THIS IS BAD, EDITH, THIS IS REALLY BAD!

I can only imagine what the Christians in Rome thought when they heard that the apostle Paul had been arrested and was being brought to Rome to be tried before Caesar.

“This is bad, Edith! Many of our friends have fled to other cities because of the increasing persecution; in fact, our friends Aquila and Priscilla have moved to Corinth. Everybody is keeping a low profile these days and just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, it did—they have arrested the Apostle! If they can get him, what chance do we have? This is bad Edith, this is really bad!”

For two years Paul was kept in confinement in Rome while he awaited trial. He was imprisoned by the Praetorian Guard, the power elite of the Roman military. The Praetorian Guard was responsible for protecting the Emperor and policing the city of Rome. Over the centuries, the Praetorians became a force to be reckoned with. More than once they removed an Emperor from power (which means they killed him). It is reported that once they removed an Emperor, their power was such that they “sold” the Roman Empire to the highest bidder. These were the men who were charged with imprisoning Paul.

Paul was chained by the wrist to a soldier every moment of every day. The soldiers were there as Paul visited with his guests; they heard him share the gospel; heard him as he prayed for his friends and their needs; heard him in his private moments as he communed with the Lord in worship and prayer. I am sure that Paul had lengthy witnessing conversations with the soldiers who rotated through this duty.

Paul saw his imprisonment not as a defeat but as a victory. “Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel” (Philippians 1:12 NIV). Paul then goes on to explain that because of his chains, the Praetorian Guard and all who lived in the Emperor’s palace had been touched by the gospel of Jesus Christ.

A little background is helpful here. Prior to Paul’s imprisonment, the Roman church had come under increasing persecution. The Emperor Nero, who set fire to Rome, falsely blamed the Christians for the fire and persecution began to intensify. Many Christians fled to other cities and other countries where the persecution was not as intense.

Those who stayed in Rome were largely silenced. Out of fear, they stopped sharing the good news. They literally went underground, and to the world around them they were silent.

Paul explains in Philippians 1:14: “Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly” (NIV).

Because of Paul’s positive response to his chains, the Roman believers broke their silence and began to share the message of Christ to those around them. I think it’s entirely feasible that one of those with Paul, perhaps Timothy, was serving as a liaison between Paul and the remnants of the church. As Paul’s imprisonment wore on, the messenger began to share stories of the soldiers and others that were coming to faith in Christ through Paul’s witness. At first the church may have been stunned by what they were hearing, and possibly rather skeptical. Over the weeks and months, however, that all changed and the remnant church began to understand what God was up to. They stepped out of their fear and silence and again began to share the Good News.

What had appeared to be a horrific defeat with Paul being imprisoned was now being seen as a circumstance that God had turned into a victory. Paul led the way with his understanding of “because of my chains.” We understand that Paul was not really talking about physical chains but about the circumstances that brought bondage into his life. The word used here for chains means anything that is used for tying—a band or a fetter.

Paul let God turn what appeared to be circumstances that limited him, and use it all for good (Romans 8:28).

The Bible establishes this as a pattern of God’s working early on. In Genesis chapters 37-50, we read the fascinating story of Joseph. His jealous brothers faked an accident and sold Joseph into slavery to get rid of him. Bought by nomadic traders, Joseph was then sold to one of the high-ranking officers in Egypt. Working as a household slave, he was falsely accused of rape and thrown into prison. His circumstances went from bad to worse but after several years, Joseph was again freed and went on to become one of the most important men in Egypt. It was through his wisdom and the unwavering favor of God that he ended up being the savior/deliverer of his family and his nation.

After reuniting with his brothers, Joseph said to them, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Genesis 50:20 NIV).

A selfish, harmful plan had been conceived but God turned the shameful act into a glorious victory!

PUT OUT YOUR HAND!

I love it when I’m reading God’s Word devotionally and something “catches my attention.” It may be a phrase, it may be a single word or a complete sentence, but it’s like a caveat, a warning sign that says, “Don’t rush by this too fast—take a moment and listen.” I have learned that this is the Holy Spirit telling me to slow down and see what God’s Word has for me. There’s something here for me! I’ve learned to stop and let the living Word come alive in me.

A few mornings ago I was reading in Mark, chapter one, as a part of my daily reading. As far as is known, the first spoken words of Jesus’ public ministry are in this chapter, specifically in verse 15. The story continues with Jesus calling the first four of the disciples.

In verse 29, Jesus went with the four “newbies” to the home of Simon (Peter) and his brother Andrew. Peter’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever (1:30). As soon as Jesus was told about this, He went to her and—now watch this carefully—“he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them” (1:31 NIV).

This was not your typical healing service. There was no laying on of hands, no anointing with oil, no praying in Jesus’ Name; in fact, there is no mention of healing in these verses either in the English or in the original language. Healing is all over the rest of this brief story (see verse 33 and 34) but it is not mentioned here.

