Friends,

This is not a comment on the passage, but I shared of my mom's brain cancer about six months ago. She passed away this past Saturday morning, October 29. I prayed for a peaceful and quick passing, and God heard my prayers. I'm not sure if I shared this, but she accepted Christ as her Savior about three months ago. She told me then that she wished for another chance to live more meaningfully, but that was not God's will. For me, it is sufficient that she trusted Christ, and I will see her again in heaven. My mom's salvation is a testament to persevering prayer for our lost loved ones. 

Thank you all for your prayers over this past half-year. If God moves you, pray that God might uphold my dad, who will suffer the greatest change. Pray that God will fill his void with His presence and grace. I have peace because of the promises of God. My dad is a believer, so I pray that this peace will strengthen and guide him as well. 

It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God (Luke 6:12).

Jesus spent the whole night in private prayer to the Father. I wonder what He prayed. Was it about the enraged Pharisees he faced that day? Was it about the twelve disciples that He would select to follow Him, one of whom would be Judas Iscariot, the betrayer? Was it about His growing popularity with the people or His growing unpopularity with the Jewish leadership? Was He praying about the path to the cross or about the future church? We are not told. 

Yet, we are told that He spent the whole night in prayer to God. We are not told He did this every day, but we are told that He often prayed:

But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed (Luke 5:16).

We are also told that He did not take His disciples. His prayer was private. It is also noteworthy that this extended prayer time immediately preceded the selection of the Twelve, the apostles who would proclaim the Gospel after He went back to heaven. 

I find it remarkable that Jesus, who had an unbroken communion with God would find it necessary to pray. The One who was perfect and sinless still found it desirable to pray, even to pray for an extended time. He prayed early in the morning:

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed (Mark 1:35).

He also prayed in the evening:

After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone (Matthew 14:23).

The Book of Hebrews suggests His prayers were often intensely emotional:

During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission (Hebrews 5:7).

This last verse is more remarkable in that we are told that Jesus prayed to God, who could save Him from death, and God heard His prayer. You might wonder, if God heard His prayer, why did Jesus still die since He prayed for God to deliver Him from death? Remember, Jesus also prayed, "Not my will but yours be done." 

Friends, the Lord Jesus received everything He prayed for because His interests were in perfect alignment with the Father's interests. Even with such a perfect connection, Jesus found it needful and desirous to pray. Let us, then, follow in His steps. Since we do not have such an intimate and perfect connection with God, let us humble ourselves even more and pray that God's will might be revealed to us and done through us. Let us pray a little, and let us pray a lot. Let us learn to pray in such a way that our prayers begin to mimic the words of God. How wonderful it would be if our every petition simply reflected God's perfect will. Then, our prayers to God would not be sometimes "Yes" and sometimes "No" but always "Yes" in Christ:

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you (John 15:7).

Since God already knows what we need and want even before we ask Him (Matthew 6:8), is not the whole purpose of prayer an exercise in aligning our will to God's will, to speak back to God what He desires for us to pray, and humbly speaking and seeking His will to be done in our lives?

Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return" (Luke 6:38).

Some have used this verse to argue that those who give money to the church will receive an overflowing supply of money in return. The only problem is that nowhere is the church or a tithe mentioned. If pressed, the context would suggest that Jesus has person to person relationships in mind. This understanding better fits the pattern of the verses that precede it:

If you love the ungrateful, you will receive credit from God (Luke 6:27-36).

If you do not judge, God will not judge you; if you do not condemn, God will not condemn you (6:37).

Thus, the immediate context suggests God's blessing of good deeds within the context of general human relationships without any suggestion of "tithes and offerings" for the church. 

What is more, the larger context suggests that the reward from God is not meted out on earth but in heaven. Notice from the very beginning of Jesus' discourse in Luke 6:20, He is speaking of what those who suffer for good in this life can expect and hope for in the "kingdom of God" (Luke 6:20). Those who "hunger now" will be "satisfied" in the kingdom of heaven. Those who "weep now" will "laugh" in heaven. Again, those who are persecuted now can rejoice because their "reward is great in heaven" (Luke 6:23).

Even in the context of the verses immediately preceding the verse on giving, the same can be said with respect to God's reward. It will be given in heaven. Those who do not judge now will not be judged in heaven (cf. Luke 6:37). Those who do not condemn now will not be condemned in heaven. Those who pardon now will also be pardoned in heaven (cf. Luke 6:37).

