Hearing the Son of Man

"I don't know what to believe!  Who is right?  There are so many views and everybody has verses to support what they are presenting."  So, in a tense fit of frustration, one inmate stormed out of a meeting with another inmate and myself, this week

Earlier, Will, Dustin, and I finished oral story-telling questions around the Mark 9 account of the transfiguration with personal applications for me, as well.  Dustin processes through making right life decisions. Tom struggles with emotional and spiritual stability.  Phil works through passages about end-time prophesies.

Foundations for right decisions

Dustin and I connected at the Kent Public Library and was at the MRJC some time ago.  He in a great place spiritually that lays a foundation for some significant life decisions.  He wants to do what is really right.  The Mark 9 text focused our hearts on the work of Jesus.

In the oral Bible story-telling method, OBSM, we walk through an ordered sequence of questions as we dig deeper and deeper into the text. Here is the format I always find remarkably useful as I share 1-to-1 and in small groups:

1.     Observations

               Discovery--What is ….there for?  5 W’s and H

·         Context:  setting, circumstances, challenges

·         Characters:  individuals in the narrative

·         Conversations:  dialog and meaning to characters and plot

·         Choices: actions taken, other things they could have done

·         Consequences: results of actions taken 

2.     Applications

·         What character did you identify with?

·         What did the story mean to you? 

·         How did God speak to you?

·         How did the story change your understanding of Scripture?

·         How does it change your beliefs, attitudes, and actions?

3.     Summary

·         What timeless truths and personal stakes, are revealed to you?

·         What does this story teach you about God, yourself, and others?

·         How does it change our lives?

The text, again, is Mark 9:1-13

    "And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.”
    And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.
    And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean. And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” And he said to them, “Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”
     

Ministries of the Transfigured Christ
I was struck by the names and activities of Jesus and what each underscores about His ongoing ministry in my own life, first, and then for those I am sharing with.

He brought Peter, James, and John with Him as He is with us.
He transfigured with Elijah and Moses before them.
He is Rabbi, the recognized Authority and loving Teacher.
He is the Beloved Son whom we are to hear with our hearts and minds.
He is twice referred to as the Son of Man.
He prophesied He would rise from the dead. He is the One who will suffer many things and be treated with contempt.

Admidst differing views
Later, I spoke with Tom, who is struggling with many spiritual voices around him. He listens to several religious volunteers from multiple ministries who are telling him conflicting messages about Jesus.  Some do not present Jesus as God.  Some do.  They teach in all kinds of directions, flayed his arms and raising his voice. He shared they all seem to have Biblical support for their views.  Since many have conflicting views, he was distressed over who and what to believe.  

My place is to read the Scriptures, encourage him, and direct him to pray and come to his own conclusions, for now.  I suggested he carefully read the Gospel of John and that I am available to answer his questions and listen. 

 Later when I returned to his unit, Tom made a special effort to pull me aside to repeat the 27 books of the New Testament and was not as stressed as earlier.

Prophesy lifts up Jesus as the Son of Man
Finally, Phil reads and studies about end-time prophesies. So, building on the message about Jesus as the Son of Man, we walked through a study from Daniel 7:13-14, Psalm 2:7-9, Matthew 24:30 and 26:64, Acts 1:9-11, and Revelation 1:7.  He is the Anointed One, the Chosen Christ, Messiah.   

A glorified and transfigured Jesus is referred to as the Son of Man also just a little later in Revelation 1...

Son of Man in Revelation 1

    "Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.
    When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades."  ~Revelation 1:12-18 ESV

 

  

Story-telling with Will

Daily Bible readings

Several months ago, I shared about Will, a 17 year-old inmate at the MRJC, who continues to hunger for the Word of God and displays a changed life.

He was very active in gang communities and as a result was in and out of his area high school, mostly out.  As a juvenile, under 18, in the adult detention facility, he is facing heavy charges.  

Some time ago, I introduced Will to the Robert Murray McCheyne daily Bible reading plan. This plan works through the Old Testament once and the Psalms and New Testament twice throughout the year. 

What a privilege to witness what the Lord is doing in his life.  I can see the change in his eyes and spirit.  It's not about guilt or innocence relating to his case. He doesn't ask me to pray that he would get out of trouble or get less prison time.  He is peaceful and listens carefully. If he gets the chance, he will be a great student.

He took a timeout recently in his McCheyne plan and started studying the Gospel of Mark.  We read through the Mark transfiguration account this morning during a one-on-one visit using the story-telling method I learned through Tom Horton, my Rural Church Youth Ministry long-time friend originally from Boulevard Park Presbyterian Church.

