GREAT ASSURANCE

“So you also have sorrow now. But I will see you again. Your hearts will rejoice, and no one will rob you of your joy. In that day you will not ask Me anything.” -John 16:22-23

My wife is about 3 months pregnant right now with a fourth child. Our last one is now five years old. Since that little guy was born we’ve only discussed my wife’s labor a few times. The rest of the time we discuss things about his growth, the funny things he does, how much he's like me, and what a tender heart he has.

We’ve never once regretted getting pregnant despite the non-stop morning sickness (all nine months 24/7), sciatica, the sleepless nights, the mood swings, or anything else. We look at that little guy, his smile, his gestures, his blue-green eyes… and we just beam with joy as parents.

In the 16th chapter of John’s gospel Jesus was comparing the life of a disciple to a pregnant woman saying:

I assure you: You will weep and wail, but the world will rejoice. You will become sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy. When a woman is in labor she has pain because her time has come. But when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the suffering because of the joy that a person has been born into the world. So you also have sorrow now. But I will see you again. Your hearts will rejoice, and no one will rob you of your joy. In that day you will not ask Me anything… Until now you have asked for nothing in My name… I am not telling you that I will make requests to the Father on your behalf. -John 16:20-27

Jesus’ great assurance is not that our territory will be expanded. Nor is Jesus’ great assurance that He will mediate between us and the Father. Jesus’ great assurance to His disciple lay in the analogy of a woman in labor. She’s been struggling for months with cramps, morning sickness, nerve pain, emotional highs and lows, sleepless nights… all erased by the joy of what is produced.

Jesus’ great assurance is about expectations and how to manage them. The woman who goes into a pregnancy with expectations of a body unchanged by it (both internally and externally) will be destroyed. Our culture rewards underwear models for their bulimic, anorexic, anemic, and unhealthy frames. Through pornography, we treat women, and girls, like disposable eye-candy to be consumed. The lie of perfection lay in an unrealistic, unattainable, and ever elusive, evaporating and decaying pursuit of physical beauty.

The Enemy has influenced, edited, confused, and orchestrated culture, i.e. “the pattern of this world.” Ironically, rather than seeing women as equal partners in ministry and vessels of divine blessing and life, their beauty is perverted into sensual, guiltless, consequence free and government subsidized sexual encounters.

What God intended to produce -joyful life- we’ve twisted into deplorable pornography and murderous abortions for the sake of convenience and self-preservation. The preservation of one’s anemic and stretch mark free frame, which supersedes all else at all cost. Even if it means snuffing out a delicate and dependent joy-bundle being woven together by God Almighty in its mother’s womb.

“So you also have sorrow now. But I will see you again… In that day you will not ask Me for anything.”

The promiscuous tramp chases after self-indulgent pleasures. Selfishly, she longs and asks for things that lead to pain, dissatisfaction, and death. Similarly, we have exchanged the joy of serving Christ our King for those elusive, fleeting, decaying and unsatisfying moments of self-indulgence. We've been whoring ourselves out to an Enemy who throws a few pieces of silver on the bed and leaves us to clean up the mess. Then we hit the reset button and do it all over again.

Rather than expecting and enduring nausea, sleepless nights, emotional crashes, horrific pain, and irreversible scars (all beautiful, necessary and momentary afflictions for the joy He is producing in and through us), we carelessly abort them.

Jesus told His disciples, “But I will see you again. Your hearts will rejoice, and no one will rob you of your joy. In that day you will not ask Me anything.”

Jesus wasn’t speaking of the eschaton (the time when Jesus returns from Heaven to consummate all things). Jesus was foreshadowing a time when, after His crucifixion, He would rise from the grave eternally victorious over sin, death, shame, rebellion, and Satan. A time when He would manifest Himself before, and gloriously within, the lives of His disciples.

Jesus fulfilled that promise. Not only arising victoriously but seeing His friends again and causing their hearts to attain an unquenchable joy.

The promiscuous tramp asks for birth control pills, condoms, morning-after pills, new lace stockings, lipstick, bedazzled sunglasses, perfume, drugs, alcohol… an endless list of self-indulgent pleasures. The mother asks for a crib, a blanket, diapers… a specific list of altruistic love.

