Attention Deficit

Luke 13:23-24
"A bystander said, “Master, will only a few be saved?” He said, “Whether few or many is none of your business. Put your mind on your life with God. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires your total attention."

In high school, I had one of those teachers who knew everything he needed to know about his subject, felt the passion for the subject in his soul, but couldn't convey that knowledge in a way that a South American tree-sloth would find interesting. If you know who Ben Stein is, you've got a clue as to the level of interest this man can maintain. Watching the grass grow would hold far greater levels of excitement than his teaching. He brings whole new levels of meaning to the word "monotone." His voice was about as interesting as the tone they play for the Emergency Broadcast System. Nothing stood out about this man. He wore almost the exact same suit and tie every day with only slight variations. His hair was combed the same way. His glasses were the same. His lectures were the same...well, they seemed that way.

I can't count the number of times I was caught lost in some world other than his classroom. "Shane, can you tell me who the first Pony Express rider was?" And as I'd wipe the drool from the corner of my mouth and the sleep from my eyes, I would stammer forth with an intelligent: "Pony Express? Huh?"

There was certainly a deficit of my attention in his class.

Until the last day of school, my senior year.

He was dressed as usual. And he began his class as usual. Yes, the last day of school, he wanted to deliver another stimulating lecture on some aspect of government history. As he started into his talk, he reached up and unloosened his tie just a little bit. Then after a while, he unbuttoned the top button of his shirt. With this action, he began to draw our attention. After a few minutes, he took off his tie. Now we were listening...actually, just watching his every move. I can't tell you a thing he said that day. But I will never forget the progression of events which ensued. His passion began to show and he became a little more animated. He then removed his sport-coat. By this time, the whole class began to nervously look at each other. But our eyes never strayed from him for more than a passing glance to our neighbor, so enrapt were we. With about ten minutes left in the class, he took off his white buttoned-down shirt. Our mouths hung open as he stood there teaching in his dress pants, white t-shirt, and dress shoes. With only minutes left, he stopped, turned to face us directly, and he began to undo his belt, and then dropped his pants.

A gasp of pure terror escaped from each mouth at the thought that we were about to see our monotonous educator standing in front of us in his knickers.

He was wearing shorts underneath his pants. We didn't see his undies. Praise God, for I'm sure we'd all have fainted dead away at the sight. With this final action, our normally dry, completely un-funny teacher doubled over laughing hysterically. He quickly re-dressed and as the bell rung, he put his finger up to his lips and simply whispered "Shhhhh."

This was the one moment this man lived for. I almost believe that the only reason he taught was for this moment each year. One moment of complete hilarity. One class taught with our total attention...all eyes affixed to his every move.

Unfortunately, this is how our walk of faith often ends up: one brief moment of Jesus having our total attention. Instead of each day having our complete attention, like my poor teacher, Jesus only rarely enjoys our partial attention...let alone our total attention.

But here, as Jesus talks to a passer-by, He reminds us that the way to His Father requires our eyes being completely fixed on Jesus. Jesus, the Way to God, requires our total attention. We're not to worry about who's going to get to go to Heaven. We're simply supposed to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. We're not to worry about what we're supposed to eat or drink or wear. We're supposed to keep our eyes on Jesus. We're not to spend our time with silly arguments which distract others from Jesus. We're supposed to give Him our total and complete attention.

Tall order. But is our Savior anything like my monotonous teacher? Is our Savior that un-funny? Is Jesus that uninteresting? Is it that big of a challenge for Jesus to hold our attention? It shouldn't be. But so often, we think that we're so much more funny...so much more interesting. So often we think there are more important things to which to give our attention than Jesus.

Jesus, our Savior, told the best stories, the funniest jokes, and could capture the attention of literally thousands of people for hours at a time. Jesus didn't have to do what my teacher did to get our attention. He could simply open His mouth, and out would come words spoken with such passion that it became nigh impossible to devote your attention to anyone or anything else but Him. Imagine being in the presence of Jesus. Imagine hearing His sermon on the mount. Imagine Him stopping to tell parables to the Pharisees. Imagine Him stopping to talk with the children. Imagine being at the last supper.

Everywhere Jesus went, He did not lack for peoples' attention.

Except that last night in the Garden at Gethsemane. And this is where He knew once and for all that He would have to go the way of the cross. He asked for the cup to pass from Him...He asked for another way. But His Father knew this was the only Way and told Him so.

The cross was the only way to get rid of the deficit of our attention. It was the one moment that Jesus lived for...and died for.

The cross was the only way to catch peoples' attention for all of time. It was the last lesson before the bell would ring on history. But this time, at the end of class, Jesus did not tell us to "shhh." This time, Jesus told us to get out there and tell everyone. This final attention-grabbing lesson was no secret to be hidden from the next unsuspecting students. Rather, it was the lesson we are to proclaim to everyone. It is the lesson of His love. It is the lesson of His grace. It is the most-attention-getting lesson of all of time.

