THE SPIRITUAL DIRECTION OF LIFE

“When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.” Matthew 26:1,2

What God - Yehovah has laid on my heart to expound today concerns the spiritual direction of life. In this context, let us survey the lord Jesus's own life and teaching, and ask ourselves, “What is the whole direction of my life?”

Such a question presumes our lives have some direction. Do we have such a direction, or are we like a ship tossing in the storm without a compass? Which way are you heading? As I pondered this matter before the Lord God - Yehovah, I felt burdened that even among many Christians, there does not seem to be any clear sense of direction. They don’t seem to know where they are going.

Of course, if you don’t move at all, there is no question of direction. However, if you are moving, you must have a sense of what your whole life is headed for. Many people bungle their way through life, groping in darkness, somehow expecting that by some miracle of chance or by some piece of good fortune, they might end up in the right direction. That is, at best, a very risky way to go. Imagine a ship setting out without a clue as to where it is going. Yet when you speak to many Christians, who seem to have submitted their life to the Lord God - Yehovah, it becomes very distressing to see that they too are without direction.

When the question is asked, we often hear the very spiritual reply, “I’m just waiting on the Lord God - Yehovah.” That we need to wait on the Lord God – Yehovah for details is indeed true, but what is the general direction of our life? What are we waiting on the Lord God – Yehovah for? If our ultimate goal is not clear, we should not be surprised to find that often the Christian has the same objectives as the non-Christian, and is caught up in the affairs of daily life - not realizing that the pleasures of the world cannot satisfy. No wonder the world is not impressed with the Gospel when all it sees are Christians pursuing money, and status; in a word - materialism.

The Direction of Matthew’s Gospel

“When Jesus had finished all these sayings” - this is a standard formula in which Matthew closes a main section of the lord Jesus' teaching. In Matthew, there is a special structure and order. In writing his gospel, Matthew knew exactly the direction he was going to take. What we have, if we have the eyes to see, is not a random composition but a specific structure consisting of five main sections, each section ending with this phrase.

Our present context is the fifth usage of this construction. Prior occurrence are in Matthew 7:28, 11:1, 13:53, and 19:1.

Many scholars have observed Matthew’s intentional design and compared its pattern with the five books of Moses, that is, Genesis to Deuteronomy. As these five books (hence the term “Pentateuch”) reveal the law of the old covenant, so too Matthew desires to show that these five sections of his gospel reveal the law of the Messiah Jesus, the foundation of the new covenant. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Matthew already had a plan and a design given to him by the Lord Jesus.

The Messiah Jesus' Direction of Life

The lord Jesus says, “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the son of man will be delivered up to be crucified.”

How did the disciples know this? The lord Jesus had already told them he was going to be crucified in Matthew: 17:22, and 20:18,19. So this is the third time; only two days before the crucial events. All the time, the Messiah Jesus had this clear goal and direction before him; the cross [stake] set before him. His whole life moved steadily towards that cross [stake]; the redemption of mankind – the reconciliation of mankind before his God and Father Yehovah.

That the cross [stake] was before him was not just an afterthought, for we note that from the very beginning, the Messiah Jesus had this sense of purpose. At the age of twelve, we read in Luke 2:49: “Did you not know I must be about the things of my Father?” Can we see his preoccupation with the things of God? Even at the age of eleven or twelve, you are not too young to fix your vision and let your mind dwell on the eternal things.

In his last recorded statement before his death, we see the persistence of the Messiah Jesus’s thinking. In John 19:30: the lord Jesus utters the famous last words, “It is finished”. The “it” was his mission, his task which he had steadfastly pursued all his life. In our present passage, we find the lord Jesus speaking these words with decision and determination. There is no sudden panic, that two days hence he will be crucified; a terrible death reserved for criminals. There is no melodrama. In the person of Jesus the Messiah, we see a dignified calm: a person who knows where he is going.

Paul’s Direction

As we examine the life of the apostle Paul, we are immediately struck with this same impression. Paul “presses toward the mark” (Philippians 3:14). How strange it is that this expression has gained a certain respectability in some Christian circles, yet when I question closer, what is “the mark”? I wonder which of them could answer. How can we move forward if we do not know what the mark is?

Are we following the example of the Messiah Jesus? By definition, a disciple goes where his Master goes. Our master knew where he was going. The question is: “Do we know where we are going?” Before we can echo with the lord Jesus; “It is finished;” we must first begin. Before we can begin, we must have some general sense of our aim in our lives.

The apostle Paul could say at the end of his life, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). Paul could only finish his course because he knew what the task God entrusted to him was. Paul does not say: “I have finished my life” but “I have finished my course”. In the end, Paul carried out the works the lord Jesus called him to do. To finish your course and to finish your life are not the same. How tragic that for many it is only on their deathbed that there comes the realization: I have finished my life but what was my course?

The Christian Life - To Glorify God

Everywhere in the lord Jesus' life, we see this quality of persistence. In John 17:4, the lord Jesus prays his high priestly prayer: “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work which you gave me to do.” How did the Messiah Jesus glorify his God and Father Yehovah? By finishing the work entrusted to his hands. By this time, the lord Jesus had finished the task of laying the foundation for his church - the called-out assembly. He had equipped his disciples. Will we be able to say this prayer at the end of our lives? As his disciples, our lives are to give glory to our God and Father Yehovah (Matthew 5:16). Continually we read that the Messiah Jesus was well-pleasing in the sight of his Father Yehovah. Live so as to be pleasing before the Almighty God – Yehovah: to be holy and blameless in His sight.