There’s a time when disciples are following for personal profit and gain - not obedience. They are immature, self-indulgent and rebellious posers. The pivot comes when He manifests Himself - to be recognized by those who are not born of blood, the flesh, or the will of men, but born of God. For them, He takes up residence within and among us.

Jesus didn’t intend to communicate that we would never ask for anything. He intended to communicate that we would never ask anything out of self-indulgence. He intended to communicate that we would only ever ask for the very things He asked for out of selfless surrender, altruistic love, and obedience to the Father’s will. Things that would unquestionably come to pass by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. Things that would achieve the foregone conclusion of blessing all families, tribes, and nations on earth in Christ Jesus.

“In that day you will ask me nothing.”

We would be remiss to consider Jesus’ words an unattainable reality this side of heaven in lieu of what He intended, i.e. great assurance.

Life this side of heaven is like the expectant mother. It is filled with discomfort, pain, hurts, emotional lows and more pain. That’s not the typical marketing strategy for most churches. Instead, most strive to get butts in seats, preach fluffy sermons, invest heavily in the “production” and “entertainment” side, make membership and contributions easy, expecting little and demanding less.

Years ago when I had my own business, I was struggling with identifying my target market. A good friend and client told me, “If you try to make everyone happy you won’t make anyone happy.” Research tells us that’s the state of the American church today (HERE). Rather than fulfilling the true Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20) -discipling- churches across America seek to make everyone happy. The goal is no longer discipleship unto unity and maturity, but rather happy, contented and unchallenged churchgoers.

According to research groups, 100,000's of churches are in rapid decline. Nearly 8,000 close their doors annually in the U.S. Is it any wonder the “unchurched” population in America is skyrocketing. True disciples aren’t being enlisted, challenged, equipped, empowered or mobilized to the ministry of the gospel. Additionally, the lost are being sold a bill of goods. “No transformation necessary! Just get setup on our new auto-tither app!”

Jesus’ great assurance is that He will manifest Himself in the lives of His disciples -always- evidenced by fruit production. When that happens everything changes. There will be strife, rejection, resistance, hardships, depression and constant struggles. But, like the mother in labor, we can persevere and endure for the abundant joy associated with life!

Right now my wife is miserable in her pregnancy. But all of it will be as nothing when that little baby girl is cooing and sleeping in her bosom.

“So you also have sorrow now. But I will see you again. Your hearts will rejoice, and no one will rob you of your joy. In that day you will not ask Me anything.”

What are you asking for in your life?

A better job?

A promotion?

A new car?

A bigger house?

A vacation?

A spouse?

A child?

Lotto numbers?

More importantly, why are you asking?

Is it for you or for Him?

For you or His Bride?

For you or for His Kingdom?

For the bliss of independence or the cross of desperate dependence on Him?

“Until now, you have asked for nothing in My name. Ask and you will receive, that your joy may be complete.” -John 16:24

Ask away.
Ask in His name.

Ask with great assurance.

Blessings,

-Kevin M. Kelley

aMostUnlikelyDisciple.com

What Party?

The late Carrie Fisher once said, “Two of the saddest words in the English language are ‘What Party?’ And Los Angeles is the ‘What Party?’ capital of the world.”

Being left out is probably one of the worst feelings ever. Finding out that all your friends were invited to the party while you weren't - really stinks.

King Saul was invited to the party. He had the best seat in the house. But when it came down to it, Saul disqualified, disconnected, unlinked, and un-liked Himself with God and thus the party.

When we come to the book of Samuel (which was originally one scroll, but broken up into two parts due to its length) we find a story about Saul.

Saul was the nation of Israel’s personal pick (not God’s) to serve them as king. Even when Samuel rebuked them for this affront to God, and warned them for the atrocities a worldly king would lead to (enslaving their children, taking the best of their lands, crops, cattle, etc.), they defiantly responded: “We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”

Despite the fact that God had given, lead, and promised Himself as their Eternal King, Israel rejected God. Instead, they chose the tall, dark and handsome (and cowardly) Saul. When it came time for Saul’s inauguration he was nowhere to be found. The LORD let the nation know where their elected king was in saying, “Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage.”

From Genesis 3:15 on, God let humanity know that a singular male offspring of Eve would crush the serpent’s head and gain victory for us.

