Called Out to Return

“Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.”    —Mark 5:19

We are all still feeling pretty green these days. St. Patrick’s Day makes everyone celebrate even the slightest Irish roots. St. Patrick holds a great place in Christian history. Patrick grew up in northeastern England. His family was aristocrats who adopted Roman ways during the Roman occupation of England; therefore, Patrick spoke Latin but also understood Welsh. He grew up in a Christian home but was rebellious and an unbeliever.

At age 16, a band of Celtic pirates from Ireland invaded the Britons capturing Patrick and other youth as slaves. Patrick was sold to a prosperous tribal chief and druid where he worked herding cattle. As Patrick lived in the Irish countryside, he prayed, worshipped God, and became a fervent believer in Jesus. He grew to love the Celtic culture and became burdened for the Celts that they would also find faith in the Lord. After six years, a voice spoke to Patrick in a dream, “You are going home. Look! Your ship is ready.” In the morning, Patrick arose and walked to the coast and boarded a ship.

After several years Patrick arrived back home serving as a priest. In England at age 48, he  saw in a dream an angel named Victor bringing letters from his former captors in Ireland that read, “We appeal to you, holy servant boy, to come and walk among us.” God, who had visited Patrick in Ireland directing him to leave, was calling him to return as a missionary.

The New Testament word for church is “ecclesia.” It means those called out and gathered together. The original meaning referred to people of the Greek city-states who were called out of their homes to gather in the city square to vote. The same concept applies to the Church as Christians have been called out of sin and this world to be the people of God gathered for worship and ministry. The Church, like St. Patrick, has been called out of this world and slavery to sin to be sent back as missionaries.

One of the earliest references to someone being sent back to former captors as a missionary is the demon-possessed man from the region of Gerasenes. When Jesus and the Disciples left Israel and went across the Sea of Galilee, they met a demoniac whom the townspeople could not even control with chains. The man had fled civilization and lived in the graveyards where the demons would cause him to cry out and cut himself (Mark 5:5).

Jesus set this man free by casting out a legion of demons from him. When Jesus was leaving the area, the man wanted to follow Him, but Jesus sent him back. “Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you” (Mark 5:19). We too, like St. Patrick and the demoniac, have been set free and called out of the world in order that we might return and tell others of God’s mercy.

How has God set you free? “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). Once you are free “indeed,” Jesus may call you to return and share Christ’s love with others. Be careful; remember it took God 26 years to set Patrick free enough to send him back to Ireland. “For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13). We have been called out of sin’s slavery to return and serve in love. Let us go in God’s timing with His message of hope, love, and forgiveness.

Serving One Another

“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.”                 —John 13:14

I enjoy doing almost anything, at least for a while. I am not a painter, but every time my children need something painted at their house, I am there. I do a pretty good job for the first couple rooms. I enjoy the new or renewed experience for the first and second room. I generally don’t commit to more than three rooms. After three, painting becomes a boring chore.

I am extroverted by nature making me somewhat inquisitive and outgoing. I like to try new things, but not necessarily for very long. I love to help people, but don’t want to become responsible for every detail of their lives. I guess I like to act a little like Superman. No, I can’t jump tall buildings and am not faster than a speeding bullet, but I often show up at a time of crisis, do my thing, and zoom off to the next need. Did you ever notice how Superman flies in, defeats the villain, rescues the girl, and flies away? He doesn’t stay behind to do the day in and day out clean up.

I think Simon Peter may have had some of those Superman genes. He was an impulsive and heroic type. I could see Peter jumping in and saving the day, but within a short while, Peter would be looking for someone to rescue him. During the Last Supper, Jesus disrobed and washed the feet of His Disciples like a common slave. When He came to Peter, Peter impulsively refused. Either Peter thought washing feet was too humiliating for Jesus (maybe for himself) or Peter didn’t want to have to follow Jesus’ example.

Jesus said, “Now that I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.” Although spoken directly to the Disciples, Jesus’ words are for us today. Washing one another’s feet means serving one another in the most humble and practical ways. The tense and voice of the Greek verb describes an ongoing action, wash and continue washing. Looking through the scriptures, we can find many other references to “one another,” but the command to stop washing feet or stop serving one another never appears.

