Devotionals @ The Mount Church

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, i do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things.”

Philippians 3:12-15

Nature is full of examples of things that change from one form to another. Caterpillars become butterflies. Fish-like tadpoles become four-legged frogs. Eggs hatch into chickens. And small hard seeds grow into beautiful flowers. We should be the same as these, in that Jesus comes into our lives, we experience change. But it is both an instantaneous and continual change. Instantaneous as we become new creatures in Christ. The old passes away and all things are made new. Our sins are forgiven, we are adopted into God’s family, and we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit to live within us forever. Continual as we grow in our relationship with Christ day to day. We deepen our friendship with him as we spend time with him. We learn to trust him more as we see him provide for all our needs. We become more like him as we walk with him, telling the world of his love.

Having said all that, it stands to reason that there should be a change in our lives. If there has not been, you should look again at the issue of whether you truly have a personal relationship with Christ. If your life does not have turning point in it, where before you knew Christ you were one way, and after coming to know him personally, you are another way, you should examine your life to see if you indeed have made that decision to trust Christ. If you can point to a time of change, then you may be asking, just how do I continue this walk with Christ? How do I know I am following him the way that I am supposed to? God has given us the answer to that need also in Philippians.

Verse 17 of chapter 3 says, “Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.” Who are we to imitate? Of course, Paul is the author of this book, and his life is very often worth imitating. He was not perfect, but he was zealous in his sharing of the gospel, and he was faithful in teaching and training those under him. He intentionally sought opportunities to talk to everyone he came in contact with about what Jesus did in his life. And he brought with him his own committed disciples and trained them through his actions and words. But Paul does not just offer himself as an example to follow. He says for us to take note of (all) those who live according to the pattern we were given. What is that pattern? How do we know if we are doing it right?

The pattern we are to follow that Paul gave us is the one he established as he patterned his life after Christ himself. Wow. That is a tall order. And let’s just say it up front that we will not match that pattern. But we have been given the gift of God’s Holy Spirit to live in and through us. And as we yield ourselves to his direction and are willing to obey him, he gives us the power to live that life we are called to live. There are those all around us that have learned how to trust him in this way, and we can imitate their lives, too, as they imitate his. And as we grow, there will be those who look at our lives as examples to follow. It may seem like a scary proposition, but as we grow in him, it should be the logical next step. It will be a sure sign that we, too, belong to him and are living the changed life that he has given to us. We receive a wonderful gift… and then have the privilege of passing it on!

thoughts to think

1. Can you point to a time in your life that you are sure you began a personal relationship with Christ? If not, go to someone who can show you the way to do that.
2. Are there definite changes that you can point to in the past, and also in the present? Are you growing in your walk with Christ, and changing as you learn?
3. Does your life act as an example to others as you follow Christ? Are you dependent on the Holy Spirit to empower you to live that kind of life? If not, what changes do you need to make?

prayer

Lord, give me a view of the changes you have made in my life. Let me see them and praise you for them. Show me those in my life that you want me to emulate. And make me the kind of person that others will want to follow. Always remind me to trust in the power of your spirit in me to accomplish all that concerns me, and show me each day how I can learn more and obey you fully. In Christ’s name, Amen.

Some of my favorite television programs are these popular “house cleaning” shows: How Clean Is Your House, Clean House, neat, Clean Sweep, etc. People either nominate themselves, or a friend or family member nominates a household in trouble with dirt and clutter in the home. These are people at their wits’ end - overwhelmed, with wavering hope - virtually paralyzed and finally to a point of desperation - coming to a realization saying, “I can’t do this myself - I need HELP.” The situation within their four walls has gotten completely out of hand, beyond their own control or ability. The space in which they exist is either a cause of their personal and relational problems, or a result of underlying issues… or both! Until… “HELP! I can’t do it myself! I need someone to lift this burden from me!”

