When the body is not the Body

Disenfranchised.  After a long and thoughtful pause, that was the one word answer a friend gave me when I asked her to describe where she was in her spiritual walk.  She felt deprived of power; marginalized.  How could this be?  This was an active church member.  She sang in the choir, rarely missed a service, donated what her church required her to donate, and had even invited me an my family to visit her church when I I told her about a church visit that had not gone so well.  For a brief period in time she wore her "church mask"; smiling and spouting Christian Cliches whenever speaking of anything dealing with God.  That day however, the burden of the mask coupled with the burdens of life became too heavy to bear and she dropped the mask...

   Follow me as I follow Christ.  This much quoted one liner is how Paul begins 1 Corinthians 11.  As a one liner, this verse is dangerous.  As a Spiritual leader, this one liner would seem to imply that Paul is calling for absolute allegiance to him in the way that he is following God.  It would seem that Paul is establishing himself as a mediator between man and Christ in delivering that one line.  The misinterpretation comes into play in thinking that Paul is delivering a one liner.

Paul's message is not to follow him.  Paul had passed on that type of attention before.  In 1 Corinthians 3:1-7 Paul shuns this type of attention, beckoning the Corinthians to understand that they are not divided by ministers but united in Christ.  Why would Paul, later in this letter, advocate the division he spoke about earlier?  If Paul is making the claim that the people should pledge themselves to him then it would be acceptable for Peter, Apollos and other individuals to claim the same.  If that were the case then you would have no unified Body in Christ but individual bodies in line with their given minister.

Remember that Paul says that the Corinthians are carnal and is disappointed that he can not feed them with meat, but milk (1 Corinthians 3:2-3).  Now look at what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:3.  Paul says that the head of every man is Christ.  Notice the oft missed point here.  Paul doesn't say that the head of man is another man.  Paul doesn't say the head of some men is Christ.  Paul says the head of every man is Christ.  What Paul is trying to show the Corinthians is how to walk in such a way to be in fellowship with Christ.  He's saying, "Watch me and learn how to follow Christ."  This is not a call to continuously follow Paul but a call to watch and to mimic so that they can achieve Spiritual growth.  If I was going to diagram the emphasis on Paul's statement he is saying, "follow me AS I FOLLOW CHRIST".

Look at the word remember in the KJV version of 1 Corinthians 11:2.  Notice the word remember.  In the Greek this word is "mnoamai".  This word means to recall.  He's telling them to recall his actions in all things.  He's telling them to watch how he conducts himself and recall that in their given situations.  Compare that to Jesus' use of the word remember in Luke 22:19.  That word, "anamnēsis", speaks more of a living memory.  Paul is calling for the Corinthians to study him in an effort to grow while Jesus is calling them to constantly remember his sacrifice.

Today however, Paul's words have been distorted.  A message of "FOLLOW ME as I follow christ" as replaced Paul's message.  I purpose did not capitalize christ because those who are seeking a following are not following Christ the God ordained King but christ the self ordained king.  That is what left my friend mentioned above disenfranchised.  Her Pastor had considered himself the head of the church, each individual member's spiritual father.  His call was to follow him and let him worry about the following Christ part.  He had established himself as a mediator between his followers and Christ and consequently she was no longer plugged into Christ and no longer plugged into God.  There was no room for the Holy Spirit to work in her life.  The pastor taught her what he thought she needed to know, guided her to where he thought she needed to go, instructed her on what he thought she needed to give and charged her to bring more followers into "His House".

When Jesus died on the cross I doubt his design was to have thousands of local assemblies operating as individual bodies.  If that wasn't his design why is it so?  Why is it that when most people join a church, that person, their gifts, their fruit, their time and their money become the property of just that local assembly.  I've heard pastors proclaim to congregations, "Why would you want to go to another church to get fed when I've prepared a good meal right here?"  Is that scriptural?  Is it scriptural that joining a body cuts you off from The Body?  Is it God's will for you to feel disenfranchised and simply put on a happy face?

I don't think it is.  What is scriptural is to connect with Christ as your head and let Him guide your actions from there.    

House of Blues

These are pictures of my cubicle:

Not a metaphoric or symbolic cubicle.  Not an internet pic that looks like my cubicle.  But my cubicle.

Yup, that's my inbox, the honey for my green tea, my cereal bowl and my pile of work that has overflown onto the....

floor.  It's where I sit when I dream of muttering TGIF.  It's the location I try to forget on weekends and PTO days...and on a Saturday in January of 2012 this is where I lost it for one moment in time.


