look inward at our own personal character flaws and imperfections.  But Peter’s words won’t let us squirm out from under this simple truth; your character is the most important component of your effectiveness for Christ!

Notice that Peter does not say that you are going to be ineffective and unproductive in ministry, but in ”your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  This is what your life is all about, to know Jesus! 

Let me put it to you as simply as I can – Your goal as a Christian is not to do great things for God, but to know the Lord Jesus Christ!

But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.  What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things…I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,  - Philippians 3:7-10

Jeff Frazier