Serving Rascals, Clumsy Disciples, and Physically and Mentally Ill Believers with the Unconditional Love of Jesus Christ
Author: Pastor Bryan Lowe
A repentant rascal with definite issues, but who is seeking to be authentic in his faith to Jesus Christ.
An avid reader and a hopeful writer. Husband and father. A pastor and Bible teacher. A brain tumor survivor. Diagnosed with clinical depression, and now disabled.
Enjoys life, such as it is, in Alask.a (Actually I have it pretty good.)
“Do you believe that the God of Jesus loves you beyond worthiness and unworthiness, beyond fidelity and infidelity—that he loves you in the morning sun and in the evening rain—that he loves you when your intellect denies it, your emotions refuse it, your whole being rejects it. Do you believe that God loves without condition or reservation and loves you this moment as you are and not as you should be.”
“My message, unchanged for more than fifty years, is this: God loves
you unconditionally, as you are and not as you should be, because
nobody is as they should be. It is the message of grace…A grace
that pays the eager beaver who works all day long the same wages
as the grinning drunk who shows up at ten till five…A grace that
hikes up the robe and runs breakneck toward the prodigal reeking
of sin and wraps him up and decides to throw a party no ifs, ands,
or buts…This grace is indiscriminate compassion. It works without
asking anything of us…Grace is sufficient even though we huff and
puff with all our might to try to find something or someone it cannot
cover. Grace is enough…Jesus is enough.”
― Brennan Manning, All Is Grace: A Ragamuffin Memoir
And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.
Mark 2:3
Sociologists are quick to point out that the healthiest people mentally and physically, are those who are functionally aware of others. These people often find themselves in “the helping professions” like nurses, counselors, pastors, policemen and many other affiliated occupations. It seems that there are some who will wade into other people’s lives, try to do what seems right and most importantly, touching others in their needs.
There are some who say that you either got it, or you don’t. My issue is that Jesus seems to think that His followers would learn how to activate this mentality– this gift. Each of us are directed to “bear one another’s burdens”. This really can’t be adjusted in order to fit my selfish personality. Regardless of my personal proclivities, it seems I am stuck with “the least of these”. Thankfully Jesus promises me a Helper to help me, and help others who need help.
Carrying a cot for a paralyzed man seems to be indicative of how life is going to go for us, as we surrender to the task and carry our share of the load. We comply with the need of the moment, to bring this man into the Lord’s presence. I’m not thinking rewards here, or any special recognition. Essentially,I’m just the schmuck who has to carry this guy into the presence of Jesus.
“Our society is filled with runaways, dropouts, and quitters. The epidemic of walking away has hit our land with effects as devastating as the bubonic plague, and it has destroyed millions of effective lives and relationships. We are so self-centered that we have ceased to lay down our lives for others.”
Kay Arthur
Making a way for our friends
There is a definitive call to service as His student, His disciple. You just might say that learning how to forget yourself is the major starting point for a real servant. It’s like your new Cadillac Escalade, equipped with cameras and a computer on the dash. You don’t need to ask for these, they just give them to you. It is part of the package. Serving is part of the package that discipleship has when its delivered to your “apartment door.”
You will learn to serve someone else. This tutelage takes a long, long time. In all of these lessons we are free to leave, terminating our relationship with the person we are serving. But I don’t advise this at all. Jacob had Laban teaching him, and teaching him, for many years. Scripture is jammed full of men and women learning by serving. And sometimes, that can take a lot of time– maybe years.
There was four men carrying the paralytic, two would’ve been a strain, and three awkward. No–four is just right. Let us be a serious people, fulfilling our responsibility to our friend lying on the cot and to Jesus. We are all in this together. Now– it’s time to take your place and lift.
“A few days later, when Jesus came back to Capernaum, the news spread that he was at home.”
Mark 2:1
You can’t hide the presence of Jesus. There is a ‘built-in’ need for Him in the hearts of men and women. You can’t keep it quiet, it is an open secret. Believing people let it out in many ways. You can see it in their faces, and hear it in their voices. They become gentle and caring, where once was selfishness and anger. Peace is present, and a wonderful new thing called joy. They can’t help but share about their new guest, when they speak it spontaneously spills out.
Spring flowers can’t help their beautiful fragrance. There is a fragrance that announces that He is present. You might say that He takes over, just as a bright light takes over the darkness. When Jesus is present, His brightness pushes through the cracks and shines out every window. He cannot be contained or hidden. Love itself is invisible. But it has an effect on all who take it in. The very presence of Jesus transforms us.
My heart is now His home.
People travel and gather great works of art. They collect these things of beauty and culture. They will go out of their way to search for paintings and statues of grace and elegance, and finding them they will spend a great deal of money to obtain them. But no one or nothing can compare to having Christ as the honored guest. The poorest farmer can be the wealthiest man. No matter how quietly Jesus enters, His presence will soon make itself known. Where Christ truly abides, nothing but good will be observed.
“Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.”
“Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world. 11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown.“
Rev. 3:1o-11, NLT
The crown you wear is vulnerable. Sorry. But the truth is that the crown we wear can be snatched, and taken away from us. The dark enemy would love to lift it up, and the hoards of evil would rejoice over their victory in a dark demonstration of their power over you.
Jesus has issued a command. His instruction communicates to us an awareness of what evil is about to do. He tells us that there is a testing, and that there is the need for endurance. We can so easily be led into darkness, and the enemy is pressing us with all his might.
Our crowns can be taken. They will not be returned, at least not without issues. Evil will come from this failure to keep watch. Our spiritual life has been harmed and weakened. Our crown becomes Satan’s trophy, and he gloats as shows off his collection. We will become destitute of spirit, and our life starts to reflect the darkness. Evil repeatedly does this, and we should realize that this. We cannot give in to this intimidation.
Remember, the crown the Holy Spirit gave you is extremely important. It has a significance. We look at our crown, and we can draw conclusions. First He has given us an authority, and a place in his kingdom which is secure. He meets our needs as we work out the kingdom in this world. He works hard to turn us into a ‘marvel’ of grace. We are royalty; princes and princesses of the High King. We serve Him alone.
My dear brother or sister, you wear a crown that sets you apart. Wear it, with a spiritual awareness that you are special. You are of a kingly lineage. Rub shoulders with all that is good. Become a companion of all those who are friendly to the truth. Walk humbly, yet boldly. You must hold on to everything that belongs to you.
Broken Believers 