In October of 2011 I started actively looking to redirect my career path.  It seemed that my career had peaked.  There were other practical options, but my dedication to my occupation wasn't strong enough to endure additional certifications or student loans.  I wasn't committed enough to envision myself voluntarily submitting to cramming sessions, term papers, deadlines and group projects.  I didn't want to advance in my current field, I wanted to find a new one; and I had a specific position in mind.  All I needed was to get my foot in the door.  I filled out my application, sent in my resume and I waited....

I took to prayer because "The prayers of the righteous availeth much." James 5:6

I confessed my sins and attempted to put my best foot forward because "If I had cherished sin in my heart the Lord would not have listened" Psalm 66:18

I waited patiently.  I waited for a call that never came.  I waited to wedge my foot in a door that was never opened.  I waited for a door that was not opened unto me.  I waited until what I dreaded became a reality.  I had done what I could, but January had come.  January, in my profession, comes with promises of seventy hour work weeks..  January had come with it's guarantee of repetitive time consuming tasks.  January was smothering me and despite my best efforts to land in Joppa, January had me in Ninevah sitting in that cubicle.

Everyday in that cubicle became more than a 15 hour work day.  Everyday in that cubicle was a reminder that the God that answers prayer had ignored mine.  Everyday in that cube was the torture of feeling as though I had wasted another of the days allotted to me on this earth.  Everyday in that box was a day living in agony that God didn't love me enough to provide me with a sense of purpose.  I didn't want a winning lottery ticket or a get out of work free card.  I didn't want to be the boss or to have people answering to me.  All I wanted was an end to the seemingly endless stream of what felt like wasted days.  In my mind, those days had no value, and with 5 of every 7 days of my life having no value I had no value.  My Mom would call that a pity party and I was the guest of honor.

When I left for work at 5:00 am on Saturday January 28, 2012, my heart was burdened.  Whenever I have to work on Saturday I attempt to arrive by 5:30.  By doing that, most Saturdays I am able to meet my work obligations by noon and return home before my children have shed their Friday night pajamas.  I didn't think that would be the case this Saturday.  I knew that my day would consist of no less than 12 hours of work so when early morning snow showers caused an accident; I knew that my family wouldn't see me much that day.  Still, I arrived at approximately 6:30 and sat down to work.

Coworkers started pouring in around 8 am.

Supervisors arrived closer to 10.

Noon came, the time when I look to pack up and escape from work for 36 hours...but I wasn't packing it up.  Life was pouring it on.

Around 3:00 pm coworkers called it a day.  The bosses stayed until 6.

Here I was, 12 hours into my day alone in my cubicle trying to make sense of both the piles of paper accumulated on my desk and the status of my life; sacrificing time with my family for time alone in an office I desperately wanted to escape from.

7:00 pm still working.  I blared gospel music from my Ipod hoping that God would give me a "Beautiful Mind" moment where He would finally let me see the picture the mosaic of paper formed on my desk.

8:00 pm, I stop wanting the right answers and I just want answers.

9:00

At 10:00 pm I didn't care.  I no longer wanted answers only deliverance.  I began crafting an e-mail detailing all the breakdowns that led to me working a 90 hour week.  I scrapped that e-mail early in favor of one that simply read, "I quit."  I looked at the picture of my children on my desk; my inspiration to push through whatever arises in my life.  I couldn't quit, yet I couldn't succeed.  Anger gripped me as I felt both helpless and forsaken.  If only it was me in that accident that morning; then my life insurance policy would cement me as a provider but I wouldn't have to deal with this.

I tried to push through, but the mosaic's picture became more murky with each pass.  At 11:00pm I decided I was done.  I had just spent the better part of 17 hours attempting to finish an assignment that was a day past due.  Additionally, I had no intention of working on Sunday.  I e-mailed my supervisors.  "I've done all I can.  I'll look at this again on Monday."  I shut my computer down and drove home; expecting that Monday would come with news of my termination.  That was okay with me because I didn't care why I left, I just wanted to leave.  

I was never asked to leave.  I was never forced to leave.  I was never given other opportunities.  No doors have been opened, and I battle constantly with the self perceived notion that I've wasted the last six years.

