parable of the empty house-or don't leave home without him

I met Leigh while selling motorcycles in Albuquerque.  He was a helicopter mechanic for the 1551st, based out at Kirtland AFB, and he had three loves in his life. He loved his Lord Jesus Christ, he loved serving his country the great US of A, and he loved his BMW, a 1974 R90/6 complete with Windjammer. But not always in that order. Living in the barracks on base made him a regular at our house only a few minute away.  I was living with John, and Leigh was over most every night.  All three of us were young Christians, and spent time sharing the Lord and talking about the Bible.  We also went to different churches, and usually met Sunday afterwards to eat and ride.  But one Sunday afternoon would change Leigh forever, as he saw the scripture come alive in his heart and his life.  It was the time of Hal Lindsay’s book “Late, Great Planet Earth,” and many were interested in the rapture.  The time in history that Jesus calls his children home to be with him, leaving behind those who didn’t believe or rejected Jesus, to go through the worst seven years the world will ever known, the Tribulation.  Still popular today, and a topic for the best selling Left Behind series, none of us who believed wanted to see just how horrible the world could or would be, and we didn’t care who was the anti-Christ, we wouldn’t be here.  Believing all that, Leigh came by as usual......

Only to find all the doors open as usual, TV on, but no Mike or John.  And he freaked, he thought he had missed Jesus call, and he was destined to be left behind.  When we came back form chasing down John’s Great Dane, we found him on his knees in the den, tears flowing and calling out to God for forgiveness.  He believed, “if I need help with my unbelief God please help, but please don’t forget me and leave me behind!”  I cannot describe the look on his face when he saw us, belief or unbelief, glad he hadn’t been left behind, and cementing in his heart how real Jesus was, is, and will forever be.  Confirming who he believed in....looking back it must have appeared almost funny, to Leigh it was a gift of reassurance form God himself.

Maybe the clearest instruction of salvation comes from Romans 10:10, “believe in your heart God raised Jesus from the dead, then confess with your mouth and you are saved.”  As scripture tells us, “anyone who believes in Jesus will be saved.”  Simple so we an get it, free so we can afford it.  No 12 steps, catechisms, studies to perform to be proven worthy, or church to join.  No ceremony or denominational tributes.  But only when we are moved by his spirit will we will be saved, it is not a mind game, an intellectual exercise, or religious crusade, it is individual between you and God, via his son Jesus Christ. 

Jesus is Lord, that is the truth.  He is, not was, Lord of our past to forgive us of our sins. He is Lord of our right now, to guide, control, direct, and dwell in our lives via the holy spirit.  And like Leigh was reminded that afternoon, he is Lord of our future, to lead us into heavenly glory at last.  He is the Lord of Life, Lord over death, and Lord of all things.  Even under the earth in hell, those who don’t believe will see just who he is for eternity, bowing and worshiping him, but in agony and pain, in distress for not choosing him when they had the chance.  For as it is written, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord.  both above and under the earth.  As Paul wrote in Acts, “there is no other name under heaven or earth by which you may be saved.”  Simple enough.  It was that message that gave Peter the strength on the day of Pentecost and saw 3000 saved.  His theme simply, Jesus is Lord.  And when we confess him as scripture tells us, we too are saved, and become part of the heavenly family of God.  With no fear of being left behind....Christ is now in you, and you will live a completely new life in him.  You then will want to tell others about Jesus and how he saved you, not standing on corners and shouting, but rather letting your light shine as the spirit gives you words for others.  The great message does not need to shouted out, God still speaks to the heart in a still, a small, a quiet voice.  Personal so we get it, so we know who is on the other side of the line.  And giving us the choice.  When the unseen does an intangible miracle in our hearts, it then is followed by the tangible.  I believed, and thus I spoke.  We may not understand all that is going on, all we know is that we are changed.  And his spirit dwells within us.

Leigh knew all these things, but when God made it real, his life changed.  When faced with what he really believed, he went right to the only one who could save him, confessing Jesus as Lord.  God will test us, let us be tested, and also instruct us in the way he knows best, for Leigh he knew best, and now so does Leigh. 

