A Look at Luke 14:15-24

The Parable of the Great Banquet offers us a look into the type of teaching that Jesus typically did for those he came into contact with. It also gives us a glimpse into our own lives as we sift through the parable characters and see shadows that may echo our own. This passage begins with the statement of a person being blessed by eating at the feast of the kingdom of God, and then Jesus shares the banquet parable.

There are two Promises to claim in this parable which have to do with being in invited to the banquet. The first is a promise of acceptance. Jesus speaks of a man who invites important people to a banquet, but they create self-important excuses and decline to claim the promise of a seat at the table when they choose not to come. Instead, the man has his servant go into the streets and offer that same invitation to ordinary people. Those people gladly accept the invitation and claimed their seats at the master’s table. In the same way, we are invited to accept Jesus’ invitation to claim the promise of eternal life and sit at the Master’s table in heaven. The second promise is one of rejection. Many times, those who are invited to claim that very promise believe that they have more important things to do. They believe that there is “more life to live”, and therefore, choose to do just that, all the while leaving their eternal reward of heaven behind. God offers His invitation through Christ Jesus to all who will come. Those who accept it will filled with the hope and joy of knowing they will see God. Those who choose not to accept it will never get a taste of heaven, for they will be shut out and cast into eternal darkness.

The master in the parable Expresses the emotions of anger, frustration, and sadness as his invitations are turned down one by one for reason that are not important and are very self serving. His emotions express the intense desire that he had for all those invited to come and share a meal at his table. When they refuse to do so for one reason or another, his anger, frustration, and sadness expose themselves to the point that he decides to have nothing to do with them whatsoever. This is an important lesson to learn, for I believe it is an example of how God reacts when those He invites to be reconciled to Him choose not to accept that invitation for worldly reasons. Although we do not currently see His anger, frustration, and sadness, I am certain that they are authentic. We will see those emotions one day when we are before the throne of judgment. Those who have not accepted His invitation will feel God’s emotions first hand as He sends them into eternal darkness.

There are two Examples in this parable. One to follow and one to avoid. The one to follow is that of the master. He desires to fill his table at the banquet with people who will share in his celebration and happiness. When those he initially invited made the decision not to come for one reason or another, the master chose to fill his table with whomever would come. Instead of cancelling his banquet, he filled the table with the less fortunate and those off the street that gladly accepted the invitation. This is much the same for us when it comes to the invitation that God offers us through Christ. He invites us to come willingly and sit at His table, and we should willingly accept so that we might share in God’s celebration and happiness. The example to avoid is that of those who chose not to come. Rather than accepting the master’s invitation to the banquet, they chose to make excuses about why they could not attend. This incited the anger and frustration of the master to the point that, even if they had changed their mind and come to the banquet, they would not have been allowed to share in the celebration after it had begun. So it is with God, that those whosoever chooses not to accept His invitation of reconciliation through Christ, because they want to do their own thing, will be completely shut out of the celebration in heaven once it begins after the rapture even if they change their mind.

In all of this, I must give Adoration to God for His faithful promise of accepting me when I accept Him. The master in the parable told his servant to go and get the dregs of society and bring them in for the banquet hall to be full. He commanded the servant to bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame. When that wasn’t enough to fill the banquet hall, he had the servant travel the roads and lanes of the area so that he might bring in more people to fill the place for the feast. The master didn’t show preferential treatment. He simply wanted people to come and eat with him. He wanted people to accept him by accepting his invitation, and when they did, he accepted them without a second thought. God does the same with us. He invites us to come and accept Him by accepting His invitation of reconciliation through Jesus. When we accept that invitation to believe in God through Christ, He accepts us completely and unconditionally into His family. This acceptance is absolutely priceless, and yet, God gave everything in the person of His Son to give us the opportunity to accept Him and be accepted by Him. For that, I give God praise and adoration for his invitation!