This is consistent with Jesus' message in the Sermon on the Mount regarding storing up treasures in heaven rather than on earth (cf. Matthew 6:19-21). Jesus is consistently emphasizing God's reward in heaven. 

With this in mind, to suggest that God will materially bless now those that give to the church now is not only reading something into the verse that is not there, it is also taking the verse out of the immediate and larger context of the passage. 

What, then, should we learn from this verse about giving. I believe it is the same teaching as Jesus taught regarding charity to people in need:

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you (Matthew 6:3-4).

God will reward every good act. And this idea of "pressed down, shaken together, and running over" (Luke 6:38) speaks of the greater value of the heavenly reward in comparison to the earthly giving. We observe, as Jesus, that the heavenly reward cannot be stolen and is not subject to decay (cf. Matthew 6:19-20). Thus, it lasts forever. 

Now, in their over-zealous attempt to refute prosperity theologians, some have gone above board in trying to read Luke 6:38 as simply a verse teaching reciprocation, namely, that when you give to others, it is highly likely that they will return the favor and often in greater measure. While this is true, and is a possible understanding of the verse, and there are elements of such proverbial axioms in Jesus' discourses, I think the context here better suggests that more than simple reciprocation from others is in view. What is in view is that when we give to others, God will reward our giving in greater measure in heaven. 

Luke 7
34 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'

I have heard some conservative pastors try and allude or cast a shadow of doubt over the phrases of Jesus drinking 'wine.' The attempt to say don't drink it; don't excuse it because Jesus did it, even for culture sake.

If Jesus was simply drinking grape juice, why would he be accused of being a drunkard.

The bible does teach to have no idols, be no drunkard, cause no harm, but be sober-minded, always sharp and ready for the kingdom.

Friends, I have submitted three separate comments today on three separate passages in Luke 6. I did not submit them as one long entry to avoid seeming to drag on and on. I pray that what I have shared, whether you read any or all, may be edifying to you. 

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete" (Luke 6:46-49).

This passage parallels a longer one in Matthew 7:21-27. Matthew extends and explains the teaching about those that simply say, "Lord, Lord" to Jesus:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (Matthew 7:21-23)

Oftentimes, these passages are simply preached as Jesus' lesson against hearing without doing. And while this IS the primary lesson, especially in the latter part, what is sometimes forgotten is the contrast that Jesus makes between doing what we think verses doing what God wills, which the first part brings out. And the first part (the "Lord, Lord" part) is connected with the second part (i.e. the story of the houses on the rock/sand). Therefore, it is not simply doing, but doing what is right, namely, the "will of my Father."

Jesus teaches here that the heart of God's will is not about prophesying in Jesus' Name, driving out demons in Jesus' Name, or performing many miracles. Jesus says that a person can do all these things and be rejected by God. Why? It is because this is not what the will of God is all about. He even declares that they are "evildoers." Without mentioning one sin, it is unusual that Jesus would use such a strong word. After all, everything He mentioned is a good thing, isn't it? Prophecy, casting out demons, and miracles. He doesn't say that these people are murderers, adulterers, liars, etc. Nevertheless, Jesus calls them "evildoers" and rejects them outright: "I never knew you. Away from me!"

Friends, this is all the more reason for us to be wary of those that emphasize prophecies, exorcisms, and doing of miracles today. When they emphasize these kinds of things, they take the focus off of the Gospel and God's Word. They are building houses on sand. When God's expressed will is to sanctify people by the truth of God's Word (John 17:17), they are trying to displace God's Word with ecstatic experiences. 

Notice, that Jesus does not question the sincerity of those that say and do these things. Even if they are sincere and believe they are doing these things for Christ, they can be sincerely wrong. I believe that the neo-charismatic movement coming out of Kansas City and IHOP may represent the very kind of group that Jesus has in mind in His condemnation here.

No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of (Luke 6:43-45).

I would like to dispel some confusion over the meaning of "fruit" in passages that deal with false prophecy and teaching.  What is meant by "fruit" when the Bible says, "No good tree bears bad fruit"? Luke 6:45 clears this up by providing the explanation: "For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of." In other words, fruit has to do with what is spoken, that is, what is taught or prophesied. Therefore, when we read the parallel in Matthew, we can also discern the meaning:

Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them (Matthew 7:15-20).

