Imagine going into each day, sent by God, looking for those opportunities to do good works that He prepared for you before you were even born. That has a way of changing the outlook of a day into one that is loaded with possibilities and purpose. The life of Jesus was defined and guided by the knowledge that He was sent by the Father. This was always on His mind. It kept Him accountable and focused. What makes us think that it is any different for us? When we lose this sense of being sent, as a church or as individuals, we run the danger of being taken off course by many distractions. The result? Our life, or our ministry, is unproductive. In Titus 3:14, God says, 

“Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may provide for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives.”  
 

We know all too well the stories of those who lost focus along the way. John Stott expresses it this way: 

“The Christian landscape is strewn with the wreckage of derelict, half-built towers—the ruins of those who began to build and were unable to finish. For thousands of people still ignore Christ’s warning and undertake to follow him without first pausing to reflect on the cost of doing so. The result is the great scandal of Christendom today, so-called ‘nominal Christianity.’ In countries to which Christian civilization has spread, large numbers of people have covered themselves with a decent but thin veneer of Christianity. They have allowed themselves to become somewhat involved, enough to be respectable but not enough to be uncomfortable. Their religion is a great, soft cushion. It protects them from the hard unpleasantness of life, while changing its place and shape to suit their convenience. No wonder the cynics speak of hypocrites in the church and dismiss religion as escapism” (p. 108). 

God is looking for people who will enter into this day with the awareness that He has sent them with a purpose. When our hearts are ablaze with His purpose, the world will take notice that we too have been with Jesus. Go ahead, put your name in the blank: “___________________ served God’s purpose.” Let it begin with this day. One day at a time—wouldn’t it be great to be able to say that in this day you served God’s purpose?
 

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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

Rev. Dr. Brent L Parrish

What was it like to hang out with Jesus on a daily basis, constantly hearing Him refer to His being sent? It would have to rub off on those He was with during those three years. It did. Years later, the influence of Jesus can be heard through Peter’s words when he wrote: 

 “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God that you may declare the praises of him who called you of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (1 Peter 2:9-10). 

Peter did not always see things this way. In the beginning, when Jesus asked him to become a fisher of men, Peter’s response was to ask Jesus to get out of the boat. Now, here is Peter with that same inner sense of being sent by God to carry out a specific mission in life. 

 As Jesus lived out His life with a clear sense of being sent by the Father, He then sent not only Peter, but you and me and every church that bears His name into the world. In years past, the emphasis in the local church was placed more on supporting those missionaries who had been sent into the mission field. In a world that has changed and now resembles more the world of the first century, the vision needs to be raised up within each church that every member is a missionary. 

Think of it in this way: Wherever you go in the day ahead—to the office or to the classroom or to the mall—go into the day as one who is sent. How would it change your routine to go with the sense of being sent? It was that sense of purpose that compelled Jesus each and every day. It is that sense of purpose that He now places before us when He says, 

“As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” (John 20:21). 

This is the sense I get when I read these well known words of Ephesians 2: 

 “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (vs. 10).
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

Rev. Dr. Brent L Parrish

Dr. Hugh Moorhead, a philosophy professor at Northeastern Illinois University, wrote to 250 of the world’s best philosophers, scientists, writers, intellectuals and key thinkers, asking them, “What is the meaning of life?” Some offered their best guess and others admitted that they just made up a purpose. Others were pretty straight-forward and said they had no idea. Some of them wrote to him and asked him to write back and tell them if he discovered the purpose of life (Chicago Review Press, 1988). 

Knowing the purpose for which you exist is the key to living a productive and fruitful life. This is true for individuals, as it is true for congregations. 

The effective churches are those who minister with a sense of purpose, evaluating everything in light of that purpose. Those individuals that I have known whose lives have been fruitful and productive live with an inner awareness that God has sent them into this world to accomplish something. 

When I consider the life of Jesus, I see Him in this way. He lived each day with an awareness of being sent. From the Gospel of John, this becomes so apparent. Read the verses that follow slowly and thoughtfully. Ponder and reflect on what they reveal about the life of Jesus: 

“Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of Him who sent me, and to finish His work’” (4:34). 

“By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me” (5:30). 

“For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me” (6:38). 

“But I know him because I am from him and he sent me” (7:29). 

“The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him” (8:29). 

“As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work” (9:4). 

