Continuing our meditation on a real, enduring relationship with Jesus in contrast with things that “aren’t enough,” I must add this one:

Celebratory Worship Is Not Enough

This principle seems especially appropriate as many pastors and their members are wringing their hands over not being able to gather on Sundays during the coronavirus lockdowns. I’ve already offered some observations and suggestions on that issue, but today’s blog is serious. It’s the fact I opened this series with:

The same people who lined the streets and sang songs of praise to Jesus were no doubt among the crowd clamoring for his crucifixion a few days later. Remember, only 120 faithful followers were in the Upper Room in Acts 1. What happened to those enthusiastically singing praises on Palm Sunday?

As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (Luke 19.36 – 38, NIV)

Praises one day…a riot soon after:

Now it was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner whom the people requested…The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did. “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate, knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead. “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them. “Crucify him!” they shouted… They shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!” (Mark 15.6 – 14, NIV, emphasis mine)

As important as gathering to worship is, including singing biblically-based songs, Palm Sunday’s crowd teaches us that that’s not enough.

I could have designed the blogs so that this one would come out on Palm Sunday, but I’m starting Holy Week a bit earlier this year to give us more time. We often seem to rush through the important, world-changing events of this week. So with most of us with more time on our hands, we’ll see what else we can learn from Holy Week events.

Not everyone who says to me, “LORD, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 7.21, ESV)

Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations— I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. (Isaiah 1.13, 14, ESV)

Quit your worship charades. I can’t stand your trivial religious games: Monthly conferences, weekly Sabbaths, special meetings— meetings, meetings, meetings—I can’t stand one more! Meetings for this, meetings for that. I hate them! You’ve worn me out! I’m sick of your religion, religion, religion, while you go right on sinning. When you put on your next prayer-performance, I’ll be looking the other way. No matter how long or loud or often you pray, I’ll not be listening… (Isaiah 1.13 – 15, MSG)

We’ve been thinking about relationship with Jesus and the 120 people in the Upper Room in Acts 1. What happened to all the others? The 15,000+ he fed, for example?

Here’s another example. A lot of people witnessed Jesus’ raising the widow of Nain’s son:

Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. (Luke 7:11 – 12, ESV, emphasis mine)

I wrote about this over a year ago (time flies!). The story makes the point that the spectacular is not enough. Just as being fed is not enough (read, sitting under great teaching) neither is participating in or witnessing spectacular events. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, too, with plenty of witnesses from Jerusalem.

When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. (John 11.43 – 46, NIV)

The Promise Keepers’ men’s events of the late 1990s were extraordinary. I was there, with my sons, for the first three or four of them, and I was deeply moved. But without an abiding day-to-day relationship with Jesus, fueled by time in the Word and prayer, the effects of the best moments wear off. Just as one doesn’t sustain a marriage on the memory of a spectacular wedding ceremony.

Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. (Proverbs 8.34, NIV)

My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up. (Psalm 5.3, NKJV)

We’ve been considering why there were only 120 people in the Upper Room after the resurrection. What happened to all the others? What happened, for example, to the 5,000 “men” that Jesus fed as recorded in all four gospels.

But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. (Matthew 14.16 – 21, ESV, emphasis mine)

5,000 – 15,000+ people! “They all ate and were satisfied.” BUT, they did not have a relationship with Jesus, as we wrote the past two days. In fact, when Jesus tried to do serious teaching after feeding them:

Many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. (John 6.66, ESV)

I’m reminded of those who love to listen to great teaching. I remember from when I was on the staff of a large church seeing a fellow come out of a Wednesday night session in which one of our church’s leading lay teachers was holding forth. He was so excited: “That Andy. He sure can teach!” I should have said to him, “Yes, he can. What’s one thing you’re taking away from tonight’s teaching?” I didn’t ask him because I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t have been able to answer.

When it comes to relationship with Jesus, listening to great teaching and experiencing a miracle is not enough.

