1626AFC062416 – Just One
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Luke 9:51 – 51 When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.
Aloha ʻŌmea. It’s good to be with you again. Did you know that when I work on these, I often think about you? I know that some of you read every message. I suspect that some of you might take a look at the file size in your in-box and decide to delete the message or maybe read it when you have more time. That’s OK; I don’t always read every message in my inbox – unless it comes from you – then I always read it. I think about whether or not you will enjoy the writing, learn something new, find affirmation for your faith, or just say, “Huh! How about that!” If you are a friend, a relative, or a neighbor, I think about you. If you’ve found this message randomly on the Internet, I even think about you. That’s why I post these at www.aloha-friday.org. Why do I think about you? Because you are the one person I want to read this – yep, you. If you are the one who reads this message, you are the one for whom it was written. When I start working on the keyboard, there’s just one thing I want to do – to reach you for Christ’s sake. It’s like the famous core of UNIX programming philosophy: DO ONE THING AND DO IT WELL.
I hope I do this well. I’ve mentioned before that I depend on the Holy Spirit to help me find a topic and then to help me find ways to make that topic a message that you can receive. I have a goal, and – being a very Task Oriented person – I resolutely pursue that goal. Usually that means doing something new and leaving behind whatever has gone before. There’s a change every week, but the main message is pretty consistently “God loves you so much that he gives you everything in your life including himself.” In today’s opening verse, Jesus is starting on a new phase of his ministry. This verse marks a sort of boundary between Jesus’ earlier ministry and his final exodus – his suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension. It is the beginning of what is often called his Galilean mission as he unwaveringly walks to Jerusalem where The Cross will change everything. The earlier ministry began with Jesus being rejected in Nazareth. Now, as he begins this new phase of teaching, he is again rejected – this time by a Samaritan village. When the “Sons of Thunder” James and John learn of this, they are furious and say, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” (Luke 9:54) This calls to mind the Old Testament story of Elijah and King Ahazaiah (See 2 Kings 1). Jesus rebukes them because they just don’t get it. James and John are full of prideful indignation and have taken the position that anyone who does not accept Jesus should be severely punished. Jesus utterly rejects this because it doesn’t fit the one message – Love brings salvation. Jesus tells them off and then continues his march to Jerusalem and death. I wonder, what did he say to them? I imagine it was something like, “There’s only one outcome I have in mind and that’s not it.” Jesus often used the K.I.S.S. principle in his teaching: One thing is all that’s needed. Do you remember where and when he said that?
He was at the house of his friends, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Martha was all flustered about getting everything just right for Jesus and his Disciples. Meanwhile, Mary was just focused on Jesus. Martha is a bit like James and John; she wants it her way. She asks Jesus to tell Mary to help her. This time, though, his rebuke is a little gentler (but nonetheless firm!): Luke 10:41-42 – 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; 42 there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”
That’s all there is to it. There is just one thing needed – Jesus’ Love. Ah, Belovéd, we too are so often distracted by many things. We worry about stuff that isn’t all that important. In Luke 12:25, Jesus asks if worrying can make you live longer or grow taller. How do we usually answer? “Well, no, but …” or “Yes, but …”. James and John: “Yes, but Jesus, they dissed you!” Martha: “Yes, Jesus, but she could at least …” What’s your favorite “yes-but” for answering Jesus? That’s a good exercise for us to try sometime. The list can get pretty long. It is so easy to forget there is only one thing needed. The Apostle Paul gave us lots of tips about how to stay on task. For James, John, and Martha the distraction was The World and the earthlings that were messing things up but failing to focus on Jesus. These are the “things of the flesh.” Take a look at something Paul said in Galatians 5:16-17 – 16 Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want.
How can we resolve this conflict between the Spirit and The World? Well, first, we need to realize that the battle isn’t really against flesh and blood because the real fight is a spiritual battle against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (See Ephesians 6:12) We cannot battle things of The World with worldly things, worldly ways, or worldly arguments. We have to battle the spiritual powers behind those worldly things. All of us have experience in losing those battles on a regular basis because, fundamentally, we lack one thing. Check this out: Romans 8:9 – 9 But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. I underlined since because I want to show you how important that little word is in this verse. The Greek word used is εἴπερ (eiper) {i-per’} – which means if indeed, if perhaps, if it be so, if really, if after all, since, if only … Let’s substitute some of those –
you are in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you
you are in the Spirit, if after all the Spirit of God dwells in you
you are in the Spirit, if it be so the Spirit of God dwells in you
you are in the Spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you
Which “one thing” empowers and inspires us to take on and defeat the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places? The Spirit of God. How do we get that one thing? How can we choose “the better part?” What is the better part? What is THE ONE THING? I am asking you because you already know the answer. Do we want Jesus or The World? As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. I’d Rather Have Jesus, (↔ Music Link) and that’s what I KEEP FORGETTING TO REMEMBER! That means that something, someone, other than the Spirit of God dwells in me. Therein comes the battle, Belovéd. Our enemy uses every possible lie, any and every distraction, and all the power of the flesh to help us forget the Power of the Holy Spirit.
Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. That’s terrible news! How do we fix that? There is just one way – follow The Just One. We must go with him to Jerusalem as our exodus. We can do as he did – set our face toward Jerusalem and resolutely move forward. There is only One Thing needed. There is only One Way to go. We can and will live in the Spirit if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in us. There is One Focus for our eyes, our hearts, our minds, and our souls. Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus! (↔ Music Link) There is One, Just One. Accept no substitute! Sports? TV? Drugs? Alcohol? Lust? Anger? Sin? Security for me and my family? Success? “My legacy?” NO! Just ONE – The Lord, the Giver of Life: Jesus with, in, and within, the Spirit of God.
I’m thinking about you thinking about me thinking about Jesus and telling you that is the One Thing you need to know this week. A hui hou!
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Belovéd!
Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
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