“Then Jesus cried out, ‘When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me’” (12:44-45). 

“For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it” (12:49). 

“I tell you the truth, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me” (13:20).

“Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (17:3). 

“For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me” (17:8). 

“As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world” (17:18). 

“Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you’” (20:21).
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

Rev. Dr. Brent L Parrish

The wedding was beautiful. The reception that followed was relaxed elegance. Following the wedding, Elizabeth, and her husband, Seth, traveled to New York where they would set sail for a honeymoon cruise to Bermuda. As they sailed out of the New York harbor on the morning of September 9, they stood on the top deck, looking at the skyline. They were going to take some pictures but decided to wait until they returned. That return trip never happened—at least not to New York. Following their cruise, they were directed a week later to the harbor in Philadelphia. They would not return to New York as a result of September 11, and they would not return to the same world from which they had departed as newlyweds. They were beginning their married life in a world that changed overnight. 

Prior to September 11, the world seemed to function with certain predictable rules and outcomes. There was a certain routine to life that many found comfortable and secure. Since that time, life seems less familiar and secure. 

Although unrelated to September 11, this is not a great deal different from what is going on within the Church today. The Church of the 50’s and the 60’s existed in an environment that was friendly and familiar. The church was accepted and influential within society. 

The times have changed. It did not happen overnight, but it has and is changing fast. When I first came out of seminary, one out of four couples lived together before marriage. Now it is closer to three out of four. Instead of referring to “families,” it is more accurate to refer to “households” because of so many different blends of relationships living under one roof. The traditional family is almost the exception rather than the norm. Lately we hear of courtroom battles challenging “one nation under God '' in the pledge of allegiance and “In God We Trust '' on currency. The battle for defining marriage intensifies over questions that were almost unthinkable just fifty years ago. For those of you who are old enough, do you remember Elvis and how on the Ed Sullivan Show the camera would not scan down to show his shaking hips on television? The times have changed. 

In all of this, the Church, for the most part, has not changed. In many ways, that is good. The teaching based on God’s unchanging truth is the same. The Cross is central. Christ is Lord. In other ways, though, it is not good. The church is perceived as not struggling with the issues of the world. In fact, there are many who would view the Church as being immoral, because they do not see the Church as wrestling with the serious issues of abortion, poverty, homosexuality, or Aids, to mention a few. When I first heard this, I was offended and insulted. I thought, “How dare they.” The more I thought about it, though, I began to wonder. Does the world see the Church as issuing moral judgments with no serious dialogue going on among people? When was the last time I encouraged serious conversation to occur over these issues? Don’t get me wrong. I stand with the Church on these issues. However, how can we engage in a meaningful conversation with those who are increasingly viewing the Church as being irrelevant and disconnected with the real issues of life? 

It is important to struggle with this question, because the world is spiritually very hungry and thirsty. There is a spiritual revival going on in America. It is just not happening within the Church. When I was growing up, Billy Graham was viewed as America’s pastor. Today, I believe that Oprah Winfrey would be identified more in that role. 

Many churches today find themselves struggling to hold their own with rising finances and decreasing attendance. Meanwhile, there is the Wal-Mart mindset that creeps into the church. People’s expectations as to what the church should do for them continually increase . 

It all sounds depressing, doesn’t it? In one way, it is. Yet, in another way, it is not. There is a bright and hopeful future for the Church— not for the church as we’ve known it; I believe those days and that church are of the past. The Church, however, of my faith’s confession is alive and well throughout the world today. In the Nicene Creed, we confess, “I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church.” 

The word apostle means “one who is sent out or away.” When we confess our faith in the “apostolic Church,” we are not only saying that our church is rooted in the apostles’ teachings but that we, like they, are sent out. In other words, everyone within the local church is a missionary. Each person is sent out. Could you imagine the two men who walked with Jesus to Emmaus staying there with what they learned? Could you imagine them sitting at the table saying, “Let’s wait until the rest come to us, and we will tell them who we met along the road”? No, they immediately got up and hoofed it back to Jerusalem to tell the others, “It is really true—He is alive!” 