Whether overwhelming clutter or actual unsanitary dirty filth, something has got to change. Sometimes, as I said, people nominate themselves - they realize there’s a problem and they just don’t know how or where to begin. Other people are too close to the problem and they don’t even see it - someone else calls the TV show to help get their friends’ eyes open. I look at these people - their faces, their posture… they seem beaten, bogged down by their own doing. They are sad, practically blinded by inability to function - and it affects the entire household - everyone around them. But then - they ask for help (or someone asks for them) and help comes and they accept the help.

I personally feel better having seen other people’s disastrous abodes. By comparison, well, my place isn’t nearly THAT bad! And, I am moved to action. When I see the mess that these people on TV have allowed themselves to get into, I find that I put forth a little more effort, thinking that I don’t want to end up in the same sort of mess! Then, at the end of the program, when the “new” clean beautiful rooms are revealed to the homeowners, I am again moved to action - only this time, with the mindset that, “I want that for myself!”

The big reveal at the end of the program is one of the best parts of the show. Their eyes are opened and their responses are typically those of joy, surprise, delight. They often think that their dirty old stove is a brand new stove - nah, it’s just been cleaned! They’ve not only been helped, but they’ve been given the tools - not just physical tools such as brooms and mops - but tools within themselves enabling to go from there - to maintain and improve and to not get into such a situation again in the future. They’ve been changed for the better. They’ll live differently than they did before this “encounter.” And when I see it, it gives me hope - “if they can do it, so can I!” and it presents me a challenge to get up and go scrub something and pick up some clutter myself.

In Acts 22:4-16 Paul writes:

I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison, as also the high priest and all the Council can testify. I even obtained letters from them to their brothers in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.

About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, “Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?”

“Who are you, Lord?” I asked.

“I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me.

“What shall I do, Lord?” I asked.

“Get up,” the Lord said, “and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.” My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me.

A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there. He stood beside me and said, “Brother Saul, receive your sight!” And at that very moment I was able to see him.

Then he said: “The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.”

Saul was a mess. Angry and violent, and his situation had gotten way out of hand! But he wasn’t asking for help, was he? The Lord himself called Saul and confronted him about his ways. Jesus nominated him for the program! Like a TV maintenance crew, Ananias came and helped - and then Saul’s eyes were opened to new, to clean, to joy - to a new name - Paul - and a new life. New goals. He had accepted the help, the gift of salvation. He was given the tools within himself to go out and not allow himself to go back to the way he was - and this gift he was able to pass on to others who saw the change in his life. He could take what he had learned and what he had been given and pass it along. He could be an inspiration and example. Like a shiny new stove, his filthy dirty old stove had been cleaned up.

And if he can do it, hey - so can I. I can look at Paul’s life - his 180 degree change - and I can look at what he did in the name of Christ, and I can be inspired by that to get up and scrub a little here and there. And looking back on my own life, the changes in the better that I see in myself make me know for certain that God has worked - is working - will continue to work in my life.

to think about

• Is there an area of your life that you feel is in some way crippling you, paralyzing you? Is it an issue that you need to ask God for help with solving? Step back and ask yourself - is he offering help, and maybe you just aren’t accepting his help?
• Do you see a friend or family member in such a situation in their spiritual life? Pray long and hard for someone that isn’t able see that they need help, or is blind to the fact that they need help.
• Can you think of other examples of people who have had wonderful, drastic, 180 degree changes for the better?

prayer

God, I am a mess. I thank you and I give you all the glory for helping me clean up my life -and for the peace and joy and delight I have known all for knowing you. For accepting your gift, your love, and for giving me the tools such as your Word, and your son. I know it is not an easy road. I sometimes lack skills, lack confidence, and wander nearly off the path. I am misunderstood and misinterpreted. But I know you are always there for me and I pray that I can continue to learn and grow and improve and mature. If “clutter” builds up in my life, I have your help when I ask for it. For these things I am so grateful.

Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed amazing miracles and signs among the people. But one day some men from the Synagogue of Freed Slaves, as it was called, started to debate with him. They were Jews from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and the province of Asia. None of them could stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke.

