A Spiritual Mentor and Surrender to God’s Will

And those who were with me saw the light, to be sure, but did not understand voice of the One who was speaking to me. And I said, “What shall I do, Lord?” Acts 22:9-10

INTRO: Is Paul’s story the classic model of surrender?

He was at war with God – in Paul’s case, his religious fanaticism was the cause of their conflict
– for Paul to surrender, he had to be knocked down – broken
• for his eyes to be opened, he had to be blinded
– when he tells his story later, adds a line

Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you  to kick against the goads (Acts 26:11)

• the goad was a long pole used to prod oxen when they resisted the harness
• “What shall I do, Lord?” — at this point Paul stopped fighting Jesus
– but this isn’t God’s only strategy – it’s only one way some people are brought to surrender

A spiritual mentor helps us learn to surrender to God’s will

In fact, a mentor can greatly assist us this area of development
– we have to find our way through it individually
• surrender comes more easily for some
• there are people who panic at the idea of surrendering control — or the illusion of control Continue reading →

A spiritual mentor will help us discern the will of God

And He was giving orders to them, saying, “Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” Mark 8:15

INTRO: We live too far from the times of Jesus to be shocked by this warning

Imagine I said, “Watch out! Beware the leaven of the Evangelicals”
– most people assumed the Pharisees were doing religion the way it was supposed to be done
• they were the trusted authorities on the Torah and religious issues for the common folk
– but Jesus is telling the disciples, “Their influence will not take you to the same place that I’m leading you”
• leaven in his teaching: only takes a little, permeates, and has significant effects (Mt. 13:33)

Mark doesn’t tell us what Jesus meant by “leaven”
– Matthew says it was their “teaching,” Luke says “hypocrisy”
• perhaps Mark intended for us to take the challenge and discern what Jesus meant
• a “test” to see if our eyes see and our ears hear
– the point is, there were problems that Jesus wanted his disciples to avoid

We have begun to examine the role of a spiritual mentor
– one of their most important services is to discern and to help us discern God’s will

When I decided to address spiritual mentors, I put discernment on the list

But at the time, it was only a topic – an important one and much discussed, but not something I was passionate about
– then, Tuesday night I got a phone call that turned me around Continue reading →

Spiritual Mentoring And Our Prayer Life

But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. Matthew 6:6-8

INTRO: If John Howell is not here when we meet on Sunday, it’s because his church that morning is on a mountainside (or valley), usually in the Sierras, Sequoias, or a local mountain or desert

He frequently posts breath-taking photos of pristine lakes and sharp-edged mountains outlined against a blue sky background
– it is as if through his photographs you can feel his sense of awe and worship
– but his arduous hikes require proper gear, education, training and experience
• some of his challenging climbs he uses to prepare himself for more difficult ascents

There is a biblical precedent for using mountain climbing as a metaphor for spiritual growth
– both Moses and Elijah had God-encounters when they ascended Mount Sinai
• Jesus delivered his most famous sermon on a mountain, prayed on a mountain, was transfigured on a mountain, and gave his life on Mount Calvary
– God has called us to venture on a spiritual journey with him
• I’ve come to see that the point of this journey is not to reach a destination in this life
• it’s about what we learn and become along the way
– the journey is where our faith is tested and formed, hope is established, and our love is deepened Continue reading →

Spiritual Mentors

I ill instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go;
I will counsel you with My eye upon you.
Don’t be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding,
Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check,
Otherwise they will not come near you. Psalm 32:8-9

INTRO: If you got to choose a spiritual mentor, that is to say, someone who would help you grow in God,

Would you prefer:
– Moses (the law-giver)? Elijah (the miracle-worker)? or Paul (the theologian and mystic)?
– why?

Christianity began as a relationship between a mentor and his mentees
– of course, Jesus was more than a mentor to disciples, he was their Savior and Lord
• but how fortunate for them, to have their Savior and Lord for their mentor
– what kind of spiritual help did he give them?
• the list is long, but he especially provided insight and guidance in response to their requests and questions
○ “Lord, teach us to pray,” “Why could we not cast it out,” “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must first come,” etc.

Keeping in step with the flow of western history, through the centuries Christian theologians put increasing emphasis on the rational side of the faith
• mentors were replaced by educators, pastors became professors,
○ and in some circles, there was more information than transformation
○ the life of the mind eclipsed the life of the spirit
– but to go forward with just the mind, eventually dries up the soul
• that is why lots of Evangelical Christians are looking for spiritual mentors rather than awesome Bible teachers
• they want personal assistance in finding a richer, truer life with Christ Continue reading →

Words to Take With Us Into the New Year

Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves were for the healing of the nations. There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. Revelation 22:1-4

INTRO: Have you ever been so engrossed in a book or a movie, that when you put the book down or left the theater, a residue of strong emotions lingered for awhile?

It’s as if we’re still caught up in the action of the story and the experience of the characters
– but those feelings quickly go away
– that’s because they’re not reality
• they contain nothing that we have to deal with, nothing helpful

People who have had near death experiences say entering heaven is like putting aside a book or leaving a theater
Michael Herbert, “Upon returning from heaven, I felt as if I was taken from real life and reduced to the dimension of a shadow . . .”
Dr. Alexander, “Though I didn’t know where I was or even what I was, I was absolutely sure of one thing: this place I’d suddenly found myself in was completely real.”
– they describe heaven as real, and full of the beauty that brings us pleasure, yet amplified
– everything that causes distress, fear, or pain is gone

. . . and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away (Rev. 21:4)

If we condensed all of heaven’s wonders into one statement, it would be the line in verse 4, “they will see His face”

We have really butchered the Book of Revelation Continue reading →

The Fourth Advent Candle

The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them. Luke 2:20

INTRO: Yesterday Barb and I were walking Kona in San Clemente

When we came to the pier, there were a lot of other people milling around. I noticed three boys in particular, about junior high school age walking toward us. Just then, a large palm branch fell from the top of one of the trees and crashed on a roof nearby, startling everyone. Immediately one of the boys yelled “It’s 12-21-12!” — the date the world was supposed to end according to calculations based on an ancient Mayan caldendar.

