An Evil Spirit Returns

Matthew 12: 43 – 45 (NIV): "When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation."

 Can a person really have a demon? This passage is one of many the clearly teaches that we can. Jesus often cast out demons. Paul said our struggle is with “spiritual forces of evil” (Ephesians 6:12). I believe a Christian cannot be possessed by a demon because the Holy Spirit takes up residence in our hearts when we are saved (Ephesians 1:13, 14). But clearly, we are in a spiritual warfare.

    Jesus’ point of this story, though, is that casting out a demon and leaving your heart empty only opens you up for more and worse possession. God never intended for us to live a clean, but empty life. Cleaning up our acts will never work. If we run out one evil spirit, Jesus said, it will not only come back, but it will bring friends. It will return and find our hearts wide open, ready to be re-occupied. We are fooling ourselves if we believe we can turn over a new leaf on our own power and expect to remain in a better state.

    Jesus doesn't want us to be religious – there were plenty of religious people all around him as he said this – he wants us to have a relationship with him. There's a huge difference. God doesn't want your heart to be clean and full of rules, he wants it to be full of him.

    Once we do this, God will take care of everything else. He will run out the evil spirits and he'll put up a “no vacancy” sign. He'll do the cleaning and he will keep the enemy at bay. What God desires is a world full of people who, by faith, have invited him into their hearts. A world of people who live a life filled with hope, love and power. A world of people filled with him.

The Church Has Reclaimed Halloween

1 Corinthians 9: 21 - 23 (NIV): 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

    Halloween is short for "All Hallows (Holy) Day Evening". In Western (Catholic) society, it began as the evening before a holy day -- a holiday to celebrate Christians who have gone to be with the Lord. Worldly influences (including Druids) nearly hijacked it and caused it to become something evil instead of something good. But we never have to think of Halloween as being evil. It didn't begin that way and it is only evil if we make it so.

    The church struggled with this for much of my life, but practicality won the day. Christians realized that Halloween was an opportunity to get people to come to the church. They could offer fun events and families could come and get loads of candy, have fun, maybe get a chili dog or some other goodie. And churches did this right, with hay rides, fun events for the kids, candy and treats, all in a safe and controlled environment. More treats per minute and a lot less effort than trick-or-treating.

    And people did come. Year after year. Now, the church has retaken Halloween. This is such a wonderful time of year: cooler weather, football, pumpkin pie, hot chocolate, turning leaves. And yes, decorations and costumes. But I've noticed that Halloween is now less and less about horror and more and more about harvest. The church has earned the right to influence the holiday by embracing it and, like Paul in today's passage, using it to spread the Gospel. Halloween is now firmly set as a family holiday. I'm glad Halloween is back where it began and where it belongs. 

A Faith Without Limits

Luke 17: 1 - 6 (NIV): 1 Jesus said to his disciples: "Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. 2 It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. 3 So watch yourselves. "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. 4 If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him." 5 The apostles said to the LORD, "Increase our faith!" 6 He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you.

     Jesus never taught that a partial commitment would do. He always taught total faith, total allegiance, and total devotion. This passage shows this. It begins with a warning: that we will answer for causing children to sin. No one should ever think that he will get away with sinning. There will be a day of reckoning for all of our actions. Numbers 32:23 says, “…and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.” A Christian will be forgiven, of course, but sin always has its consequences. We must not put limits on our good behavior.
    Yes we are our brother's keeper. Jesus said to hold each other accountable; to rebuke fellow Christians who are caught up in sin. We must do this without being judgmental, but there is a balance and we must find it. And if he asks for it, we give him forgiveness, over and over. We do not put limits on our forgiveness, just as God doesn't.
     And we do not put limits on our faith. It starts small and grows as we use it, like a muscle. Jesus says, in effect, that if we have any faith, we have faith. Use what you have and don't limit it. God will reward us for having and using our faith.
    If we continue to read this chapter, we see that our devotion to him must not be limited either. It is a total commitment, a total faith. A faith without limits.

Jesus Touches the Untouchable

Mark 1: 40 - 45 (NIV): 40 A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, "If you are willing, you can make me clean." 41 Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured. 43 Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44 "See that you don't tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them." 45 Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.   

    We can understand this man's desperation. He broke the law and approached Jesus. He fell at his feet and humbled himself, begging Jesus for compassion. We must not let anything stop us from getting to Jesus. Nothing is more important that our relationship with God. And the man came humbly. Jesus said we cannot enter the Kingdom of God unless we come as a child (Mark 10:15). This means we humble ourselves before God and acknowledge that he alone can save us. We cannot save ourselves any more than this leper could heal himself.