However, in order for me to accept that invitation, there must be a Confession on my behalf. I must confess that I am indeed a sinner that is in need of the power of Jesus in my life to cleanse me of that sin. I must confess that I can’t do life on my own, and am in need of Christ as my Savior. This is a time of confessing wrong thoughts, attitudes, and actions to the Lord, and allowing His grace and mercy to help make restitution for our wrongs. Through the work of God’s servant, the Holy Spirit, I am invited to share in the Master’s happiness at His table. In accepting that invitation, I complete the confession of my sinful nature, and have a place at the table with God to sit and be with Him. One of the great rewards of this confession is the knowledge that, just as I have confessed my sins before God and Jesus has accepted me, Jesus will confess me before God and He will accept me when the time for judgment comes.

I give Thanks to God for his invitation of reconciliation through Christ. I have a feeling that those who accepted the invitation to the banquet gave thanks to the master for opening his home and preparing such an extravagant meal for them. In a similar way, I give thanks to God for opening heaven’s gates to me through the sacrifice of Christ, and for preparing such an extravagant home for me when my days on earth are finished and Christ comes again to establish the new heaven and new earth. This is a task that we must perform more often than not, as giving thanks to God for loving us enough to send Christ to die and rise is an important part of keeping perspective as a Christ follower.

In Supplication for myself, I choose to ask for the Father to keep me mindful of this parable, as I do not wish to treat the invitation God has placed before me with contempt or indifference. I wish to treat it as the beautiful and priceless gift that it is; the opportunity to spend eternity dining at the true Master’s table. In supplication for others, I pray very fervently for those who are lost, hurting and confused. I pray for those who have heard of the saving knowledge of Christ but have chosen to walk away from it. I pray for those who may have been hurt by other Christians at some point, and that has caused them to step away from the Master’s table invitation. It is my prayer for these that they will look again at what exactly it is that God offers them through the sacrifice of Jesus, and that they will see that it far outweighs anything that the world could offer them. I hope and pray that they will accept freely the invitation from God to be with Him for eternity, so that they will not be left out once the heavenly feast has begun. I also pray for those who have accepted the invitation of reconciliation. It is my prayer for these that they will continually remember just how much God paid to be able to deliver that invitation to us, and that we must continually accept that invitation in our lives, sometimes on a moment by moment basis.

One Body, Many Parts

I would assume that most of us have at least glossed over the passage in 1 Corinthians 12 that speaks about the body. We all have the head knowledge that this particular piece of Scripture speaks to, which is that we are all different, and yet, part of the same body. To refresh all of our memories, here's the passage I'm talking about.

I Corinthians 12:12-31 - The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is wit Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body - whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free - and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Now the body is not made up of one part but of many, If the foot should say, "Because i am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts of that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unrepresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that ts parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one parts in honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to heal others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? But eagerly desire the greater gifts.

This idea of One Body, Many Parts, is meant to show the church that it is to be a unit. This idea is to be shown in the local church AND the church worldwide by the inclusiveness of the body, regardless of race, gender, background, financial status, job, education, or gifts and talents. We are to accept the God given diversity of our brothers and sisters in Christ so that we might truly be one body of believers made up of all kinds of people. Preachers, teachers, prophets, healers, musicians, vocalists, servants, prayer warriors, etc... We are to think of and act like the church as a great melting pot that welcomes all parts into God's family.

It is important that I stress one very important point here. We are also to welcome those who practice a homosexual lifestyle into the Church. Yes, there are clear verses in Leviticus 18 & 20, as well as I Corinthians 6, that state God's true feelings about homosexuality. However, there are also many other verses that state God's true feelings about other sins as well, not to mention that God doesn't rate one sin higher than another. God loves them, but detests their lifestyle choice. How else are we to show them the love God has and the truth about their sinful condition if we don't even let them in the doors? Let me be clear: I am NOT saying that we should invite them to serve on the Worship Team, teach a Sunday School class, or be a Youth Sponsor. I would not be kosher with that, just as I would not be kosher with a raging alcoholic, pedophile, or adulterer doing any of those things. I AM saying that we should invite them in so that they might hear the Good News, believe, and turn from their sin to go the direction that God would have them go.

