For many months now I had been preaching the same message: “Repent, the Kingdom of God is at hand. Prepare the way of the Lord!” I would get all kinds of reactions from those who heard. Those who sobbed their repentance and were baptized in the Jordan by me. Those who asked what they must do and then were willing to follow my advice as the fruit of their Repentance. Those who impiously stood on the banks of Jordan asking me to baptize their bodies while their hearts remained dry as a bone- dead men’s bones. I refused them but not without warning them: “One is coming who will baptize with Fire – and with the Holy Spirit”: God’s fire of judgment and His Holy Spirit of power. These are the very ones who have helped to make the Way crooked; surely He, our Messiah, will come and “straighten” them out!
Though I was “the Voice in the Desert”, I too was like them in one way – I was waiting for Him to arrive as well. I had not been given any timetable; I had been given a Message. Some thought that I was He. Noo! He is so above me that for me to stoop to unlace His sandals would not cause me to stoop low enough. It is the lowest household servant who has to bend to the Master’s dirty feet, but I cannot even claim such as a position as that! Then one day He stepped out from the midst of the crowd gathered in their usual spots along the river bank to hear my usual message. He waded toward me. Not sure what I was expecting at that moment- perhaps for Him to turn and preach as well? Perhaps for Him to call down Fire on some and His Holy Spirit on others?? What he said next was absolutely the last thing I would have expected: “Would you baptize me, John?” Why would He ask me this? Mine was a Baptism of repentance; He had nothing of which to repent. Mine was a baptism of water; His was to be of the Holy Spirit and Fire. Mine was a baptism of the Kingdom- He was the King! I tried to stop Him: “I think we should switch roles here; you should be baptizing me!” “I must have you baptize me so that all righteousness might be fulfilled”. He was telling me that the same baptism that had been announcing that His Kingdom was coming was now the baptism that was announcing that He the King was now here! (John 1:29-34; Matthew 3:13-17) Immediately God Himself put His approval because I heard His Voice from Heaven and I saw the Holy Spirit alight on Jesus as He came up from the water and made His way back to shore. He indeed was the Righteous One. He indeed was anointed with the Holy Spirit and would baptize with the Holy Spirit. I learned something very important that day: You don’t have to understand to Obey. God does not use those who argue with Him; He uses those who obey even when they don’t totally understand.
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This last Saturday we celebrated the marriage of our daughter, Ashley Willoughby to Jesse Bonfiglio. I am a pastor and Jesse’s dad, Jerry Bonfiglio is a pastor as well. A wedding is often spoken of in the terms of “two families coming together”- this happened in sooo many ways this weekend.
Jerry and I have been colleagues and friends for 20+ years. Never knew that one day we would be more closely related—well sort of. What a great privilege for us to share our Children and to share their Ceremony. Jesse is Ann and Jerry’s only son and child so this was special. Ashley is our only daughter and first one married so this was special to Suzanne and me. Jerry led the first part of the wedding and “oversaw” my handing my daughter off to his son. He gave the Message of the wedding. I saw them through their Vows, Rings, and Unity Sand with Ashley’s only brother, Benjamin, singing for his sister and now Brother-in-law. We both prayed Prayers of Blessing over our children – I laying my hands on Jesse and Jerry laying his hands on Ashley. We jointly introduced them as the new couple and then each grabbed our wives to join the new Husband and Wife for the Receiving line. There was another whole “Family” there as well – the people from our two churches! Two churches came together for this wedding: the Nazarene and the Baptist. Thank you to the many who came to join us from both. There were people there from two churches but there was still only one Family – God’s family! Thank you, Jerry and Ann Thank you to our Nazarene and First Baptist Family From, Stephen and Suzanne When you make a fragrance there are different kinds of smells or scents that are mixed. Some people refer to these as base notes, middle notes, top notes, and bridges. Your base notes are the “foundation” of the fragrance and will last the longest. The other ones are made of ingredients that will evaporate faster while the “bridge” is an ingredient that helps bring out the scent of the other ones—kind of like salt does to food. This is why your perfume or cologne will smell different when you first put it on and a few hours later. This is why “knock-offs” just stink after a while because they don’t have the same “expensive” base required for the genuine, long-lasting original.