Jesus is Lord, for there is no other name by which we can be saved.  Leigh had heard all the teachings, knew what he believed, it took the spirit to make it personal.  That day the three loves of his life were put in the proper priority, God, country, and his bike.  And now that Jesus was first, he could love his country even more, seeing how God shed his grace on America, and now could enjoy his ride more, for he knew God has everything under control.  And when that someday comes, he knows that when he leaves the planet earth, exactly where he will be.   The parable of the empty house, don’t leave home without him.  The question is will you?  What or who is your confidence in?  Only Jesus saves....are you saved?

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

the parable of the paper bag

Never has there been a product as versatile as the paper bag.  At one time the staple of super markets all throughout America, it was where the bag boy sorted through your items and bagged them accordingly, never crushing the eggs.  It was in a time where they would ask if you wanted double bagging for the heavy items, and even some stores prepared ahead of time by buying a double bagged bag.  They were folded with care when unloaded at home, and then at our house piled between the refrigerator and the wall,for later use.  Never thrown away unless ripped or torn by over bagging.  They were the home made covers for our school books, where many a first week of school was spent at the kitchen table with scissors and scotch tape.  They were flexible, yet durable, and you could write notes on them, or the number of the girl next to you in math.    They could be used at Halloween when kids used to patrol the neighborhood, with the deluxe model with handle the preferred bag, until we got older and a pillow case would hold more and looked cooler.  They were the big brother to the sandwich bag, standard equipment from third grade on when lunch boxes with Woody Woodpecker were just for kids.  Even an insulated model, just the right size for the half gallon of ice cream, with a silver foil covered one with an Igloo on it.  Somehow they just weren’t as cool at school, as any deviation from brown was considered heresy and the reason for being made fun of. 

But at a time when women shopped downtown or at shopping centers, the bags she carried told a lot about her.  Sears bags, multicolored Hess Brothers bags, Nordstroms bags, and the like told of your social standing and your financial status as a shopper.  Free advertising as your walked from store to store.  They were function before form or vice versa, with the brown sandwich bag a Christmas tradition in New Mexico, the luminaria, a sandwich bag filled with sand, and then a lit candle inside, lining driveways, sidewalks, and entire neighborhoods, celebrating the coming of Christ.  Something so organic, made from trees, that the tree huggers rebelled, and soon the plastic bag was offered.  Paper or plastic?  We always insisted on paper, can’t cover a book with plastic, and like the question red or green, do you really need to ask?  Green of course, and my bag will always be brown.

But even the plastic bag is about to go the way of the paper bag, in California, they have outlawed them, no longer free where you buy your groceries, and so we recycle them.  How classless, and dirty, as I watch shoppers pick through the box of used bags.  Or carry their old ones in.  Sticky and dirty, something no bag boy in his right mind would ever put a hand in, yet again another sign that progress is a good thing, when it doesn’t go on too long. I imagine someday someone will come upon a warehouse full of brown grocery bags, and they will become trendy.  Selling for $100/bag, the rich and trendy will be seen toting them along, a status symbol of what used to be, and like used Levi’s will command a high price, coming full circle from practical to in practical, to be replaced, then thrown away, and rediscovered.  Sad we never realize what we have until it is gone...maybe just one more trip to the market, even ask me paper or plastic, just so I can say paper one more time.  Save the paper bag, a campaign that is coming and you read about it here first!