Another part of being One Body, Many Parts, is recognizing that not all of us will have the same function within the body. We are not made from a cookie cutter! Each of us has had a diverse set of experiences, and no two people have had the exact same experiences. That means that we are all designed to do things that another is not, and God planned it that way! Not everyone is an amazing musician, gifted speaker, or well studied teacher. Some have those gifts, but some might just be good at service oriented things, and others still might have a bigger knack for prayer and encouragement. The body has many different skill sets on purpose, so that we might better serve when we're together.

The problem here is when folks get the idea that one gift or another is bigger, better, or more important than another. Folks, we're all called to the same mission! Our call is to continue the work of Christ here on earth until He returns. How we do that depends on our gifts and abilities! Just because I'm called to continue Christ's work on earth through Worship Arts doesn't mean that I'm any better than my friend Dave who's called to continue Christ's work on earth through being an electrician. We simply do different things within the body to further the kingdom! Ministry is our full time job, regardless of what we do for gainful employment. His is turning on lights, and mine is turning on amps and computers.

We cannot seek status with our gifts and talents, and still expect to be One Body. It just won't happen. When people use their gifts as a way to build themselves up, it creates the "pedestal complex", in which one is all of a sudden better and more distinguished than another.

I've worked with pastors and lay leaders that were doing their jobs for the status within the Body that it gave them, and they used that status as leverage to get what they wanted. Did that create unity? Quite the opposite. It almost always created a fair amount of dis-unity and chaos within the Body.

On the other end of the spectrum, the pastor I work for now has every right (by the world's standards) to be on a pedestal. He's been here almost 4 decades, and has a powerful and dynamic personality and preaching style that captures your attention from beginning to end. He could easily just go about his days prepping to preach and leaving the rest to others. Instead, he doesn't even consider his status as anything to talk about, rolls up his sleeves, and gets dirty just like the rest of us. There is no "pedestal complex" in his heart; he only has the love of Jesus and the desire for unity within the Body.

Where did he learn how to do that? What was His example? It was the example Jesus set for us that Paul speaks of in his letter to the Church at Philippi.

Philippians 2:5-11 - Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death- even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

THIS is how we become One Body, Many Parts. We consider status nothing and humble ourselves to become obedient to what it is that God has set before us. Only then will we be able to live together in unity and allow God to increase our ability to further His kingdom for His glory.

One Body. Many Parts. All ages, races, countries, denominations... Globally and locally, all working together for the sole purpose of combining our gifts and talents in order to give God glory.

I'm in. Are you?

Stewardship - More Than Just Tithing!

Money, money, money! It seems like we can't get away from talking about it in any way, shape, or form... The media talks constantly about the economy, jobs, pay rates, minimum wage, debt, stimulus packages, funds borrowed by banks and businesses, and so on. Even in the church, we talk about money every week! We have meditations, videos, object lessons, and prayers during the Offering time, and on occasion we spend teaching time in the sermon and in Sunday School to address Worship through tithes and offerings.

However, we don't necessarily spend much time on the real over-all issue of money, which is the act of good stewardship. You see, many of our financial woes are based on bad budgeting and the "buy-now, pay-later" philosophy of living, when it should be based on Biblical principles for good stewardship.

My wife and I fell into that bad budgeting lifestyle early in our marriage. We lived life charging on plastic, paying in installments, and sometimes robbing Peter to pay Paul. There were times in our life that we had the heat shut off, the lights go out, the fridge and gas tank empty, and the phone ringing off the hook with people who wanted the money we didn't have! After digging our way out of some of it, we moved to Florida so that I could take on a full time ministry position, and she worked at the church's daycare. With 2 incomes, we got complacent with our payments instead of being aggressive in getting rid of debt. Lora lost her job when the daycare closed, and we lost a 3rd of our income. Our bad budgeting strategy put us right back into the hands of the debt collectors, and the phone began to ring once again.

It was shortly after that happened that God graciously brought us here to Wichita, and allowed us to get our feet back on the ground financially. We're not out of the woods yet, but we are closer now to being free of those financial burdens than we have been in the entirety of our 8 year marriage.

It took finally looking at what the Bible says about stewardship and realizing that our version didn't match up to start the process of change!