His goal was constantly before him. This aim permeates the entire life of the Messiah Jesus. In John 8:14, Jesus answered: “... for I know where I have come, and where I am going ...” This same mission emerges in John 12:27. In John 12:23: “The hour has come”. In John’s gospel, sacrificial death is called “glorification”. The Messiah Jesus was glorified in the sin-offering sacrifice of himself. In v.32: “lifted up” has a beautiful way of revealing that the manner in which the Messiah Jesus' glorification is to be accomplished is by his death on the cross [stake]. To hang on to our life is to lose it. If we are to enter into life, we must share his suffering and take up our cross daily (cf. also Philippians 1:29, 2 Timothy 2:11, 12). In doing so, our God and Father Yehovah is glorified. So this element of the disciple of the lord Jesus life emerges. His direction is to bring glory and honor to the name of God - Yehovah through obedience to the working of His Spirit in his/her life. In all that we would do it behooves us to ask ourselves, “How is the name of God - Yehovah glorified by what I am doing?”

The Christian Life - Complete Self Giving

Now this passage in John 12 is very precious. From verse 23 onwards, we can trace the progression in the lord Jesus' utterance. V. 24 is a transition verse. It connects to the lord Jesus in v. 23. It connects with our life in v. 25. What is true for the Messiah Jesus is true for us. He is the seed [of Abraham]. To thrive and bear fruit, the seed must take full possession of the soil. The word of God must take full possession of our hearts in order to transform our lives. The faith which saves involves totality, openness, and suffering. “... unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” (v24)

Think carefully about this. The lord Jesus was that one lonely “seed” that fell into the ground and what came forth was a small handful of regenerate disciples. One new ear of wheat may have thirty or forty other grains. So the next generation of disciples shows the geometric progression. From one seed of wheat, we now have a whole field. But always the principle is this: complete self-giving, dying to selfish interest.

So as the lord Jesus ponders the way of the cross [stake], we read in v. 27: “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour?’ No, for this purpose I have come to this hour.” The thought of being crucified troubled the Messiah Jesus, but he would not turn away from his goal. Truly he was the “son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20b)

The Christian Life - Walking in Light

Coming to v. 35 of this same chapter, the Messiah Jesus speaks not only of the sense of direction but also the clarity of direction. Is our vision clear? “Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtakes you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he goes.”

The one who walks in darkness has no sense of direction. Are we in light or darkness? If there is no sense of direction, it may be that we are yet in darkness and have not been freed from the bondage of sin.

Can it be that there is no sense of purpose because we have not as yet entered into the newness of life? In case we had missed this point. The emphasis on the disciples walk or conduct of life was also developed clearly in John 8:12: “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

The Christian Life - Building a Tower

The pattern of the lord Jesus' life manifests his sense of value. Let us look now at the lord Jesus' teaching on the disciple's life. Let us search out how the lord and Savior describe this life.

“For which of you, wanting to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it. Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him saying, This man began to build and was not able to finish.” Luke 14: 28-30

In building a structure such as a tower you need to count the cost. In order to count the cost, you must have a clear sense of the building you wish to erect. This project involves a complex process of planning.

Throwing stones together does not make a tower. In our life, is there a tower emerging? Or will we, in the end, just have a heap of stones?

The Christian Life - Warfare

Secondly, the lord Jesus likens our life to warfare in Luke 14:31. “Or what king, going to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and take counsel whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand”. With these odds (2 to 1), you must plan your campaign carefully. The lord Jesus deliberately tells us the spiritual facts of life: In this warfare, we are outnumbered by the fact of the enemy within and the enemy without.

Within ourselves, we must reckon with the weakness of the flesh, exploited by temptations from the world. Outside, there are the daily pressures of life, family, and friends. Our warfare is also against Satan and his cohorts. In this light, the campaign plan must be executed with the precision of a general carrying out his military plans. What so terrifies me is the fact that so many Christians fumble around in life and yet hope to emerge victorious in this warfare. Is it any wonder we have a generation of defeated believers? We have no plan or campaign or discipline in our lives. Mark this well. The Christian life is continual warfare.

The Christian Life - Discipline

Have you seen an army that can win a battle without discipline? Yet I see Christians live without self-control and [are] undisciplined. When Paul writes to his fellow soldier Timothy, he says, “For God - Yehovah did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power and love and self-control” (2 Tim 1:7) Paul puts himself under discipline (1 Corinthians 9:24-27) because, like a soldier, you cannot win any battle with an unruly mob. Today churches complain that the exercise of discipline is too harsh. How can the church of God win any battles if we are all foolish and sentimental?

The Spiritual Direction of the Called-out Assembly

So let us carry this point further. If the individual has no sense of direction, how is the Church of God going to have any direction? Today let us honestly confess, the Congregation is largely a bunch of individuals who come together for a social gathering rather than a mighty army under the Lord God - Yehovah’s supreme command. A disoriented mob who have come out to shout some slogans. Today we see all around us, churches in which there is a great flurry of activity; organizing events, building buildings, etc. Let us ask amid all this activity, “What is the goal of the Called-out Assembly of God - Yehovah spiritually in this world?”