We live in a strange world today in case you haven’t noticed.  Common sense that once was is gone, and where once people changed things, now things are changing the people.  It has been noted that if PR could bring a market down, the police would have been out of business long ago.  Same with the church, with widespread corruption, priests being caught playing slap and tickle with boys and girls, and TV evangelists the new standard by which we are measured, it is good to know that Jesus never changes.  That despite all the church rhetoric, denominational differences, religious bias, and lack of love, his true church today is still alive and well.  When we come to grips with the truth that we the believers are the true church, and not the building or store front in a strip mall, we see the truth and not its poor substitute.  With so much emphasis on church building, the programs and procedures fail to note that unless God builds the church, we labor in vain.  Which may explain why so many get burnt out, or change churches, it is the same old junk, just in a new package.  Trying to stay ahead less the devil gain ground, neglecting to see they are aiding him.  Maybe God said it best, he asked Jeremiah, “if you cannot run with men, how do you expect to keep up with horses?”  Maybe a good question to ask ourselves, are we about church or Jesus Christ?  How many don’t know or cannot tell the difference?  How many pay tithes under compulsion to the church, when God just tells us to set aside what we can with each paycheck?  Givers or bitter tithers?  Is it really the paper or plastic question revisited, as many churches take credit cards, Mastercharge instead of giving the master charge.  God doesn’t need your money, he needs your heart of obedience, to trust and show others his grace.  Yet just as Jacob was favored above his brother Esau, today’s religious atmosphere is more about the message title than what is in it.  Esau liked the things of man, Jacob the things of God, so much he wrestled with the angel until God blessed him.  What are you wrestling with?  Or who?

We are told it is not what goes into a man but what comes out of him that is important.  Esau stands for the gluttonous person, while Jacob stands for the one who pursues God and will not settle for less.  I wonder, has the gospel been watered down enough that we have gone from paper to plastic to having the truth outlawed because it is unpopular? Jesus didn’t need a PR man, but did have John the Baptist.  Today we have the holy spirit, who seems to be working overtime to keep the church at large alive.  But soon when the choice comes down to church or Jesus, will we go the way of the paper bag, and accept a substitute?  Will we forego Jesus just to feel good, and like the old hippie posters, misuse scripture for our own use?  Remember the Jesus poster “let them wear their hair any length they want?”  Remember Jesus Christ Superstar and how many believed the musical over the Bible?  In a paper or plastic world, or a recycled world, I am grateful my Lord is not a recycled God who changes with the trends of the time.  Jesus said the truth will set us free, today is a great day to become free form religion, denominational doctrine, and church rhetoric, and experience the holy spirit alive.  Imagine our lives as useful and reliable as the old brown bag, with Jesus inside.  Some look at the bag. God looks at what is inside.  Paper or plastic God will still bless you, remember he too made Esau a nation, only Jacob saw the importance of what was inside.  Remember paper covers rock and wins.  Avocados ripen in paper and no one ever suffocated in a paper bag.  Plastic never covered anything....so which is it?

And please, do yourself a favor, don’t even ask me about straws...

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

it ran fine until I worked on it

When Dean didn’t show for dinner as planned, I knew he had a problem.  A quick call found him frustrated, his truck and he were still at the repair shop where he had his diesel serviced.  In for scheduled maintenance, it went in running fine, now wouldn’t start.  Lots of cranking and soot, but no start.  So I went down to console him, and found the owner and his techs trying to figure it out.  It was after closing, but they were insistent on staying.  As they explained what they had done, I asked if maybe it was a bad filter.  Over and over being told they had never seen a bad new one, they finally relented and switched it, again, the truck instantly firing up, and Dean joining us for dinner.  They had overlooked a simple premise in repair, go back to when it was running OK, and then diagnose based on what you had done after to make it not run.  The old it was running fine until I worked on it, professional version.  But also a take on psycho babble, a term called normalcy bias, which means just because I haven’t seen it means it hasn’t happened or doesn’t exist.  I’m sure the shop owner and his techs will never forget this lesson....but do we?

Born into sin, we needed a way to get back to pre-Adam no sin and a relationship with God.  God being holy, the only way we could be in his presence was to be found without sin.  So God sent Jesus to fulfill his wish that he fellowship with his man made in his image again.  He created forgiveness, the taking us back to the working fine relationship man had with him before we sinned.  Yet many reject the offer Jesus makes us of reconciliation with his father in heaven, just because they haven’t been able to see a God that does exist.  They deny that God is a spirit and must be worshipped as such, denying the power of the holy spirit to change lives, and denying Jesus as the way to do it.  Yet those of us who do believe know that it goes much deeper, deeper than words can express, while some try to explain a supernatural experience with an infinite God using finite terms, God has give his spirit who provides the words we need, when needed.  And to the lost the spirit still is calling to them “you need Jesus.”  But do we stop to consider him?

