The Crowd is Not Always Right

So...we all know what peer pressure is right? We see it, we fall to it from time to time, we even sometime are the ones pressuring our peers. And this is not just something that goes away after High School. We are attacked by peer pressure often. Many times we are pushed to do things or make decisions, based on what people will think of us, or how many people we might upset though it.
I like Mark 3, because what this shows us is how Jesus deals with peer pressure. In three different examples we see him heal on a sabbath (BIG NO NO), he cast out a demon with people mocking him calling him a devil himself, and on time when he is called out by his family (cause they think he is coo-coo) but he is determined to continue teaching.
How often do we have that much resolve to continue doing what God has asked of us in the face of so much opposition. Do we strive to always do what is right. I know that I don't. I hate making people upset and will from time to time, change what I feel God is calling me to do so that I can make more people happy. Is this right? I don't think so. God calls us to make the tough decisions, to stand against the norm and do what is right.

Take it from Paul

Acts 18

5-6When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was able to give all his time to preaching and teaching, doing everything he could to persuade the Jews that Jesus was in fact God's Messiah. But no such luck. All they did was argue contentiously and contradict him at every turn. Totally exasperated, Paul had finally had it with them and gave it up as a bad job. "Have it your way, then," he said. "You've made your bed; now lie in it. From now on I'm spending my time with the other nations."

So I always think of Paul as this huge spiritual giant, that does everything amazing and saved people to the kingdom everyday, left and right, all the time. Which is true, BUT what I forget from time to time is that he was a man just like me. He dealt with flaws and struggles just like I do, and he talks about them often, but I have a tendency to hold him up to a higher standard.

SO I love this passage...(stick with me here)....I love this passage....

He spent ALL his time preaching and teaching about Jesus, but to no luck. He pushed and pushed to tell people about Jesus and all they would do was argue with him, until he got so fed up that he told them off. I can't tell you how many times I have wanted to do THAT! "fine I'm done with this, I'm off to something else."

I think that ministers get to this point and leave their church and go to a new town. They fill that their effectiveness is done where they are and go some where else. But is giving up where it ends??

NOPE!

7-8He walked out and went to the home of Titius Justus, a God-fearing man who lived right next to the Jews' meeting place. But Paul's efforts with the Jews weren't a total loss, for Crispus, the meeting-place president, put his trust in the Master. His entire family believed with him.

8-11In the course of listening to Paul, a great many Corinthians believed and were baptized. One night the Master spoke to Paul in a dream: "Keep it up, and don't let anyone intimidate or silence you. No matter what happens, I'm with you and no one is going to be able to hurt you. You have no idea how many people I have on my side in this city." That was all he needed to stick it out. He stayed another year and a half, faithfully teaching the Word of God to the Corinthians.

We have no idea what God is doing behind the scenes. No idea who's lives he is working in though our lives. He does amazing things even when we are discouraged and think that there is no reason to go on preaching, teaching, and talking about Jesus.

Take it from Paul. You are NOT done yet, there are still people who need to know about Jesus where you are and if you are not there to tell them about Jesus, who will? Keep it up!

Am I a Sweet Wine

John 15

The Vine and the Branches

1-3 “I am the Real Vine and my Father is the Farmer. He cuts off every branch of me that doesn’t bear grapes. And every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more. You are already pruned back by the message I have spoken.

4“Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can’t bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can’t bear fruit unless you are joined with me.

5-8“I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples.

9-10“I’ve loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my commands, you’ll remain intimately at home in my love. That’s what I’ve done—kept my Father’s commands and made myself at home in his love.

11-15“I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I’m no longer calling you servants because servants don’t understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I’ve named you friends because I’ve let you in on everything I’ve heard from the Father.

16“You didn’t choose me, remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won’t spoil. As fruit bearers, whatever you ask the Father in relation to me, he gives you.

17“But remember the root command: Love one another.

I remember growing up, my friend Shawn live on a wine vineyard. His parents were wine makers and he and I would play in the vineyard often. And when we would run around in there we would always try the grapes on the vines. No matter if they were in season, of they were ripe or not we would always try them. Some times they were awesome, most of the times they were bitter and hard.

The thing that I remember most is the fact that we were not supposed to be in the vineyard at all. The reason being is that when we ran around in there we usually broke a branch. We would not nessarly break it off but it would snap the branches from the vine. And I can remember his dad getting so angry when he would catch us in there, because he would then have to go through each and every isle and each and every vine and look for the broken branches.

I didn’t understand until I was older why he had to do that, but this is why:

A Branch that is partly separated from the vine is not whole. It get some of what it needs from the vine but not totally. It doesn’t receive all the nutrients that is needed to fully grow grapes. So what is produces is a very sub-par product. A lot of the time the grapes that were produced would look just like a normal grape but it would not taste the same, it would be bitter and if enough of these grapes were harvested, they could rune an entire batch of wine.

So Shawn’s dad needed to go though all the vines and fine the broken branches and clip them away. So that the vine could produce to its full potential.

This is how God works with us. As John said,”Jesus is the true vine” God will not allow Jesus message to be tarnished. If there are places in our lives that are not fully attached to Jesus he will prune them back and cut them away. If there are aspect of our life that are in need of work, weather it be broken relationships, anger, lust, whatever it might be God wants to cut it out of your life and let it regrow in to something that can be made into a sweet wine. He has a desire NOT to cut you out completely but to constantly be reshaping you into something that is desirable in Jesus ministry.

What is there in you life that go wants to cut out. I know that in my own life he is working on me. Pride is always big, in my life, and God is constantly trying to humble me and letting me know that I need to depend on him alone. That no matter what talents I have, they were given to me by GOD alone and that I need to give him the credit for them. I don’t do that enough….Thank you Father for all that I have, it is all yours!