So why write a blog entry about that?  There's no resolution, no happy ending.  How can this blog entry possibly encourage anyone?  To be encouraged you have to read carefully what I said I do.

I battle.  While I'm not sure about my professional life, I have clear cut responsibilities in the other facets of my life.   In the midst of sulking over the void I perceive in my professional life I was failing as a husband, as a father, a son, a friend, a brother and a Christian.

In 1 Samuel 15 God rejects Saul as king because of Saul's disobedience.  While Samuel is obedient in relaying God's message, Samuel is disappointed that Saul, his long time advisee, was no longer going to be king.  Simply put, Samuel was upset that that things weren't going the way he wanted them to.  In 1 Samuel 16 God asks Samuel a direct question.

HOW LONG WILL YOU MOURN!!!!!!

God is telling Samuel to get himself together because he has work for him to do.  Maybe you're like me, utterly frustrated and exhausted with one facet of your life.  Maybe you're frustrated with more than one facet of your life.  However things may be, residing in a "House of Blues" can cause you to fail in all aspects of life.

As for the troubling facets of your own life, I have no answer.  I wish it were as simple as "speaking peace or purpose into your life."  I have no answer because I am still battling.  What I can tell you is that your worry conflicts with your understanding God's sovereignty.  Easier said than done, but the only thing I can tell you is to continue to trust God.

Samuel trusted God, even though he died before seeing David ever take the throne.  When Samuel dies, Saul is still the King.  Oddly enough, David, despite being one of the major characters and authors of the bible, has no books named after him.  The life and death of David are chronicled in the book of 2 Samuel, a book that begins after Samuel's death.  Why does a book that begins after the death of Samuel bear his name?  Maybe because he was able to trade in his blues for belief...belief in God's sovereignty.

Watch....In!?

AW Tozer once said, "A third of bible vocabulary would be absent if we lived in a sinless world."  Because of sin in this world, God has warned us to watch out, as discussed in a previous blog entry.  Watch out for thieves, deceivers, false teachers, division, destruction, greed, and many other things.  God instructs us to look out for the snares, and trappings of this world so that we will be useful to Him.  He tells us to watch out for things that we'll have to encounter on a regular basis.  But God doesn't only tell us to watch out; he instructs us to watch in....

No one has ever mistaken me for Bob Villa.  Most of my attempts at home improvement end with a professional muttering to himself after repairing my attempts at home improvement.  Even with my limited skills, one thing I can do is demolish.  Recently, I demolished my kitchen and the floors on the first level of my house.  Before starting the job, I went to Home Depot and bought a bevy of new tools including a new hammer.  After a few days of effort and a few buckets of sweat I looked around and saw floors, cabinets, walls, and counters that had been destroyed.  I also saw in my hand a hammer that bore the marks of smashing, chopping, wedging, and well more smashing.

My hammer, while still useful, was no longer new.  It was no longer emerald blue with a pristine shine.  There was no luster to speak of.  My hammer, shown above, bore the scrapes and scars to accentuate the stories I told regarding the kitchen demolition.  My point is that useful tools are often scratched, scraped, dented, and well, ugly.  To me however, that hammer is sturdy, and dependable.  In it's current state, it is worth more to me than the $34 I originally paid for it.  

Much like my hammer, battle tested Christians bear the marks, scrapes, scars and dents associated with God's use.  Much like my hammer, battle tested Christians can be seen by God as dependable, sturdy, reliable, and valuable.  The difference between the Christian and the hammer is the human element.  Pain, fear, hesitation, fatigue; none of these factors have to be considered when wielding a hammer.  With Christians however, our battle scars are far deeper than scratches on a metal surface.  Our scars can affect us.  They can affect our walk, they can affect our attitudes, and they can affect our usefulness.  Our scars can cause us to hesitate or even resist when God sees fit to use us.  Even with our Spiritual armor, God prompts us in scripture to examine ourselves.

Let a man examine himself

In I Corinthians 11:28 Paul exhorts Christians, stating that each man should examine himself before partaking in communion.  When we examine ourselves before communion what should we be looking for?  In order to really understand this, I think we have to forget the image of the Lord's Supper being a morsel of cracker and swig of Welches Grape Juice.  In actuality, this was a meal, patterned after Jesus' last meal.  What this had become to the Christians in Corinth was an opportunity for the fat to get fatter.  It was an occasion in which the different divisions kept to themselves.  In this passage Paul is telling the Corinthians to examine themselves before eating for divisive spirits and greed.  