Today we are going to take a look at 5 Biblically based principles that can help you in your journey to good stewardship.

1. Establish That God Is The Source

* Psalm 24:1 (New International Version) - ¹ The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;

* Philippians 4:19 (Amplified Bible - ¹⁹And my God will liberally supply (^[a]fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

*2 Corinthians 9:8 (New International Version) - ⁸And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

These are just a few of the examples in the Bible where the Word speaks to God being the ultimate provider for us. As followers of Christ, our thoughts on the financial need to be tempered by these passages! We don't do anything to make money on our own, but rather, God blesses us with the opportunity to work and earn a wage so that we might have what we need.

2. Establish A Three-fold Budget - Give/Spend/Save

a. Give -

*Deuteronomy 14:22-23 (The Message) - ^22-26 Make an offering of ten percent, a tithe, of all the produce which grows in your fields year after year. Bring this into the Presence of God, your God, at the place he designates for worship and there eat the tithe from your grain, wine, and oil and the firstborn from your herds and flocks. In this way you will learn to live in deep reverence before God, your God, as long as you live.

This passage in Deuteronomy shows that tithing in the age of Law was meant as an act to remind the Israelites to put God first in all things. It was the firstfruits. For us, it would be the equivalent of giving off the gross number on our paycheck instead of the net after taxes. It was meant to be a sacrifice.

The New Testament also speaks to giving, but it shows more of the immense blessing that God want to share with us if we are faithful in giving cheerfully and obediently as an act of worship.

*Luke 6:38(New International Version) - ³⁸Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

*2 Corinthians 9:6-15 (New International Version) - ⁶Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. ⁷Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. ⁹As it is written: "He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever."^{[a] 10}Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. ¹¹You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. ¹²This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. ¹³Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. ¹⁴And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. ¹⁵Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

b. Budget wisely, on a Margin -

Having a written budget is having knowledge of who needs to be paid, how much they need to be paid, and when you paid them. It is important that we pay what we owe, and in order to do so we must continually be vigilant of our income and expenses.

* Proverbs 24:3-4 (New Living Translation) - ³ A house is built by wisdom and becomes strong through good sense. ⁴ Through knowledge its rooms are filled with all sorts of precious riches and valuables.

When it comes to spending, we all must do it. However, it is of utmost importance that we not spend so much that we get ourselves in trouble! This is where paper checks and plastic cards can get us in trouble.

*Psalm 37:21 (Amplified Bible) - ²¹The wicked borrow and pay not again [for they may be unable], but the [uncompromisingly] righteous deal kindly and give [for they are able]

* Proverbs 22:7 (Amplified Bible) - ⁷The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.

Please understand that some spending is necessary! We all need a roof over our heads, clothes on our backs, a vehicle of some sort, and food in the fridge. However, it is when we overextend ourselves in paying for home, car, tv, cable, internet, cell phone, clothes, shoes, jewelry, eating out, etc... then we become the wicket who borrow and pay not again. We become the servant to the lender and are no longer our own. If we are to live according to Biblical principles, we should not get bogged down in bad debt!

It is of the utmost importance that we live on a spending margin so that we can meet our financial obligations. Living on a margin means having some wiggle room in your income just in case something happens. Maybe the gas bill was more this month than last, maybe the car needed to get fixed, or the water heater went out in the house... You can cover it because you have a margin of extra money to fall back on.

c. Save -

The Bible speaks to saving for a rainy day as well.

* Proverbs 21:20 (Amplified Bible) - ²⁰There are precious treasures and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a self-confident and foolish man swallows it up and wastes it.

Remember the story of Joseph in Genesis? He interpreted Pharoah's dreams of years of plenty and years of famine, and ended up in charge of the largest food pantry in all of Egypt! They had to save up for the time when the land would be barren for many years. That's the only way they made it through until the land bore crops again!

The church didn't have anything like that, so our stewardship committee added a rainy day fund to the budget last year, and we have been blessed to put that money back all year long! We didn't have enough in that rainy day fund when our roof finally gave way and the water rushed in. We had to come to all of you, you gave generously, and God blessed your faithfulness! We have a new roof, and there's money accumulating in that rainy day fund to fix and/or replace other items that come up as needed.