The answer which comes to most people’s lips is “We evangelize.” What is the nature and outcome of this evangelism? Trace the life of those who come to the lord Jesus. They make a profession because they believe in Jesus. They receive baptism. And then? Let me press this question. Then what? This person who is baptized, does he/she know what he/she is supposed to do? After baptism, most have no sense of where to go, and consequently, they go downhill. All too often we see this happen. 26 and v. 27: “Whoever does not bear his own cross – die to self, and come after me cannot be my disciple.” (v27) To a disciple Jesus the Messiah demands nothing less than total commitment. He says: The one who is not with me is against me, and the one who does not gather with me scatters. (Matthew 12:30) To be with the lord Jesus is to be totally committed to him.

The Christian Life - Total Commitment

Why does the lord Jesus demand this total commitment, this faithfulness, and endurance to the very end? We see the context as spiritual warfare. What soldier would be a good soldier if he is entangled in civilian pursuits and not prepared to die for his cause? (cf. “ Timothy 2:3,4). Likewise, in the case of the tower, you cannot finish unless you are prepared to commit all your resources to accomplishing the task. The lord Jesus says: “You have to renounce all” – renounce self, die to self.

Today’s peddlers of the gospel say: “You don’t have, to renounce anything ! Just accept the free gift.” That salvation is the free gift of God, provided we meet His conditions for receiving it. It is assuredly true. But to teach salvation in this way is not to teach as the Lord taught.

The lord Jesus has underscored the fact that the direction for every disciple who receives God’s gift of His Spirit given according to His amazing grace, is to take up our cross and walk in faith and obedience before Him and His son Jesus. Jesus says: Whoever does not carry his own cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:27).

The Christian Life - A Corporate Salvation

Jesus’ goal was to live and to give his life as a sin-offering sacrifice for the reconciliation and redemption of mankind to his God and Father Yehovah. Without this goal, we cannot be his disciples. To be like the Messiah Jesus means we share his sense of values, all that he stood for and stands for now seated at the right hand of God - Yehovah.

You and I are called not only to be saved for ourselves but that henceforth live for the salvation of others, to guide others to be free from the bondage of sin. This goal is not optional. Our whole life ought to be living for others. If we find such words unpalatable, then forget about living the life of a disciple of the lord Jesus. Is this not what Jesus said: “Whoever does not bear his own cross – die to self, and come after me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27)

Throughout the Bible, Christians, and disciples are one and the same thing. The disciples were called Christians (Acts 11:26). These are not two stages. If we have not fulfilled his requirement as a disciple, let us plead that Yehovah first change the direction of our life; to be conformed to the image of His Son. What is our direction? The mark which Paul presses towards is to lay down one’s life for others. What else does “share His sufferings, becoming like him in his death” (Philippians 3:10) mean? (cf. 1 John 3:16) If we call ourselves ‘Christians’, let us realize that we may only do so on condition that we share the direction of life the Lord had.

Paul, in writing to Timothy, shares with us that “I suffer everything for the sake of the elect” (2 Timothy 2:10). Paul lived for the elect. He died for the elect. Following in the steps of the lord Jesus, Paul is willing to be poured out as a sacrifice for the others. So the apostle exhorts us, “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of the Messiah” (1 Corinthians 11:1)

Every true Christian has this one goal in mind - to build up the Called-out Assembly of God. To build the Called-out Assembly of God as the means which God - Yehovah has ordained to save mankind. If we are to live and die for others, we must begin where God begins; with His called-out Assembly. Is our life completely for Him?

We have been bought and paid for by the blood of the lord Messiah Jesus and as such are his slaves and as he was acting as the agent of our God and Father Yehovah, we are slaves of Yehovah. As His slaves we are to be slaves of righteousness, doing what is right in His sight. [Romans 6:16, 18-19, 22; 1 Peter 2:16]

What is right in His sight is to preach the good news of the soon-coming kingdom of God and the name of the lord Jesus.

When we preach the name of the lord Jesus, we preach everything he stood for and how he lived a life leading the way for us to follow in his steps totally committed to loving God – Yehovah will all our hearts, minds, being, and strength and loving our neighbors as ourselves, thus keeping the creed of the lord Messiah Jesus. [Mark 12:28-32]

Written by Eric H.H. Chang and edited and added on to by Bruce Lyon

THIS I COMMAND YOU TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER

This exposition on spiritual direction is the direction in which the lord Jesus himself walked. As the apostle Paul says, “For if we (Christians) live, we live for the lord. and if we die, we die for the lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the lord’s.” (Romans 14: 8) “For the lord” means for the very same purpose and goal for which he died for us. That direction is to lay down our lives - to wholly give ourselves for the salvation of mankind. But this embraces a large area. Lest we be left with some wonderful ideal beyond our reach, let us consider how this commitment can be put into practice. How does this teaching translate into everyday life? In many ways, we shall see that John 15:9-17 is truly a precious passage for it summarizes the points which will help us set our sights on the goal.