Communion in Corinth had become the opposite of what Jesus ever intended.  We see from Paul's letters that some were getting stuffed and drunk while others went hungry.  That would appear to contradict Jesus' edict on banquet etiquette.  Moreover, in John's account of the Last Supper, Jesus got up to wash the feet of his disciples and instructed them to wash the feet of others.  

The humble path is not an easy one to walk.  Most times in life, it seems easier to fight pride with hubris.  Pride and hubris often lead to feelings of entitlement, which often leads to division.  Our pride, our greed, and any sense of entitlement we may have are factors that work in directly oppose our ability to give all glory to God.  In addition, pride does not allow us to keep focus on God when we are called to suffer for his namesake.  

We as people often mistake humility for weakness.  Like my trusty hammer, our humility in God's hands can be used to knock down and destroy the lofty and prideful.  Humility puts us in a position where we can be exalted by God; glorified in a way that is not fleeting.  Sitting at the table prepared for us in the presence of our enemies is rarely an easy assignment.  Examine yourself for pride and feelings of entitlement that may manifest itself through division, greed or anything else that opposes unity. 

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves

We are to examine ourselves that we can know that we are righteous even when it appears that we are clouted in failure.  Paul tells us that we can do nothing against Truth but do things for Truth.  Paul tells us that only a Spirit of God testifies that Christ in the flesh is God.  We should be testing ourselves to ensure that our words and our deeds testify to that fact.  

In order to pass this examination, we must live a life that shows that we belong both to the Son and Father who sent him.  We are not allowed to pick and choose the portions of the bible that we wish to accept.  Either the bible is true or it is not.  Either God is fully sovereign or He isn't.  The most valuable thing we can share is our testimony.  We need to keep and cherish our testimony as a record of our lives that brings honor to God.  We need to examine ourselves to and test our faith to show that Christ is real and is able to keep us.

As dependable tools of God we need to be sure that we are always ready and willing to do his work.  We need to be ready, in season and out of season to be an ambassador of God.  

When Greed is god

I never wanted to be a pastor growing up.  Never entertained thoughts of being an elder, a bishop, or any other evangelical title.  I wasn't interested in preaching, speaking, teaching or leading.  As titles go, I figured that I may peak at deacon; maybe.  Things changed for me one Sunday afternoon in a large empty sanctuary in Camden, NJ.  This church was located in a maze of boarded up houses, and corner dwelling loiterers.  This was not an affluent neighborhood.  Elderly people fanning themselves on front porches as small children hung their heads from bedroom windows was reminiscent of scenes I had seen long ago growing up in Baltimore.  I didn't, nor do I judge Camden's residents, but I knew where I was and it wasn't Dorothy's Kansas.  My wife, my newborn son and I turned into the church's parking lot where a Mercedes Benz with a vanity plate caught our eye.  It seemed out of place, but was of no concern of ours.  We were visitors, a young family in a new state in search of a "church home".

We parked the car and walked the steep stairs to the foyer.  Much to my chagrin, we were ushered to the second pew, where we squoze into a tight confining space.  Standing well over 6 feet and tipping the scales at that time in the 270 lbs range I was not a fan of squeezing into anything.  I looked around at a sanctuary full of empty pews and wondered why my left knee was awkwardly strewn into the aisle so that my right knee would have enough space to not bang the first pew every time I shifted my weight.  Soon after the pastor took the stage I realized why I was herded into tight quarters.  As he continually motioned toward an empty balcony and pointed to pews with much more space than compacted pew number two I looked up and noticed two cameras pointed directly at the stage.  I purposely call it a stage because the word pulpit, by definition implies divine worship.  This was not worship.  This was a show.  My leg had fallen asleep, and my bible was in the lap of a toddler to give the appearance that the pastor was performing in front of a packed house.  As it turned out, we had no need for the bible.

The pastor stood in the front of this church on his stage and quoted biblical fragments, and his own interpretations based on these fragments centering around the phrase, will a man rob God?  "I know it's summer time ya'll and that means time for vacation *a huck*, but I wouldn't get on a plane ya'll if I had God's money in my wallet.  It's summer time ya'll and it's hot outside, but I wouldn't get in a pool *a huck* with God's money in my wallet.  Ananias and Sapphira couldn't even go into Peter's tent with God's money in their pocket."  (Side note:  If you've ever been duped into believing that Ananias and Sapphira died because they held money back, read Acts 5:4.  Peter tells them in no uncertain terms that the land, and the money was theirs and in their control.  Their sin was lying.)  When the preacher took a seat, after preaching two sermons on giving, his wife went to the microphone and spoke about giving to extreme levels.  "If you want to feel God, you have to make him feel you", she started.  "Make him feel your pain.  Give till it hurts.  Give $5,000 because in giving that it will hurt you and God will feel it."

