Coffee With The Lord

What do you feed a brand new baby? … Stuff right off your dinner table at your evening meal? A “Big Mac,” fries and a “Coke?” Will those things be helpful and lead to health and growth?

Ask any pediatrician, nutritionist, or for that matter any concerned, caring “Mom” … they will answer with a resounding “No way!” Proper nutrition matters – especially for infants!

The same is true Spiritually – for a “babe in Christ!”

When I served as “Commissioner on Discipleship” for the denomination I am a part of, we had a well-known guest speaker for a conference on the subject of “discipleship” – Thom Rainer. He was asked this direct question: “Based on research you have done, what is the most important thing you can get a brand new Christian to do?”

His answer? …“HANDS DOWN, GET THEM STARTED READING THEIR BIBLE!” (That was more important than church attendance, participation in a small group, a new disciples class or podcast, etc. Don’t get me wrong those things are important and helpful… but getting them to read their Bible was most important!)

In my Bible reading this morning I read two verses that seem to bear that out! Here they are:

“So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander! LIKE NEWBORN INFANTS, DESIRE THE PURE SPIRITUAL MILK OF THE WORD, THAT YOU MAY GROW UP YOU’RE YOUR SALVATION!” (1 Peter 2:1-2 CSB)

Hey, let me tell you, it was the turning point in my spiritual growth and vitality! Frustrated, with my spiritual growth as a teenager, I asked a wonderful Christian high school teacher, Dean Sheneman, what I needed to do to have the same spiritual health and vitality I observed in his life. His answer? “Bartel, how much time are you spending in God’s word daily?” … I responded to his challenge, prioritized a daily time of Bible reading, reflection and response, and I’VE NEVER BEEN THE SAME!

SPIRITUAL NUTRITION MATTERS! My advice? Get off the “spiritual junk food” – stop doing the things that poison your spirit – and “DESIRE THE PURE SPIRITUAL MILK OF THE WORD THAT YOU MAY GROW THEREBY!” (…And you never outgrow your need for it!)

I’ve been privileged to work with some incredibly gifted “assistants!” They are detail oriented people with organizational and planning skills that have left me in awe! They were able to plan events, arrange details, and manage happenings in such a way that everything just seemed to fall into place with “success” written all over it! I could name names… but I would miss some of them and I would be in deep trouble – and ashamed!

But just as I’ve been deeply impressed with the skills and gifts of these gifted assistants… They “don’t hold a candle” to God’s abilities in this area! Anyone who has ever read the account of Peter and the “household of Cornelius” in Acts 10 (and just reflected on it a bit) knows what I’m talking about! Talk about significant!! (Breakthrough actually… because of what happened to “gentiles,” who at that time were marginalized; but instead heard the gospel, were included in God’s redemptive plan, and received the Holy Spirit’s empowerment!)

Here’s just a sampling of God’s planning, arrangement of events, and management of details to achieve the desired goal…

Cornelius, a notable gentile centurion and devout “God-fearer,” suddenly encounters an angel in a vision… The angel calls Cornelius by name, assures him his prayer and devotion to the Lord and the needs of others have been noted by God. He then gives Cornelius an address and a name (“Simon Peter”) and directs him to bring him to his home.

Cornelius immediately responds… He sends two trusted servants and a loyal soldier on this challenging mission (about a 40 mile trip via horseback).

As they approach Joppa the next day, Peter had gone up on the housetop where he was staying for a season of prayer just before lunch at noon. As he is praying Peter falls into a trance… He sees something like a large sheet with all kind of animals, reptiles and birds in it. He hears a heavenly voice saying “Rise Peter, kill and eat!” He refuses saying, “No! As a devout Jew I’ve never eaten anything ceremonially common or unclean!” The voice speaks directly to Peter: “What God has made clean, do not call common!” This happens three times.

Peter is puzzled about the meaning of this experience. As he is pondering it, the men from Cornelius’ house are just arriving… The Holy Spirit speaks to Peter at that moment, “Behold, there are three men at the gate looking for you. Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them.”

Peter goes down, meets the men, hears the explanation of their mission, and the next day obediently leaves with them (another trip of 40 miles) to Cornelius’s house.

When they arrive, Cornelius welcomes Peter along with relatives and close friends he has invited.

Peter explains his reservations about meeting with gentiles: He says, “You know how unlawful it is far a Jew to associate with or visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without objection. So I ask, why did you send for me?” (vss. 28-29)

Cornelius responds, “We are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.” (vs. 33)

Peter opens his mouth and begins to explain the gospel to them… The Holy Spirit interrupts Peter’s explanation, and the Holy Spirit is poured out and they “speak in tongues” and glorify God.

Cultural, racial, and religious barriers are demolished and the result is that gentiles are included, along with Jews, in God’s marvelous redemptive plan (check out Acts 15:7-11; Galatians 3:28-29; 1 Peter 2:9-10).

Praise the Lord! Believe me, God is the Master orchestrator, planner and arranger!

In manufacturing it is easy to completely focus on the product being produced and overlook, marginalize and discard the byproducts of the production!  Wise manufacturers, however, have discovered that there is great value in paying attention to the byproducts of a process… In fact, sometimes the value of byproducts have actually eclipsed that of a product!

There is something to be learned from this fact as it relates to the miraculous activity of God in Scripture… There are some who have so focused on the miraculous activity of God (i.e. “signs and wonders”) that they have overlooked what I will refer to as THE “BYPRODUCT” OF HIS MIRACULOUS ACTIVITY!  And if the truth were acknowledged, the “byproducts” of  God’s miraculous activity can actually be viewed as the purpose of the “signs and wonders!”

John’s gospel actually powerfully illustrates this truth… “signs” – a favorite word in John to describe the miraculous, actually points beyond itself to the person and redemptive purposes of God in Christ!

Today, during my time of “coffee with the Lord,” I observed another example of this truth. 

The passage was Acts 9:32-43…  Two miracles at the beginning of the Church’s ministry after Pentecost…

The healing of a paralyzed man by the name of Aeneas, bedridden for eight years.  Peter, led by the Holy Spirit, speaks to Aeneas and says, “Jesus Christ heals you!  Rise and make your bed!” And Aeneas is immediately and supernaturally healed! … Oh, and the powerfully important “BYPRODUCT” of that healing?  “All the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him and they turned to the Lord!” (vs. 36)

Here’s another… In the city of Joppa there was a wonderful, godly disciple of Jesus by the name of Tabitha (or “Dorcas”).  What a wonderful Christian lady Tabitha was … “Full of good works and acts of charity!”  She fell ill, however, and died.  They prepared her for burial.  But the disciples in Joppa heard Apostle Peter was nearby and urged him to come quickly!  Before any funeral was held, Peter went to the room where she lay, knelt down by her body and prayed… then he spoke to her dead body… “Tabitha, arise!”  And she did – raised from the dead!  What a powerful exhibition of God’s resurrection power!”  Wow!  … But what about the incredibly important “BYPRODUCT” of the miracle?  “And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord!” (vs. 42)

Don’t get me wrong… I believe in God’s power to heal – I believe God acts in miraculous power in Jesus’ name! … But I NEVER WANT TO LOSE SIGHT OF GOD’S REDEMPTIVE PURPOSES IN HIS MIRACULOUS ACTIVITY!  I never want to make “signs and wonders” – miracles, if you please, “an end in themselves!”  God’s purposes are always redemptive!