As Christians, we are entirely dependent upon God’s supernatural grace and power to serve one another. We do not necessarily depend upon God’s grace to do heroic acts and withstand crises. Human nature and pride are enough to get us through for the moment. But to live 24/7 as a child of God performing acts of humble service in an ordinary, unnoticed existence requires God’s grace. Peter was quick to swing a sword to defend Jesus at the arrest and quick to jump out of the boat to walk to Jesus on water, “but he ‘followed Him at a distance’ on dry land (Mark 14:54)” (Oswald Chambers, My Utmost, Oct. 21).

Jesus said we should go and wash one another’s feet, and He has never told us to stop. Let us continue to serve one another until the Lord returns. We cannot persevere in humble service without God’s power, love and self-control (2 Timothy 1:7). As the Lord gives us opportunity to serve, He also gives us of Himself, His Holy Spirit.

How about you? Are you more heroic than humble? It is human nature for us to want to do exceptional things for God, but heroic impulsive acts do not serve one another well. To serve one another, to wash feet as Jesus did, “we have to be exceptional in the ordinary things of life, and holy on the ordinary streets among ordinary people” (My Utmost, Oct 21). We cannot accomplish this in one decisive visit or in a few minutes of service. Let us serve and continue serving one another.

Dealing With Circumstances

“And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!”                      —Philippians 2:8

I vividly remember waiting for a table at a popular restaurant a few years ago. A large number of people were ahead of me. As I waited, I recognized friends from church so I walked over and chatted a few minutes. When the hostess called their names, someone much farther down the list ran up and began to complain that they had come in long before my friends. I actually think they might have been referring to me. They were so forceful with their protest that my friends retreated in fear, and said, “Please take our table. We don’t want any trouble.” My friends were the next ones seated—no harm done, but Darlene and I seemed to wait forever.

I had an appointment in an hour and could delay no longer. Not only was the line long, but the service was very slow. (It makes me wonder why this was such a popular restaurant.) I asked the hostess how close my name was to the top. She replied, “Oh, I seated you ten minutes ago.” “No you didn’t. I’m still standing here.” At this point, I still hadn’t lost my cool. I calmly considered my options. Even if they seated me that second, the service was so slow that I would never make my appointment. So we went to the restaurant next door which had equally good food and better service but not the “cool-factor” popularity.

We cannot always control our circumstances, but we can surely control our attitudes in dealing with those circumstances. I kept my cool at the restaurant, but it probably wasn’t due to me being a Christian. I was utterly spellbound at how crazily the events played out. Sometimes in difficult circumstances, the only thing we can change is our attitude. Often that makes all the difference in the world. There are times, however, when we must and should change our circumstances. We may be employed in a difficult situation that we need to change, but we don’t have to have a bad attitude as we leave.

Philippians 2:5 exhorts us to have the attitude of Jesus Christ. The next few verses help us understand some of the challenges Christ faced and the attitude with which He faced them. “And being found in the appearance as a man” (2:8), describes that as Jesus chose to give up His position of equality with God, He found Himself in the circumstances of being a mere human. Human beings who fall from a high position or privilege usually respond with self-pity or critical finger pointing.

When Jesus found Himself in such a lowered status, He took on the role of a servant, humbled Himself, and became obedient. You and I may often do the right thing, but not always with the right attitude. Jesus did the right thing, obedience, and with the right attitude, humility. There is an old saying, “It’s hard to soar like an eagle when you are surrounded by a flock of turkeys.” Jesus was surrounded by miracle-seeking crowds, an unbelieving family, and religious and political enemies, yet He did the will of God with the joy of the Lord in His heart.

How are you handling the circumstances you find yourself in today? Are you doing the right thing? Sometimes, that is all we worry about, but how’s your attitude as you deal with your circumstances? Few, if any of us, have resisted sin to the point of death, and none of us have experienced the descent into humility as Christ did. Let us call upon God and ask the Holy Spirit to give us the attitude of Christ as we deal with the circumstances that God allows us to experience.