Jeff Englund

July 9, 2019July 8, 2019

Ousted – John 16: 2a

They will put you out of the synagogue…

I want to take a moment and focus on the first eight words of verse two: “They will put you out of the synagogue…”

What does that mean? How bad could that be? The answer is that it is a pretty serious threat. In Jewish culture, the synagogue was the center of their world. If God is the center of everything, the synagogue was the doorway to God. Once shut out of the synagogue a person is both shut away from God and shut out of everything important about society.

In our current culture, we take a measure of rebellion for granted. Youth will rebel. Counter culture people are… well… counter culture. Social norms are being challenged from all directions. Belonging is no longer as simple as conforming to the “status quo.” There is no status quo and there hasn’t been one for a long time. Yet we still hunger for social acceptance.

Whatever our “group” is, we have a need to be accepted. Being isolated from those we respect and admire is a lonely experience. This gives the “group” power over the individual. We strive to conform. Even today, the threat of being “put out of the [synagogue equivalent]” is something to be considered.

The disciples were being told that they would be asked to stand up to the crowd. They would risk being pointed to, called up before the leaders, accused of hateful things. In modern terms, they would be de-friended by everyone who was anyone, doxxed by those in the know, and angrily ridiculed and “flamed” by everyone on the internet. On a modern university campus, they might be the cause of a riot, protested, accused of being “haters” and threatened with physical violence.

It is easy to gloss over these eight words because we Christians do not have synagogues, but we do have lives. Jesus seems to be saying that we should expect our lives as Christians to be … unsettled. At least as far as our connection with the world goes.

Let’s Discuss: How do you apply this idea of being “put out” to being a Christian in today’s world?

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July 8, 2019July 7, 2019

Preparation – John 16: 1

All this I have told you so that you will not fall away.

Jesus continues to give the disciples his last minute instructions. In the last ten verses of chapter 15, Jesus begins to explain about the world’s hate for God and everything associated with Him. At the time Jesus is saying this the Jewish leaders are the biggest threat that the disciples can see. Yet these words of Jesus are prophetic. They apply to anyone who is of the world. They all hate God and anyone who is of God. His words apply to all time.

The disciples (and us) are being told this for a reason. Why? So that we will not “fall away.”

What does he mean?

One of my summer jobs during college was selling books door to door. It was a hard job. If the company I worked for had just handed me a sales kit and sent me out into the field, I wouldn’t have lasted a week. I would have fallen away. Instead, they gave me and the other salesmen an entire week of very intensive training.

Some of the training was about how to sell the products. A great deal of the training was similar to the training Jesus is giving his disciples. It was about what to expect.

Expect to feel sorry for yourself. When those feelings come remember they are just feelings.
Expect people to say no. Not everyone is going to want what you are selling.
Expect that some people will be having a bad day. That happened more than once!
Expect it to be hard, but it will be worth it.

The goal of sales training was to get the people who were selling to focus on what was important. Ignore the distractions. Stay focused on the goal. When it comes to being a follower of Jesus our goal is to be with Him in heaven.

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July 7, 2019July 6, 2019

Testify II – John 15: 27

And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.

Who is Jesus talking to? What does he mean by “testify?” Why does he want them to testify?

Jesus is talking to his inner circle of disciples. The circle was purged of the devil when Judas left. The night is late. They have eaten the Passover meal and Jesus has washed their feet. Jesus has been preparing them for what is to come. In yesterday’s verse, he tells them that they will receive the Spirit of truth and that this spirit will testify about Jesus. Now he tells them that they must testify as well.

This concept of giving testimony is worth considering. When one testifies in court, they are serving as evidence. The person giving testimony becomes evidence in the case. This is much different than simply talking about something that happened, or telling a story. There is a weight on the one who gives testimony. It is the burden of truth. This is why a person’s character is so important when it comes to determining what is true. A person who cannot be trusted with the truth gives false evidence or testimony. The person who is trustworthy gives reliable testimony. Whether we believe a person or not is itself a testimony on the character of the person we are listening to.

