To see Jesus become greater in your life (Acts 20)

Cornerstone Mission Church, November 16, 2008

The account of John the Baptist, who saw Jesus Christ, realized for who Jesus Christ really was, and was determined to see Jesus become great. He said it like this, “The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and if full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.” John 3:29-30. And, he further said in verse 31-36, “The one who come from above is above all… The one who comes from heaven is above all... For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. The father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” John’s theology of believing in the Son from above whom God has placed everything in his hands wasn’t a theoretical religious concept only on paper. Believing in Jesus had massive impact on his self understanding. In the paraphrase by Eugene Peterson in Message, John was most happy to see Jesus moving into the center moment while he slipped off to the sidelines.

“Jesus must become greater, I must become less.” Jesus must take the place of honor in my life, must become prominent, while I take the backseat and remain in his shadow. He must be the voice my reason, passion, purpose. His life must be infused in me and take over every fiber of my being so that I cannot make sense of who I am, what I envision, hope, dream, and what I do everyday apart from Jesus Christ. I can only make sense of my life only in Jesus’ life. I am glad Jesus takes the center stage of my life. This is what John meant by believing in Jesus. Believing that leads you to eternal life is the sheer conviction that Jesus must become greater, while you and I must become less.

Now, this isn’t exactly the way the people of today like to talk about themselves, is it? We live in times when self discovery, self expression, self promotion, self indulgence is everything. It is the age of Narcissism. You will readily hear, “Discover yourself. Discover your inner strength. Be yourself. Be all that you can be. Be uniquely you. Love yourself.” But, you don’t often hear people talking like John the Baptist did, in sheer determination that someone else must become greater while they themselves become less. To feel passionate about some else taking prominence in your life, literally taking over your life, while you feel indifferent about your self importance doesn’t quite fit the mantra of “Love yourself.”

Can it be ‘loving yourself’ if you can only see your own true worth through the worth of someone else, your success only through success of some else, your happiness only in someone else’s happiness? Or does this sound like crazy irrational and dangerous obsession by someone who suffers low self esteem?

Jesus must become greater; I must become less. Is this the way you and I talk? Certainly, this was the way Paul talked about his life in Acts 20 in different words. He said in Acts 20:24, “I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me- the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.” Again just like it was for John, when Paul talked considering his life worth nothing to him, he wasn’t being philosophical, theoretical, hypothetical, or poetical. This is the man who kept on doing the things that got him into trouble and got him beat up and imprisoned. Yes, there were times when God protected him like when he was in Ephesus. For God said to him in Acts 18:9-10 to keep on speaking and not be silent for he was going to be with him and no one was going to attack and harm him. But this was not the norm. Acts 20:23 reflects more of the norm for Paul, “I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me.”

To speak of his life as worth nothing to him, he meant he would gladly lay down his life because there was the cause that was greater than him, the cause that defined him, the cause that motivated and moved him, the cause that was so great in worth and value that he would willingly risk his life. And, that cause was the person of Jesus Christ and his message of God’s grace. Paul couldn’t envision building his life apart from building on the Cornerstone. Paul was all wrapped up in the life of Jesus. This is what we want to see happening in us.

Context

In chapter 19, Jesus Christ Paul proclaimed in Ephesus caused uproar that could have ended in mob-violence, but by God’s provision it didn’t which allowed him to stay for couple years. Acts 20:1-6 describes Paul’s itinerary for the part of his third missionary journey. By piecing together from Paul’s letters to Corinthians, after leaving Ephesus, he went to Troas and then to Macedonia (2 Cor. 2:12-13). And, here in Macedonia, possibly at Philippi, he wrote his 2 Corinthians. His stayed in Macedonia area scholars say that may have lasted couple years. It was about this time that he began taking collection of money to give as a gift for the poor in the church in Jerusalem.

From Macedonia, he went to Greece probably Corinth spending the winter three months. He was ready to sail to Syria and eventually get to Jerusalem and bring the collection of money to the Jerusalem church. But, it came to his attention that Jews made a plot against him. So, instead of sailing which would have been an easy trap for the Jews who wanted to harm him, he went back to Macedonia, to Philippi and from there sailed to Troas.