Acts 6: 8-10

In the early Christian church, Stephen was a trailblazer, and he held an unyielding confidence in his faith in Christ and his role as a teacher and evangelist. Little is told to us about Stephen’s background in the Bible, but commentators say we can glean some information about him from his name, and thus, his likely beliefs before converting to Christianity. His name implies he was a Hellenistic Jew with ancestry deriving from ancient Greece. Greece, as is commonly known, was a hub of intellectual activity, particularly in rhetoric, philosophy, and the arts. It was also the source of widespread polytheistic beliefs and later, neo-platonism, or the following of the teachings of Plato.

Whether Stephen was previously associated with some religion other than Christianity and had a conversion experience or whether he believed in Christ from an early age, we don’t know. What we do know was that he was the first martyr of the early Christian church and the likely greatest among the seven chosen by the church to provide aid to widows.

“And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility. Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the word.” Everyone liked this idea, and they chose the following: Stephen (a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit), Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas of Antioch (an earlier convert to the Jewish faith). … So God’s message continued to spread. The number of believers greatly increased in Jerusalem, and many of the Jewish priests were converted, too.

Acts 6: 3-5, 7

Here, Stephen is the first man picked for this call, and the only one described as “a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit.” While the others were of the church as well, Luke clearly singled Stephen out — and for good reason. After his arrest for teaching the gospel and after some attempted to frame him for blaspheming and other offenses, Acts says Stephen’s face “became as bright as an angel’s.” The counsel that was to judge the accusations to be true or false, questioned Stephen, who proceeded to summarize the tumultuous trek of the Israelites, falling into disobedience from God time and time again.

“You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you! Name one prophet your ancestors didn’t persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One — the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered. You deliberately disobeyed God’s law, even though you received it from the hands of angels.”

Acts 7: 51-53

As the Jewish leaders’ countenance then soured at these words, Stephens grew all the more heaven-set. It is said that here, Stephen experienced a theophany, or a vision of Jesus and God together, with Jesus at the right hand of the Father. Stephen’s physical demise and his words as he drew his last breath are strikingly similar to that of Christ’s, confirming even more how sold out he was, and how confident he was in the face of a looming death, in the saving power of Christ.

As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died.

Acts 7: 59-60.

These last words, of course, are easily comparable to Jesus’, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Though the space in the New Testament devoted to Stephen is small, his life’s witness was strong. So much so that in Acts 22:20, we find Stephen’s ultimate characterization.

As The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia states, “Stephen more than met the requirements of the office to which he was elected (Acts 6:3); the record characterizes him as ‘a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit’ (Acts 6:5), i.e. of an enthusiastic faith and of a deep spirituality, …the record makes it very clear that the importance of Stephen lay in his activity as a preacher, a witness for Christ; it is this activity which has given him the place he holds in history (Acts 22:20).”

In the face of death, Stephen’s confidence in Christ as the God in the flesh and the risen Lord was unfaltering. While the tradition of his likely ancestors was founded on the belief in a series of gods who used humans as mere pawns, Stephen clearly adopted faith in a god, Christ, who first gave of himself for us and supplied in himself the ultimate sacrifice so that we may have eternal life. We can have confidence and take comfort in the fact that Christ is not only the source of grace, hope and salvation in this life, but a better choice than all the rest.

point to ponder

Ask yourself: In what other religion does the deity actually go to bat for us? Which god in the other religions cares enough to lay himself on the line for mere humans? The answer has to be: none of them. All other religions appear like a great rat race: whoever performs the most rites and rituals gets rewarded with “salvation.” Christ, however, boldly proclaimed that he is the only source. One can’t attend church enough; pray in a certain direction enough or do enough good works to enter heaven. One simply has to believe in Him who sacrificed Himself for us. The single greatest difference between Christianity and all the rest is that he loved us first, not the other way around.

prayer

Father, thank you for loving me even before my conception. Thank you for loving me enough to send your only son to die for my sins, and thank you for the confidence and comfort that brings me. Help me to bring a level of peace, love and hope to those around me that others will wonder what is so different about my life. Please walk with me throughout the week, and help me to reach those around me with the good news. In Christ’s name.