 We are not to sit back. We are sent out with the saving message that God loves the world. He shows that love by giving us His only Son. It is His Son, Jesus, who takes our punishment upon Himself, so that we can now call God “Father.” Enjoy and appreciate the rich and precious gift that is yours to call God “Father.” We had lost that right in the rebellion and disobedience of our sin. Not everyone born is a child of God. A creation of God? Yes. A child of God? No. Only those who know Jesus as their Savior and brother are able to call God their Father. This is a message that is unique to the world. No other religion lays claim to this. While the Islamic faith rejects outright any thought of God as Father, a recent survey of six hundred former Muslims who had become Christians reveals that one of the factors in their conversion was the emphasis on the love of God and the intimacy that we have with Him as our heavenly Father (Sproul, p. 33). 

 We are the “sent ones” into a world that is hungry to hear the Good News. This is not some new thought or fad. This is the prayer of Jesus. As He faced His own brutal death, most on His mind and heart was the future of the Church. He prayed, 

“My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world" (John 17:16-18).  

Jesus understood that the disciples would have to be sent. The world was not about to come to them. They would be engaging the world on its home turf. Back in the 50’s and 60’s, the world surrounding the church, at least in America, was familiar. The church was playing on its own home field. In sports, home field advantage is key. The crowd is friendly. The playing field is known. In the life of the church, we have lost the home field advantage. Today, we are not living in a churched culture. That does not cause me to despair. It does, however, cause me to say with even greater boldness, “I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church.” 

Elizabeth and Seth’s ship had come back to a different harbor and to a different country than the one they left seven days earlier. As a result, now more than ever, we need to see that the vessel of “one holy Christian and apostolic Church” is not a cruise ship for the comfort of its passengers, but a rescue ship sent out with a life-saving mission. Ships are safe in the harbor, but that is not what ships are built for. The vessel of the Church has been sent out to sail into the waters of a changing world with an unchangeable message of God’s love in Christ Jesus.
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

Rev. Dr. Brent L Parrish

If rocks could talk, what a story they would tell! The rock upon which Jacob slept (Genesis 28:11) could testify of a God who gives second chances to people who have fallen, cheated and schemed like Jacob. The stone that provided water for Moses and the Israelites (Exodus 17:6) would remind us of a God who provides for our needs in the wilderness of life. The stone upon which the Law of God had been written (Exodus 31: 18) could talk about the love of a God who sought through words written in His own hand to provide His people with an opportunity to respond to His loving act of deliverance. Upon that stone, God was establishing the basis for our relationship with Him throughout the rest of Scripture (i.e., Because I have done this for you, therefore I ask you now to do this in response). Then in 1 Samuel 17: 40, little pebbles that fit into the hand of a shepherd boy could remind us of our God who defeats the giants in our life, no matter how imposing and impossible they seem at first. In the life of Jesus, there are any number of rocks and stones. What would the stones that Satan used to tempt Jesus to turn them into bread (Matthew 4:3) have to say to us? What testimony could they offer as to how Satan tempts us so precisely to the desires of our heart? Yet, in Jesus we see the Word of God giving the strength to resist and not buckle beneath temptation. Then in John 8:7, what story of love and mercy could be told by that one stone held in the hand of Jesus? An angry and self-righteous mob stood ready to throw stones at the head of the adulterous woman. Jesus holds up one stone. “Let him who is without sin, cast the first stone.” One by one they leave until only Jesus and the woman are left. Of what would the stone at Lazarus’ grave testify (John 11:38-44)? 

Then there are the rocks of Palm Sunday. If these rocks could talk, they would remind us that we were created for the praise of God. 

 “‘I tell you,’ he replied, ‘If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out’” (Luke 19:40). 

 The religious leaders wanted Jesus to quiet the crowd. Jesus sternly reminds them that the praise of God is not something that can be stilled. You and I were created to praise God and to bring glory to His name. 

“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure to the praise of his glorious grace” (Ephesians 1:4-6)
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

Rev. Dr. Brent L Parrish

Telling someone what you have learned about God’s forgiveness is one thing. Telling God’s forgiveness is one thing. Telling someone who has hurt you, “I forgive you” is another story altogether. 

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32). 

It would be so much easier for me if “kind” and “compassionate” were in reverse order. “Kind” is an action-oriented word. “Compassionate” is a feeling-oriented word. Placing them in that order calls upon me to act kindly toward a person whether the feelings precede those actions or not. I would rather wait until I feel like it. God in His wisdom understands, however, that so often action needs to precede feelings. The first and foremost action is that of forgiveness. 