The story-telling oral teaching method involves first reading the passage outloud and then recounting the story by memory while the partner follows along.  Then, we read the passage aloud, again.  We'll ask a series of questions about the text when we meet again, tomorrow.

Here is the text:  
"And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them.

The transfiguration of Jesus

And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 

And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 

And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” 

And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.
And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean. 

And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” And he said to them, “Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”   ~Mark 9:1-13 ESV

He isn't even 18 and yet I am amazed by his growth and depth.

Susannah Spurgeon's work with Charles

The remedy of self-sacrificing service--the ministry of Susannah Spurgeon 

By Susan Verstraete 

Spurgeon as young preacher

"Charles Spurgeon was only nineteen years old when he was called to be the pastor of the New Park Street Chapel, the church Susannah Thompson attended occasionally with friends. She was singularly unimpressed when she first heard him preach. 

"The eloquence and powerful sermons of the “boy preacher” were the talk of London, but all Susannah could see was a country bumpkin with a bad haircut, a ridiculous blue polka dot handkerchief and a black silk cravat that was much too large to be in style.

"As Susannah listened to Spurgeon’s preaching in the following weeks, she gradually turned her attention away from the dress of the messenger and toward the message he delivered. 

"She came to church more often as the Holy Spirit used Spurgeon’s preaching to expose her shallowness and indifference to the things of God. She sought counsel from Charles and others, and after struggling for a few months, came to a full assurance of faith in Jesus Christ. Charles and Susannah’s new friendship deepened to something more over the next year, and when he proposed marriage, she joyfully accepted.

Susannah

"It was an odd courtship. Charles had little free time to devote to Susannah. One of their regular dates consisted of Susannah quietly minding her own business while Charles edited his weekly sermon for publication. Susannah once accompanied Charles to a speaking engagement in a crowded venue. As they walked in, Charles was preoccupied with the message he was about to deliver. He turned into a side door, completely forgetting about Susannah, who found herself abandoned in the crushing crowd to find her own way to a seat. Miffed, she left the building and took a cab home to her parents’ house."

"Mrs. Thompson was not as sympathetic to the perceived slight as her daughter expected her to be. Wisely, she urged Susannah never to try to make herself an idol in her fiancée’s heart. Charles was God’s servant first and foremost, and she warned Susannah that she must never hinder his ministry. 

"Susannah wrote, “I never forgot the teaching of that day; I had learned my hard lesson by heart, for I do not recollect ever again seeking to assert my right to his time and attention when any service for God demanded them.”¹

^{Charles Spurgeon's ongoing influence in my life}

^{Charles Spurgeon is one of my very best library friends as I read his sermons and books regularly and enjoy editing his sermons to distribute to inmates at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent where I serve as a chaplain through Prisoners for Christ Outreach Ministries.  The men have been very appreciative and many ask for more and more.}

^{His sermon on his conversion at 15 years-old in 1850 is based on, “Look unto me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other." Isaiah 45:22}

^{Here is a YouTube link to an hour and nine minute story of Charles and Susannah Spurgeon:  Documentary and account of CHS}

^{I read and carefully studied his "The Soul winner," first in 1979 and have gladly reread and gained deeper applications from it several times since then.  I have been challenged by "Lectures to my students" and his devotional "Morning and evening,"in the late 1970's, during my seminary and early season of pastoral ministry, and even now.  I regularly post quotes from Spurgeon on Facebook.}

Susannah's partnership in ministry

Blogger Susan Verstraete continued, "So instead of vying to be the focus of Charles’ attention, she became a true partner in his ministry. After they married, Spurgeon would call his “wifey” to come and help him on Saturday afternoons. Together they read commentaries and discussed the Scripture for the next day’s sermon. 

"Susannah was Charles’ sounding board and emotional support. When he was discouraged, she read to him from Baxter’s Reformed Pastor or from the poetry of George Herbert. Susannah counseled women and girls in the church and carefully taught her twin boys. She managed their household wisely, uncomplainingly endured separations as Charles traveled, and welcomed him home when he returned. Her days were full and their little family was happy.

"But then Susannah became chronically ill. For long seasons, she was unable to accompany her husband to church and was often confined to bed. Discouraged and confused, Susannah cried out to God. Later, she would write, ” . . . the moment we come into any trial or difficulty, our first thought should be, not how soon can we escape from it, or how we may lessen the pain we shall suffer from it, but how can we best glorify God in it . . .”²

"But how could Susannah glorify God or minister with her husband while confined to a sick room?