And, if you ever wonder why Christians meet on Sunday for worship, you see one of the clues to this in Acts 20:7, “On the first day of the week we came together to break bread.” Since he was leaving next day, he wanted to talk to them as much he could. So, he kept on talking until midnight. Well, probably the upstairs room was crowded and with the lamps burning, air was stuffy and stifling, and the flickering flames created a hypnotic effect. Not surprised to see Eutychus sinking into a deeper sleep as Paul talked on and on. The poor fellow fell down three stories to his death. Paul miraculously revived this young man to life just as Peter raised dead Tabitha to life in Acts 9. Verse 11, Paul went back upstairs and ate midnight snake with others and went to talking until daylight.

After this short stay in Troas, Paul traveled to Assos Mitylene, Kios, Samos and finally Miletus. He skipped visiting Ephesus, a place where he stayed several years before. Verse 16 explains why. He was basically in hurry to get to Jerusalem by the day of Pentecost.

But, he couldn’t simply bypass by the church of Ephesus and not encouraged them as he did with others in areas he had already visited. So, we see Paul sending for the elders of the church. For Paul encouraging others was huge part of who he was; one of the motivations behind Paul visiting the Christians in these areas was to encourage them, encouraging in a sense of exhorting them, urging them to let Jesus take the center stage of prominence, that they must see Jesus increase while they become less.

The strategy to see Jesus become greater in your life.

As I pointed out Luke records how Paul was all about encouraging others. We see him encouraging others in v. 1 and v. 2 and now from v. 18 to 38, we see him encouraging the elders, the leaders of the church of Ephesus.  Here are the ways Paul himself experienced Jesus becoming greater in his life, encouraged others to follow, and we can imitate for ourselves. 

• Experience the gospel of God’s grace

Paul says in verse 32, “Now I commit you to “God and to the word of his grace.” Paul said he didn’t think he could come back and visit them again since he was not sure if he would live or die in Jerusalem. So, in the prospect of him not being able to come back to encourage them, what would sustain them? Simply, it is God who would sustain them. And, commitment to God cannot be understood apart from commitment to the gospel, the word of his grace. Paul says that this commitment to God, to the goodness of his word of grace is what will enable you to be built up. One of the two prongs of our church mission is to build our lives on Jesus Christ. Building up only happens when you and I take the commitment to the word of God seriously.

Paul also says that only by committing to God and to his word, you will be able to embrace your true identity. It gives you and inheritance among all those who are sanctified” in verse 32. It is the inheritance of being children of the living God, the ruler of the universe, the King. Seeing Jesus becoming greater in your life while you become less is about your true identity only in Christ. Who you are doesn’t make sense to you unless God explains to you who you are in Christ. Your purpose in life doesn’t make sense unless it the purpose God gives you in Christ. And, this knowing your true identity happens when you commit to God’s word, through which God can get it through you who you really are in Christ and shape you to live for his will.

• Be bound by the Spirit

v. 22, “Compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem.” This is how Paul described the force of the Holy Spirit working in him. It is the force of binding that he couldn’t ignore although he knew by the Spirit that only imprisonment and hardships awaited him if he were to go to Jerusalem. To see Jesus become greater in our lives means we experience the binding of the Holy Spirit. And, to be bound by the Spirit, it requires spiritual reorientation each day. Each day, you must remind yourself through the word of God, who you are, and what you are destined to become, a person who makes much of God and makes little of yourself. When you orient yourself to the word of God, the Holy Spirit convicts your heart, compels you to God’s will.

• “Be on your guard” (v. 31)

... said Paul to the elders of the church of Ephesus. There are two aspects of being on your guard. Watching over yourself and watching over others. Both require understanding that the road to the promised land is not easy. Itt requires determination to finish the race, complete the task with vigilance. How do you let down your guard? When do you stop watching over yourself and over others? Isn’t that when you stop counting on God to come through for you and for others? Isn’t that when you stop relying on God for his help, his protection, his guide? Isn’t that when you stop praying? There is no such thing as being on guard for yourself and for others without coming to God, the only one who can guard you.

• Pray intimately (v. 36)

We see Paul and the elders on their knees embracing each other with affection. If you want to see Jesus become greater in your life. You need to experience this kind of intimate prayer with other brothers and sisters. So, if you have not come to pray on Wednesday when we pray corporately. Come and experience praying intensely.

• Live transparently

We see this in Paul’s life. He said in v. 18, “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you.” For few years, Paul rubbed shoulders with the people he ministered to. He let his life speak for itself. When you don’t aim for transparency, you cannot see Jesus becoming greater in your life. This is because Jesus is the Light. The Light shines and darkness must be dispelled. When you embrace secrecy, hiding, darkness, you reject the Light, you reject Jesus. So, it is important to foster transparent, authentic, what you see is who you really are kind of life.