Consider the times Adam and Eve had in the garden, the daily walks with God.  But when faced with an adversary they didn’t know, dismissed the only warning God gave them, and fell from grace.  We are all part of the geneology of Adam, who has the genes of God in him, from him who created  him.  Without the spirit to remind us of our sin, we would still be seeking out adverse and perverse religions, cults, philosophies, and ways of life detrimental to a relationship with God.  But when we confess our sins, and choose Jesus as our savior, we get his Lordship also.  We are like the men trying to fix Dean’s diesel, doing the same thing over and over gaining the same results.  When the answer was there all the time. 

Now I’m no diesel mechanic, or any type mechanic, but they have taught me how to diagnose.  Do we look at ourselves the same way, examining our walk with Christ as we are told to?  That daily working out of our relationship with him?  Maybe a tip from investigators here makes sense.  When they believe they have the right suspect, they do everything the can to prove him innocent.  Satan works to prove us guilty, only in Christ will we be found innocent, as if our sin has never occurred.  So go back to the basics of Jesus, how we sinned, and how he is the way.  Or we can live like Adam and Eve did, looking back at how it was, and living knowing the mistake in judgment they made ended the best and most perfect relationship ever.  That same perfect relationship is still available today because he wants us back, he wants none to perish, he made hell for the demons and the devil himself, but left the decision up to us who to serve.  Just like he did Adam and Eve.  Just another example of man interfering with the things of God....if you are stumbling now go back to where you were before.  A series of bad decisions can destroy you, one turning to Christ will rescue you.  When you find the sin and realize it was wrong, then your heart will change.  And we don’t have to look very far to see all the lives changed....

Jesus Christ still changes lives.  And won’t make you late for dinner.....and honestly, I am not that smart.  Just experienced.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

you can come in but you cannot use the bathroom

Durango 40 years ago was not the tourist trap it is today.  Small town USA, with a local t-shirt that said “Durango is what America was.”  That was soon to be replaced by a new one, based on the sign on Smelter Mountain, “DURANGLO, COLORADIATION.”  Things were moving fast, as the tailings pile that had greeted you from the west was found too radioactive, and had to be removed.  Soon Highway 550 would be rerouted going through Bodo Park, and many old buildings that had stood 100 years would be torn down and replaced with new ones that looked like Disneyland.  But two things remained constant, at least for the moment, the train and the La Plata County Fair.  With the fairgrounds conveniently placed on Main Ave. north of 25th street, walking distance form downtown.  It would be my first fair, I never got to go, but it was a lesson based on the cultures in the area.  I was working the Saturday shift at La Plata Motors, the Ford store, I was the assistant service manager.  Not much work got done on Saturdays, mostly broken down Texans who had their car tuned to the altitude, and guys bringing in their own cars to work on.  Still a busy place, with lots of traffic walking by, and our doors open.  When an older Indian with a young kid came in, and asked to use the rest room.  Looking at one of the mechanics, who shook his head no, and said “no way,” I informed him they were closed.  But he persisted, and finally feeling sorry for him, or the kid, I let him use it.  Watching close as I had been warned.  And I was about to find out why...

15 minutes, then 20, then 30, and he didn’t come out.  “Now you see why we told him no,” and I was faced with evicting him.  I beat on the door with no response, and finally we took the hinges off the door, and he was just sitting there.  Without a word, he got up and left.  And I was the butt, no pun intended of the joke for a week or so.  No one knows why they do that, my Southern Ute friends laughed when I asked, but to this day, any time anyone asks to use the rest room, I keep an eye on the door, and the clock.  You can come in, but you cannot use the bathroom!

One day when discussing the people who judge us most harshly, a homeless women jumped on me, figuratively.  “You’re judgmental, and Christians shouldn’t judge.”  Her statement more telling than she thought, first she was judging me, second if her words were true, she wasn’t a Christian, by her own definition.  But my reply is simple, “lady I was describing you.”  And she left, and later would join our Bible studies, known for falling asleep in the front row.  Which made a couple upset of “how could she do that , how rude?”  With the homeless women within ear range, I told them, “I take it as a compliment she feels safe enough her to find a few minutes of rest.”  The couple before leaving told me they had learned a lesson as well that day...but what does the Bible say about judgment?  From judgment day to judging others, over 121 times in the NIV.  So sit tight, lest ye fall asleep and someone judges you.  And no, you cannot use the bathroom.