Now before we go too much further, let’s clarify what forgiveness is because there are many misconceptions. Forgiveness is not a matter of forgetting, almost pretending that something never happened. God certainly forgets. He tells us in Jeremiah 31:34b: 

 “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” 

God is able to completely forget and clear out of His thinking or remembrance the wrong that I have done. When I try this, I end up feeling guilty that I must not have forgiven a person when their offense to me keeps rising up in my mind. Forgiveness is as much a process where I must daily die to myself and allow Christ and His love to rise up within me. Joseph of the Old Testament is a great example of one who does not forget. He remembers quite well what his brothers did to him. Through a painstaking process, he works toward reconciliation with his brothers. James R. Bjorge in his book, “Living in the Forgiveness of God,” writes, 

“Forgiveness happens when past resentments are dealt with, not just discarded; are owned, not disowned; are recognized, not repressed; are released, not retained” (p. 60). 

Forgiveness is not forgetting, nor is it excusing. Forgiveness is not a matter of sweeping under the carpet what someone has done to us. Realize that just a few verses before we are told to forgive “just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32), we are also told, “In your anger do not sin” (vs. 26a). Nor is forgiveness a matter of “time heals all wounds.” Sometimes time will only cause bitterness to take root. God’s Word warns, “Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry” (v. 26b). 

Forgiveness involves in our relationships what it did with Jesus on the Cross—the canceling of the debt we believe someone owes us. This does not mean we leave them off the hook. Rather, it means that we take “the knife” out of our “gut.” In “The Art of Forgiveness,” Lewes Smedes writes: 

“When you forgive a person, this does not mean you are immediately healed. When you forgive a person, this does not mean you are going to be buddy/buddy. When we forgive a person, this does not mean we surrender the right to restitution or justice when appropriate. When we forgive a person, this does not mean that we trust them, yet. When we forgive a person, we are not avoiding pain; we are opening the door to healing. When we forgive, we take the journey at the pace we are able to handle . . . the deeper the hurt, the longer the journey” (pp. 177-178)
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,
 

Harold Sherman wrote a book, “How to Turn Failure into Success.” In it, he offers a “Code of Persistence,” listing eight principles for success. These principles may be helpful in some of life’s challenges. The problem I see in them, however, is what happens if you cannot get beyond the first one— # 1: “I will never give up so long as I know I am right.” What happens when you know you are not right? What happens when your sense of personal failure overwhelms you to the point that you cannot move forward? What would this code mean to Peter in light of the events of Good Friday? 

Have you ever wondered what it was like for Peter waking up on that Saturday following the crucifixion? Hours earlier he had been so self-assured, so confident, never believing that he could do such a thing: “Peter declared, ‘Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you’” (Matthew 26:35). 

 Then hours later, he would deny His best friend, his Master, not once but three times. How could he get out of his mind that moment when the eyes of Jesus and his met in the judgment hall? 

 “Peter replied, ‘Man, I don’t know what your’re talking about!’ Just as he was speaking the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: ‘Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.’ And he went outside and wept bitterly” (Luke 22:60-62). 

 How does one stop the tears? Jesus had warned him. He was too full of himself to listen. Now, how does he undo the damage done? Jesus lies in a grave, dead. What is Peter to do with his guilt? Then comes the news: 

 “But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you’” (Mark 16:7). 

The women report that they have seen Jesus. He is alive! He wants to meet with the disciples. Is this good news for Peter and the rest? Or does it add to their terror and fear? If the news is true, how will they face the One they have betrayed and denied? 

 Two words, however, offer comfort and hope: “. . . and Peter.” “Tell His disciples and Peter.” In those two words, the angel of God is signaling Peter that he is loved. The message of the empty tomb is nothing less than that of forgiveness. 

God does not want our sins of the past or our lack of loyalty and love toward Him to keep us distant from Him. “Tell His disciples and Peter.” The compassion and gentle grace of those words are not only for Peter, they are for you and me. Take a pencil and write your name just beneath Peter’s in that verse in your Bible. If you are troubled by past sins or if your heart has wept and wept and nothing undoes the wrong and failure of the past, write your name just below Peter’s. Not all the tears we cry or the good intentions we offer will bridge the gap that our sins have created between us and Jesus. The Good News, however, is that they don’t have to. He bridges that gap. Through His death and resurrection, our sins have been paid for in full. 

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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

Rev. Dr. Brent L Parrish