The Standard of Love

The commandment to love one another in John l5:l2 is quite familiar to most of us. Often there is the temptation to end this verse there. At this level, we could still get by by claiming that in some manner we do truly love the brethren. Now the Lord does not end the verse there. The lord does not leave us in doubt how we are to love one another. We are to ‘love one another as I have loved you.’ We are to love in the same way as the Messiah Jesus loved. This is the lord’s standard of love. This same love in action emerges in 1 John 3:l6,

“By this we know love that he laid down his life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”

The lord Jesus calls this his commandment. A commandment by its very nature is not optional. Either we determine to walk the way he walked or we shall not be his disciples. The kind of love the lord demands is none other than the kind of love he is giving to us. So we see the lord sets forth clearly both the standard and the necessity of love in the life of the disciple.

Love and Joy

What kind of love does the lord give us? In v. 13, we read:

“Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

Let us try to catch a picture of the called-out Assembly the lord Jesus builds with his redemptive life and his blood. Capture the vision of the called-out Assembly when we all obey this commandment. To date, we must frankly confess that we have not obeyed this command. I have failed as I freely confess to you. In our selfishness, we have often not been willing to have this total love. Consequently, we have not lived victoriously and have often lost the joy connected with this command in v. 11.

As we begin to live in this full self-giving, there will appear a joy that we never knew before. The moment we become defensive and shut ourselves in, the joy goes. Have we, not all had some experience of this? If only once, we tried giving ourselves away, not afraid to be hurt, we would experience something of the vision of the called-out Assembly the lord had in mind: a called-out Assembly in which each lives for the other and all live for God - Yehovah.

The Requirement of Love

What is the lord’s requirement in our love? What the lord requires is that those who commit themselves totally to him must also commit themselves totally to one another. Total commitment is not merely to God - Yehovah, as we may have thought. Much to our shock and fear, the Messiah Jesus requires our total commitment to love one another as well.

(In the main), we are more prepared to commit ourselves totally to God - Yehovah because we trust Him. He is wise. He is good. Even in His severity, God is merciful. But we don’t trust people.

This command to commit ourselves totally to our brothers and sisters is often more than we can handle. We don’t trust their judgment and wisdom. Even sometimes we have questioned their genuineness. Always there is the haunting suspicion that if we open ourselves to one another, we may get hurt. The commandment to commit ourselves totally to one another is therefore frightening. To attain to total commitment to God – Yehovah seems already such an awesome task. To commit ourselves to one another - how shall we attain this? We can only do so enabled by the Spirit of the only true God Yehovah and His son Jesus.

Love and Power in Prayer

I have, in other contexts, pointed out that the relationship between Christian and Christian (is so close) to the picture of a husband to a wife. In all aspects, the commitment is total on the spiritual level. Among brothers and sisters, it is spiritual but nonetheless total to one another. Now this relationship is absolutely vital to our spiritual life and the spiritual power with which we function. To illustrate, the lord Jesus draws attention to our power in prayer.

The lord makes our power in prayer directly dependent upon our obedience to this command to love as he loved. Have we not all known people who have prayed and were annoyed, when God - Yehovah didn’t answer their every whim? What is our experience in prayer? Here the lord demonstrates a condition for the answering of prayers - we must fulfill his requirement to love. V. 16 relates,

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide; so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, He may give it to you.”

These words are the promises of the only true living God - Yehovah to give us whatever we ask. A person not totally committed to God - Yehovah and, much less committed to one another. need not quote this promise because the context of this promise is total commitment. Here lies the danger in quoting Scripture verses that draw our attention only to the promises of God - Yehovah. The very promise has an associated context. We may not claim one of these promises unless and until our life accords or conforms to the conditions set fur in the context. That can only happen as we are enabled by the Spirit of God – Yehovah and His son Jesus to be able to do so. Without that enabling power working in us and through us it is impossible to do what God - Yehovah and His son Jesus ask of us. Wonderfully, God – Yehovah will never ask anything of us without providing the enabling power to accomplish what He requires of us.

Love and Experience of God

Now there is a glorious aspect in this passage. As our life and teaching manifest the teaching which accords with godliness, the lord Jesus challenges us to take him at his word. We may ask what we will and he will answer. The Lord God - Yehovah does not hide himself but expresses Himself through His son Jesus. He desires that we may experience Him as the only true God - Yehovah. The lord Jesus acting as the agent of his God and his Father Yehovah dares to make such a promise when we walk righteously before him in our generation. I challenge you as well to experience evermore deeply the fellowship God - Yehovah and His son Jesus desire to have with you as you walk in the light of His word.

The life of George Muller is a challenging testimony. Not once does the only true God - Yehovah fail. In his autobiography, he details his many prayers for the orphans and their financial needs - he always obtained what he requested. He meticulously cataloged every prayer and answer. More than 50,000 prayers. More than 50,000 answers.. As he neared the end of his life, someone asked, “Were any of your prayers ever not answered?” He said, ‘There are two people I have prayed for and I have not got an answer yet.” After his death, an inquiry was made and it was discovered his prayers had both been answered. Why? Here was a man totally committed to his God - Yehovah and totally committed to Yehovah’s sons and daughters. This is the absolute confidence we can have in prayer. Despite my weaknesses and failings, the Lord God - Yehovah has, in His graciousness, answered my prayers far beyond anything that I could expect or think.

Love and Salvation

Quite apart from the matter of prayer, the lord taught me the importance of this total commitment as it relates to our salvation. This truth was revealed to me through my mother’s death. Let me relate it like this.