Friday’s apocalypse turned out to be yet another dud
– remember Y2K predictions? or the wild-eyed predictions of Harold Camping last year?

However, on December 25th, something world-changing will happen–again
– in our hearts and in our homes

We hear the shepherd’s story every year

So it seems like it happens again and again – we’re familiar with it
– it feels natural, even if in a fairy-tale sort of way
– but it was not natural for them!
• they were visited by angels only this one time in their lives
• this had never happened before in the lives of their ancestors and it never happened again in the lives of their descendants Continue reading →

The Third Advent Candle

And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the Highest,
And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased” Luke 2:13-14

The LORD has established His throne in the heavens,
And His sovereignty rules over all.
Bless the LORD, you His angels,
Mighty in strength, who perform His word,
Obeying the voice of His word! Psalm 103:19-20

But to which of the angel has [God] said,
“Sit at My right hand,
Until I make Your enemies
A footstool for Your feet?”
Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation? Hebrews 1:13-15

INTRO: In the summer of 1998, the Real Irish Republican Party detonated a car bomb in a town in Northern Ireland that killed twenty-nine people and injured more than 200

It’s brutality stunned Ireland and Great Britain
• in response to loss of innocent lives, Bono, lead singer of U2, composed a haunting melody and penned the following lines:

(Peace On Earth)
Heaven on Earth, we need it now
I’m sick of all of this hanging around
Sick of sorrow, sick of the pain
I’m sick of hearing again and again
That there’s gonna be peace on Earth
Jesus can you take the time
To throw a drowning man a line
Peace on Earth
To tell the ones who hear no sound
Whose sons are living in the ground
Peace on Earth
Jesus sing a song you wrote
The words are sticking in my throat
Peace on Earth
Hear it every Christmas time
But hope and history won’t rhyme
So what’s it worth
This peace on Earth Continue reading →

The Second Christmas Candle

But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
To little to be among the clans of Judah,
From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel.
His goings forth are from long ago,
From the days of eternity. Micah 5:2

INTRO: It isn’t typical for a Christian community as informal as ours to observe the season of Advent

That is, adopting a practice of formally preparing ourselves for Christmas
– but I’m finding an unexpected benefit
– when I feel the pressures of our consumer culture, returning to Advent helps me reorient myself to what matters most

The theme for the second Sunday of Advent, is Bethlehem
– this is the second candle that is lighted in the darkness of winter

We’re going to track a theme in Micah that builds to chapter 5

The way Micah introduces himself is unique among the prophets
– he connects himself with a place – his village, “Micah of Moresheth”
• most common, “the son of”
• Amos tells where he’s from, but links to his profession

With his first words, he calls not only people to hear, but also a place, “earth”
– it is not unusual for God to call the earth and sky as witnesses in his court
• but it is a reference to place in a passage that is full of references to places Continue reading →

Christmas Candles

And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her seed;
He shall bruise you on the head,
And you shall bruise him on the heel. Genesis 3:15

INTRO: I need your help this morning

When people talk about the “Christian year” (or “church year”) what do they mean?
– the church created a “Christian” calendar that divided the year into seasons
• the Christian year begins with Advent on the first Sunday in December

Christian worship is divided into two primary forms:
– “high” church worship observes a formal, set order (for Episcopalians, The Book of Common Prayer)
• there is a strong emphasis on priests, symbols, sacraments, and rituals
• “free” church worship de-emphasizes these things and claims to have no fixed form
○ however, free churches usually do fall into fixed routines
– the Christian year belongs to the high church tradition (Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, etc.)

What is “Advent”?
– the coming or arrival of Christ – but an arrival that spans time
• a first arrival and a final arrival and, in between, a day-to-day arrival
• some believers who are suffering or dying live with an awareness of his moment-to-moment arrival
– in high churches, each Sunday of Advent a candle is lighted
• Why? Since Jesus’ first coming:

The Light shines in the darkness (Jn. 1:5)
The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great light; / And those who were sitting in the land of the shadow of death, / Upon them a Light dawned (Mt. 4:16) Continue reading →

A “Theology of Suffering”

All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Hebrews 12:4-11

INTRO: When we meet a person with spiritual depth, we naturally want to learn from him or her

If that person is willing to work with us, we are blessed with a spiritual mentor

Let’s consider the writer of Hebrews as our spiritual mentor
– you sit down with him and he asks a few questions
• he probes your faith, experience of God’s Spirit, and personal concerns
– when you finish, he sits in silence for a long time
• finally, he looks at you, smiles, and says,

“So, you want a stronger, closer relationship with Jesus, and you want to be a better person, and enjoy freedom from sin . . .” he pauses, then says, “but you don’t want the process to hurt or cost you anything”

This is what our passage is about, “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful”
– doesn’t that sound like an understatement?

During this last summer’s Olympics, NBC profiled a few of the athletes
– every one of them had daily grueling workout schedules
– training entails suffering Continue reading →