How do we discern a false prophet from a true prophet? We can know this by what they say. In other words, even if they are a moral person or do many "spiritual" things, we are to judge them by what they teach rather than simply by what they do, for fruit, in this case, has to do with speech rather than actions. 

This is highly relevant because we live in a time when people are calling themselves prophets and making prophecies. Their words must be tested against the Word of God:

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world (1 John 4:1).

In John's day, the particular heresy in view was the denial of the full humanity of Christ. John taught that these were to be rejected because they taught what was contrary to the Scriptures.

Today, we have self-proclaimed prophets making grand declarations about the coming of Christ, the future of the nation, and even about divine authority given to certain individuals to lead the church (e.g. those on the so-called Elijah List). We need to test these statements, teachings, and proclamations, so that what they say does not contradict or go beyond the bounds of Scripture. 

Luke 6:20-49 has a number of parallel teachings to the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5-7. One such parallel is Luke 6:27,

But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked (Luke 6:27). 

This is very similar to what Jesus taught in Matthew 5:44,

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.

The quintessential moral quality that reveals a person's relationship with God is the giving of undeserved love to another. It is this kind of love that makes us like God, because He loves people in this way. He loves the ungrateful and wicked. Jesus taught in John 13:34-35,

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

It is a Jesus-kind-of-love that was the "new command." It was a sacrificial kind of love, whereby Jesus gave His life for the unrighteous and undeserving:

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:6-8).

This is the kind of love that Jesus calls us to show, following in His footsteps. This is the kind of love that the Father showed to us. It is when we love the unlovely, when we bless those who curse us, when we do good to those that spitefully use us and spit us out, that we imitate the love of God and, thus, show ourselves to be children of God. It is this kind of love that makes us spirtiually mature (or "perfect"):

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48).

Oftentimes, we want "justice" for ourselves. We want to punish those who wrong us. We sometimes demand this even more from those outside the faith than from those on the inside. Even if we don't always physically demand our rights, we certainly voice our complaints, demand our refunds, and insist others be more understanding of us. Usually, there is a chorus of agreement and support from our friends and family. 

Yet, when you read Jesus' words everywhere in Scripture, don't you sense, as I do, there is something wrong with this approach? There are a few times that I thought about pursuing litigation against someone for an injustice, but Paul's words kept ringing in my ears: "Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?" (1 Corinthians 6:7). Sometimes, I think the lengths that we go to defend our rights and our property may be "the American way" but it comes short of the Christian way. The fights that we pursue against our spouse from time to time may seem "justified" in our eyes, but they seem to come short of the Christ-kind-of-love that I read about in the Scriptures.

Perhaps it would be good to meditate once again on this principle of Christ-like love, even loving our enemies. 

Tonight as I was reading Luke I was thinking about the connection between faith and obedience

Luke (6:46-49)
 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete."

As Christians Faith is required first.  We are not saved, we are not redeemed and righteous before God until we have faith in Christ.  Yet, faith is just the first step in our walk with God. Alternatively, Obedience to Christ does not save us, nor redeem us in Gods eyes.  Yet obedience affirms our faith and in some ways reflects our faith.  Jesus talks in this parable about putting into practice Gods words - this creates a solid foundation for our faith in Christ.  

This is an important realization of our faith, that it grows with obedience.  Sometimes when things go wrong we lose our faith and question God, but in the end we should look inward.  Have we been obedient to Gods calling?  Have we loved others as we loved ourselves? Faith is like water at the bottom of a large container and trials and personal failures tend to poke holes in the container, draining it.  While obedience to Christ fills the container, and our obedience despite trials all the more fills the container - until faith overflows.  It’s a great reminder that faith needs to be cultivated through a demonstrative life in serving God and others.

Friends, do you notice familiar language in Luke 6:20-26?

Blessed are you poor,
For yours is the kingdom of God

Blessed are you who hunger now,
For you shall be filled.

Blessed are you who weep now,
For you shall laugh.

Blessed are you when men hate you,
And when they exclude you,
And revile you, and cast out your name as evil,
For the Son of Man’s sake.

Rejoice in that day and leap for joy!
For indeed your reward is great in heaven,
For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.