• Serve the Lord (v. 19)

With humility, with tears (“never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.” V. 31), and with faithfulness Paul served the Lord.  To see Jesus becoming greater in your life, you must choose who you are going to serve.  To serve yourself is to see yourself become greater.  To serve Jesus and his cause is to see Jesus become greater in your life.  You cannot serve both yourself and Jesus. 

• Proclaim the gospel of God’s grace

Paul was a man who was completely gripped by the gospel of God's grace in Jesus Christ and only thing that made sense to him was to see more people become gripped by God's grace in Jesus as he was.  He wanted to see Jesus become greater in other's lives as it was for him.  For Paul, this was the worthy cause to devote his whole life to it even it meant risking his own life in doing so.  To see Jesus become greater in his life meant ensuring Jesus' message gets out.  We see his commitment to the gospel of God's grace that transformed his entire life. 

Verse 20, “not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you"; verse 21, “turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus"; verse 24, “I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me- the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace"; verse 27, “I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God." 

• Give generously (v. 35)

For Paul, the goal of his hard work was not to increase wealth, but to help others.  Jesus didn't withhold, but gave himself completely, generously, and sacrificially.  To see Jesus become greater in your life, as Paul did, requires you to give generously of yourselves as Jesus did. 

Changed by the word of God (Acts 19)

Cornerstone Mission Church, Sunday Sermon November 9, 2008

There was a very famous lighthouse once stood in on the island of Pharos in Alexandria of Egypt built around 3rd century BC. It was called the lighthouse of Alexandria or the Pharos of Alexandria. It is estimated to be between 380 to 490 feet tall, among the tallest man-made structures on earth for long time and described as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World by Antipater of Sidon, a Greek poet in the 1st century BC.

Sostratus was the chief architect who poured twenty years of his life to complete the lighthouse. Would it be too much to ask his name be inscribed to this lighthouse? Well, the ruler, Ptolemy Philadelphos thought so for he wanted no one but his own name to be marked on the lighthouse. The generations after him must remember not the architect, the builder, but the ruler of the land. Sostratus followed the order and marked an inscription honoring Ptolemy the king as builder of the Pharos lighthouse. But, over the centuries the real builder, and the architect of this marvelous ingenuity was revealed. What Sostratus did was to leave the inscription honoring Ptolemy on the top layer of plaster. Underneath the plaster, he left the following inscription on the base’s walls of the lighthouse, “Sostratus, the son of Dexiphanes, the Cnidian, dedicated this to the Saviour gods, on behalf of those who sail the seas.” What endured through the centuries was what was inscribed on the base’s walls.

  Along with the Sostratus Pharos lighthouse, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus too was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It is this city of Ephesus, where we see apostle Paul in Acts 19 carrying out his single-hearted passion to proclaim the word of the Lord, to preach Jesus Christ to all people over two years. The Sostratus’ lighthouse still remained submerged as ruins in the ocean. And, the Temple of Artemis remained only as rubble.

But, what we see through the study of the book of Acts is the indelible mark of the word of God; You cannot escape the reality of ever expanding power of the word of God in the history. So, we read in Acts 19:20, “In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.” It was said back in Acts 6:7, “So, the word of God spread,” upon choosing of the seven who were full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom to carry out mercy ministry. And, Acts 12:24 reads, “But the word of God continued to increase and spread,” when God miraculously freed Peter from the prison and when God struck down Herod who was full of himself. No doubt there were tremendous oppositions, persecutions, cold responses, or non-responses to the word of God, yet what you see is the message of Jesus Christ being carried out by his faithful servants, followers, ambassadors and being embraced by the people of all nations, ethnicities and cultures. So, reads Acts 19:10, “… all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.” And, till this day, the power of the word of God has never lost its momentum and continues to reverberate in the hearts of men and women, leaving indelible marks of transformation into the image of Christ.

• Changed by the Holy Spirit of truth (19:1-7)
  

In Ephesus, apostle Paul found twelve men described as disciples in verse 1. For whatever reasons, Paul sensed that something was missing in these men’s lives and he suspected that they had not yet received the Holy Spirit. What he sensed proved to be right for they answered him, “we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit?”