Lest anyone think that I am debasing healing, I am not. I believe in God’s healing power and I have seen it happen countless times. I have prayed for healing in people and watched the power of God transform them. I don’t believe God’s healing power ceased at the end of the Apostolic Age; I believe it is as available today as it has ever been.

So what did happen here? Was the woman healed or what? The answer is YES she was, but not in the typical way.

Some surveys indicate that 90 percent of visits to doctors’ offices stem from psychosomatic illnesses. Psychosomatic illness most commonly begins with stress or damaging thought patterns that lead to physical symptoms. When you are caught by this kind of illness, you often need someone to help you break out of the bondage so you can live in wholeness.

I believe what happened when Jesus went to Peter’s mother-in-law is told graphically by the few words of this story. “He took her hand and helped her up.” I believe that Jesus knew she was trapped by something—perhaps it was the stress of having Peter in her family. He wasn’t exactly the picture of maximized manhood at that point in his life. We don’t know the cause of her illness, but the result was that she was bedridden with a raging fever.

We will never know the cause of this fever this side of heaven, but what we clearly see is that Jesus took her by the hand and helped her up. Jesus helped her get up and out of “the cause” and back into wholeness. I don’t think we will ever understand how much healing we bring to others when we take someone who is down by the hand and help them up.

I am absolutely in love with this passage. It has opened up for me an understanding of how all of us can be in the healing ministry—and I do mean all of us. Every time you extend a hand to someone who is down, you are faithfully fulfilling the ministry of healing. Every time you take some of your time to pray with and share wisdom with a new believer or someone in need, you are extending the hand of healing.

May we always be His hand extended!

Let me finish this thought on healing by telling you something I don’t like. I don’t like it and never have liked it when someone says, “God wants to heal you so you can do great things for Him!” No, He doesn’t! You may do some great things for Him after you are healed, but that will not be the reason He heals you. He wants to heal you because He loves you, He cares about you, and He doesn’t want you to hurt! He wants to heal that hurt in you right now because of His love for you! Grace does not give in order to get! Grace gives because of love! He loves you just as He did Peter’s mother-in-law.

“He took her hand and helped her up!”

DIRTY HARRY, BEAN PATCH AND THE WELDER

I am fascinated with the little vignettes of David’s mighty men as provided by the Bible (2 Samuel 23:8-39). There were 37 warriors in this exclusive club and among them were the baddest of the bad, known as The Three.

At one time, when David was being hunted by Saul, The Three heard him say how much he liked the drinking water from a particular well near Bethlehem. The Three wanted to bless David, so they took it upon themselves to break through the ranks of the Philistines and draw water from that well. When they brought it back for David to enjoy, he was so overwhelmed by what they had done that he refused to drink the water. Instead, as an act of worship, “He poured it out before the Lord” (23:16-17).

Let me introduce you to The Three:

First there was Josheb-basshebeth, who killed 800 of the enemy in one encounter. Clint Eastwood, meet the real Dirty Harry.

Next there was Shammah. Shammah fought a great battle, by himself, against the Philistines in the middle of a bean patch. A bean patch? Who cares about a field of beans? But this wasn’t just any field of beans—it belonged to the king, and this warrior gave up nothing that belonged to his sovereign! The Lord used his stand and his courage to bring a great victory (23:12).

The third member of the “Bad Dude Club” was Eleazar (23:9-10) and I don’t know why, but I feel particularly drawn to this man. I clearly remember a message on Eleazar given by a college classmate and it made a great impression on me.

“Next to him was Eleazar…. one of the three mighty men, he was with David when they taunted the Philistines gathered…for battle. Then the men of Israel retreated, but he stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. The LORD brought about a great victory that day” (2 Samuel 23:9-10 NIV).

In one sentence we learn three things about this warrior:
1. “He stood his ground.”
When the others turned and ran from the enemy, Eleazar planted his feet and refused to move. He was not frightened or confused by the battle. You cannot “stand your ground” if you don’t have ground to stand on. You cannot build a skyscraper if you do not have a solid foundation. It’s incredibly important for every Christ-follower to have a strong foundation to their faith and then when the battle comes, and it will, you can plant your feet and say, “On Christ the solid rock I stand!”

2. “He struck down the Philistines.”
Eleazar engaged the enemy in battle and defeated them. He was not afraid of the battle—he used his weapons, and took the fight to the Philistines. We need to be thoroughly aware of all the weapons God has provided for us. Far too many believers today can only play one note on the piano. Some think that just knowing what our weapons are is enough. Many of these believers have never learned to war in the Spirit, never learned to tarry in prayer, and never learned to use the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word.