    Don't you love Jesus' response to him? He didn't rebuke him for getting close, instead he touched him. That man needed another person to touch him as much as he needed healing. And Jesus healed him too. Some people would throw rocks at lepers to make sure they didn't come close, Jesus reached and touched him. Do we throw rocks at the untouchable or show compassion? Jesus meets us at our point of need and we should do the same.

    It's interesting that Jesus told him not to tell anyone, but to follow the Law and go to a priest. Jesus was trying to contain the crowds. Because of this man's disobedience, Jesus was forced to stay out of the towns and out in barren places. There are always consequences to our actions. I'm glad Jesus touches us, even though we are unclean because of our sin. I'm glad he makes us clean and gives us new life. I'm glad he is always willing to show compassion.

Return and Give Thanks

Luke 17: 11 – 19 (NIV): 11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee.  12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance  13 and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!"  14 When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed.  15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice.  16 He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him--and he was a Samaritan.  17 Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?  18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?"  19 Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

     Leprosy is called Hansen’s Disease today and is treatable. It is a bacterial infection that does terrible things to you if you do not treat it. In Bible times, people feared it, and rightly so. They thought it was more contagious than it really was, though, and one of the worse things about having it was victims were cast from their families.

    These lepers seemed to have positioned themselves to encounter Jesus as he passed by. They knew who he was and that he could heal them. They cried out for mercy. Jesus had pity on them and told them to go to the priests.

    Leviticus 14 explains that a healed person must show himself to a priest, so this is what Jesus told the men to do. Remarkably, he told them to go show themselves before they were healed! The act of going proved their faith and their faith healed them. Remember, God cannot work in our lives without faith.

    When all ten realized they had been healed, only one returned to thank Jesus. I want to be like that one. I don’t want to take God for granted. I want to take time to stop and thank him for his goodness. He saved me and I want to show my thanks in my lifestyle and through giving back to him. We give back through finances, talents, abilities, pausing to say thanks in worship, and by living in such a way that shows we are thankful.

A Prophet Without Honor

Mark 6: 1 – 5 (NIV): 1 Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. "Where did this man get these things?" they asked. "What's this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! 3 Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him. 4 Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor." 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them.

    Why is a prophet not honored among his own people? It’s not that they felt he didn’t deserve the honor. It’s just that because they were familiar with him, they couldn’t give him the respect he deserved. If he had been a total stranger, there would have been more of a mystery surrounding him. Aesop said, “familiarity breeds contempt.” We tend to take for granted what we see every day. We tend to consider things common that may actually be extraordinary.  I’ve heard of people living in Colorado Springs who have never been to the summit of Pike’s Peak. To them it’s no big deal, just a mountain they see every day.

    So the people of Nazareth wouldn’t give Jesus honor because they knew him well, but not well enough. They watched him grow up; they watched him work with his dad as a carpenter; they knew his family. How could he perform miracles and teach like this?

    We must be careful, as we grow more and more familiar with Jesus, that we do not begin to think of him as common. We must give him the respect due him no matter how close to him we become.  We must never take him for granted or forget that he is God in the flesh and the creator of the universe. Jesus could not perform many miracles in Nazareth because of the townspeople’s lack of faith. Some were even offended by his teaching and claims.  Even though you have always heard of him, continue to give him your faith and respect. Then you will see miracles in your life.

Don't Be a Casual Onlooker

Luke 14: 25 – 28 (NIV): 25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple. 27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. 28 "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? ... "

    We must look at this in context. Large crowds were following Jesus to hear him, be entertained by him, maybe to be healed by him. Jesus explained to them that there is more to being a Christian than looking on and being entertained. He used the shock value of saying they must hate their parents in order to be a disciple. We know that God does not want us to hate our parents or anyone else. This was a teaching device to catch the attention of his listeners. He means we cannot love anything in the world more than him; we cannot put anything in the world above him. He is looking for a total commitment.

    And there is a cost involved in being a follower of Christ. He wanted the crowd to understand this going in. When he says “whoever believes in me”, he doesn’t mean we believe that he existed, he means we put our complete trust in him for salvation. The one thing God does not want us to do is “dabble” in Christianity. He does not want us to accept part but not all of his teachings, for instance. And he wants us to be wholly devoted to him.

    I have heard it said that Jesus must be Lord of all or not Lord at all. But I also believe making Jesus Lord of our lives is a life-long process. Committing ourselves to him, however, and trusting him alone for salvation is not negotiable. He gave his life for us and wants ours in return. When he said “carry his cross”, his hearers understood that he meant “march to your death”. Jesus is not seeking casual onlookers, he is looking for whole-hearted disciples.