These twelve men held on to the teachings of John the Baptist. And, they received in the tradition of John the Baptist, the baptism of repentance. John the Baptist described himself in the book of John as “voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord,’” as one who “baptize with water…” but unworthy of even untying “the thongs of [Jesus’] sandals.” And, that his call to repent and be baptized was call to prepare the way for the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who will baptize with the Holy Spirit (John 1:33). John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance that prepared people to believe… in Jesus (Acts 19:4). And, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, whom Jesus promised as Counselor, is to live with and be in us Christians (John 14:16-17). The Holy Spirit is to teach all things of Jesus Christ and remind everything he said to us (John 14:26), to be Jesus’ peace (John 14:27), to testify to us that we are God’s children… heirs-heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:16).

These twelve men of Ephesus didn’t yet have relationship with the Holy Spirit. When they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus… the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied (Acts 19:5-6), so, was the baptism with the Holy Spirit in their lives.

Do you cherish relationship with the Holy Spirit? He is your Counselor who leads you to the truth of Jesus Christ. He teaches all things of Jesus and reminds you of everything he said. He fills you with peace in Jesus. He testifies to your soul you are God’s child. He reveals to you how your heavenly Father sees you through his Son Jesus Christ.

If you are missing the witness of the Holy Spirit to your soul as God’s child, if you are missing the peace of Christ, if you are missing the preoccupation with all things of Jesus and everything he said, you either don’t have relationship with the Holy Spirit as it was the case with the twelve men of Ephesus, or you neglect fellowship with the Holy Spirit who lives in you.

Former requires believing in Jesus Christ as your Savior and your Lord, latter requires on-going investing in fellowship with the Holy Spirit.

1. Apostle Paul says in Galatians 6:8, “The one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” The Spirit stands for truth. He stands for the way of life in Jesus. He stands for the rock solid identity of childhood of God. To please the Spirit is to cherish for which the Spirit stands. And, this you and I can do when we fill our minds with the word of God. The word of God is the doorway to pleasing the Spirit for it reveals the heart, the mind and the will of God.
   
2. Paul says in Ephesians 4:30 “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” We grieve him by sins of unwholesome talk, critical judgment, bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slandering, malice thoughts. Instead, Paul calls us to, “be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiven each other.”
   
3. The Holy Spirit delights in when you and I expect him to do miracles in our lives. God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, even just touching his handkerchiefs and aprons brought healing to the sickness and evil spirit left. We need to up our expectation of what the Holy Spirit can do to carry out God’s will in our lives.
   

• Changed by the persuasion of the word of the Lord (19:8-10)
  

Acts 19:8-10 describes Paul’s work in the religious setting of synagogues and the secular setting of the lecture hall of Tyrannus. There the key words I would like to highlight for us pertain to the manner of delivery. Verse 8 says Paul argued persuasively about the kingdom of God and in verse 9, he had discussions daily. And that he did this not just for a short period of time, but for two years.

We must ask, “Am I persuaded about the kingdom of God?” To be persuaded by something, it has to make sense to us. Persuasion speaks to one that stands out from all options as that makes most logical sense. The kingdom of God is basically where our kingship is displaced by God’s kingship over us. Instead of self ruling, what makes sense is to be ruled by God. Unless you and I are persuaded about the kingdom of God, unless you and I nod our heads in wholehearted agreement that it makes total sense to be ruled by God, it will do no good to persuade others.

• Changed by going for the kill with the wielding of the sword (19:11-20)
  

When God was doing some extraordinary things in Jesus’ name through Paul, these seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest thought they could invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over the demons and cast them as Paul did. Well, they were seriously mistaken. Jesus isn’t the Lord for no reason. They thought they could lord Jesus over, toy him around, boss him around as their personal Genie to grand their wishes.

But, what they didn’t realize was that evil spirits only submit to the servants of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is those who take on the same mindset of Jesus who said in John 4:34, “My food… is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work,” who can summon the evil spirit to bow down to the King of the universe.

And, what characterizes the servants of Jesus Christ is the way they wield the sword of the word of God to go for the kill all the monsters of sins. When people understand the superiority of Jesus Christ, the Lordship of Jesus, they honor the name of the Lord Jesus in high regard. When people take Jesus seriously, they take the word of the double edged sword tightly in their hands and go for the kill. That is what you see in Acts 19:17-20. They didn’t just mass around with the sins. They went for the kill. The sorcery scrolls they burned when they took the word of God seriously and wielded the sword with tight grip to go for the kill mounted to 50,000 days worth of wages. That is the value of working non stop for 137 years, guys.

