I have never linked to a video on this blog, and with good reason; there are precious few things that I will subject myself to, and fewer yet that I will push upon others. This video, however, captures – in some small human way – a universal truth that we all were reminded of today, Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. Click twice on the video (embedding is disabled), watch it, and then click through – below – to read more, if you’re interested…

As fascinating as this clip was, what could it possibly have to do with Christ? Here we had a woman, initially targeted as a subject likely because she was plain, frumpy, unemployed, with few prospects, and “oldish”; that is, she was completely out of place. As they talked to this woman, I would assume that they thought she was a nice woman, but that she would be a spectacular failure in front of the judges. When she walked out on the stage, you could hear the people in the crowd twittering, wondering if this was a put-on, and many feeling like, “Why must we endure these jokes of talent”? When she showed some humor and did her little jig, that drew looks of horror and disdain from the judges, because this woman wasn’t a cute, sexy blonde. Finally, she was let free to do what she came to do; sing to an audience.

When she opened her mouth and let out that first note, every face in the audience changed. Every person that was so ready to watch a spectacular failure saw – instead – the beginning of a victory in the making. By the end of the first bar, the audience was cheering. In two bars, an audience that was mocking Susan and her attempt at fame was on it’s feet cheering her. She, rather than giving them entertainment via failure, had given each of them hope through her spectacular voice and success. The judes were taken aback; humility gripped them – all except Simon – as they gave their reviews. Each of them knew they had prejudged her, given her no chance, and they were humbled as they gave her kudos.

Envision the scene in heaven as God Himself prepared to come to earth. Do you think there were angels that second-guessed the idea? Perhaps silently, perhaps in reverence to their Maker yet, but some must have thought poorly of the idea. Try – for a moment – to imagine what heaven must be like, and then contrast this with the cave that Joseph and Mary were in, and the dangerous (and rather dirty and disgusting) process childbirth was at that time. Countless thousands watched as our Savior was born into this earth, and don’t tell me for one second that some didn’t wonder what success this endeavor could possibly see. An inauspicious beginning, a normal carpenters upbringing, and an adulthood marked by wandering and speaking. The prophet Isaiah tells us that the Lord had nothing about Him so that men would be drawn to Him by His appearance. He was also unremarkable, and “set up for failure”.

While Susan’s video was only 5 minutes long, 33 and one-half years isn’t long for a heavenly host to wait, and they all watched Christ’s life and ministry as He grew. I have to believe that the reaction of the watching thousands when Christ was scourged was much as the judges saw with Susan as she stood there… disgust, sorrow for the spectacle they were making of Him, and a certainty that nothing good could come of this. As He breathed His last, the entire earth shook in horror, and as He was laid to rest, there must have been deep sorrow in heaven. How quiet must it have been in a place that had, until that day, been filled with praises sung to the Lamb.

And then… after two night passed here on earth, on that glorious morning, how the heavenly hosts must have sung. The feeling you get watching the reaction to Susan’s first note is such a small and insignificant pale compared to what the heavens must have done that day; but it gives us an insight into the joy of that Morning. Glorious victory as heavenly light pierced the tomb and Jesus emerged! Praise the Lord, the plan was complete! Can you imagine how the heavenly host sang then!?. Do you think that the angels that wondered about The Plan are now His strongest witness? Imagine their hearts as they watched this play out, exactly as God planned it.

Folks, if our hearts can take this much joy in one woman’s triumph on this sinful earth, how much more did a sinless heavenly host rejoice at His victory over sin and death? How much must they rejoice when even a single sinner accepts the gift He gave to each of us? Feel the joy this audience had at Susan’s short success, multiply that by millions, and assume that this is the way the heavenly host feels when we are broken and fall at His feet.

HE IS RISEN… and praise God for that.

Technorati Tags: boyle, britain, christ, cross, easter, resurrection, susan, talent

I had an incredibly interesting experience at Bible Study this morning and would like to share. If you feel led to comment, I’d be overjoyed to hear your thoughts!

Background:
Our Men’s Ministry holds several Bible studies and two of those are on Thursday morning. I have been leading the one that meets “every” Thursday at 6am. These are most often book-of-the-bible studies, but the current study is a topical study currently covering “theology proper”, the study of God. We are in a section about the “less communicable” attributes of God (He is eternal, independent, etc). We have 3-6 men each Thursday morning that are regular attenders. We are an EV Free church that is incredibly biblically focused (edification) and Spirit-led (without being “charismatic”).