read Luke 5:1-11

Do you like to fish? Have you ever known someone who was an avid fisherman? I’ve been fishing several times in my life, and while I generally have a good time doing it, it is not something I live for! It is relaxing, yes, but often times I find it more boring than anything. The best time I ever had in my life with a rod and reel in hand was when I got to go deep sea fishing in college. We went 90 miles off shore and I had a blast. Our group’s catch really wasn’t that great, but I enjoyed the adventure nonetheless. I have always had a fascination with the ocean, so the smell of the salty air and the sunshine on my face with no land in sight was exhilarating. I also enjoyed watching the captain and first mate execute their jobs with such skill and precision. They were fisherman of the highest caliber; men who knew the sea and had spent a lot of time interacting with it.

Simon Peter was just such a fisherman as well. A man of the water by trade, his idea of the “good life” was undoubtedly a great day on “the lake” too, just like so many people here in our area of South Carolina today. Peter had grown his sea legs early on and mastered the skill of fishing.

In Luke chapter 5 we read about a fishing excursion that would change Peter’s life. Prior to this outing, Peter was just a catcher of fish. After this launch, he would be a fully devoted follower of Jesus and a fisher of men. Just the evening before this encounter, Peter and his crew worked hard all through the night and didn’t catch a thing. They were men who knew what they were doing and had employed the same techniques dozens if not hundreds of times before with great success. However, on this night, the Bible says they “didn’t catch a thing.” (Luke 5:5)

The next morning, Jesus was preaching to an enormous crowd on the shores of Lake Gennesaret (also called the Sea of Galilee), which is where Peter and his men had been fishing the night before. In fact, Peter’s two boats were still sitting at the water’s edge while the crew was cleaning their nets. The crowds pressed in on Jesus while He spoke to the point that Jesus finally stepped into one of the boats and asked Peter to take Him out into the water a little bit to give Him some personal space to still speak to the throng. So, Peter immediately obliged Him and got a front row seat for the rest of Jesus’ sermon that was preached from his boat.

When Jesus finished speaking, he turned to Peter and gave him a quick fishing suggestion: “Now go out where it is deeper and let down your nets, and you will catch many fish.” I’m sure this must have caught Peter off guard; a carpenter giving an experienced fisherman some tips on how to do his job better. Peter had a choice, right then and there, sitting in the boat as the waves lapped the shore on Sea of Galilee. Peter could have responded with indignance and politely suggested that Jesus stick to sanding wood and building furniture. But, instead, Peter chose wisely and uttered the words that would change his life…”Master, we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, we’ll try again.”

You probably know how the story turned out. This time they let down their nets and caught so many fish that the nets began to tear and they had to call in reinforcements in the second boat. In fact, by the time the last fish was pulled in, both boats were filled and on the verge of sinking!

When Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and humbly admitted how unworthy he was as a sinner to be in the Presence of the Lord. And Jesus replied, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” And as soon as they brought the boats back into shore, Peter left everything and followed Jesus!

We see a tremendous transformation take place in Peter over the course of a few hours or so on an ordinary “day at the office” for him. Because of his encounter with the Son of God, he went from cleaning his nets after a vain foray into the sea to becoming a follower of Jesus and a fisher for men.

Those of you who are familiar with the life of Peter know the transformation didn’t end there, it was only the beginning of a powerful metamorphosis that would take place in his life. Peter would go on to be one of Jesus’ most beloved disciples and the one to whom Jesus would say, “Upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it,” after his witness to Jesus being the Christ.

Jesus has always been in the business of transforming lives. Just as He completely changed Peter’s life that day on the lake so long ago, He is still changing lives today. Jesus died on the cross to bring the transforming power of heaven to all of mankind. The same Messiah who rose from the grave is the One who has the power to transform your life today.