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. (James 1.22, NIV)

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” (Matthew 7.24 – 27, NIV, emphasis mine)

I want to continue our meditation on relationship. Several years ago, I was filling in for a pastor who wanted me to include five essential steps in the progression of following Jesus as seen on the left side of the chart below: belief, repentance, confession, baptism, and discipleship. As I was thinking about it, I realized those five steps are remarkably similar to the marriage relationship on the right side of the chart (not surprising since we are often referred to as “the bride of Christ”). 

Let’s look briefly at a few highlights:

• First, genuine relationship with Jesus is more like the relationship between Eddie and Barbie Broussard than it is like the thousands lined up to chant “Hosanna” on Palm Sunday.
• People’s views on baptism are all over the place on who, when, how, and how important. But no one would argue that baptism without the other four steps means anything. It would be like buying and wearing a wedding ring when you don’t have a spouse! 
• Too many churches stop at step 3 or 4. I heard a pastor say, “Get ’em saved and baptized! That’s what we’re about!” Making discipleship an optional add-on is as silly as the bride and groom going back to their separate homes after the wedding ceremony. 

Beginning tomorrow I want to contrast those who had a relationship with Jesus with those who were merely around him. Remember, thousands of people experienced various parts of Jesus’ ministry: healings, miraculous meals, people raised from the dead, grand parades, etc., and there were only 120 followers in the Upper Room after the resurrection.

Then you will say, “We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.” But he will reply, “I don’t know you…” (Luke 13.26, 27, NIV)

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. (1 Corinthians 15.1, 2, ESV)

As we approach Passion Week, the Palm Sunday triumphal entry grabs my attention: all those crowds, saying all the right things:

A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” (Matthew 21.8, 9, NIV)

Yet within a week, many of these same people would have been in the crowd clamoring for his crucifixion. After the resurrection and ascension, there were only 120 people in the Upper Room.

Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying… In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty)… (Acts 1.12 – 15, NIV)

Only 120! What happened to the rest? I’d like to explore that question over the next few days beginning with the simple observation that knowing about someone, even experiencing his charisma, is no substitute for relationship.

Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, “Lord, lord, open to us.” But he answered, “Truly, I say to you,I do not know you.” (Matthew 25.11, 12, ESV, emphasis mine)

Eddie Broussard is a well-known Navigator. I’ve heard him preach many times. If we ran into each other at Navigator Headquarters, especially if I had a name tag on, he would greet me warmly. But I don’t have a relationship with Eddie Broussard. By contrast, I was watching Eddie and his wife, Barbie, in a small room with a number of people in it. They were both smiling and greeting everyone. Then she went to Eddie, lightly touched his arm, put on a serious face, and whispered maybe once sentence into his ear. He nodded and they both went back to working the room. That’s relationship! 

Look at me. I stand at the door. I knock. If you hear me call and open the door, I’ll come right in and sit down to supper with you. (Revelation 3.20, MSG)

He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: (John 1.11, 12, NKJV)

In contrast to one friend who wanted us to violate our governor’s request that we socially isolate, another friend wrote to say how his planned 70th birthday gathering had to be canceled. He accepted it with grace and added this quote from J.R.R. Toilken:

“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo.  “So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times.  But that is not for them to decide.  All we decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” –J.R.R Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Amen.

From Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do… (1 Chronicles 12.32, NIV)

Solomon answered God, “You have shown great kindness to David my father and have made me king in his place…Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?” (2 Chronicles 1.8, 10, NIV)

But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God–and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. (1 Corinthians 1.30, NKJV)

If you’re on NetFlix, I recommend The Crown, Season 3, Episode 7, “Moondust.” Even if you haven’t watched the series, this could be a stand-alone episode. It runs less than an hour and centers around a mid-life crisis of Prince Philip against the backdrop of Apollo 11, July 1969. There are no characters that you would have to know who they were in advance, except, perhaps, Philip and Queen Elizabeth, and they are obvious! (Please ignore the warnings when the episode begins–they don’t apply!)