In 1977, I had just returned from a preaching tour in various places in Ontario. On my return, I was exhausted and there was yet before me a preaching engagement in the West a week hence. One morning my wife, Helen came in the room and just stood there in silence. She quietly handed me a telegram informing me of my mother’s death along with the message to come to Switzerland immediately. I couldn’t take it in. My last memory of her was that of a vigorous and happy lady. Had I not just received a letter from her a few days before?

When I went to my mother’s apartment, in this town in Switzerland, everything in her apartment was tidy and clean, reflecting my mother as she always was. The apartment looked as though she had just gone out for a walk. For several nights, I knelt before the Lord God - Yehovah by the bedside and said, “Lord, I don’t understand this.” A light had gone out of my life. My heart felt like it had a great hole in it; one which was to remain for years.

I could not understand why there was this profound sense of loss because there was no deep natural affection for my mother. In my upbringing, I was closer to my father. Mother went to work, leaving me in the care of my nanny. My nanny bestowed every kindness upon me. She bore with me in all patience. In giving this account, one can see there were no natural grounds for affection for my mother. Perhaps it is the danger of some who marry young. Young mothers, in many cases, see their children as burdensome. All the more I was at a loss to account for this emptiness. Even in later years, she was deeply disappointed that I had gone to Bible college, feeling I was wasting my precious energies, rather than becoming the great man she hoped I would become in the world. Often my visits were accompanied by a coldness to the Gospel in those days.

Gradually the message of the Gospel reached into her life not through any preaching, but because my mother began to see the power of what God was doing in my life constantly. I determined a stubborn love: though there was no natural reason to love, I would love her with the love of the Messiah Jesus. One day she knelt beside me in prayer and received the Lord God – Yehovah as king of her life. Wonderful [was] the moment when she yielded herself to him. As she became totally committed, her whole attitude changed. She became a person I had not known before. Goodness, kindness, and humility pervaded her life. Whereas before there was an impatience and intolerance when I came home, now there sprang forth a devotion and love. Mark well how the lord Jesus changes a person, acting as the agent of his God and Father Yehovah. Thereafter I could never sleep so well as when I went home to see my mother. We gave ourselves totally to one another, having first mutually given ourselves to God - Yehovah. As we determine to walk close to God - Yehovah, our relationships will carry the fragrance of God – Yehovah in our lives. Why was there such a deep sense of loss when my mother died? In His goodness, the Lord God - Yehovah showed me the reason I felt this loss so acutely: I had lost someone who was living out this very Scriptural principle we are expounding today - the totally committed person.

Another lesson dawned on me. How precious is someone who loves us not merely on some physical level, which passes away - but is spiritually committed in total love. Such is the beauty in the community of God’s – Yehovah’s sons and daughters. Each individual’s love not only does not lose his/her quality in the group but is simply irreplaceable. Your contribution to the life of another brother or sister is indispensable. The loss will be felt. Through this painful experience, I learned this amazing lesson and began to grasp the vital importance of fulfilling the Lord Jesus’ teaching in the called-out Assembly.

Love’s Commitment in God’s Family

I wonder, can we grasp what is the strength that comes from the assurance that you are loved with total love? I began to realize that my commitment must be not only to my mother but to every single person who is my brother and sister. Has not our lord Jesus said in Matthew 12:50:

“For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, and sister and mother.”

To commit ourselves to everyone is rather difficult but I must commit myself to every brother and sister whom I know does the will of my Father. To such a person, one is absolutely committed. So today I would make my commitment to you as well. To those who strive to carry out our God and Father Yehovah’s will, I want to make the same specific commitment I made to my mother: So long as I have something to eat, you will have something to eat. So long as I have a place (to live in); you will have a place (to live in). My commitment to you is unconditional, as the Lord God - Yehovah requires; so that together as a called-out Assembly, we may have the fullness of commitment the lord Jesus died to accomplish.

Our direction is to be like him and that the Church of God is a community like himself. The seed of wheat that falls into the ground and dies brings forth wheat, like unto itself. How my full heart yearns for the day when the called-out Assembly of the Messiah Jesus is once again his glorious called-out Assembly, holy and blameless when the world can look at the called-out Assembly and say, “Hey, I see the love of God - Yehovah. Here is total commitment.” Truly it shall be as the lord Jesus has said on the matter of discipleship:

“By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love one for another.” (John 13:35)

So I shall stand, not only for you but with you to the limit of my ability. Now my capacities may be limited but my Father’s are unlimited. Remember Jesus's words, “Whatever you ask the Father in my name, He may give it to you.” This is exactly what we shall prove. There is no problem too big for our God and our Father Yehovah. In this line, we will aim to build a called-out Assembly that shows the life and quality the Lord God Yehovah seeks of His sons and daughters.

Love and Service

In v. 10 Jesus says:

“If you keep my commandments, you will abide (live) in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide (live) in His love.”

Preface this verse, with the fact that on the one hand, He commands us and on the other hand, He serves us. Thus He says in Matthew 20:28: “Even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” What we learn from this mutual commitment is deep respect. In John 13, Jesus washes the disciples' feet, emphasizing this point. Some are entrusted with leadership. Some follow. Let me stress this one thing, however, in the called-out Assembly of the Messiah Jesus, leadership is not a status but a function of service. That is to say, the leader is not a grade higher than you, he simply has a different function of service from you. The leader must respect those who are led. Anyone who does not understand this has no place in the called-out Assembly of the Messiah Jesus. I profoundly respect you as my brothers and sisters in the Messiah Jesus. Let us put aside the worldly concept of status or position. It has no place in God’s – Yehovah’s house. The leader is the servant, as we all are, for the Messiah Jesus' sake.

