A repeat from 1993 years ago.
Welcome new readers from Neighborhood Church and elsewhere!
My Bible readings this morning led to another new revelation, which isn’t a new occurrence! I’m very needy!
Not the same, AND the same team
Depending on your theological heritage, you may or may not know that this Wednesday is Ash Wednesday. And if you are aware of that, it could either be positive or negative. Here’s the good news – not only do we not need to all be the same in the Body of Christ, God doesn’t desire that we all be the same. For many, the start of a 40 day journey toward the cross is a helpful annual reminder and tool for deeper discipleship. For others, it may have been an external symbol that did nothing internally. Every activity in the Body of Christ runs that risk. One of my most frequently used phrases: consider it an invitation, not an expectation. Another quip I like to repeat: we have enough trouble following the rules that are actually IN the Bible, that we probably don’t need to be adding others that AREN’T there.
Here’s what the Word and the reminder of the Lenten season this week revealed to me today…
Satan’s hatred
Satan hates Jesus. He has since he was created and Jesus was already preexistent. Jealousy and pride marked Satan’s downfall from heaven. Satan wasn’t interested in worshiping Jesus like the other angels did; he wanted to be worshipped, not a worshipper. He tempts us similarly.
When the Holy Community –Father, Son, and Spirit – decided to redeem humans by becoming human, that simply created a sharper focus for Satan’s wrath. Through his pawn Herod (and by the way, he’s always hoping to use us as his pawns… each of us), Satan ripped apart every baby boy in Bethlehem who was under two years old, seeking to destroy the Christ Child. Foiled! Though we can still hear the wailing laments echoing through the ages as similar heinous crimes continue everywhere.
Fast forward to Holy Week, the week marked first by Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem while the crowds worshipped Him with palm branches, garments, and songs of praise. Satan hated every moment, and his rage continued to grow. He wasn’t satisfied until five days later, he had literally ripped Jesus’ body apart, through flogging, a crown of thorns, crucifixion, and a sword through His side. Have you ever heard what some traditions call the Passion Narrative read aloud, and felt “enough already”? The demonic fury poured out with every blow against Jesus’ body could have been the origin of the word “overkill”.
The Body Broken
Especially if language like Ash Wednesday, Lent, Holy Week, and Passion Narrative is familiar vocabulary, perhaps you read “body broken” as a reference to Holy Communion. Absolutely true. However, that is not the revelation I received earlier today. Here it is:
Satan was hell-bent on ripping apart Jesus’ body
1993 years ago.
And he still is today.
He hates the Body of Christ
and is constantly trying to tear it apart.
Unity, not uniformity
Satan’s job is significantly easier if we misunderstand Jesus’ John 17 prayer. We don’t have to all be the same to be on the same team. In fact, that would be a terrible strategy. No winning team puts five carbon copies of one another on the floor at the same time. If you don’t like the way somebody else does things, or the way they interpret various aspects of the Bible… no problem. Nobody’s telling you that you need to! As I heard in a fantastic sermon over the weekend, Romans 10:9 lays out the three areas where agreement is necessary in order to even be in the same Body:
Jesus died and bodily rose from the dead for you/me/us.
Jesus is Lord (divine as well as human).
We’re called to submit/surrender/confess to Him (you can pick your language).
That’s it! We’re on the same team when those three are in place. The more diversity around those points, the farther the Body can reach.
2033 teaser
In that same worship experience on Sunday, God gave me as significant and all-consuming a download as I ever remember. I went from my knees to the floor last night in a time of consecration, professing to Jesus, “I’m not worthy… but I’m all in.” It’s a picture of what 2033 in Tucson could look like… and several markers along the way for how to get there, including the next 92 days. If you can’t wait to hear more… message me and I’ll spill the beans.
For King Jesus,
Dave Drum, Founder J17 Ministries