She didn't know it, but that woman inspired me.  She inspired me to study the scriptures so that I would not be duped or mislead.  She inspired me to empathize with a group of people, burdened by misuse of bible.  Most importantly she inspired me to pray for a group of people that I never knew because I believe that all people who want to know the truth about God should have a resource to aid them in their walk; with no concern as to what is in their pocket.  That prayer opened the door for God to ask me, "What are you doing about it?"

I don't want to be a pastor.  I don't want to be a bishop, an elder, a prophet, or an apostle.  I don't even want to be a deacon.  All too aware of my own missteps, I hesitate spiritually to lead.  I don't dare repeat after Paul when he tells Corinth to follow him as he follows Christ.  I simply desire for people to follow Christ.  I want to help people find the Truth's truth.  I want people to understand the relationship to God that became available when Christ died and the curtain was torn.

This world is perishing, and they don't even know it.  In the midst of this, the church as a whole has prostituted itself to prosperity doctrines, and Sunday morning shows.  We chase money, power fame and standing and are left wondering why God won't spark revival on our terms.  God won't spark revival on our terms.  We've traded broken hearts and contrite spirits for haughty hearts and lustful eyes.  Then we expect God to pour out blessings into those things that he has already told us he hates.

When greed is God, there's no room for God to be God.  If we're searching for God, it's time to let go of the greed.

KEEP WATCH!!!!

Remember the bible story of Gideon and his Army defeating the Midianites?  Growing up it was one of my favorite bible stories.  Gideon, a regular guy making wine is visited by the Angel of the Lord who tells him, "The Lord is with you mighty warrior."  After doubt and a few tests for God, Gideon gets together 82,000 men to defeat the oppressing Midianites.  God tells Gideon, "you have too many men" and thins the herd; sending Gideon into battle with just 300 men.  These 300 men were prepared to take on an army whose infantry was so numerous the bible describes them as being, "as thick as locusts".  In the middle of the night, the 300 men of Gideon, armed only with trumpets, torches, and clay pots strategically placed themselves around the Midian camp.  In a unified effort, the 300 men smashed their pots, shouted, and sent the Midinate army into a frenzy; to the point where the Midianites in their confusion began to slaughter each other.  As a child, I was fascinated by the battle tactic.  As an adult, the story makes me question if we are doing as Jesus instructed and keeping watch. 

Pic Credited to revphil2011 blog

The theme of keeping watch is repeated in the New Testament.  In addition to keeping watch for the return of Christ, we are instructed to keep watch for false profits, deceit, thieves invading the master's house, greed, division, destruction, and many other things.  Jesus' message of keeping watch is paraphrased in Luke 12:35-48:

³⁵ “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, ³⁶ like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. ³⁷ It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. ³⁸ It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. ³⁹ But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁰ You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

⁴¹ Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?”

⁴² The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? ⁴³ It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. ⁴⁴ Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. ⁴⁵ But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. ⁴⁶ The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.

⁴⁷ “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. ⁴⁸ But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

The question for today is, "Are we still keeping watch? While I love blogging with rhetorical questions, this one is a big, fat...

We as "the church" are not keeping a watch any better than the Midianites.  Everything the Lord warned us against is deep rooted in our church body.  False prophets and apostles abound in our assemblies, and we as a body are too quick to offer them worship and blind loyalty reserved for Christ himself.  These deceivers, who Christ warned us against, have twisted the words of the scriptures to fit their unholy purposes.  They line their pockets with profits, please their privates with sexual immorality, and their pews with bullies sternly warning those who don't conform to "Keep their mouths off the men of God."  We've invited division, destruction, malice, false teaching and given them seats of importance.

At this stage, the only thing we keep watch over are our own selfish interests.  All too often, churches are a collection of self aggrandizing people attempting to give the impression that they are working together for God's glory.  In reality, they work together to attempt to build large monuments, but look for the opportunity to crown themselves "King of the Hill."  These New Testament Towers of Babel (next blog topic) are not built on the principles of Christ, but the principles of greed, lust and varying self interests. 