The first time it is mentioned is in Exodus, where God says his judgment will free them from slavery.  1 Samuel tells us we are blessed when we use good judgment.  While Psalm 1 exhorts us not to stand in the judgment, nor with sinners in the assembly.  Later in Psalm 119 it is written “Lord teach me good judgment.”  Yet Isaiah tells us that he will exercise judgment and many will meet their fate with the sword.  Jeremiah says “he will pass judgment on those who say they never sinned.”  While Matthew tells us “we will have to give an account of every word we have spoken.”  Seems judgment takes on many facets in scripture, to us it just means being nasty.  Yet one day we will all stand before a judgment seat, and what will be your fate? 

When Paul stood before Felix, he told him about the judgment to come, and Felix told him to go, “I’ll call for you when it is more convenient.”  How often we react the same way when caught in sin.  “I’m saved, leave me alone.  don’t be judgmental,” as our sin finds us out.  Note that it is our sin that finds us out, not Jesus.  He doesn’t condemn nor accuse, that is the devil’s handiwork.  Jesus came to save, so that on the day of judgment before God, we are found not guilty and sin free, because Jesus took our place.  Today is the day of salvation for many, sadly also the day of judgment for others to whom the gospel was inconvenient.  God’s justice will be based on truth, and when faced with our sin that day, will know why we are guilty.  But you don’t have to face that day in fear, if you face up to the fact of you being a sinner, repent and accept Jesus’ forgiveness.  We will be shown because mercy triumphs over judgment, in Christ.  Don’t dare think you are the one who can escape, for even the angels who rebelled against God will face judgment, forever in the lake of fire and brimstone.  But we can have confidence if we are like Jesus in this world, making his love complete.  Loving him first, than loving your neighbor as yourself.  No man loves himself if in shame and facing judgment, only when forgiven can we truly love ourself and others. 

So fear God, respect and revere him, and worship him who has made you holy.  Worship the one who died on the cross for our sins so we will not be found guilty when judged, and worship the spirit that led us to the truth and guides us today.  We are told we will rejoice in the heavens, but we can now.  Worship him and the one who sits at his right hand, who called the heavens, the earth, and all creation into existence.  Jesus is God, and if he can create a world and a heaven for us, don’t you think he can sustain us here on earth today?

The train still runs in Durango, La Plata Motors and the Fairgrounds are both gone.  They met their judgment and were removed.  And you....

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

bragging rights

We are a nation influenced by numbers.  Once upon a time it was longer, lower, and wider, and the more your car was, the more bragging rights you had.   Less than 20 years later it was miles per gallon, and who got the most, leaving the who has the most horsepower crowd in the dust.  Didn’t matter how fast you went, or how wide or long your car was if there was no gas to put in it.  But the numbers only meant something if compared to another number, which was made evident in the late 1970’s in the motorcycle world.  Big once meant 350 cc and above, now 500 or even 750 cc was the buy in number, with 1000 cc’s and up to six cylinders giving you bragging rights.  But one survey done put speed in the right perspective, and how narrow minded California bike riders had become.  If bike A was quicker than bike B by .01 second, guess who got the sale?  Quarter mile times were the defining standard for speed, with manufacturers fighting to get the quickest bike tester and track for their ads, and bragging rights.  How many conversations, really arguments were had over whose 750 was faster, the magazine said this, another said different.  We never took into account track conditions or the test rider, what it came down to among us was on any given day, on any given road, who was quicker.  Who was faster, or who could avoid the police the best.  All the numbers meant nothing when it came down to just riding.  Many egos were bruised, some massaged, and many created on the street, despite the ads.  When cubic centimeters didn’t matter, it came down to the dyno.  But it always came down to the street.