When Jesus tells his disciples that they must testify, he is also telling them that they must be worthy of being believed. He does not expect them to have the power to do this on their own. He knows that they will continue to need Him. And so he promises to send them the Advocate, the Holy Spirit. When they testify, they must not be afraid. There can be no backing down. They are not allowed to give false testimony.

They have been with Jesus from the beginning of his ministry. They know who and what He is. They have seen what he has done and listened to his words. Now has come the time for them to testify to what they have seen and heard.

Let’s Discuss: Have you ever given evidence in court? What is different about giving testimony?

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July 6, 2019July 5, 2019

Testify I – John 15: 26

When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me.

We live in interesting times. We live in a time when the Spirit of God has been poured out among us. God Himself comes to us and testifies about Jesus. God points the way to the means of salvation and reconciliation with Him.

The Greek word for this Spirit is “paraklētos.” In English, a Paraclete. The NIV translates this word, paraklētos, as “Advocate,” however there are many ways to translate it. The Amplified Bible provides a cornucopia of insight into this Spirit with these names: Helper, Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby.

Somehow God Himself is shared with us through what we call His Holy Spirit. The first thing that Jesus tells us about this Spirit is that He will testify about Jesus. What a glorious mission! To point the way to the reason we can be part of God’s family.

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July 5, 2019July 4, 2019

Stepped On – John 15: 24b-25

As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’

Have you ever had a good reason to hate someone? I mean a really good reason? Hate is an interesting emotion. In an abstract sense, it is the opposite of love. Jesus is all about love, but when he comes to earth to visit his creation he is greeted by hate. Why?

Hate goes to a level inside a person that is grounded in who the person is. Not everyone hates. Some people seem to swim in hate. One doesn’t hate another person because they accidentally stepped on their toe. If they do lash out in hate, then stepping on the toe was an excuse, not the cause of the hate.

The people who hated Jesus hated him “without reason.” Oh sure, we know that they will make up a reason. In John 11:50 Caiaphas says, “You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” The excuse was that if Jesus is not killed the whole nation of Israel would perish. Jesus is right in saying that this is not a reason because Caiaphas is not God. He cannot predict the future any more than you or I can. He is making his fears into a prediction so that they can be used as a faux reason.

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July 4, 2019July 3, 2019

Spotlight – John 15: 24a

If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin.

Once again Jesus tells us about the cost of rejecting Him. He came down from heaven and was born a man. He walked among God’s chosen people. The people of God knew God’s laws, but they did not know God and they did not recognize his son when he walked among them.

Jesus did not just “claim” to be God’s son. In fact, if that is all he had done, I suspect that the Jewish leaders would have ignored him as a crank. But Jesus could not be ignored because he did more than just make claims about his divinity. He demonstrated the power of God again and again.

No one has ever done the works he did. No one will ever do anything that compares to what Jesus did until He comes again. The signs Jesus gave were unmistakable. There could be no question of what and who they pointed to.

When the Jewish leaders rejected Jesus, they were not just turning their back on a crackpot. Instead, they were angry that people were turning to Jesus to be healed. They resented Jesus forgiving sins. They were especially angered because Jesus did not submit to their man-made rules about the Sabbath. In their frustration and their rage, they were blinded to the truth about who it was they were plotting to kill.

It was as if the presence of Jesus was like a giant spotlight that illuminated their sin.

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July 3, 2019July 2, 2019

One – John 15: 23

Whoever hates me hates my Father as well.

Jesus has spent a lot of time teaching the disciples about the connection between Himself and His Father. Now he approaches the same concept from the opposite direction.

The Strong’s Concordance describes the definition of the Greek word for hate, miseo, as “detest” or “persecute.” Certainly, this describes the attitude of the Jewish leaders towards Jesus. I think miseo also describes the attitude of natural man towards Jesus.