The base is what is made of what are called essential oils. It is what you get from flowers or sandalwood after you CRUSH the oil out of it! The beautiful bouquet can only give off that same scent in a perfume after it has been crushed. The beautiful flower can only be used in a sweet aroma after it no longer looks like a flower but has been crushed for its essential oils. This reminds me of Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 4:7-12, where he talks about all the crushing and striking down and abandoning and persecution he was going through. The flower of ministry was being put into the pestle of trials and ground up for the “essential oil” of the Life of Jesus inside him! Listen to v.10: “We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.” Translation: “I am having the life of ME crushed out of me so that the Life of JESUS comes through!” The essential oil that “bled” out Paul was Jesus. This was the base note: that long-lasting fragrance that does not fade away over time. For some of us, we mean to have the long-lasting fragrance of Jesus but unfortunately Jesus was only our “middle” or “top note” and we certainly did not have “the Bridge” of the Holy Spirit. Too often the essential oil that comes out when I am crushed is the essence of “Me”. Remember that not everything that is crushed gives off a pleasant aroma: ever crush a stink bug?? Enough said! When we are speaking to people who are considering Salvation, we rightfully and joyfully tell them all the things that will be True in their coming to Christ: they will be forgiven, they become a New Creation, they are adopted into God’s family, they are released from the power of sin, they are given Eternal Life, they will have a clean conscience, on and on and on….. Just read sections of Romans and Ephesians for starters! There is a Freshness and Excitement in the presentation because we know the Truth: that same Freshness and Excitement will grip their heart once they come to faith in Jesus.
So here’s the question: “Where does that freshness go? When did those Promises stop being true? Are they only Promises made to the Unsaved in order to get them saved? Are they only Promises that the New Believer can enjoy until he has be a Christian long enough to realize they have an ‘expiration date’ and then he/she will become just as despondent or cynical as rest of those who have been saved long enough to know better!?!” Can I as a Believer for 25+ years still believe the promise that Jesus came to destroy the grip of Sin on my life even though many of those 25 years I have wrestled with that grip on my life? Can I really still have the scarlet stain of sin lifted from my conscience and life because I come back to Reason with the One Who shed His Blood for my cleansing? Can I Sense the freshness of the filling of God’s Spirit even though I have been in the habit of quenching the Spirit? Is there something I must DO or a new item to be ADDED since the same Promises do not seem as powerful as when I first believed?? The Answer is NO. The answer is the GOSPEL. The same promises by which I was saved are the same Promises by which I now live. The same Gospel that my unbelieving heart needed to hear is the same Gospel to which now my doubting heart needs to return. 1 John was written to assure Believers that nothing needs to be added! We need to live in the Truth of what we have had “from the Beginning!” Groups of false teachers had started them questioning because these teachers had a few “additions and twists” on what they had received from the Apostles at the time of their salvation. John assures them that they have had it all “from the beginning.” The additions and twist being suggested were heresy and dangerous. Galatians was written to those that were wondering if perhaps they needed to also “add” the Law back in just in case salvation and the Spirit were not successful in keeping the Flesh reined in. Paul assures them that the Law never did rein in the flesh, it actually highlighted the fact that my Flesh cannot be reined in- it must be crucified by Christ who then gives me life through His Spirit. These two tendencies highlight the breakdown of my continued belief in the powerful Promises of God. Somewhere along the way, I have started trying to reform my own Flesh. Maybe I think that I have reached some level of spiritual maturity where I now begin to assume that I can now do it on my own. The Flesh was never meant to be reformed nor will it! It needs the Gospel which will always condemn it to death that the Life a Christ may continue to live in me. That is the Galatian error put in our terms. The 1 John error would be this: I think I need something “extra” added to Christ and my salvation because those same promises just “aren’t doing it for me anymore”. The error is not with God’s promises- the error is with my belief in those promises. The error is not in their effectiveness but in my attitude. I need a Refresher Course not a new Major. It is not a matter of trying to get what apparently I have lacked; it is a reexamining of what I have because I have lacked being able to see what I really do have! The hope of being set free from sin at salvation is the same hope I have of being set from sin even as I write this and you read it. Jesus does not go back up on the Cross because sin has once again become overwhelming; He died once-for-all and that is All-inclusive: all time, all degree, all SIN! That is why the writer of Hebrews stated it this way: “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins.” In other words, if we do not receive and live by the Sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, there is NOTHING else to which we can turn! If we willfully turn from Truth, we accept Lies. “Where would I go? Where would I go seeking a Refuge for my Soul? Where would I go BUT to the LORD?!” “He will be called Jesus for He will save His people from their sins.” – From even before He was born, the Cross was there in the peripheral of Jesus’ life: He was born to die. The Roman guards may have “escorted” Jesus that last walk from Pilate’s court to Golgotha BUT this was a path Jesus placed Himself on long before!