Here’s the setup: Philip, a formal naval officer and a licensed pilot, is fascinated with the launch of Apollo 11 in which Americans will land on the moon. (You can see a series of five blogs I wrote for the 50th anniversary beginning July 18, 2019.) Philip is contrasting his (as he sees it) dull life filled with boring events (e.g., an award presentation at the British Concrete Society) with the courage and excitement of the moon landing. There is also a scene in which he’s bored to death in a church service.

Philip has a personal meeting with the astronauts and also is forced to get to know the new pastor the Queen has hired for their chapel. Here are my takeaways:

• Every job has its bedpans (as a friend of mine used to say). The astronauts were not caught up in the excitement of the moon landing, but rather in their duties, which consisted largely of following checklists. 
• Nearly every job has dignity and worth. The astronauts were just as fascinated by Philip’s life in the palace as he was in theirs. 
• Philip learns that one can’t feel worthwhile without faith, which he had lost. 
• A good pastor with drive and vision can make a difference.

It’s a powerful episode, but even if you don’t get to see it, my takeaways are worth thinking about!

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him…Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Colossians 3.17, 23, 24, NIV)

The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living… (Hebrews 11.1, MSG)

I can’t impress this on you too strongly. God is looking over your shoulder. Christ himself is the Judge, with the final say on everyone, living and dead. He is about to break into the open with his rule, so proclaim the Message with intensity; keep on your watch. Challenge, warn, and urge your people. Don’t ever quit. Just keep it simple. (2 Timothy 4.1, 2, MSG)

The other day I received a message from my bank announcing a six-cent interest payment to my account.

My usual reaction to those messages is that if the bank is that hard up for money, it should just keep it. But this time I reminded myself that I get a world of service from that bank.

• All my financial payments go there. Nobody has to cut a check and mail it to me. I don’t have to take the check somewhere, convert it to cash, etc. The number on my balance changes, and I can spend money! It’s seamless.
• All my payments come from there: I can schedule payments to businesses from my computer. Some payments are scheduled periodically in advance. Some payments are set up so that the business takes the money out. I hardly ever write a check, put it in an envelope and waste a stamp! I can transfer money easily, especially to another Wells Fargo account holder anywhere in the world. 
• If I do get a check from someone, I can deposit it with my computer. 
• The list goes on.

All of those services are absolutely free. And every now and then the bank actually adds a few pennies to my account rather than taking out $5 or $10 per month for all those services. There’s a lot to be thankful for.

In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5.18, NKJV)

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him… (Romans 1.21, NIV)

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. (James 1.17, NIV)

I use an iPad with an external keyboard A LOT for journaling and even writing the Ewellogy, so it’s been a ild irritant lately that the “m” key has become recalcitrant. I’m reinded of an iportant principle:

It akes a difference when soething doesn’t work!

It makes a difference when God’s people aren’t all on board, too.

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2.4, ESV, emphasis mine)

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4.11 – 13, ESV, emphasis mine)

A friend of mine wrote recently:

I did the math. Based on cases and population, not even 0.009% of the country has the Corona Virus. Also, based on the numbers, you’re 120 times more likely to die in a car crash than from Corona using the current death total.

Really? That’s kind of like looking at the thermometer recently, when it was 55 degrees here in Monument, Colorado, and saying, “There can’t be a blizzard coming tomorrow. Look at the weather today!” (We got 8 inches of snow the next day, as predicted.)

I told him his math was flawed and asked him to read the articles cited in my March 15 blog. And, no, I’m not coming over for a visit!

There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death. (Proverbs 16.25, NIV)

This is America. We all like to have our own ideas, and some people believe that their often uninformed ideas are as good as anyone else’s. Maybe it’s a good time to practice basic Biblical submission:

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. (Romans 13.1, ESV)

Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors… Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. (1 Peter 2.13 – 17, ESV)