Do you treat the double edged sword like a flimsy no-good plastic disposable knife? It is just awfully, pathetically inadequate to deal with the sinful and unbelieving heart of flesh when you think you got a disposable plastic knife. If your Bible sits around like it has no inherent value, but only useful for dealing with cutting soft bread, only to be quickly discarded, disposed away from the sight, well you won’t be able to deal with sins.

But, you take seriously what Hebrew 4:12-13 says, “For the word of God is living and active. Shaper than any double-edged sword, it penetrated even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” Then, you realize that you are not dealing with soft white bread, but the beasts, the monsters of sins that must be killed. You realize that you are a man, a woman on mission to slay the dragons. Without the double edged sword, you realize you have no chance of slaying those sins of yours. So, you keep the double-edged sword on you, ready at any moment to draw it quickly. So, it never leaves your sight, it always with you. You hold it with all your might to make sure when you wield it, you go for the kill!

The cross, the only point of interest for Christian spiritual navigation (Philippians 1:9)

Cornerstone Mission Church, Sunday Sermon August 16, 2008

I read a book by Henri Nouwen titled, In the Name of Jesus. The author reflects on Christian leadership. In the introduction he asks this question to himself, “What decisions have you been making lately and how are they a reflection of the way you sense the future?” If you want to know the kind of future you might have tomorrow, try to evaluate your own recent decisions you’ve been making. This is a great self-reflective question.

I wish I could say that I make my decisions decisively and make no wrong turns. If life is like following today’s navigation system, all you got to do is punch in your starting point and the destination point, temporary life now to eternal life and just like that you get a detail turn by turn direction to the destination. All you got to do is just drive and wait for that voice prompt that tells you to get ready for your next turn; it gives you live update on distance before your turn. Hey, if get distracted and forget your turn, no sweat. Within a split second, the GPS navigation prompts you with a new direction. Well, it works until your GPS navigation start telling you to make u-turn and drive back.

Still, even the cheapest navigation system will be better than what I got going in my brain. Seriously, I think I really have a messed up sense of direction. When I first moved to the parsonage six years ago right here at the church property, I couldn’t figure out if I had to make a right turn or left turn on Camp McDonald Road to go towards Milwaukee or towards Rand. Five minutes into driving having made the right turn from the parking lot, I would realize that I was heading towards Milwaukee when really I needed to drive towards Rand. If this just happened once or twice, well it would just prove that I am a human after all. But, the fact is I struggled for many months to make the right decisions. The sad thing is I still make wrong turns. You should see me on our drive way confidently start making my left turn out into Camp McDonald to go to Kohl’s Children’s Museum, only to be informed by my lovely human GPS sitting next to me, again I’ve made the wrong turn. I am getting better though. I often find myself slowing down in the driveway before making my turn just to make sure I am heading the right direction.

Perhaps, God gave me this faulty sense of direction to illustrate the reality of our lives that is nothing like following the detailed turn by turn GPS navigation direction. Perhaps, it is an illustration to point out how I need to depend on God for his leading.

Revisiting Henri Nouwen’s question, “What decisions have you been making lately and how are they a reflection of the way you sense the future?” I could add my own questions.

How can I be sure about the way I sense the future? Can I be certain about where I need to be tomorrow? Even if I know where I am going, how can I be sure that the decisions I make today will get me where I need to be tomorrow? These questions reveal the feeling of indecisiveness about our future and the decisions we need to make today. But, more than just feeling indecisive, it reveals deeper trouble for our souls; indecisiveness is just the tip of the ice burg. Beneath it lie deep anxiety, insecurity, and fear that keep many of us wake late into night. It reveals deep insecurity we have about ourselves, our surroundings, and our times.

The world says that the key to making good decision for tomorrow is to feel good about it. If your decision makes you feel good right now, then really that’s all that really matters. Whatever adds more pleasure, more comfort, more ease in life appears to be what is right. I am so glad God didn’t make his past decision on how he felt at the moment. When his Son was being falsely accused, wrongfully beaten, stripped, and whipped, pierced and crucified, if God were to make his decision sorely on eliminating his pain, feeling good at the moment, to allow his Son to experience so much suffering and death for the rebels who hold up their fists against him wouldn’t make any logical or emotional sense.

The word of God today tells us that the key to making right decisions in life begins at the cross. It begins with Jesus Christ.

• Set your spiritual navigation on the single point of interest at the cross.