“Jesus resolutely set His face to go to Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51). Jesus had spent the last three years preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom all over but that time was now past and there was only one more place He would go. He turned His face to Jerusalem. Nothing was going to make Him look anywhere else until He had reached there –and reached the Cross. On the way, some offered to become His disciples but were not ready to commit themselves; He left them in the dust. Would they have offered if they knew His dedicated goal was His own death? Was that not His call to Discipleship: “Come and Die, because to follow me is to end up on a Cross.”? The Disciples suggested there might “be another road”; Jesus called Peter the mouthpiece of Satan and silenced their objections. A crowd tried to divert Him into becoming their King but this present road led to humiliation, not exaltation. He hurried things on by dismissing Judas to do what he needed to do quickly. Judas did not have to sit there wondering how he was going to slip out unnoticed; Jesus dismissed him without the others having a clue. In the Garden, He prayed to the Father: “Not my will but yours be done”; then said to His disciples, “Get up; we need to go meet my Betrayer.” Before, Jesus had miraculously slipped from the clutches of the hostile crowd but now He willingly placed Himself in their grasp! It was the Disciples who fled deserting Jesus. It was the mob that fell to the ground as He told them “I AM He.” It was Judas who tried to flee his own guilt. It was Peter who fled in bitter tears as he had just fled the accusations of a servant girl. It was Pilate’s wife who warned Pilate to flee from passing judgment on this Man. Jesus stands as they interview false accusers. Jesus stands as they blindfold and beat Him. Jesus stands looking at Peter as they both hear the cock crow. Jesus stands in front of Caiaphas and Annas. Jesus stands in front of Herod. Jesus stands in front of Pilate. Jesus stands in front of the people who cry out for His crucifixion ---- all of whom will one day bend before where He stands and confess that He is LORD. They beat until He can no longer stand. But Jesus would not be stopped. They loaded the crosspiece on a man who could barely carry His own weight. He staggered toward Golgotha already carrying on His shoulders a part of His goal: the Cross. He falls, in danger of not making it but a man is drafted to carry the crosspiece because Jesus is headed to the Cross! His last few steps bring Him to His goal: the Cross. But to Him is not the rest of a victor but rather the Role of the Victim: the Victim of shame and scorn, the Victim of my Sin, the Victim of God’s Wrath, the Victim as the Lamb of God, the Victim of the Cross: Death. But Victim becomes Victor as the Cross becomes the Empty Tomb and the Wrath of the Father becomes the Exaltation of the Son! Hallelujah! He is risen; He is risen indeed! My Devotional reading has just taken me once again through the accounts of Joseph. If you are using any kind of One-Year Bible, you probably are somewhere in Genesis/Exodus as well. In Genesis 41-47 all of a sudden the separate parts of people’s lives CONVERGE in God’s will.
Andrew walked through the doors and sat himself down in the closest available seat. He was tired of trying to make friendly with people and was curious to see who would go “out of their way” to greet him or join him. He saw his usual “clutch” of friends standing gathered around each other only 20 feet away. Here’s the funny thing: they never saw him. They were not looking for him because it was EXPECTED that you had to group-up before you could sit down as a group of course. What he had just done would actually be considered offensive and cold.