But woe to you who are rich,
For you have received your consolation.

Woe to you who are full,
For you shall hunger.

Woe to you who laugh now,
For you shall mourn and weep.

Woe to you when all men speak well of you,
For so did their fathers to the false prophets.

These words are very much like the Beattidues of Matthew 5:3-12. In both instances Jesus is speaking of the attitude and behavior of those that will enter the kingdom of God in heaven. Jesus also says that these attitudes and behaviors will be rewarded in heaven. This is all good and fine until you read what these attitudes and behaviors actually are which characterize kingdom saints.

The blessed are characterized by poverty, hunger, sorrow and persecution for their faith in Jesus. Those on the other side, who are cursed, enjoy riches, fine foods, laughter and the favor of the people around them.

In making these distinctions between the blessed and the cursed Jesus is also making a distinction between the quality of life on earth versus the quality of life in heaven for the believer. The sense is that those who seek comfort, satisfaction, fame and fortune in this life will forfeit it in the next. This is illustrated in Jesus' parable of the rich man and Lazarus. After they both died, Lazarus was blessed and the rich man tormented. The reasoning given by Abraham is this: "Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented." A contrast is made between what is experienced in this life versus what will be received in the next.

James gives an even more scathing rebuke:

Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter. You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you (James 5:1-6).

While James writes of the corruption and abuse of power by the rich, he also attacks their self-indulgence. He says that they are merely fattening themselves for "a day of slaughter," which pictures the final, eternal judgment by God. Again, he writes in James 1:9-11,

Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.

James argues that the rich have no signfiicance in their riches because everything they have, everything they toiled for, even their own lives, will soon pass away. But since God is the God of the poor, the lowly will be lifted up (note: James, the half-brother of Jesus, may here be thinking of the Beattitudes of Jesus, where Jesus said that the lowly will be blessed in the kingdom of God).

Jesus and James are not alone in their rebuke of the rich. Paul warned his protege, Timothy, against the pursuit of riches:

Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness (1 Timothy 6:6-11).

Wow! What amazing counsel. Paul writes, "food and clothing" is all that they need. They will be content with this. And beyond this they will only and fixedly pursue "godliness." This sounds very much like the language of Jesus in Matthew 6:31-33,

Therefore do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?" For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

What a remarkable promise from Jesus. I wonder if anyone has tried to live like this? Paul taught that believers should be content with food and clothing. Jesus taught that God will supply sufficient food and clothing for the believer. Then what is left for the believer to do? According to Paul, pursue godliness. According to Jesus, seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. They are saying the same thing.

But what about the rich? Paul says that "those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition" (1 Timothy 6:9). He says that among these, "some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows" (1 Timothy 6:10).

With such a dour prospect, what believer in their right mind would give any attention to the pursuit of money? Yet, many do. Paul even warns righteous Timothy against the temptation, saying,

But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness (1 Timothy 6:11).

It is as though Paul is reminding Timothy, "You are a man of God and not a man of the world." Therefore, he says, pursue the things of God, which will endure, and not the things of the world, which will pass away: "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses" (1 Timothy 6:12).

Having spoken against the pursuit of riches, Paul addresses those that are already rich:

Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

Paul commands that the rich be taught not to be trust in their riches (e.g. Recall the lesson of the rich young man, who trusted in his riches over Jesus). He commands that they now pursue the riches of good works, having a heart that is ready and willing to give to others, thus, storing up for themselves enduring heavenly treasure rather than earthly riches, which will perish. For both Timothy and for the rich, the ultimate goal is the same: "that they may lay hold on eternal life" (1 Timothy 6:12, 19). In other words, that they will not be found, like the rich young man, to have trusted in their riches more than Jesus, and so forfeiting eternal life.

Dear friends, this is a rather long entry, but perhaps you are a bit more enlightened on this important subject. There is a whole movement that teaches almost exactly opposite of what I presented here. They are basing their teaching on the Old Testament, old covenant, Mosaic Law, which has been displaced by the New Testament, new covenant, Law of Christ. I have presented to you the character and teaching of the new covenant principle regarding the pursuit of money. Don't be confused by the false message of the prosperity preachers. Like the rich man in Jesus' parable, they will receive their just reward.

But you, O man and woman of God, "flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness!"