(Thoughts from Day 2 of the Power-Walking for Disciples journaling course)

 Did it ever impact you just how shocked the scribes and Pharisees were when Jesus forgave the sins of the paralytic (Mark 2:7)?  How could Jesus possibly be God? In their mind-set, forgiveness of sin was something only God could do. Of course we know that as ‘the Word’, Jesus was with God in the beginning and involved from before creation. Biblical teaching is that this ‘Word’ became flesh and dwelt among us … (John 1:1, 14).  Jesus’ confrontation of the systems of His age was shocking both in His teachings and His actions: setting aside traditional ways, forgiving sins, including the outcast and the shameful, even raising the dead.

Jesus’ actions require a response from us too. His claims sound outrageous and incredible to us, even if not as blasphemous as they seemed to Jewish ears. To those Jews in their old-covenant thinking, paralysis was a symptom of the darkest  kind of spiritual heredity. Does Jesus really pick people as obviously steeped in sin as this paralytic, to grace with His forgiveness?

 Maybe the first thing for us to know and take in is that God forgives sins. This could be the most comforting thing people today need to hear, even before they hear about the life-problems He can solve. Like you, most people believe hard things come into their lives because of evil, and personal guilt…. We may not admit it openly, but we find it hard to receive any gift that is part of a forgiveness package.

 Publicly people rationalise away their guilt, but secretly we know and squirm. To know God can solve problems is good, but our deepest felt problem is the guilt that pride denies.  Perhaps a return to Jesus’ core focus of sin and forgiveness would deal better with the paralysis of peripheral problems like finances, difficult relationships, and other fretful things.

 The two words He speaks to the man on the mat bring light and life. They are in specific order: “Forgiven” then “Healed.”  Wholeness depends on the removal of corruption. God can only begin relationship and show His love to us, rescue and lead us, walk along-side us as friend, when that corruption is cleansed.

  AND if that’s what he wants to do for you and me, why not also for the least likely – the deepest sinner, the most unpleasant neighbour, the most corrupt politician or business associate, the wildest prodigal?

Lord, Thank you for Your forgiveness and healing. I found it hard to ask you for anything when my heart was unclean – so expecting you to shower me with gifts was not something I thought about. Now that I have known Your grace and the mystery of a purified heart, all I look for is Your presence. Lord, Your searching-cleansing, Your word, Your light, Your Life and Love are enough for me. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and as Jonathan Austin sings – “Then help me to love you like that…”  And as I grow in the confidence of Your forgiveness, help me, lovingly to seek to bring even these most unlikely and undesirable ones to You for their own personal forgiveness gift. Amen.

 See www.PW4D.com to join the journaling journey.

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I’ve been on the faith road for a long time, but have been challenged anew from the beginning of this year (2009) on the issue of discipleship. Two questions kept popping up in my life: Who are you discipling? and Who is discipling you?

Of course a disciple is one who follows closely the example of the Master. We have to explore what Jesus meant when he invited a whole variety of people to “Follow Me…” St Paul encouraged those he taught to “Follow my example as I follow te example of Christ.”

I’ve always felt there needed to be time in my life to focus on growing a fitter mind, a fitter body and better relationships with God and others, but anyone examining me closely would have noticed the ideal was often not too close to reality. Each of these areas needed a lot of work, and you wouldn’t need to be too close to see the unfit body.

So, what was I going to do about it?
I received input from a couple of missionary friends working in Hungary and Slovenia - both exploring ways to grow disciples - the first at the basic level of 12 lessons for new believers to get them established in good thinking and spiritual habits; and the second in day-by-day journaling that would explore the deep things of God like What does the church mean by Trinity? How do we understand Deity? What does “the Kingdom of God” mean and look like? How can it be entered?…
Just at that point my son in Vancouver started coming to the same issues. In his work as a pastor to youth and their families he was needing a system of taking some of the kids deeper into God than could be achieved in the regular youth events. As we talked, we hit on a strategy to help us all.

It was a long time since I was discipled as a young person through Sunday school and youth fellowship so we determined to work together, and chose the work of the Slovenia missionary Dan Psaute as the basis for our weekly Skype discussions.

Now some 6 weeks into this process, I became impressed that this needs to be out there for people like you and your friends, who need to go deeper… so with Dan’s permission I’m launching this blog, and then need to think how I’m going to get it out to you.

Today’s challenge in Luke 18 was to get real - like children who take relationships as simple, face-value options, to be accepted: I need to receive the Kingdom, rather than plan on how I can build it. Get real: What could I do to improve on what God has made and offers? Childish realism says: that’s the way it is, that’s what I get, let me explore it, and see what it does. Let me see how deep, how high, how wide and how far it goes. What does it look like from the outside, and from the inside? Will it be fun? Who else can enjoy it, and be included? Now that kind of realism sounds good to me. It’s not my responsibility to build the Kingdom of God; it is for me and you to explore it, embrace and enjoy it, and share it.

Father God, help me today to get real with You; to persist in this powerwalk of discipleship. Thank you that this is the kind of persistence You reward with Your presence. Amen.

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