Andrew suddenly became aware of “the random people”. Nobody actually was rude enough to call them that but that IS what they really were: they were the ones left to sit randomly here or there alone. If they were part of the Body, they must be a strand of hair or a fingernail or an eyebrow- you know one of those things that every once in awhile gets “trimmed away” but it is ok because there would always be another to take their place. Here’s where it got weird: Andrew started noticing who these random people were. He had never paid attention before because he was always preoccupied with grouping-up; anyone who didn’t group-up would very quickly find themselves without a group. Andrew saw a man who had been born blind. He must have been born blind because not a single one of his clothes matched. Ironic thing about people that have been born blind: they often do not realize that they are alone because the crowd slips away so quietly before you can notice. He used to have friends but people got tired of having to pick him up, or read to him from the menu or tell him he had two different color socks on. The group was moving too fast and he just kept getting left behind. Next he saw a widow woman. She used to have friends too--- when they all had been couples. Her only other family, a son, had served in the Army and had been killed by an IED. So besides losing her husband of 55 yrs., she had to bury a son of 35 yrs. What friends she once had just slowly drifted away because everybody was afraid they would not know what to say: widowed by her husband and now widowed by the silence. He also saw Tabitha. Everyone knew Tabitha—Tabitha the “home-wrecker”. Fifteen years ago Tabitha had an affair with a coworker. She had repented and even submitted humbly to church discipline and restoration. There was still no group where she could ever be welcomed. If she tried to walk up to a group where there were brothers in Christ, she would see their eyes dart towards their wives who might not like them talking to that home-wrecker. If she walked up to some sisters in Christ, they would never look her in the eye except to notice what color eye shadow she was sporting or how fashionable were her clothes or…. Suddenly another “random Stranger” walked through the doors. There was no mistaking who He was. A few from Andrew’s usual group gave a quick glance, but they were trained to ignore anyone except a well-established member. He walked up to the man born blind and handed him a pair of SUNGLASSES. “Here; you are going to need these once we step outside.” He stopped by the widow. “I have a couple of good looking guys you might know just out the front door.” To Tabitha He said “Today you have become a Bride because your true Bridegroom has paid the price for you to wear the Dress of White.” He stopped by Andrew. “Today must be your (Lucky) day of Grace: I brought a t-shirt just your size that will get you into “this group” today. Looks like your regular group won’t even miss us.” Andrew quickly slipped the t-shirt over his head and ran to catch up with Jesus. Only then did he glance down to see what was written on it: THE LEAST OF THESE Jeremiah 18:1-12
One day last week I found myself crying out to God, “Can I ever really be different?! I have been so long this way; not sure that I can really change.” Not even three days later I read the above passage in my devotions. I follow a reading plan from a one-year Bible called Seasons of Reflections. In this passage, God sends Jeremiah to the Potter for an object lesson. The Potter is working the clay into a pot but finds that there is a flaw in the clay that will not let him continue that particular piece. He does not throw the clay away. He does not try to keep making the same piece. He instead works around the flaw to make another piece because HE is skilled and flaws don’t scare Him. The More Skilled the Potter, the more skilled He is at taking flawed clay and making useful Pieces for His glory. We cannot (honestly) ever say any of the following:
Even Time is not a “mar” that the Eternal God cannot overcome. He is able to skillfully shape something just as useful right around the Flaw. His fingers do not even leave the shaping but just turn the clay in the new direction. Sadly Israel had an answer that put them beyond the intervention of the Potter. Jeremiah 18:12 - “It’s no use. We will continue with our own plans; each of us will follow the stubbornness of his evil heart.” They were saying: It’s too late for us; it is has been too long and we are TOO STUBBORN.” ENOUGH SAID. – A Parable of Ministry in the Consumer Age –
In this Parable, Goldilocks returns to the very ones she had run away from because God got a hold of her heart. She now returns to serve the very three she thought had been there to meet her needs. Yes, there were THREE bears but in this Parable there are Two Grumps and one Baby. When Goldilocks first arrived the Three Bears were stunned and also quite wary for the last time they had seen Goldilocks, she had left their world in quite a mess. However there was a remarkable and undeniable change in her: She repaired the broken chair, made all three beds, and made them a fresh pot of Porridge. There was no change however in our Bears, at least two of them. In fact they were becoming downright un-bearable. Papa Bear discovered that indeed his rocking chair was too hard while Momma Bear found that indeed hers was too soft. They tried swapping chairs but that only made them more Grumpy. Goldilocks set the unwanted chairs on the front porch only to find some local elderly people using them as a halfway rest stop on their walk to shop and back home. While Baby Bear’s