Each and every one of us has the same choice that Peter had in the boat that day. When Jesus calls us to trust Him and follow Him with our lives, will we tell Jesus to stick to what He knows and let us handle our own affairs, or will we humbly respond, “Yes, Master, I will obey simply because You told me to.”? Everyone who has ever encountered and yielded to Christ has a before and after story to tell about their lives. Hopefully you’re one of them. If you’re not one of them and you’re still stuck with only a “before Jesus” side to your life, why not listen to His call, say yes to Him, and discover the “after Jesus” side of your life today through His amazing power of transformation! Like Peter, you can simply confess your status as a sinner to God through prayer, admitting that you are a person who is in need of forgiveness and who wants to give up living for themselves and start living for God’s purposes right now. You can do that in the quietness of the room you’re reading this in or you can contact us at the church to pray with you. In either case, don’t let another day go by without giving your heart to the Master.

And, if you do decide today is the day to begin the “after Jesus” side of your life, be sure to let someone know so they can celebrate and rejoice with you!!

When red is juxtaposed with green, both colors pop - though nothing truly changes in characteristic, both colors seem to increase in intensity, in clarity. The same is true when opposing natures are compared - when Isaiah saw himself in light of the Lord and His perfection, he saw his sin painfully clearly (Isaiah 6). Luke uses the same technique, sharing within 11 verses both the stories of the rich young ruler and Zacchaeus, nearly mirror opposites, revealing a heart of change versus a heart of stone.

a glance in the mirror

In Luke 18:18-29, we are given a glimpse at a certain ruler. He has authority over people and property, likely responsible and very successful, a “man of great wealth” (verse 23). He is carrying on a conversation with Christ, comfortable enough to approach directly the “good teacher”. He describes himself as having kept the law since he was a boy - a righteous man in his own eyes, and in the eyes of others.

Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-9), on the other hand, is neither attractive in appearance or heart - he is described as a short man (verse 3) and a tax collector (verse 2). He was not your average tax collector, but the chief tax collector - often a crooked job, and a profession hated by the crowd. He was not bold enough (or welcomed enough) to approach Christ directly, but ran ahead and climbed a tree in order to simply get a glimpse of Christ. And when Christ called out to him, those in the crowd began condemning Christ for being the “guest of a sinner” (verse 7). The portrait of these two men, in outward righteousness, status within the community, and therefore boldness in approaching Christ, are opposite. What the two did share in common was their wealth (verse 2).

How do you view yourself in light of others?

How do you view yourself in light of the Lord?

a look at the heart

Both men encounter Christ and are not left unscathed. Though the ruler outwardly professed righteousness, Christ knew his heart. He challenged the ruler to “sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. The come, follow me.” (18:22). The righteous ruler sadly turned away, loving his wealth, his comfort and security, more than Christ (verse 23). Zacchaeus, however, without prompting from Christ, began to give away his wealth and repay those he had wronged (19:8). The recognition of the Teacher and His great reception of this sinner impacted Zacchaeus’ heart - Christ was of greater value than all possessions. Both men encountered the same Lord. Their responses were vastly different. One who felt he had done well, turned away from his only true hope, while the one who knew the wretchedness of his heart repented fully.

In who or what are you placing your full hope?

What are you tempted to hope in other than Christ?

a peak at eternity

Christ’s responses to the two men are very different following the change (or lack thereof) in their hearts. To the rich ruler, Christ mourns “…It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.” (18:25). But to the repentant tax collector Christ declares, “Today salvation has come to this house…” (19:9). One rejects Christ for the fleeting joys of this world, the other clings to Him above all treasure. Both choices effect eternity. All who encounter Christ are left with a choice - to receive or reject Him. Those who receive Him do not remain the same - there is a change at the heart level that effects every aspect of life. One who encounters Christ truly lives.

What was your life like before Christ? After?

Change does NOT come from within yourself - it is God’s work in your heart. Have you tried to change on your own apart from Him? How is change different when submitted to Christ?

Do you tend to fight the Lord at every turn, or is your heart soft and mold-able in His hands? Why?

prayer

Father, thank you for changing us when it was impossible for us to change ourselves. Thank you for loving us enough to not allow us to remain the same. I pray that our hearts would be soft - that we would trust an not resist your touch, even when it is hard or painful. Reveal to us the things that we are trusting in more than you - anything we hold in greater value than you, and take it from our hands. May we see you as you truly are - worth all, worthy of all, and may our lives reflect this.