Jesus is amazingly clear on this point:

I and the Father are one… (John 10: 30)

If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. (John 14: 7)

Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me… (John 14: 11)

On that day you will realize that I am in my Father… (John 14: 20)

One cannot hate Jesus and love the Father. There is more than a connection between them. As John tells us in John 10:30, Jesus and the Father are one.

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July 2, 2019July 1, 2019

Here Comes The Judge – John 15: 22

If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.

This verse contains one of the more fascinating concepts in the Bible. (See also “Deep Thoughts”) It is a bit like driving down a road in the middle of the desert. The sky is clear blue with just a few wispy white clouds. Across the desert sands blow occasional tumbleweeds and way out in the distance pale blue mountains reach for the sky. The speedometer on the car is broken and you have no way of knowing that you are pushing ninety miles per hour. A bored county sheriff parked by the side of the road sees you fly by. When he finally catches up to you and hears your story about the broken speedometer he decides to let you off with a warning.

Before Jesus showed up in Judea, the Jewish leaders were like the guy in the car with the broken speedometer. They had no way of knowing how badly they had buggered up God’s message to his people. Like a bunch of lemmings in fancy dress, they paraded around claiming to be the authority on God when in fact they knew little to nothing about the true God.

Then comes Jesus. Boom! God Himself shows up on planet earth. Not just a bored county sheriff but the Judge Himself. He gives the Jewish leaders an earful about God and what He is really like. If they had only smiled and nodded and said, “Yes Sir,” they could have gotten off with a warning. As it was they shook their fist at The Man and stomped on the gas. Probably not the brightest move they could have made.

If you ever wonder about all of the lost people in the world who haven’t had a chance to hear the Gospel, think about this verse. Our God is an amazing God. He thinks of everything.

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July 1, 2019June 30, 2019

The Name – John 15: 20-21

Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.

Jesus continues his dissertation on his battle with the world by explaining why the world does not accept his followers. He explains this in the context of his ongoing conflict with the Jewish leaders. His words are prophetic in that they apply equally well to his followers in the Gentile world.

“They will treat you this way because of my name…”

The name of Jesus is special. Because of who Jesus is, His name has power. It has the power to irritate and offend the people of this world who do not want to believe in a Creator and a Judge. The world believes it is accountable only to itself.

When Jesus says, “… they do not know the one who sent me,” he is referring to his Father. People do not know their Creator because they do not want to believe there is one. Having a Creator is a messy business. Suddenly you have to worry about who your Creator is, what kind of Creator they are, how many Creators there might be, and what we have to do to stay on the right side of a Creator. That is a lot of stuff to worry about. It is much easier for the world to simply pretend that life is an accident and we basically create our own right and wrong.

Unfortunately for the world, God, the Creator exists. He has a son named Jesus. Jesus came to earth to demonstrate his authority and power with miracles and signs. Then he gave his life as the final sacrifice for atonement between man and God. The name of Jesus rattles the people of the world because of who he represents and what he claimed to be.

Don’t expect life in this world to be easy if you decide to follow Jesus. On the other hand, you can expect to have real life for all of eternity when you do.

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June 30, 2019June 30, 2019

Us vs Them – John 15: 19

If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

Sometimes I get the impression that Jesus sees “the world” as we might see a sports team: “Us” versus “Them.” It is kind of like that in that there is a sense of competition between the two sides. Each side is trying to “score” more points than the other side. Points are racked up in a place we can’t see yet called “Eternity.”

The winners and the losers in this game between God and the world are real. The consequences of our choices are eternal. (See “Perspective”)

Somehow those who are not chosen by God, who do not choose God, know that any acknowledgment of God is a threat to them. When they see a person choosing God (a.k.a. being chosen by God) there is a sense of being threatened. The world’s people cannot abide a threat. Their only hope is in their own power. The power they have is only good when it is used for evil.

Emotions run high in the world. When someone turns to God, others feel betrayed. Betrayal, envy, anger, and insecurity all contribute to the response the world has toward’s God’s people. Death to the Christians!

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