Love and Openness

Where there is this commitment to one another, there is joy. Joy means enjoyment. The disciple of the lord Jesus must never be ashamed of enjoyment - particularly the enjoyment of one’s brothers and sisters. If the fellowship does not bring joy, our commitment is very much in doubt. Our commitment is in trouble. Often our relationships are “chained door” relationships. We conduct ourselves behind a chained door, slightly open for fear of being hurt or exposed. The chain defines the limit. We are always watchful and guarded. Always defensive. Therefore we cannot relax with one another. After all, we may even be criticized or rebuked.

Contrast this to the full commitment to love one another. We are not afraid of our brothers and sisters. If you are committed to me, you should tell me my faults. In fact, I beg of you, to tell me my faults. I ask not for nice words. Any fault of mine could prove spiritually fatal to me. If there is something bad, please tell me. If there is nothing, what do I have to defend? What is there to fear? Why are we so touchy? I don’t have to put the chain on. Just come in. Let us learn to value our brothers and sisters so that together we can grow in the body of the Messiah Jesus.

Love and Friendship

“No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friend, for all that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:1)

If the Master hides nothing from us, why do we hide anything from one another? Friendship is trust and openness. Let us learn to relax with one another. Friendship is the most profound relationship any two people can have. When a friendship goes out of a marriage, it is dead. It becomes just a legal union, where we are stuck with someone we can’t live with. Rather, marriage is to be friendship at its highest level. Our partner is our best friend. Endeavor to build this relationship with one another, to enjoy one another.

Friendship is built on mutual trust. In this verse, the Messiah Jesus has set the standard for every relationship. When friendship goes out of life, what remains? If there is friendship, it matters not what age we are. there will never be a generation gap.

Let us, therefore, be a called-out Assembly where this openness and trust prevails. In so doing, the glory of God - Yehovah will be revealed in our midst. His power will be manifested in our prayer. We shall see glorious things as our direction of life accords with the lord Jesus, as we live out his example and life in ourselves.

Written by Eric H.H. Chang and edited and added on to by Bruce Lyon

A SENSE OF VALUE

Mark 14:3-9 (Also Matthew 26:6-13)

“And, truly, I say to you, wherever the Gospel is preached in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.” Mark 14:9

Now while Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him holding an alabaster flask of very expensive perfumed oil and poured it out on his head while he was reclining at the table. And when the disciples saw it they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9 For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor!” But Jesus, knowing this, said to them, “Why do you cause trouble for the woman? For she has done a good deed for me. For the poor, you always have with you, but you do not always have me. When this woman poured this ointment on my body, she did it in order to prepare me for burial. Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told in memory of her.” (Matthew 26:6-13)

The importance of this passage comes to us in this last verse. This woman has done something of such significance that it would be permanently attached to the preaching of the Gospel in memory of her. There is no other passage in which a particular action of a person is specifically said by the lord to be included as part of the preaching of the Gospel. Yet, in all my life as a Christian, I do not recall any clear message being expounded in this passage. I wonder whether it is not a symptom of the problem of the spiritual life of the Churches today.

I don’t want to go into too many technicalities on this particular passage. Mark tells us that the feast took place in the house of Simon the leper. He was no longer suffering from leprosy, otherwise no one would meet in his house. Now Simon invited the lord Jesus to this meal, as well as others, including Lazarus and his sister Martha (John 12:1-8 tells us), and of course, all of the lord’s disciples. It was held in Bethany, which is just across the valley from Jerusalem, around the Mount of Olives.

Mary Receives Reproach for Her Act of Devotion

Now, we know from John (12:1-8) that this woman is Mary, the sister of Lazarus. During the meal, Mary produced an alabaster jar of very valuable ointment. It is given as being worth 300 days’ or ten months’ pay for the average working man. Having produced this jar, she broke it, literally smashed it. The word is a strong word for “break”. It is a word for “crush”, or “smash”, expressing a certain determination, without hesitation. She poured out the ointment upon Jesus’ head and feet. Now, when she had done this, it brought forth not applause, but indignation and reproach from the disciples. We see from John 12 that Judas Iscariot, the traitor, was the one who led the choir of reproach among the disciples. But the lord Jesus spoke out on her behalf and said that she has done something beautiful, something excellent, something very significant, and that she had prepared his body for the burial.

One thing about this passage disturbs me. It disturbs me because from time to time, I feel an echo. I find myself almost agreeing that what Mary did was a waste.

What is Our Sense of Value?

In speaking about spiritual direction, nothing is so important as understanding the spiritual values, which govern those directions. That is to say, whatever is valuable to you is what you will direct your life to. Right? If money, status, social standing, or prestige is important to you, then clearly you will direct your life to these goals. But on the other hand, if spiritual things are of value to you, then you will direct your life to spiritual goals. So the question is: what are your values?