This same Biblical principle is important in our own lives as well. We must put back in order to have enough when emergencies hit our lives.

3. Be Content!

* Hebrews 13:5 (The Message) - Don't be obsessed with getting more material things. Be relaxed with what you have. Since God assured us, "I'll never let you down, never walk off and leave you,"

There is a misconception in the church today that God is concerned with us having the absolute best of the best of everything. The "Name it and Claim it" or "Believe it and Receive it" gospel is popular, but totally flawed. Some preachers and televangelists take the passages that speak of God's blessings and extravagant love for us and twist it so badly that their followers end up coming out thinking that God wants them to dress in $500 suits and drive $60,000 Cadillacs, so they go out and buy those things on credit and end up going bankrupt, all the while being told that their faith isn't strong enough to allow God to bless them!

This is utter nonsense and completely un-Biblical! God is not concerned with giving us our foolish human desires, and He certainly doesn't condone us going into extreme debt to get what we want either! God calls us to be content with what we have, and to not allow material possessions to be a stumbling block.

It kills me that my 2005 Chrysler mini-van with 68,000 miles on it was eligible for the "Cash for Clunkers" program! All that program did for many was put them further in debt by taking and JUNKING their perfectly fine higher mileage vehicle and putting the millstone of a brand new car payment around their collective family neck... My version of "Cash for Clunkers" is the Dave Ramsey version, which is that I'm going to drive my "Clunker" and save my cash!

As Christians, we should be content with what we have and save up for what we want so that we don't have to put ourselves in debt for new toys.

A good saying for us to live by in this area is this : Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without".

4. Work Hard

* Proverbs 14:23 (The Message) - ²³ Hard work always pays off; mere talk puts no bread on the table.

* Proverbs 28:19 (The Message) - ¹⁹ Work your garden—you'll end up with plenty of food; play and party—you'll end up with an empty plate

Working is a principle that is shown all throughout the Scriptures! We are called to work hard, and to do our absolute best!

* Colossians 3:23 (The Message) - ^22-25Servants, do what you're told by your earthly masters. And don't just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you'll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you're serving is Christ. The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being a follower of Jesus doesn't cover up bad work.

Some of you are working 2 and 3 jobs to get out of debt or just to make ends meet. Don't get discouraged, for the Lord is with you! He has provided you those jobs to take care of your needs, so work hard and do your best, for it is for Him that you should be working! Some of you have been laid off and are currently living on unemployment. Many of you have been using that time for Godly ventures that He is blessing immensely! Even in the midst of not working at a job, you are still working for the Lord, so take advantage of the opportunities to show Him to the world that He gives you! For those who's needs are met by working 1 job, be thankful, and see how God might lead you to meet the needs of those who don't have work or are working multiple jobs to try and make ends meet.

5. Seek Godly Counsel

* Psalm 1:1 (New International Version) - ¹ Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked

* Proverbs 15:22 (New International Version) - ²² Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.

Godly counsel in the ways of good stewardship are VERY important in order to have success in this area! You've seen the commercials for Fidelity financial planning, right? "Stay on the line and you'll succeed!" We need the same kind of help, but spiritually. Godly men and women who have had success in the area of finances are great sources to help you "stay on the line" when it comes to stewardship. There are also some Biblically based professional groups that can help you with this as well.

One is Financial Peace University, developed by Dave Ramsey. www.daveramsey.com

Another is Crown Financial Ministries. www.crown.org

These groups are nationally known, and have materials that can help you to develop a budget, get out of debt, STAY out of debt, put back a rainy day fund, save for retirement, and still afford some of the fun things that we'd all like to have. All with Biblical foundations!

If we are to answer the call in our lives to show the world what living according to Biblical principles looks like, finances are a major part of that example. Far too many Christians live in self-imposed poverty and cry out to God to save them from their own mess. We can only Live the Adventure that God has for us if we follow his principles, and Living that Adventure is enhanced by good stewardship of our God-given resources.