You may ask, “What does the cross, Jesus Christ has anything to do with making decisions in life?” My answer would be, “Everything.”

Here is the passage some of us studied this Friday. Philippians 1:9 says, “And, this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight.” This is Paul’s personal prayer for the Philippians to whom he was writing his letter. Here was Paul who first preached the gospel to them at the cost of imprisonment, flogging, and humiliation. Here was Paul later in time who loved them so much so that he would write a personal letter from his prison cell to tell them how he remembered them and prayed for them.

How did Paul end up caring so much for the Philippians? The clue is found in verse 8. He described how he longed for all of them with the affection of Christ Jesus. King James Version translates “the affection of Christ Jesus” as “the bowels of Jesus Christ.” The Greeks saw the bowels, the intestines as “the site of the natural passions.”[1] But, in English language heart is the seat where we experience deep and passionate emotions. So, when Paul spoke of the affection of Christ Jesus or the bowels of Jesus Christ, Paul was describing how Jesus was moved in his heart or at his gut level. So, the terms like gut-wrenching, heart-rending, or heart-breaking, captures the intensity of how Jesus was moved in his heart.

When you read the gospel accounts, you come across the scenes that describe Jesus having compassion on the crowds who were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd (Matt. 9:36; Mark 6:34), who were hungry (Matt 15:32; Mark 8:2), blind (Matt 20:34), lepers (Mark 1:41); his heart went out to the widow who lost her only son (Luke 7:13). When Jesus told the parable of the Samaritan, he used the same expression to describe how this Samaritan took pity on a man who was robbed and left to die (Luke 10:33). Jesus also used the same expression to describe the father in the parable of the lost son (Luke 15:20). When the prodigal son returned completely broke and messed up having wasted his inheritance in wild living (v. 13), but while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him. When his heart was moved with compassion, the last thing in his mind was keeping his composure, his dignity, distancing from his son or rejecting him. He wasn’t passive. But, you see him running to his son, throwing his arms around him and kissing him.

Ultimately filled with compassion, moved in his guts, in his heart, Jesus gave himself for you and me at the cross; in his deep affection, he endured the suffering, scorning, humiliation and painful death. Paul wrote to Galatians in 6:14, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and to I to the world.”

This is an expression of man who knew only one point of interest for navigating his life. He began his journey at the cross and he finished his journey at the cross. Jesus Christ remained his obsession, his all. How did he remain so single-mindedly devoted to Jesus? How was he able to reject all other points of interests? How was he able to keep returning to the same point of interest through out his life, to the cross, to Jesus Christ?

It is because Paul understood God’s profound love for him in Jesus Christ. He did everything to foster love relationship with God. Jesus defined himself as the way, the truth, and the life. He is the knowledge; he is the depth of insight. Apart from him, we know nothing of real love. For Paul, love to abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, it meant knowing and being changed by the life, the heart and the mind of Christ.

Only at the cross, the transaction can take place, forsaking our selfish, godless preoccupation with ourselves inundated with anxiety, fear and insecurity. At the cross, we are given the heart of Jesus Christ, joyful, loving and obedient heart of the Son who adores the Father. At the cross, with Jesus, in Jesus, love can grow.

Consider your spiritual navigation. What other points of interests do you have stored in your spiritual journey that compete with the cross point?

For our love to abound in knowledge and depth of insight, we must foster our love relationship with Jesus. Before we can love others, we must be saturated, satisfied, filled by love of Jesus Christ. Don’t settle with the vague sense of yesterday’s intimacy with Jesus for today. Each day requires fresh saturation in Jesus Christ. The best way is to start at the cross, meditate in his life, his suffering, his death, his mindset, his heart, his love, gut-wrenching, heart-rending, heartfelt affection, his victory.

· When you set your spiritual navigation on the cross, don’t grow weary in expressing your love to others for Christ stands between you and them.

To say that Jesus is the starting point and he is the finish line, to say my life is all about Jesus, while my love relationship with people remains stagnant and sour, makes no sense.

When Paul prayed for the Philippians’ love to grow, he certainly meant for their love in Jesus Christ to flourish. But, the spiritual reality is that when the affection of Jesus Christ fills us and we grow in love with Jesus, his love flows over us and touches the people around us.

One of the things that I learned about the Philippians is that they were generous people. They were generous in their support for Paul even though they themselves weren’t well off. He described their generosity in verse 5 as “partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.” This was the hallmark of their Christian love for Paul; it was enduring love. They didn’t give up when things got difficult, but pressed on to ensure their love abound for each other and for Paul.