"In the summer of 1875, Charles completed the first volume of his book, Lectures to My Students. He gave a proof copy to Susannah and asked her opinion of it. After reading it, she said, “I wish I could place it in the hands of every minister in England.” Charles quipped, “Then why not do so; how much will you give?”³

Youthful Charles and Susannah

"Susannah took the challenge seriously. She had, on a whim, been saving crown pieces as she happened to get them. When she counted them out, there were exactly enough coins to buy 100 copies of the new book. Charles announced in his magazine that 100 copies of Lectures to my Students would be mailed to poor pastors at no charge. Orders flooded in for the books from English ministers, many of whom were so strapped for money that they hadn’t bought a new book in years. Susannah mailed out the books and received dozens of grateful letters in thanks. 

"Some pastors wept when the precious volumes arrived. 

"Spurgeon announced the results in the next issue of his magazine and asked his readers to help continue the work. Donations poured in. Though they never again asked for funds, enough money continued to trickle in over the years to distribute hundreds of thousands of theological books.

"Susannah often worked from her sick bed, keeping track of the finances and corresponding with pastors. A room in their home was dedicated to storing and shipping books. As long as Susannah was well enough, volunteers would come in once every two weeks to help pack books for shipping.

"Charles later wrote about the effect the labor involved in the book fund had on his wife. “Our gracious Lord has ministered to His suffering child in the most effectual manner when He graciously led her to minister to the necessities of His servants. . . . Let every believer accept this as the inference of experience: that for most human maladies, the best relief and antidote will be found in the self-sacrificing work for the Lord Jesus.”^4"

____________________________

¹ Harrald, Joseph and Spurgeon, Susannah, The Autobiography of Charles Spurgeon, Vol. 1, Banner of Truth, 1962, pg. 289
²Spurgeon, Susannah, Morning Devotions included in the book Free Grace and Dying Love, Banner of Truth, 2006, pg. 83
³Ray, Charles, The Life of Susannah Spurgeon, included in the book Free Grace and Dying Love, Banner of Truth, 2006, pg. 196-197
⁴ Harrald, Joseph and Spurgeon, Susannah, The Autobiography of Charles Spurgeon, Vol. 2, Banner of Truth, 1962, pg. 462

Copyright © 2008 Susan Verstraete    www.CCWtoday.org

Extraordinary praying like Luther

Charles Spurgeon

Charles H. Spurgeon related this incident about answered prayer in one of his sermons.

"Oh! to have heard Luther pray!  Luther, you know, when Melancthon was dying, went to his death-bed, and said, “Melancthon, you shall not die!”

“Oh,” said Melancthon, “I must die! It is a world of toil and trouble.”

“Melancthon,” said he, “I have need of thee, and God’s cause has need of thee, and as my name is Luther, thou shalt not die!” The physician said he would. Well, down went Luther on his knees, and began to tug at death. Old death struggled mightily for Melancthon, and he had got him well nigh on his shoulders."

Philipp Melancthon

Philipp Melanchthon (1497 – 1560), born Philipp Schwartzerdt, was a German reformer, collaborator with Martin Luther, the first systematic theologian of the Protestant Reformation.  Wikapedia notes he was the intellectual leader of the Lutheran Reformation, and an influential designer of educational systems. He stands next to Luther and John Calvin as a reformer, theologian, and molder of Protestantism. As much as Luther, he is the primary founder of Lutheranism.

Martin Luther

“Drop him,” said Luther, “drop him, I want him.”

“Ho,” said death, “he is my prey, I will take him!”

“Down with him,” said Luther, “down with him, death, or I will wrestle with thee!”

"And he seemed to take hold of the grim monster, and hurl him to the ground, and he came off victorious, like Orpheus with his wife, up from the very shades of death.  He delivered Melancthon from death by prayer!

“Oh,” you say, Spurgeon concluded, 'that is an extraordinary case.' No, beloved, not one-half so extraordinary as you dream. I have men and women here who have done the same in other cases; that have asked a thing of God, and have had it; that have been to the throne, and showed a promise, and said they would not come away without its fulfillment, and have come back from God’s throne conquerors of the Almighty; for prayer moves the arm that moves the world."

Extraordinary needs of prayer

At the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent where I serve as a chaplain, there are two inmates I'd like to share about in Ty and Lou.  Ty has been at the MRJC since 2009 while Lou just came in several months ago

Ty has been at the MRJC a long time and has gone through a cycle of rotating public defender attorneys to get to his upcoming trial in March after multiple continuances.  ty and I actively pray about his real understanding of growing in his relationship with Jesus.  He participates in the Union Gospel Mission life skills weekly program and with me in mentoring sometimes twice weekly.

Lou came into the MRJC over the past month. We meet together about twice weekly and I just try to be a quiet listener.  He has a solid faith and church ministry background with a complex history that led to his incarceration. He shared with me coming to a point of fresh surrender, this past week.

He could face up to 10 years of prison time so we are praying together about resentments and yielding difficult relationships to the Lord.