Now, anything you do not regard as valuable, you tend to treat it lightly or reject it. On the other hand, things you do value, but which you do not regard as being properly used, you will consider as being wasted. Your definition of waste depends on what your definition of value is. The disciples regarded the ointment as wasted. To them, pouring all the precious ointment out on Jesus's head and feet was a waste and, therefore, unnecessary. It would have been better to sell it and give the money to the poor. Is that what you think? Was it necessary? Why not modestly pour a little bit on Jesus? See how much I love Him? Why smash this beautiful jar and pour it all out? It is excessive. We must be reasonable.

How Much is the Gospel worth to us?

I found myself tending to agree. Do you not? It, however, reveals something to me about my sense of values. I don’t wonder that this passage is not preached today when the Gospel is preached. You see, a whole set of spiritual values is embodied in this action of Mary. How much the Gospel is worth to you depends on your sense of values. It may be worth a bit. It may be useful on the social level. In Liverpool, we had to have a bus to pick up children for Sunday School because the parents were happy to send their children away to learn some good manners, but they themselves did not want to become Christians. They valued the Gospel only on a social level.

What is your concept of the Gospel? Do you go to Church because there are nice people who will stand by you when you get into a jam? I wonder what is our sense of values. Why do people serve the lord Jesus? Is it always because of a spiritual reason? I often suspect there are less than spiritual reasons for serving the lord. Jesus. No wonder, a preacher can’t preach this passage without feeling the sword of the word of God stabbing right into himself and exposing him.

Our Gratitude to the lord Jesus

When we read this passage, we immediately ask ourselves, “What is our sense of values?” Why did Mary do this? Well, Mary’s life had obviously been utterly transformed by her contact with the lord Jesus. She was once in the grip of sin and is now freed. Her life which was once in darkness so that she knew not where she was going, now had spiritual direction. Her life was touched by the fragrance of Jesus. So clearly, it was out of a deep sense of unspeakable gratitude that she poured out this extremely expensive ointment. To her, it was no waste, no sacrifice. Such was her profound sense of burning thankfulness and gratitude. Now, unless you can feel this kind of gratitude, of course, you can’t understand what Mary was doing. Clearly, you cannot have this sense of gratitude unless you also experience what Mary experienced. Did Jesus at any time touch your life in such a way that you can feel this kind of thankfulness? Or do you approach Jesus with the ‘chained door’ policy, allowing your life to open to him only as much as the chain allows? This is limited Christianity.

The Lord says in v. 6 that she did a beautiful thing. The Greek word translated ‘beautiful’ does mean ‘beautiful’ when referring to outward appearance. But when referring to quality, we don’t translate it as ‘beautiful”. Here the reference is clearly to the quality of the action. So the word would be better translated as ‘excellent, precious or useful’. All this is expressed in her act of devotion. It is praiseworthy insofar as it expresses a profound gratitude.

I don’t see this kind of gratitude among Christians. It shows you the level of your spiritual life. If you really believe, as you say you believe, that Jesus died for you in such a way as to redeem you from eternal destruction – the second death and give you eternal life, and that you are set free from the bondage of sin – being a slave to sin, where is your gratitude for this? No wonder the world does not believe our confession.

Our Spiritual Direction - Carnal or Spiritual

Do you know what eternal – age upon age lasting life is? Can you grasp the value of this incredible gift? We don’t perceive and therefore spiritual reality is non-reality to us. The apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:18:

“While we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are seen are transient but the things that are unseen are eternal – age upon age lasting.”

Paul has grasped the spiritual value of those things. If you don’t have any sense of spiritual values, then you have no spiritual direction. There are only two possible directions in your life. It is either spiritual or it is carnal. There is no third alternative. Carnal means you are living for the world and for the enjoyment of your flesh, which is going to pass away.

How is it possible that we come to a belief in which the things which are not seen are in fact the real things? How can we arrive at this? It is only possible through the sin-offering sacrifice and death of the Messiah Jesus. It is that contact with his life and his death that does something in us - it transforms us – we become new creations in him. Spiritual things now become a reality. As you go on, they will become the only significant reality.

Preparation for Jesus’ Burial

Moved by gratitude, Mary did something of great spiritual significance. It does not mean that she herself understood the full spiritual significance of what she did. The value of an action does not depend upon your understanding of its full significance. So long as it is done with a totality of devotion. The prophets themselves did not necessarily understand the full significance of what they prophesied. But that does not diminish the value of their prophecy.

Mary did an excellent thing, something praiseworthy. The lord says that she had prepared his body for the burial. It is unlikely that she herself knew that she was preparing Jesus’ body for burial. Jesus rose from the dead, after being in the grave for 3 days and 3 nights. Now in those days, the practice was that when a person died, ointment was poured all over him to help preserve the body and this was done by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus.

Notice:

Joseph of Arimathea Buries Jesus Luke 23:50-56:

And Look!, there was a good and righteous man named Joseph, who was a member of the Council (but he had not consented to their counsel and deed. He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews), who was waiting for the Kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. And he took it down and wrapped it in a linen cloth and laid him in a tomb that was cut out of stone, where no one had ever yet been laid. And it was the day of the Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning. And the women who had come with him out of Galilee, having followed after Joseph, saw the tomb and how his body was laid. Then, having returned, they prepared spices and perfumes. And on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.