In Genesis 12:3 we find out that through Abram’s model of faith, i.e. not logic or rational thought, but rather hearts attuned to God’s voice, all the families, tribes, and nations on earth would be blessed.

In Genesis 49:10 we find out that these two blessings would be interwoven into one person - the divine Shiloh Messiah from the tribe of Judah - to whom all authority and tribute belongs.

When Israel rebelled against God’s plan for the nation everyone should have known God’s plan, their national history, and the penalty for rebellion (Eden? Flood? Pharaoh? Wilderness?). They should've known that God’s Messiah was destined to arise from Judah.

Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin. Oops.

Saul didn’t start off too badly. But it’s never about how you start. It’s always about how you finish. How you finish has more to do with simple obedience than some internal resolve or personal fortitude. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Saul’s kingship was doomed before it started.

When we come to 1 Sam 13 we read:

He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul's men began to scatter. So he said, "Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings." And Saul offered up the burnt offering. Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him.... "You have done a foolish thing," Samuel said. "You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you... But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart…” (excerpt from vv. 8-14)

Oswald Chambers once said, "...but if you are living the life of faith you will exercise your right to waive your rights, and let God choose for you... This is the discipline by means of which the natural is transformed into the spiritual by obedience to the voice of God."

The singular mark of maturity, i.e. transitioning from childhood to adulthood, is vanishing selfishness. The child thinks of self, and self alone. The very same is true for Christians. It's not courage or martyrdom by which maturity is measured, but rather by altruistic (selfless) love for others, i.e. God first - then neighbor.

The Muslim, the Mormon, the secular philanthropist, and the coexist groupies - all misguided. There can be no love for a false god, which is no god at all. Directing people to Allah, Jehovah, charity, human “goodness” or mere coexistence does nothing to glorify Christ. Instead, it elevates fallen humanity to a point of denying and denouncing Him altogether.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.

Matthew 16:24

We can fool others. Stick to it long enough and we can even fool ourselves. But we cannot fool God - ever.

When Paul said, "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you--unless, of course, you fail the test?" he was talking about the "test" of humbly surrendered and obedient love vs. anything and everything else. All of which fall into the category of selfishness.

Before we jump to a premature conclusion regarding the condition of our hearts and our comparative maturity based on those around us (a flawed worldly pattern Rom 12:2)... let us instead measure our faithfulness by the Word, the eternal Logos, The Christ, The Beginning and End, i.e. Jesus.

Are we waiting on the Lord -or- like Saul are we doing selfish stuff based on logic and circumstance?

Are we being transformed from natural decisions & natural living to that of spiritual obedience to the voice of God in Scripture?

Are we truly turning from our selfish ways, taking up our crosses, and following Jesus?

It doesn't really matter what others say.

It doesn't even matter how we feel about it.

The only thing that truly matters is how Jesus sees it.

On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’

-Matthew 7:23

Jesus told His disciples that He was going back to His Father’s house to prepare a room for us (John 14:2). We all know about the epic and eternal party. But are we instead, like Saul and the nation of Isreal, delusional about what’s required?

It’s never been about titles, genealogy or works - nor will it ever be. But authentic faith (i.e. of the born-again by the Spirit and not human invention variety) is, by default, humble, surrendered and continually (and often painfully) being sanctified.

We can elect to spend our lives, and be spent, throwing parties for ourselves. Or we can choose faithfulness, surrender, and obedience in being poured out for His eternal party.

Have you bothered lately to bow at His feet and ask Jesus how you're doing or are you too busy with yours?

Blessings,

-Kevin M. Kelley

aMostUnlikelyDisciple.com

SHOULD REMAIN

“Each one should remain in the situation he was in when he was called.”

1 Corinthians 7:20

God’s providence is undoubtedly perfect, yet we treat God like a Magic 8 Ball... violently shaking and manipulating until the desired answer appears.

Where things run amuck is when we being to fiddle with the levers, dials, and switches of life. We frequently do so in an effort to advance our own agendas. We are rarely so bold or candid to admit such autonomous schemes. Rather, we disguise them with statements like, “I feel as though God is calling me,” or “I believe this is God’s will for me.”

If that particular thing doesn’t have an immediate and profound evangelistic and missional agenda, then it is doubtfully God’s divine call or will for our life.