After D-Day, June 6, 1944, the U.S. Army changed how they trained soldiers for combat. Why? Because they discovered that during the invasion, only 20 percent of combat soldiers fired their weapons at the enemy which means, of course, that 80 percent of the combat soldiers did not fire their weapons! I don’t think it’s much different in the church today; in fact, very likely well under 20 percent of believers are firing their God-empowered weapons at the enemy.

You cannot successfully battle the enemy if you don’t know what your weapons are and you don’t know how to fight!

3. “His hand grew tired and froze to the sword.”
In the Hebrew, the word “froze” means that his hand adhered to the sword; it was permanently glued to the weapon. In several places this same Hebrew word is used for the welding of metals. This is a powerful picture of a fighting man who became one with his weaponry.

I have to wonder what people say about me when they view me from a distance. Do they say, “He’s a nice guy”? Or perhaps, “What a doofus!” Do I show them anything that mirrors my faith in Christ? Do they clearly see a Christ follower? The holiness movements of years past tried to make this happen through legalistic approaches to dress, personal grooming, and certain habits. I don’t think that’s the answer; that’s like dressing up a pig and calling it a lion.

I ask myself, Is my life so intertwined with the life of Christ and the path of God’s plan for me that others see that in me? Have I become “welded” to living the Christ-life or do I send out a confusing signal?

The Feel Of The Ice!

I called my uncle in Langley, British Columbia (a suburb of Vancouver), about 90 minutes before the U.S. and Canadian hockey teams were to take the ice in the final event of the Winter Olympics.

“Unc,” I said, “I’m not sure who to root for in this game.” We had a good laugh and then he gave me an earful (very nicely, of course) and finished by saying, “There’s really only one team in this game.” And we laughed some more.

Uncle called it right! It was a great game and a great finish to the Winter Olympics. To all you non-hockey fans, all I can say is, “Get a life, eh!”

Some great stories of courage and discipline have come out of the Winter Games. How can you not be impressed and stirred by the dogged determination of Joannie Rochette, who skated just days after her mother died! Her mother came to Vancouver to see her daughter perform in the figure skating competition and died of an apparent heart attack shortly after arriving. The young woman decided to go ahead and compete in honor of her mother. All of Canada and millions around the world watched as she bravely skated her heart out and took the bronze medal in her event. It was very impressive!

One of the great stories of these Games involves the American four-man bobsled team. The first time I saw the American team, I said to Carol, “That driver doesn’t look like the average Olympian.” He was rather short, balding, and shaped like a fire hydrant, not exactly the picture of the slim, athletic Alpine skier or figure skater.

Steven Holcomb was the driver of the four-man sled that won the gold medal for the U.S. in their jet black sled they had named “Night Train.” It was the first time in 62 years that an American team had won this event.

What is even more remarkable than the amazing win was that Steven Holcomb was the driver. Two years ago Steven was legally blind due to an eye disorder called keratoconus. He didn’t say much about his disorder and adapted his driving to more by feel than by sight. But he knew that he couldn’t continue, as he was putting his teammates at risk. Can you imagine driving some of the top bobsled courses in the world at 90-plus miles per hour and not being able to see well enough to focus on the track?

Holcomb’s coach knew he was thinking about quitting and told him about an experimental process that he thought Steven should look into. The innovative surgical procedure included putting contact lenses behind his irises and the surgery fully corrected his vision.

While his eyes were deteriorating, Holcomb never thought he would be at the 2010 Winter Olympics and be a winner. After winning the gold medal, bringing to an end a six-decade drought for the Americans, Holcomb made the most insightful comment. “If I hadn’t had the eye problem, I wouldn’t know how to drive by feel, and we might not be in this position today.”

Early Sunday morning, as I read the interview with Holcomb on the Internet, I was really taken by his insight. Not long after that, Carol and I were driving to church and I shared with her what I had read, especially Holcomb’s statement, “If I hadn’t had the eye problem, I wouldn’t know how to drive by feel.” Carol turned and looked at me and said, “That’ll preach.” And she is so right!

Another famous team leader, also a driver (with a slightly different meaning to the word), was called “The Apostle” and he led his team in races all over the Roman Empire. Because no one else would step up, I have named his team “The Holy Ghost and Fire Express.” The Apostle coaching his team in the nation where the Olympics were birthed said, “We live by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). He wanted them to know that by faith, they could get the “feel of the race” and not to be dependent just on what they could see or what the circumstances seemed to be dictating. In Steven Holcomb’s words, the Apostle wanted his team to get the feel of the ice and the track.

I think if the Apostle had an opportunity to sit down and talk with Steven Holcomb, he would say to him, “You’ve got it! You have learned one of the great principles of eternal truth. Now, in case you don’t already know, let me explain to you how to make the application to your whole life and to your eternal future.”

By faith, we get the feel of the track!