Signs Signs — Everywhere There’s Signs

(Read Luke 10:29–37)

“My road to Jesus was a long road,” a friend told me today. “It didn’t all happen at once.” (P) said that she wasn’t familiar with the Bible at first and that even as a young adult she didn’t have a church to call home. She continued, “While in college, my husband and I were looking for a church to get married in. I grew up in the kind of church we knew we didn’t want, and we didn’t feel welcome in our local churches at first.”

“When things started getting tough, I would pray,” (P) said. “I noticed that God was answering the prayers.” She wanted to dig deeper into God’s word but wasn’t sure where to start. “I started reading the Bible from the beginning — Genesis. The violence of the Old Testament wasn’t connecting with me. Then I tried reading the last book in the Bible,” we both smiled.  Revelation is not the best place to start learning the Bible. “So,  some people advised me to start by reading  the Gospels of the New Testament.”

It’s so important to be “fed” by our church leaders. If we’re not, we might look in the wrong places. “Our Pastor portrayed downtrodden people in such a negative light,” (P) exclaimed. “There was someone laying on the ground outside the church and he had no compassion for him.” We talked about the Samaritan in the Bible. “The Pastor’s teaching didn’t reflect what I knew from my Bible reading. It didn’t reflect the Jesus I was getting to know.”

Samaritans thought they were legitimate and strict keepers of the Torah and true descendants of Israel. The historian Josephus traced their origins back to the period of Jewish captivity (597 – 538 BC). They were said to have intermarried with Assyrians. The Samaritans were perceived to be a half-Jewish, half-Gentile race. By the time of Jesus, they were despised by the Jewish people. Some Jews harshly accused Jesus of being a Samaritan — or a half-breed. Largely keeping to themselves in villages around Mount Gerizm, Jews had nothing to do with the Samaritans. Jesus encountered challenges in serving people in those villages. But when a Jewish cleric tried to test Jesus, asking Him to define the word neighbor, Jesus perfectly unfolded the parable of the “Good Samaritan.”

…Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine… And the next day he took out two denari and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”
Luke 10:29–37

(P) and her husband eventually got married in a church that was a better fit. “We took some young kids to a revival at our new church.” At the end of the service was an altar call where they took some of the kids to the altar with them to make a public and spiritual commitment to Jesus Christ. “When we went up, the Pastor asked, ‘Is this your first time?’ Jesus had gone to my heart at that time, I could feel Him.”

Like most military families, moving was a normal part of their story. They moved to Hawaii and found a church they were much more comfortable with. “I attended a Bible Study, and it really began connecting me with Jesus. I had been dreaming about the letters of Timothy. Then one day, something clicked in me. My daughter saw it. There was a light on me. I fell to my knees. I was overwhelmed.” I could see an outpouring of emotion from (P) as she revealed this experience to me. “My Dad wanted to be a priest. He was born to minister, but he wasn’t allowed to because of his parents. I was told that I was glowing, kind of like Moses did after being in the presence of God.”

He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher.
2 Timothy 1:9-11

In this letter to Timothy, Paul wrote that he was called by Jesus Christ to be “a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.” Paul had been chosen to be Christ’s apostle to the Gentiles and wanted Timothy to adopt the same attitude towards sharing the gospel that he had. He wrote, “Woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 9:16) From talking with (P) I have no doubt that her dad was also bursting to share and teach from his testimony of Jesus Christ. I believe the Holy Spirit was speaking to her through her dreams and that day.

God, in fact, speaks to us in multiple ways. “My husband’s medical career stalled. He didn’t have a contract and had no foreseeable options,” (P) lamented. “I had been praying for him and was so worried about his/our futures, about money, about everything.” She told me about a missionary family they met at their church. Missionaries typically receive everything they have out of gifts, tithing, and donations. Only out of blessings do they have anything. “We were asked to pray for them. They needed a lot. They asked us to pray for them to get a car. I admonished myself for praying about my worries when there were so many people with bigger issues.”

Then, I heard a clear, unmistakable voice behind me commanding me to, “Give them $1,000!” (P) kind of laughed, “I whipped my head around. I was sure I heard someone in the pew behind me talking to me. I later discussed this with my husband, and he said, ‘Do what you feel is right.’ My hand was shaking writing the check. My next thought was to maybe give them $500 instead. But I realized that I had been negotiating with God. I was so ashamed.” She learned later that another church provided a car for the missionary family.

