Pay Attention!

Mark 4:23-25

"If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear. Consider carefully what you hear" He continued. "With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him." (NIV)

It seems that Christ is pointing to the effects of the hermeneutic spiral here. The more you study the the Word, the more you can understand. The more you understand, the more you can apply it, and the more you apply it, the more you study. Its like a savings account. You invest, say $100 in an account at an annual 6.25%, for a year. One year later, you've got your money, plus interest. So at the beginning of the next year, you've got $ 106.25. You leave it there, and the next year, you've got 112.89: the interest on the interest earned you $.39. Now that's not much, but if you leave that investment alone, and continue to get the same rate, after 50 years you'd have almost Except the returns for the Kingdom of God aren't pennies on the dollars, it's a richer life on earth, and eternal rewards.

Shine

Mar 4:21-22

He also said to them, "A lamp isn't brought to be put under a basket or under a bed, is it? Isn't it to be placed on a lampstand? For nothing is hidden except to be revealed, and nothing concealed except to be brought to light. (NIV)

We often hear verse 22 in referance to sin being revealed at the judgment, but this is to tear it from it's context. And when interpreting Scripture, (or any other literary work!) context is our primary tool. Put into context, it becomes clear that the hiddeness is the gospel. In conversations with unbelievers, one of the objections to the gospel that raises itself over and over is the absolute foreignness of the concept of substitutionary death in western culture. Another confusing point is a perceived lack of "clarity" on the deity of Christ. Some people object (like Zipporah) to the perception that God is bloodthirsty or vindictive at some points, but overly merciful in others. There are many things about the gospel that are difficult and confusing to those not under the influence off the Holy Spirit. However, Christ has pointed out that all of this will be corrected one day. And in the meantime, we are to make every effort to communicate the gospel effectively. As the grain in the previous parable multiplies, so we need to allow our light to shine and spread the gospel. But the light that we broadcast is not really our own. If comes from the Holy Spirit, and it is only through His power and encouragement that we can be enlightening and fruitful.

Green thumbs

Mark 4: 1-20

The parable of the sower has always been one that required a little more hammering out than usual, partially because we always try to extend it too far, and partially because there are so many little quirks in it that it constantly challenges our thinking.

This parable, like all illustrations, has limited scope, so it's important to recognize that Christ is talking about people's reception to the Gospel and not, say God's ability to prevent Satan from attacking individuals, or the sowers lack of work on the soil. We cannot read anything into the text that it doesn't intend to speak on.

It is interesting to note, however, the four categories of hearers Christ:
1. Those in whom the Word is unable to reach, because Satan removes it.
2. Those who hear the Word and receive it, but fall away for lack of support or understanding.
3. Those who hear the Word and receive it, but allow themselves to be distracted.
4. Those who hear the Word, receive it, and nurture it to maturity.

We often discuss whether an individual is saved, because they have a profession of faith, but few if any discernable works. I'm not promoting works salvation, but we have to consider categories 2 & 3. Are they saved? I think that most people say that 4 is saved, and perhaps 2 and/or 3. But certainly not the first. I think that is safe, but let's examine 2 & 3.

The 2nd category received the word with joy. This is usually enough for an evangelical to chalk up a conversion, so preconceptions may work as we ask ourselves the question, is this person saved? "Received with Joy" implies a certain amount of emotional ascent, but the falling away that follows makes us question whether this was an honest confession. Received with joy . . . and a falling away. As much as I hate it, they appear to be backslidden, if they are saved, or emotionally committed for a time if they aren't. Neither seem to fit comfortably into my own categories.

The 3rd category is easier to dismiss, because it lacks the "with joy" but similar questions must be asked, especially because there is no falling away, but instead, an unfruitfulness. I see these people at church every Sunday. They stop pursuing Christ, and start pursuing wealth, or power, or something that the world tells them is important. Saved? Probably. Lukewarm? Certainty.

Have you become distracted from your calling to Christ? Have you faltered for a lack of understanding? Or have you begun to produce fruit?

Bloodlines & the Body of Christ

Mark 3:31-35

There are a lot of "hard" sayings from the mouth of Christ. For his family, this had to be one of the hardest. Christ rejects bloodlines as the most important, and instead, reaches to the relationships formed by obedience to the Word of God. It is harsh, but also true. The fellowship Christians enjoy with one another, and with Christ, is significantly closer than what is enjoyed simply by siblings. I don't know this first hand, and all of my siblings have a relationship with Christ, but I know several people who have made more significant connections with their church family than their biological one. As we grow closer to God, secular reasoning, even if it is inherited and nurtured early in life, becomes more and more foreign to us. This makes it difficult to really connect with people that don't have a similar mindset. On the other hand, people that are focused on glorifying become fast friends because of their similar goals.