Who or what has your attention today? Does Jesus? Does He have a deficit of your attention?

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace." --Helen H. Lemmel, 1922

Be WILD For Christ!

Pastor Shane

All Bark And No Bite

Philippians 3:2-4
"Steer clear of the barking dogs, those religious busybodies, all bark and no bite. All they're interested in is appearances--knife-happy circumcisers, I call them. The REAL believers are the ones the Spirit of God leads to work away at this ministry, filling the air with Christ's praise as we do it."

I will never forget the nasty Boston Terriers our neighbors, the Smileys (real name!) used to have. We used to live in a house right next door to the Smileys. From the age of four until I was seven years old, I dwelled within earshot of those nasty, fiendish, little beasts. Every day, when I was coming home from school, I would have to walk right by their house. And every day, there the little buggers were. To this day, when I see a Boston Terrier, thoughts of canicide fill my mind.

Here I am, a little 6 year old kid, coming home from school, minding my own business. I'm carrying my school bag filled with my Tip and Mitten book, three stubs of pencils, and the leftovers of my lunch in my Hong-Kong Phooey lunchbox. And there is the Smiley's house. It looms there ominously, like the Psycho house up on the hill, housing the two monstrous predatorial canines. I swear, that each day at 3:30, the sky would turn to black, the lightning would crackle down around me, and the very winds of Hades would whip up just to instill an even greater fear within my soul. I would walk silently, tip-toeing my way towards my house, which sat just beyond the Hell that was the Smiley's yard. I would creep closer and closer until...grrrrrrrr...what was that? Was that them? No, it was just the sound of a distant car...bark, bark, bark! Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!! And there they'd come, the hounds of Hell, flying down the hill of their front yard, snapping at my heels, barking all the way, chasing me right up to the front steps of my home where my mother would be waiting for me holding the door open, to then slam in the faces of those foul little beasts.

Each day would go by and I would be safe for another twenty-four hours.

You know, it was interesting, I was never bitten by those dogs. They would chase me every day, but never was I bitten by them. Oh sure, they snapped at my heels, but never did they really bite me.

The little Boston Terriers were more concerned with appearing to be ferocious, than with actually being ferocious. They were more concerned with barking and looking nasty, than with actually being nasty.

They filled the air with barking which had no real bite to it. Their bark was much bigger than their bite.

Do you know Christians like this? They chase you around, telling you that you're not worthy, that you're not focusing on the proper things of the faith, when in actuality, it's difficult to discern what they see as important. They spend so much time decrying your cause that it becomes difficult to discern theirs. Or, they focus on one or two rules for the faith, forgetting the most basic parts of the faith, like being in a love-relationship with Jesus and telling others about Him.

There are folks who focus on worship services who talk about the kinds of things we can and cannot do in worship and they spend so much time barking about worship, that the bite of their own worship becomes a mere snapping at the heels of God. There are folks who focus on Christian behavior who spend all their time barking about what we can and cannot do in our living, and forget to simply live with Jesus everywhere and all of the time. There are those who bark and proclaim "Godly" visions of church buildings filled with people but forget the bite of the Gospel into someone's soul...the actual, transformational, life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ, which tells us that we are radically loved by a wild and crazy God who not only barks His love for us from the Heavens, but bites into our souls with His love, actually coming to earth to love us directly as the Son.

God tells us to forget appearances here in this passage. We are told to focus on the actuality of who we are and how we're living. We are told to fill the air not with the empty barking of diluted theologies, but with the saturated praises of a Living God who promises New Life.

This passage from Paul to the church at Philippi tells us that there is a difference in those who believe: there are those who are all bark and no bite, and there are those who work away at the ministry, filling the air with the praises of Jesus Christ. There are those who talk about "Godly" things who do not really know God. And then there are those who talk about God, so that Godly things can be known. There are those who say they know God, who in reality haven't a clue. And then there are those who are in an intimate love-relationship with Jesus, spending every minute of every day with Him.

These are the people who do not need to bark, because their bite is louder than their bark.

Do you know Jesus? Do you know Him well? Do you recognize His constant presence in your life? Do you feel His constant love for you? Does He feel your constant love for Him? Do you proclaim "Godly" things but in reality have no idea who God is? Or do you know Him so well, that by simply proclaiming His name and walking with Him day-by-day, Godly things are proclaimed in your living?

If you superficially know Jesus and only guess at His love for you, then you can only guess at what it means to live a God-honoring life. And your proclamations of "Godly" living will be empty. Your bark will be louder than your bite.

But if you intimately know Jesus and love Him with all your heart, then you will be one of those Paul talks about as "working away at this ministry, filling the air with Christ's praise." Because you will proclaim Godly living by living with God. Your bite will be louder than your bark.

Which is louder...your bark or your bite?

Be WILD For Christ!

Pastor Shane