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"And they said to one another, 'Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?'" (Luke 24:32)
Let's face it, beloved. Time spent walking and talking with Jesus must surely have been one of the most exciting experiences ever! At least, that's what the two disciples on the road to Emmaus thought. A few hours in the presence of the risen Lord and their hearts "burned" with holy fire and a passion to be all that they could be for Him and His glory.
What amazes me today, however, is that in contrast to the Emmaus road disciples, we actually spend as Christians twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, fifty-two weeks a year (well, you get the picture!) in the presence of that same risen Lord, yet many of us have trouble getting excited enough about Him to even make it to worship services regularly! Not only do our hearts not "burn within" us, we seldom even experience a bump in our pulse rate.
What makes the difference? It's all right there in the account of Luke the beloved physician. While walking on the road before Jesus joined them, they were talking about Jesus. Do you get that, beloved? They were talking about Jesus! Now admittedly, what they were saying about Him lacked a lot of knowledge and understanding, but at least they were talking about Him. How much time today do you and I spend talking about Jesus with anybody? How much time do we even spend with each other outside of church, much less spending time talking about our Lord?
Then, after the Master joined them on the Emmaus road, they spent time listening to Jesus teach them about Himself. They drank in every single word as He explained first each prophecy, then its fulfillment in Himself. They listened and they learned. They were true "disciples" or learners as they took in all that He shared with them about Himself. How much time do we today actually spend studying the Scriptures? And I'm not talking about following along with the pastor as he preaches his message, nor with the Sunday School teacher in your copy of the quarterly lesson book. I am talking about plain old "dig it out/write it down/learn it/apply it" Bible study! It's the only way we will ever grow to full maturity in Jesus Christ and become the instruments of His grace that He wants us all to be.
And when He was revealed to them and vanished from their sight, they rushed back to Jerusalem to tell everyone they could that they had seen the risen Lord. Did you notice that this journey took them in the opposite direction from the one in which they had originally been traveling? Nothing was more important to them than spreading the good news! They would have paid any price to get the word out that Jesus had conquered death and that He was and is Lord of all. When's the last time you and I "rushed" anywhere to share that same good news? You see, beloved, it is sadly true. Our hearts by and large today just do not "burn within" us.
Let me challenge you today to become an Emmaus road disciple! Talk about Him, learn about Him and from Him, and tell everyone you can about Him. And by all means let Him "light the fire" within you that will burn until eternity and then forever!
Ron
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This one kind of messed me up. It wove into conversations and thoughts I've had recently. Then it spurred me to write about those thoughts.
ReplyDeleteI believe for me that the greatest chasm is the one between my "silent witness" and my "spoken witness". Preach a sermon? No problem. Speak the Good News point blank to that guy in line at the bank? What are you, crazy?
Just being honest. Thanks for a great post.
REBUTTAL OF PASTOR RON VARNER BY RUSSELL KELLY
ReplyDeleteHTTP://RONGLEANING.BLOGSPOT.COM/, JUNE 11, 2009
Ron: Quoted 1 Cor 16:2
Russ: 1 Cor 16:2 is in the context of 16:1 "Now concerning the collection for the saints in Judea." It is NOT about tithing. It is NOT about local church support. It is NOT about pastoral wages.
Ron: Quoted 2 Cor 9:7
Russ: This is in the context of the same collection for the saints and all of 2 Cor 8 and 9. It is one of many very good freewill giving principles and is NOT a discussion of tithing.
Ron: Three vital truths come to mind regarding the importance of our giving, beloved, the first of which is that God has made it compulsory. In both Old and New Testaments the command is clearly and succinctly stated, revealing to us that obedient giving in all the commodities of life is no option:
Russ: This is an outright lie. There is not a single text to the Church after Calvary where God has made tithing compulsory. In fact the true biblical tithe was always only food from inside Israel. Although money was very common even in Genesis and essential for sanctuary worship, money was never included in 16 texts which describe the contents of the tithe. Jesus, Peter and Paul did not quality as tithe-payers and neither did the poor nor those who lived outside Israel. Period.
Ron: In fact so compulsory is the act of faithful giving, beloved, that God said to His people through Malachi that not to be obedient in this area is actually to "rob God" (3:8)!
Russ: Have you ever read Galatians 3:10? "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them." (1) The Gentiles and the Church were never under the tithing laws (Ex 19:5-6; Lev 27:34). (2) Galatians 3:10-13 clearly replaces Malachi 3:10-12 for Hebrews. (3) God does not curse Christians in whom the Holy Spirit dwells.
Ron: Thus, for us ever to consider not giving according to the leading of God's Spirit is an act of rebellion against the God who has provided all of our needs. …
Russ: Freewill giving --yes. Tithing --no.
Ron: Quotes Malachi 3:10.
Russ: Have you ever read Nehemiah 10:37? "And that we should bring the firstfruits of our dough, and our offerings, and the fruit of all manner of trees, of wine and of oil, unto the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and the tithes of our ground unto the Levites, that the same Levites might have the tithes in all the cities of our tillage." The people were normally to bring their tithes --not to the Temple-- but to the Levitical cities. According to 10:38 the Levites and priests were responsible for bringing tithes to the Temple. Therefore Mal 3:10 must only be addressed to the dishonest priests of Mal 1:6-14; 2:1-9 and 2:17-3-7.
Ron: Quotes Luke 6:38.
Russ: Luke 6:38 is not a tithing text. NT giving to the Church after Calvary is: freewill, generous, sacrificial, joyful, not by commandment and motivated by love for God and others.
Ron: It is difficult to imagine God expecting us to expect Him to bless us, beloved, but that is precisely what the Scriptures reveal to us! We cannot imagine that God's command for us is that we "give to get," yet that is without a doubt what is woven into His eternal plan of economy for us.
Russ: Tithing does not work because the church is under the New Covenant. If tithing actually worked then tens of thousands of ghetto dwellers who have been "tithing" for generations would have long ago received overflowing blessings.
Ron: As surely as His requirement for us to give faithfully is compulsory in every sense of the word, it is also just that much compensatory in that we should expect Him to pour out His blessings upon us.
Russ: No evidence. There are thousands of atheists and agnostics who prosper financially without tithing.
Russell Earl Kelly, PHD
www.tithing-russkelly.com