chair was “just right”, he loved visiting with those who stopped by and so willingly put his chair on the front porch as well. The Two Grumps were now even grumpier because of all the uninvited people dropping by unannounced! Papa Bear found that his bed was indeed too hard while Momma Bear found hers was too soft. They were going to try to swap but found that Papa was too long and too heavy to even tryout Momma’s bed. This made him quite grumpy and he retired to watch football, the Chicago Bears (of course), while Momma ordered them some new beds from QVC. Goldilocks moved the unwanted beds to the finished basement where she was able to house a single- parent mom with her twin seven year olds - since Papa Bear’s bed was large enough for the twins. While Baby Bear’s bed was “just right”, he moved his bed downstairs as well for their 10 year old brother to join the rest of the family. The Two Grumps were now even grumpier because they would mutter things about people “needing to stand up on their own two paws” just like they had to when they were cubs! Goldilocks could never make a proper pot of Porridge! Papa never had the patience to wait for it to cool so his was always too hot. Momma always had to finish just one more Game Show, so hers was always too cold. Goldilocks began to take the unwanted porridge to the back door where some hungry schoolchildren would stop because their own families had not had the money to be able to feed them breakfast. Momma and Papa would leave in a huff to go to Starbucks for their honey and lattes and would only come back once they had called to make sure those “ragamuffins” had moved on! Even though Baby Bear’s porridge was always just right, he realized that the amount he ate was entirely too much. He could have a proper breakfast plus feed four more hungry children for the same amount he used to eat; plus he loved hearing Goldilocks read from the Bible while the children ate. One day Papa Bear announced that Baby Bear and Goldilocks had entirely ruined their home and neighborhood with all their “handouts to all the freeloaders”. He and Momma were going to move to some place where people would really see their needs as important. They had heard of a retired builder from Burger Kings who was building a new community where one could always “have it your way”. Baby Bear had learned from watching Goldilocks that sacrifice is the way to joy while selfishness will only make you grumpy. He turned the family home into a Rescue Mission and hired Goldilocks as its first Administrator. He would faithfully visit his parents in their luxury condo but could bearly(sp) tolerate the continual complaints they had found with the Management Office. Alas he could not rescue them from their Grumpiness…… but everyone else lived happily ever after! It is so telling to see the contrast between the attitude of Jesus and that of His disciples when it comes to the scope or outlook of their focus. The Disciples are interested in Jesus doing what He can (what they want) to “save” their world. Jesus is ready to sacrifice it all to save the whole world.
On their way to Jerusalem they argue about who will be the greatest in the Kingdom. Certainly they have knowledge of the great Kingdom of God, but they are really only interested in it because of what possibly is in it for ME! Peter and John went so far as they have their mother lobby Jesus to get the seats of honor on the right- and left-hand of Jesus. Jesus replies that the Son of Man came to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many! As they came to the Last Supper, their “world” is reduces to a roomful of guys with dirty feet. No One in this world wants to be the servant and wash everyone’s feet. But Jesus who has on Him the weight of the whole world and its sin, puts the towel around His waist and becomes the Servant of All. After the Resurrection, the disciples are still struggling with their MY-optic view of What Jesus has just accomplished by His resurrection. They are trying to process what it means for them. Peter tries to go back to fishing. Thomas won’t believe until Jesus offers for him to put his fingers into His hands and his hand into His side. The disciples heading to Emmaus have the Old Testament prophecies opened to them , but yet their eyes are not open until Jesus is breaking the Bread. Jesus does not wait for their full comprehension for Him to make it clear that they are to take the message of His Death and Resurrection to the whole world and every one of creation. They don’t even have the message totally clear but the message that it is for the whole world is very clear! Even as they head to the Mount of Olives, they ask Jesus if He is now going to establish the Kingdom. “Jesus, will we now get what we think has been coming to us for awhile??” Jesus tells them “NO”; rather He is sending them to “change” the world by being witnesses to Him to the whole world. Once again they want Jesus to “save” their world and instead He sends them with the Message to save the whole world. Do we ever make this same mistake?? Thinking that Jesus came to “save” my world? Did He not come to make me a better life and make me happy?? NO, He came to save The World and expects me to lose my own life in the pursuit of taking that message to ALL. |
Pastor Stephen WilloughbyPastor Steve grew up in Columbia,South America, where his parents served as missionaries for 25 years. After graduating from Capital Bible Seminary, he was invited to serve as Assistant Pastor at FBCP. He has served in that capacity for twenty years before taking on the position of Senior Pastor. Archives
March 2017
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