Time passed. “Sometime later, I called a recruiter about my husband’s career. He was offered a fill-in position to cover the region. Eventually, this became a full-time job offer.”

“How has God worked with you? How has He changed you?” I asked.

“God keeps knocking on my door,” (P) quickly replied. A long time ago, someone used to say, “Jesus loves you. You know, it grows on you and makes a difference. To get me through the valleys I like to pray, but now with some of the meds I take for fibromyalgia, I find it hard to stay focused.” We chatted about seasons and that despite her setbacks, God would provide her opportunities to continue to grow in Christ.

“Do you think people can tell that you’re a Christian?”

(P) thought for a moment, “I think so, by the way I treat other people. I treat them the best that I can. I try to be an advocate for others. I have a heart for others and a heart for kids. Do unto others,” she said.

“Do unto Others as Jesus Has Done unto You.”
Matt Kyser

We talked about the growing Christian church in Africa. “Christianity in Africa exploded from an estimated population of eight or nine million in 1900 (8 to 9%) to some 335 million in 2000 (45%) — Overseas Ministries Study Center (OMSC). “While we were in Kenya, we saw a bunch of churches on a local road. Sadly, when looking closer, we noticed that they were all empty,” (P) said. The fruits of all the time, sweat, and money that went into the buildings wasn’t evident. But maybe the fruit of the Holy Spirit there was in something else. (P) continued, “A church is not a building. It’s personal. When you read the Bible, you see Jesus in the whole plan. It’s about connections. It’s about how people treat other people, like Jesus did.”

He will again have compassion on us;
he will tread our iniquities underfoot.
You will cast all our sins
into the depths of the sea.
Micah 7:19

Hope:
“I have hope from the fact that we don’t have to die a second death thanks to the cross. Jesus did it for me. My sins were cast to the bottom of the sea. Not just once, but in the past, the present, and the future. Jesus has a plan for everything, and He talks to us in so many ways.” Sometimes in loud understandable commands, sometimes in a whisper, sometimes in dreams. For my friend (P), sometimes all three.

Last week, I mentioned how we had been praying for our sick German Shepherd. We were greeted with the promise of great news of a relatively simple surgery that would fix everything — only to find out that there is a more ominous problem lying underneath. Her journey is nearing an end, and now we’re just trying to make her happy. I know God has a plan for everything, but I still often try to measure a random signal with an outcome that I’m looking for. I think, if I can only make this traffic light, then maybe this will happen. While just last week, we were looking for signs of hope and conclusive assurances from the medical community for our dog, we were clearly reminded that only God’s promises are true, perfect, and forever.

(P) said, “My sister and some other people I know are always looking for signs.” She told me about the trumpet sounds in the sky that have been assumed to be signs of the Apocalypse and the Seven Trumpets of Heaven that the Apostle John wrote about in Revelation. There’s even a website devoted to logging these sounds.

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
Matthew 24:42-44

Every single prediction that provides a date of the second coming is false. Jesus was not telling us to literally stay awake and not sleep. Rather, He wants us to be aware, to “watch,” or be “watchful.” We should be looking for changes in ourselves, not signs. “Without Jesus, I wouldn’t be here, (P) concluded. Her life is a living example of faith, humility, and the Golden Rule. “My life wouldn’t be where it is, and I wouldn’t be where I am. I pray for salvation and for Jesus to resolve things. Amazing Grace really speaks to me. Saved a wretch like me.”

Do you want to see signs? Look at your faith. Look for God’s grace. That’s something you can see.

Amazing grace!
How sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch; like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
Amazing Grace — John Newton

Key Applications:

1. Don’t test God. I have learned this lesson too many times to count. Know Him. Believe what He said. Trust Him.
2. Read Matthew 24. Are you ready for Jesus to return? Are your “things in order,” so to speak? Pray to Jesus to help you get there.
3. “Do unto Others as Jesus Has Done unto You.” Let that sink in for a moment. What Jesus has done for us outweighs anything anyone else can do. Shouldn’t that be our target? Read Luke 6:31 a few times and pray this verse every night before you turn in for the day.

Where else in your life can you live out the teachings of Christ? Look for next week’s Devotion.