Mickey is right at home in his dyno room.  And one morning while doing a press bike swap, he was arguing with a guy who wasn’t happy about the results of Mick’s dyno.  He was blaming the dyno, as when he had it dynoed at another shop last week it had a few more horsepower, something must be wrong with Mick.  And despite Mickey’s explaining to him the difference weather can make, the fuel you just bought, and other day to day factors, the guy went looking for another shop.  But when confronted with the truth, finally admitted, I just need to have more power than my friend’s bike.”  The statement that coerced his admission was “you can’t even ride the horsepower you have, you just care about the numbers.”  And he couldn’t and he did.  Searching from dyno to dyno for the biggest number.  Just how much did the bragging rights mean to him?  $300 a dyno test! And you think women shop too much.....

Having attended mega churches over the years, I hear too much emphasis on the numbers.  After one Easter when over 1000 came to the Lord at one church, I asked “can you name ten of them?  Five?  One?”  The silence you hear is the answer I got.  Now I am thrilled that many went forward, but that became the main topic among the church during the week.  But after a few weeks, where are the new converts?  If 1000 people got saved at your church one Sunday, wouldn’t you expect a larger crowd the next week?  Yet the crowd never grew larger....where did they all go?  Maybe a lesson hitting me closer to home was my flock grew to over 30 in a tight room.  The numbers were growing, but I was stagnant.  Until a wiser man pointed out to me how a group of 10-15 is just right for the type of ministry I do, and he was right.  We see real growth in the spirit, not reflected in numbers, we see names and faces, we get to know each other, and have bound together in the spirit as a family.  A small community of believers, and growth took on a whole new and exciting meaning.  Jesus taught of the one in 99 he returned for, and all of us were that one at one time.  If Jesus could take the time, why can’t we?  How many know we are his bragging right to his father in heaven, those of us who were given to Jesus to protect and raise up, then do for others.  One person at a time....

So I get blessed when asked for more clothes, that those in our group are taking to the homeless and showing God’s love.  Jesus may love you, but when naked and cold it is hard to hear.  They take food out to those hungry, and when asked “why?” share what Jesus did in their lives.  And all get blessed!  When it comes down to the person and not the group, it becomes more personal.  Individuals get saved, one by one, even in a crowd.  But who is there after the conversion, when it is toughest in their new life?  When those at work make fun of them, when older saints expect too much from them, when they don’t meet church rhetoric or expectations?  Jesus told us make disciples, we need to disciple them, invite them in, and love on them.  Be the older brother God calls us to be, yet too many are only interested in the numbers while getting ready for the next service.  Jesus gave up his rights so we can be his bragging rights before his father, not bragging on himself, but thanking him for what he has done in us.  It’s not “my church is bigger than your church,” but the size of the God you trust and worship.  The one who can save you from hell, and provide heaven on earth.  If dyno tested, how much power would our personal relationship with Jesus produce?  The answer is not found in things done, but how and why we do them.

If not done in love, no matter how many we feed, how big our services are, how much giving we give to orphans or missions, God sees us as a clanging bell, more noise than substance.  Like the bells a Pharisee wore on his robes to warn the people of his coming, it was all about him, what are you all about?  He also describes all our doings as filthy rags compared to love.  We may be highly fashionable, but God sees beyond the Gucci leathers and looks at the leathery heart.  But don’t despair, even the disciples fell asleep at crucial times, Jesus asking them “couldn’t you stay awake just one more hour?”  But don’t worry, he forgives.  Do we let his forgiveness change us?

Yet many still look to out perform the other, pride will do that and it is alive and well.  Read the descriptions of love in 1 Corinthians 13, then the spiritual fruit in Galations 5.  If yours vary, we need to change.  God never does, fortunately, so we need to change to be like him.  Without all the man made and pride induced spirituality we possess confusing the issue.  When the blind man was given his sight by Jesus and asked, all he could say was “I was blind and now I see.  Good or bad, I don’t know.”  How blind are we?  3000 were killed the day Moses brought them the law, 3000 were saved when the spirit descended on them on the day of Pentecost.  You decide about your bragging rights...I know where I place mine.  And at less than $300 to prove it!

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blog.spot