Read: Luke 9&10

Through out my experience in the church, doing the Lord's work has been the focus of being a good Christian, of being close to God.  If you where out spreading the gospel (which I didn't really do), if you were out feeding the hungry, ministering to those in need, praying with those who wanted prayer.  Those all were signs that you where a "Good Christian"

My Mom put me onto a web site. The School of Christ run by Chip Brogden. I have read some of his open letters and I have listened to one of his webinars, the first one on Ephesians.  It is a wonderful lesson and I would recommend it to anyone.  Well, in exploring his site yesterday I ran accross this open letter.

Is Jesus enough?

Take a moment and go read it.
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Done? No? Go finish it.
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Done now?  Cool, I'll continue.

I started reading that last night but didn't finish it.  I read it again, the entire thing this morning.  And when I opened up my bible to do my quite time I read through this passage in Luke.

Luke 10:38-42 - Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house.  And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching.  But Martha was distracted with much serving.  And she went up to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?  Tell her then to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.  Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her."

And I read that and I knew, it is not our works for him that he desires most from us, it is our desire for him that he desires.  It is us sitting at his feet and listening to him.  Now, don't get me wrong, does this negate our commission to go out and  perfect our faith through works?  No!  far be it.  Its a matter of perspective.  If our works and position within the body of Christ is greater than Christ himself, we have lost focus of the fact that there is NOTHING greater than Christ.  Our first love, our first desire is to be with Christ.  And when he chooses to send us out to do his work, it is then a continuation of being with him.  When we go out and do his work for the sake of that work, it is an act of drawing away from him.

Something else that came across my conscience while reading today.  Something that I think I need to announce some culpability in.  When I had my conversation with the nice man, I became offended when he said that those who focus on the devils (I think that word is used to dismiss the reality of the enemy) start to see them around every corner.  Well, I was greatly offended by that, but regardless of the naivette this man showed, he was right in something and I need to own up to that.

Luke 10:29 - Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.

Yes we have authority and power of evil spirits, Yes we have signs that will accompany us, Yes we are, or are becoming powerful warriors for Heaven, but this is not things to rejoice over, these are not things that should be glorified or thought of as great.  The things to rejoice over, the things to be glorified and thought of as Great is that our names are written in heaven...

no, not our names,

that is imagery that is easily lost today.  That would make us think in todays age that there is a little roll call book sitting in heaven with our name in it. And its much more powerful and potent and real than that.

When we call on the name of Jesus, we are calling on JESUS himself.  His name and he are synonymous. 

So when Jesus says that our name is written in heaven, he is saying to US that we are in heaven with him, sitting at his feat and glorifying, ministering to, and being ministered by God and Heaven and most importantly Jesus.  Even now as we live here on this earth, we are ALSO in heaven now, our soul is redeemed and there even NOW. 

Seems impossible doesn't it.  Well we call on the name of Jesus and he is in heaven.  But when we call on the name of Jesus he is here NOW with us.  When we call on his name and cast a demon out, it leaves because the victor has just entered the playing field. It leaves because Jesus is standing in front of us before the enemy as the victory just as he stands in front of us before God as our redeemer.

Oh praise God.  I didn't fully understand that till I wrote it down here.  The name isn't some catechism to call, it is Jesus himself we are calling to be with us and fight with us.  We go into battle side by side every single time against the enemy with the one being in all the universe who Can Not Lose!

Lord, thank you for being the ever present victor and here with us at the calling of your name.  Give us the grace, grow more in us the desire not to do your works, but to be in your presence.

Where two or more are gathered in my name, so there will I be!