We are no longer keeping watch over the master's house, and the Enemy has taken notice.  He has strategically placed his forces in various garrisons.  He has begun to blow his horns, shatter his pots and shout his war cries and we are confused.  We no longer stick to God's word to find our way.  We consult leader's who never understood God's ways in the first place.  He consult traditions that God has abandoned.  We seek refuge in New Testament towers of Babel.  We don't even know right from wrong anymore. 

It's time to strengthen ourselves in the word and keep watch over the master's house; the heart of the believer.    



The Devil You Know.....

On Good Friday, my children and I sat down to read the gospel's account of Jesus' crucifixion.  To drive the point home of what Jesus endured for us, I gave them a sheet of paper and asked them to list all the terrible things that Jesus went through because of his love for us.  When we finished reading the passages, we discussed the list.  As we read our lists, we began to discuss what we felt was the worst thing and why.  There was no right or wrong answer.  I just hoped the discussion would help them understand that Jesus didn't simply climb up a cross and die, but that he was tortured to the point where most people would welcome death for no other reason than to end the pain.

Both of the kids thought the lashes were the worst.  It was what I expected.  Being five and seven, my children don't really have a frame of reference when it comes to the other things Jesus endured.  Even though my children have never felt the sting of a cat of nine tails, they reasoned that it was worse than the worse spanking.  Even as adults, most of us have never had to experience being spat upon by a crowd, or having a crown of thorns shoved on our heads.  Inevitably, my oldest child posed the question, "Which do you think was worse Dad?"

I looked at my list and attempted to put myself in Jesus' position.  I tried to think of the physical pain associated with the ordeal.  I thought about the emotional pain and embarrassment of listening to people provide false testimony so that I can be killed.  As I looked at my list, I kept thinking about how Jesus must have felt listening to a crowd clamor for a convicted criminal, a notorious prisoner to be freed so that He could be murdered.  I imagined the chant of the crowd, "Give us Barabbas", "Crucify Him."  The children and I wrapped up our Good Friday discussion, but I began to wonder how a crowd can be persuaded to choose Barabbas.  Why would the spiritual leaders of the time choose to frame a man and incite a crowd to free a convicted criminal at the expense of an innocent man.  Why would the crowd be so receptive to murdering an innocent man for the sake of a notorious one?  Why?

Look at what each individual represented.  There were many men like Barabbas before and there have been many since.  Barabbas did not threaten the way of life that the people had become accustomed to.  The affect that Barabbas had on the people could be quantified.  He was familiar; known.  His influence was limited and the collateral damage was manageable.  When given the choice, the leaders and the people did not choose to call for the crucifixion of both.  There was no talk of Barabbus being innocent.  Barabbas lived that day for the simple reason that he was not Jesus.

Jesus on the other hand was not controllable.  I don't dare describe Jesus as a devil, but I use the phrase based on the thoughts of the Pharisees toward Jesus in Matthew 12.  They saw Jesus as a devil because they did not know who He was; who He is.  Even his disciples, those who ate with him, traveled with him, spoke and fellowshipped with him were left asking, "What kind of man is this?"  Jesus was not controllable.  He spoke openly of being God's son.  He traveled from town to town amassing followers, performing miracles.  He was a man who, when accused in court decided not to speak to defend himself.  With his life seemingly hanging in the balance, his reputation on trial, Jesus did not seek to justify his actions, but simply chose to keep quiet and draw in the dirt.  The Pharisees never did understand what kind of man he was.  They were unable to see that they would not be able to undo what Jesus had done.  They only understood that he was a threat to the status quo.

What about us?  Do we clamor for Barabbas?  I think we do.  We may not verbalize it or openly chant it, but when we chose to operate in the flesh as opposed to the Spirit our lives scream, "Give us Barabbas.  Crucify Christ."  When we choose the lusts of the flesh instead of the contentment of Christ, our actions call out for Barabbas.  When we choose anger, malice, and retaliation over humility, forgiveness and grace, our actions call out for Barabbas.  We choose these things because it is the way we've always been.  We fool ourselves into thinking that these ways of living are of God instead of understanding the parts of us that need to be removed.     

Don't be fooled into thinking that God is interested in keeping the status quo.  Don't become comfortable or complacent with the footholds the enemy may have in your life.  Choose Christ, go and grow!!!!!