Instead, it is a personal decision which we have made, albeit potentially through much prayer, counsel, and reflection - or possibly without. Whether you take the job in Albuquerque or Orlando is of no consequence to God. Whether you marry this person or that will not alter the fabric of God’s masterpiece.

What matters at the very root of those decisions boils down to this: Why? After all, God told Abram to go blindly to a place unknown to him, Hosea was instructed to marry a whore, Samuel was told to anoint a disowned shepherd boy, and Paul was driven to the edges of the known world.

Why are you striving, considering, or attempting that thing? Is it for the money, the prestige, the power, the security, personal gain or other worldly benefits? Or is it because in doing so you honestly see greater opportunities for involvement and investment in the promotion and proclamation of the Gospel of Christ to the ends of the earth?

The circumstances of my salvation will forever be deeply entrenched in my mind. I found working for large corporations and government agencies an exhausting and frustrating experience. I found the bureaucracy, and sloth-rewarding cultures, which those entities often foster only slightly preferable over a prison chain gang. Eventually, this led to the launch of a sole-proprietorship endeavor, which in turn led to my salvation.

“Each one should remain in the situation he was in when he was called.”

Just prior to that verse, Paul wrote that there is no inherent value in the doing of anything (using circumcision or uncircumcision as an example), but rather “Keeping God’s commandments is what matters.” Paul goes on to note that there is no inherent value in our station either. Whether slave or free, master or servant “For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord’s freedman. Conversely, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ’s slave.”

God has uniquely crafted you as a tool of truth, love, and blessing. For a select few the gift is abundantly evident as a world class talent in sport, music, administration or finance. But for the rest of us - we often struggle. Here or there? This or that? Now or later?

We pray for God to open doors that have only been sealed shut by our own fear. Or we pray for Him to close doors that are divine opportunities for growth and sanctification. We often wait for the “green light” that will never come rather than asking God if the “red light” is of His design or our fabrication.

Shortly after Paul instructs his audience to “remain in the situation he was in when he was called,” he writes, “I have become all things to all men, so that by all possible means I might save some of them. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings. Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way as to take the prize.”

Remaining in the situation you were in never means settling for anything less than the unmitigated joy of participating in the advancement of the gospel of Jesus Christ. God never intends or intended for you to remain in anything short of the race for the prize. Not an abusive relationship, not in a marriage of neglect or abandonment, and certainly not in a job or position that has you frozen with fear.

He’s called us to the reckless abandon of authentic faith. Jesus said the harvest is plenty and the workers are few. Many have surrendered to a dank prison of our own construction or choice - that of familiarity. Most only move when the “green light” of our own desires stir, at which point we falsely attribute it to God’s will.

His mission is clear and unwavering.

His imperative is unquestionable.

The station you were in when called is that of an heir to the eternal and almighty King of Heaven. That is the station of all the children of God born of the Spirit.

Act like it.

Now live that out and stop waiting for some mysterious “green light” of your own - or someone else's - invention.

Blessings,

-Kevin M. Kelley

aMostUnlikelyDisciple.com

NEVER MAKING

NEVER MAKING

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.

-Matthew 23:15

Jesus was born unto the horrid landscape of synthetic, hollow and burdensome religion. This illegitimate offspring of sin and human industry was altogether removed from the joy and simplicity of Eden and God’s intent.

Prior to humanity’s rebellion there was only always the untarnished beauty and elation of extravagant abundance merely dwelling in the radiant presence of God.

Before the foundation of the cosmos, God had already reconciled that He would go to Calvary. Jesus, our Creator, understood both the depths of our depravity, as well as the futility of our misguided intentions of diseased industry.

All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.

-Romans 3:13

Eden’s revelation is one of predisposition. A propensity as corrupt miscreants, autonomous idolaters, and narcissistic reprobates toward austere rebellion. Rebellion of a crafty variety - not against injustice, equality, liberty, or peace, but rather against the Almighty Himself. Rebellion against the One from whom all blessings flow - and flow abundantly.

Eden simply revealed our default inclination to rebel against governance, sovereignty, obedience, humility, surrender, and altruistic service in favor of synthetic autonomous industry.

Industry is universally recognizable. Bigger, faster, efficient, sterile, insulated, consuming, and disconnected. This fact is true for corporations - of which religions are the most abject and reprehensible.