We must resist the temptation to separate love of God with love for people. Love of God always translates into love for people. If we are not growing in love with people, it is sure sign that we are not growing in love with God.

What is important is that we don’t get weary in doing good to people. Paul said in Galatians 6:9-10, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

When you give but you don’t see the result, discouragement can set in your heart. This is when you must evaluate why you do good in the first place. Dietrich Bonhoeffer speaks with clarity about this in his book, Life Together. He compares the difference between self-centered love and spiritual love. He says,

“Self-centered love makes itself an end it itself. It turns to itself into an achievement, an idol it worships, to which it must subject everything. It cares for, cultivates, and loves itself and nothing else in the world.”

But, “Spiritual love however, comes from Jesus Christ; it serves him alone. It knows that it has no direct access to other persons. Christ stands between me and others… Contrary to all my own opinions and convictions, Jesus Christ will tell me what love for my brothers and sisters really looks like. Therefore, spiritual love is bound to the word of Jesus Christ alone… Because spiritual love does not desire but rather serves, it loves an enemy as a brother or sister. It originates neither in the brother or sister nor in the enemy, but in Christ and his word.”[2]

The key here is to get the picture of Jesus Christ standing between us as the mediator, the perfecter, the sanctifier. When you study the way Paul understands how people ought to relate to each other, this picture of Jesus standing between us clearly emerges. Ephesians 5 and 6 is all about this picture of living together with Christ as the mediator, perfecter, sanctifier. He says in 5:21, “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Humbly serving each other begins in love for Jesus and it ends in glory to God.

Psalm 51 is David’s reflection on what happened when the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba. He said in verse 4, “Again you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.” Pause and think through this with me. Here he was with the blood stain of Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, in his hand and the sin of adultery, how could he say that he had sinned against God alone and done what was evil in his sight. David certainly wasn’t minimizing the murder and adultery against Uriah and Bathsheba. What he was recognizing is the picture of God standing between him and others. Any offense against others is foremost offense against God.

· When you set your navigation on the cross, in Jesus Christ alone, discernment, purity, blamelessness, righteousness are merely the fruit of that love relationship.

I bring us back to Henri Nouwen’s question, “What decisions have you been making lately and how are they a reflection of the way you sense the future?”

So often we worry ourselves to the point of loosing sleep, getting anxious, fearful about our future.

Here is the clear way out of this trap laid out for us by the way Paul prayed for the Philippians. Instead of trying really hard to figure out what decisions you need to make about your future, channel your mental energy, your time on growing your love with Jesus and with people.

The scripture is very clear on this. Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself…”

When you feel confused because you don’t know what to do, instead of worrying and fretting, do your best to mind the business of God and go about learning to delight in him. And, see what happens. God’s not going to come and magically make decisions in life for you. But, what he is going to do is as you learn to delight in him he is going to shape your heart after Jesus’ heart so that what you desire reflects the desire of Jesus Christ. And, the steps you take in your desire will reflect your delight in Jesus and his will.

When we consider living blameless, pure and righteous life we must be very clear in this; blameless, pure and righteous life isn’t about making a mental list of what we ought to do and not to do and let that be the measuring guide to whether we are living blamelessly, purely and righteously.

Your confession, when you approach holy life with the check list of to dos and don’ts, will be superficial and will not lead you to godly sorrow over sins, but only self-pity. You break the mental check list and you feel bad that you broke it. You feel good that you kept your mental check list of spending quite time with God for 10 minutes in reading his word, praying for another 10 minutes. And, you pet your back as though you are living holy life.

The Bible says our hearts are deceptive. Check lists of dos and don’ts cannot grow us into holy people. Holiness only results in growing love relationship with God and with people, period!

Of course, there are things we need and must do if we are serious about growing in love relationship with God and with people. We must study God’s word diligently, we must pray, we must share the gospel, we must do good. But, we do these to as means to grow our love.

Again, the focus must be growing in love. When love deepens in us, then whatever offenses and sins we commit, we realize that it is against God who sent his Son to die for us, to forgive our sins. The more God becomes person to us, the person of holy God who deeply loves us through his Son Jesus, the less we will want to offend him and the more we will want to please him.

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[1] The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology: Volume 2. 599. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, © 1967, 1969, 1971.

[2] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together Prayer book of the Bible, Fortress Press, 1996, p.31.