Who came with Joseph of Arimathea? Nicodemus with spices

But Nicodemus also came (the Pharisee who previously came to him at night – John 3:1-2), bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about 75 pounds. So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. Now in the place where he was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden was a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So, because of the Preparation Day of the Jews they laid Jesus there because the tomb was nearby.

Act of Total Commitment

In the Bible, the body is spoken of as a vessel (e.g. 2 Timothy 2:20,21). The breaking of a vessel symbolizes death, particularly in the breaking and the pouring out of its contents (Philippians 2:17). Therefore the breaking of this alabaster jar and the pouring out of its contents symbolizes death and self-giving. This was exactly what the Lord Jesus was about to do, become a sin-offering sacrifice for our salvation. Mary acted out a parable of Jesus’ death in that incident. Jesus gave Himself totally to us, and in turn, we give ourselves to Him. Therefore the breaking of the jar and the pouring out of its contents is a picture of total commitment. Yet for this act of total commitment to Jesus, she is reproached by the disciples of the lord Jesus.

This shows that the Church can have a doubtful sense of spiritual values and therefore the spiritual direction of the Church could very quickly be in trouble as the history of the Church tells us. Jesus poured out himself as a sin-offering sacrifice in total commitment for our salvation. Is it too much to pour out the ointment for him?

A Vietnamese brother gave up his studies at Cambridge University when the lord made it clear to him that he was to leave Cambridge. Do you know who criticized him? Christians, saying that it was excessive and unnecessary. “What a waste!” He said to me, “I can’t understand why the things of this world are so important to Christians. They profess to have spiritual values, yet when it comes to the test, they show their hypocrisy.” What is your sense of values? I beg of you to search your heart truthfully.

Let’s close briefly with five points, as we analyze the matter a little more closely.

1. RARITY OF TOTAL COMMITMENT

This kind of total commitment that does not see anything too valuable to give to Jesus is so rare in the Churches. We talk about total commitment but our commitment is very much less than total. Therefore our spiritual direction is going to be very uncertain.

2. EXCESS IN DEVOTION

Though we speak about total commitment, yet when put to the test in relation to something we love, our commitment becomes much less than total. The things we are prepared to give are not valuable to us. We’re willing to give up our time provided it is our spare time. Reading the Bible is not giving something to Jesus, but it is for our own benefit. The same applies to prayer. Are our prayers not mostly for ourselves? We have given almost nothing to Jesus, perhaps just a few drops of ointment.

Is it possible to be excessive in devotion, in what we give to Jesus? No! We may give misguidedly by giving what he doesn’t want. For example, some people beat themselves until their blood runs or starve themselves when fasting. Fasting is good for self-discipline, but do not think we have given him anything. The lord does not take pleasure in seeing us beaten or starved. So sometimes our devotion may be misguided.

But can we talk about “total” and yet have excess? What is an excess of a total? That is a contradiction in terms Again, we reveal our hypocrisy and our lack of a sense of spiritual values.

3. CONFUSION IN SPIRITUAL VALUES

Spiritual things become confused when our sense of values is confused. It is strange how the disciples should criticize Mary for excess when they themselves have given up their own profession to follow Jesus. If they were so concerned about the poor, why did they not stay in fishing and donate their fish to the poor? It shows them to be utterly illogical unless their motive for following Jesus was impure. Those who study the Gospels are ready to concede that the motives might have been less than pure at first, at least in the case of some of the disciples. In the case of Judas, it was always impure, right to the end.

4. CRITICISM OF TOTAL COMMITMENT - SELF DEFENSE

We speak of Jesus as lord, yet in practice, we lord it over others by our criticism. Mary gave what was hers, her private possession, and had every right to do what she did. Yet, they thought they had the right to criticize. What right do I have to criticize you for what you do with what is yours? If a person decides to give up his profession, why do I criticize him? It is his life. Do we have the right to criticize? But it makes us feel uncomfortable when we see somebody breaking their alabaster jar. It makes us feel that we may have to break our own alabaster jar. We don’t want to break it, so we defend ourselves by saying that the action is unworthy and not desirable of imitation. We say that it is excessive and unnecessary. These are the ways in which we defend ourselves.

5. SELF-JUSTIFICATION THROUGH SPIRITUAL-SOUNDING REASONS

Often, we cover up our real reason with a spiritual-sounding reason. John 12 tells us that Judas criticized Mary, not because he was actually concerned about the poor, but because he loved money. He justified himself by making it sound as though he was concerned about the poor. Time and again, we justify ourselves with a spiritual-sounding reason, when in fact that is not really our reason. Thus we become caught in the most dangerous mess of self-deceit. When you decide not to serve the lord, Jesus, it is your business, and nobody has the right to criticize you. But do not give it a spiritual-sounding reason to cover it up. Just honestly admit you are not able to express this kind of devotion or that you are not ready. Do not say, for example, “I was going to serve the lord Jesus but the lord doesn’t want me to do this.” I have yet to come across anything like this in the Bible. God may send you to serve in a different place or in a different way. Yet, I have not yet heard of God - Yehovah rejecting someone when he comes to Him with a sincere commitment to serve Him. Be honest to say that our spiritual devotion is not adequate.

Every time we read this passage, does the feeling of waste come back? Let us ask ourselves: What is my sense of spiritual values? What is my commitment? What is my spiritual direction?

Written by Eric H.H. Chang and edited and added on to by Bruce Lyon