The Bible tells us that the nation of Israel was apt to adopting this model of corporate industry as their national religion. Despite God’s pervasive, active, personal, and tangible involvement in their history (through leaders, prophets, kings, priests, and ongoing revelation), Israel’s insatiable frenzied lust for industry ultimately led to foreign conquests and occupation, the temple’s destruction, an inoperative priesthood, the kingship’s demise, revelation’s abatement, and Israel’s expulsion from the Land of Promise. Of monumentally preeminent significance was the Object to which all those gifts, symbols, and beacons (temple, priesthood, kingship, law, and land) pointed, i.e. God.

Israel’s religion was that of constant, perpetual, and repeated prostitution of themselves out for paganism, legalistic ritualism, and every form of idolatrous malfeasance imaginable. Anything was desirable over authentic, humble, surrendered, obedient and true worship. Israel’s religion was, at it diseased root, one of rebellious synthetic industry.

Nothing of any significance has truly changed.

In the twenty-eighth chapter of Matthew, we find the “Great Commission” passage (vv. 18-20), which has been mangled, misused, and mutilated beyond recognition, i.e. that of simple obedience, into one of human industry. A typical English translation might be:

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…”

Let us briefly examine two key words here:

First, the original Greek word πορευθέντες, which is typically translated “Go” is not an imperative verb, but rather a passive one indicating external influence and power; such as a patient being transported by an ambulance. One does not leave the scene of a horrific crash and arrive at the hospital’s emergency room by “going,” but rather passively “in being brought.” Therefore, it is more appropriately translated “in being brought” or “in being carried along.”

Next, the original Greek word μαθητεύσατε is typically lost as the imperative verb (focal point) and erroneously translated “make disciples” rather than simply being rendered “disciple.”

Thus far, this entire work has attempted to graphically illustrate the calamitous history and unmitigated folly of human industry.

Does it seem likely, or even remotely reasonable, that God Almighty would intend to, upon His departure, commission flawed, inept, broken followers (we who are prone to sink, deny, flee, and hide) with the advancement of His imminent eternal kingdom via fastidious industry?

Instead, might it be likely that Jesus intended to communicate that in the midst of our (His disciples) being carried along - in fact passively transported, by the πνεῦμα, the Wind, Breath, and Spirit of God - our privileged part would be to quite simply “disciple” rather than plotting, scheming, or striving to make, build, manufacture, construct, or produce anything of our own.

Just a few chapters prior, Jesus said to the tenaciously industrious religious leaders of the day, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.”

As Oswald Chambers notes, “Jesus did not say - Make converts to your way of thinking.” Nor did Jesus tell us to make disciples or supporters of any great cause - even that of evangelism! Rather, Jesus calls us to personal, intimate, intricate, and transformative life with Him. He calls us to simply abide in Him.

It is neither in the ecstatic revel of producing converts, the emotional highs of visitations, the fulfillment of missionary endeavors, the intoxication of revivals, nor the industrious saying, doing, or making of anything, which avails the disciple to the rhythmic consistency of unyielding perseverance.

Simple obedience, resolute devotion, and tenacious grit spring forth not from human industry, but rather in humble surrender to the zephyr wind of God.

We, like those fools erecting Babel’s Tower, are engrossed and consumed with building campaigns, steering committees, social boards, projects, programs, and religious industry. We rarely, if ever, pause to listen or allow ourselves to be carried - in fact divinely transported by the Wind, Breath, and Spirit of God - somewhere we never would or could have ever imagined.

Jesus invites those keenly aware of the glorious debacle our autonomous industry into the kind of relationship where confidence is rightfully deferred to Him. A confidence that paints Him, the One who has graciously ransomed us, as the overarching and central figure of our lives.

Faith is never making, but perpetually being reforged and refined into the perfection of His will. The life of a true disciple lays itself down willingly to be crushed, trampled, scattered, and transported on the πνεῦμα - Wind, Breath, and Spirit of God - with this unquestionable assurance: lives are radically altered, legitimately baptized into unity, and rightly taught obedience.

In allowing ourselves to be transported and engaged in that simple imperative, “disciple,” Immanuel promised to be manifest in our midst unto to the very end.

Blessings,

-Kevin M. Kelley

aMostUnlikelyDisciple.com