This Morning:
We were continuing a study on God, and – as a topical study – we were looking up specific verses and discussing what we [I]could know [/I]of God in order to get a better appreciation of His love for us (He delights in us). The end goal of this section is to take our joy in worshipping/glorfying Him and to take our sense of self-worth in the fact that He chooses to delight in us. A new fellow came to the study this morning, as well as two regular attenders and myself.

The newcomer greeted me with a very liturgical and direct greeting, something like, “I appear here in the spirit of Jesus Christ the Cornerstone, in the blessing of the blood, water, and spirit”.. and so on. It was all very formal and a little “weird”, but I introduced myself, welcomed him and 5-10 minutes later, started the study. This gentleman proceeded to attack the method of study (taking verses out of context) and my approach to the study (interpreting verses for the rest of us). He then stated that he only listened to the direct voice of God and not to men. He insisted on telling us his life story throughout the study, which included divorce, being booted out of the formal ministry, and being involuntarily locked up in psychiatric wards three different times.

I answered him in the topical study assertion with, “I believe that there is value in a topical study – as Christ did with His parables – and I would say that one must be responsible when preparing that study to read the context and book/chapter as a whole, before pulling out a verse. We are careful here at (our church) to perform exegesis rather than eisegesis on our texts, and I appreciate your caution and guidance where topical studies are concerned. Context is critical.”

On the point about interpretation, I discussed the point that I attempt to – on a regular basis – set myself aside and let God shine through, and that the format (small group) promoted and rewarded the personal interaction of all the members (rather than me teaching, it is thought to be participative), but that there needed to be some structure and accomplishment rather than just three or four guys chatting about life… this is why we pray the Spirit into the room and ask for wisdom and guidance.

Finally, I discussed the fact that I believe that theology happens in community. It is very unlikely that we can come to a full understanding of God (or other theological points) without discussing and studying those with others. If we do hear the voice of God, we certainly learn from that, but that is not a full-time or “normative” opportunity for most of us.

He asked for prayer since his second wife has asked him for a divorce, and we ended the study at 7am. WHEW!!!

The Man:
This man was married to a saint of a woman and had seven children (in Neb). When he was first diagnosed (likely bipolar) and was put away, he began to believe that all medical personnel, especially those in the psychiatric field, were evil and Satan’s minons (I’ve been tempted to feel that way myself) The strain of his various issues ended his first marriage and six of his children still try to help their father reconnect to reality and to them.

His brother still interacts with him regularly, though he is at a loss for how to help. This man refuses medical attention and medication and feels it is his calling to be a spiritual advisor to pretty much anyone and it is his calling to make people feel uncomfortable with their faith.

This man’s second wife has now asked him for a divorce and a local church will allow him to attend only on Sunday and will call the authorities if he arrives on church grounds at any other time (because he harasses the members). This man has no history of physical violence and a long history of control and verbal abuse (on his part).

My Plan of Action:
1. Take this man to lunch regularly. The “right thing to do” here does not change based on my desire to or not to do it. I am to minister to him as a brother in Christ, bear his burdens, and to speak the truth to him in love. Hopefully, a venue for him to vent and interact with someone will result in less verbal outburst in more formal settings.

2. Protect my people. While I know that the Lord can speak through anyone, and I take this man’s opinions as possibly the voice of God to me today, I must ensure that the other men in the sutdy are still able to have a spirit of worship and the wisdom to study; that is, this man’s noise level cannot be allowed to derail the entire group. I will be more formal and intentional about my approach to the study so that he is not singled out.

3. Ask for help. I am not a certified counselor (and if I were he wouldn’t talk to me), I am just a man. I have asked our pastor who has a Master’s Degree in Counseling (Psychology not Psychiatry) for guidance and input.

Summary:
I know the Lord spoke to me through this man today and that I must help him. It is amazing to me the opportunities we each have – every day – to build our faith and to take our strength from – and place our trust in – the Lord.

Several of the things that the Lord could have said through this man today:
A. Ron, you are too full of yourself in this study. Please empty the vessel and fill it again with Me, and then continue.
B. Ron, your preparation for this study was inadequate and you need to be more prayerful and spend more time in preparing materials and your heart for Me.
C. Ron, studying the Word as a whole is a better approach than approaching individual topics.
D. Ron, your Men’s Ministry is not reaching all the men in the church today and a change in methods (broader approach) is needed.
E. Ron, you are not serving those men that take you out of your comfort zone. Here is one, I’ve been gracious to you, be gracious to him.

and so on…

Fascinating stuff!

Thoughts?

Ron

Ron