Never underestimate the power of words

Genesis 11; Matthew 10; Ezra 10; Acts 10

An odd thing about sin is it can unite people, not to do good but to carry out evil plans. Gangs, underworld groups, some politicians, even bullies on the playground will get together to carry out their intentions. It began early in human history in a plain in the land of Shinar.

Then the people said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.” (Genesis 11:4–7)

God knew their intentions were anti-God and sinful. They were supposed to fill the earth (Genesis 9:1) He also knew what to do about their sin. What the people considered their greatest strength — unity — He swiftly destroyed by confusing their language. What they considered their greatest fear — scattering — happened naturally to them. What they desired most — to make a name for themselves — ironically came to pass, for they became known as “Babel” — the word means confusion. This judgment shows up even in today’s news, not just in that area but throughout the world as confusion seems to reign.

In Ezra’s time, the people of God fell under judgment too. They had intermarried with pagans which God had forbidden. However, they had a different response to their sin than those in Shinar; they repented (Ezra 10:1) We all sin and fall short of the glory of God. Forgiveness is there, but like any gift, it must be received. The people in Ezra’s time reversed their behavior and God blessed them.

Much later, the Word of God, His very language, became flesh. Words and language gave us the good news: faith in Jesus Christ reverses the curse on sin. It no longer needs to unite people against God and divide people against one another. Here are the words of Jesus as He sent His disciples to tell others of God’s plan:

“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 10:16–22)

Right away, the early church experienced a reversal of Babel when the Word gave His followers the ability to speak in tongues or other languages so that thousands of visitors to Jerusalem could understand the Gospel. He gave Peter words to say that united listeners as they put their faith in Him. Peter spoke to Jews and Gentiles and God blessed his words that told how, “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.”

Peter explained Jesus’ death and resurrection and the good news, “And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” (Acts 10:34–43)

Language and words have the power to unite or divide. Proverbs 18:21 says that death and life are in the power of the tongue. Sinful, toxic words can unite people against God and divide them against one another. God’s words can unite people in Christ even as they separate us from sin. All this is His gentle reminder: Elsie, put away crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. (Proverbs 4:24) How I talk marks whether I live in Christ who is the Word of God — or in confusion along with others on the plains of Shinar.

Mark his words . . .

If I had three years to live and the power of God to do whatever He asked, what would those years look like? What would I do? Who would I talk to? How would my life change?

Mark is the second book in the New Testament. He did not walk with Jesus but writes from hindsight about the short but busy years of Jesus’ ministry. He was a native of Jerusalem (Acts 12:12), a companion of Simon Peter (1 Peter 5:13), and the cousin of Barnabas (Colossians 4:10), familiar with the life of Christ and the early church. His book was cited as “the interpreter of Peter” because when it is compared with Peter’s sermon in Acts 10:34–43 it is similar yet adds greater detail.

Mark presents Jesus as the servant of God. He uses the Greek word eutheos forty-two times. It means “immediately” and describes how Jesus ministered to needy people. The book I am reading outlines Mark by focusing on the schedule Jesus kept.

Introduction & Preparatory events	1:1-13
First tour of Galilee—Miracles and parables	1:14–4:34
Tour of Decapoli	4:35–5:43
Second tour of Galilee	6:1–29
Retreat to the desert	6:30–52
Third tour of Galilee	6:53–7:23
Tour of the north country	7:24–9:29
First announcement of passion	8:31
Fourth tour of Galilee	9:30–50
Second announcement of passion	9:31
Tour of Perea and Judea	10:1–52
Third announcement of passion	10:33
Ministry in Jerusalem	11:1–13:37
The passion and resurrection	14:1–16:20

Just a quick glance at the first part of Mark shows me that Jesus had a full calendar. My Bible has His words in red letters revealing His priorities.

Call sinners to repentance: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15)

Call those who repent to follow Him: And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” (Mark 1:17)

Deal with evil forces: He met a man with a demon, one of Satan’s workers who lies and destroys, but Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” (Mark 1:25)

Prayer and reaching out to everyone: “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, and they found him and said to him, ‘Everyone is looking for you.’ And he said to them, ‘Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.’ And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons. (Mark 1:35–39)

Healing: And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” (Mark 1:40–41)

Healing also that His power to forgive was made known:

And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” (Mark 2:8–11)

Calling sinners to new life: And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. (Mark 2:14)

And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:16–17)

Mark goes on but this is enough to give me thoughts for today. If I could do what Jesus did, my focus would change. His attention was on the spiritual and physical needs of others. He didn’t spend time in self-indulgence or trying to make Himself comfortable or popular. He simply did what He could to show sinners that He was their Savior, the One who could deal with their spiritual enemies and make them whole.

^^^^^^^^^^^

I’m not Jesus, but You live in me. How can I get out of the way and let Your life shine out of my life? How can I better serve You by serving others? Enable me to be quick to respond as You open my eyes to Your plans for each day.

Feeling Useless?

Sometimes I feel so useless. Is this relative to the strong work ethic of my up-bringing? My dad seldom got on my case for being idle, but he did say much about the neighbors who were ‘lazy’ or unproductive. I’ve felt that if I wasn’t doing something useful, then I was useless.

However, God has changed my thinking, which is part of being a Christian. (See Romans 12:2) Feeling useless is akin to helplessness, to being needy. Those feelings should lead me to greater dependence on the Lord. Relying on myself will never produce a sense of usefulness in the same way that relying on God does. Doing things that I plan and implement in my own strength is useless compared to doing the will of God according to His plan and by the power of the Holy Spirit. Even Jesus Christ needed to be filled with the Holy Spirit . . .

So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” (Acts 10:34–43)

The phrase that instructs me is in italics: “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.”

A careful reading of the Gospels shows that this was true for all that Jesus did. He was fully human and fully God, fully exemplified what it means to depend on the power of the Holy Spirit by laying aside His power as God and living like one of us . . .

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:5–8)

Feeling useless can be a pride thing, a desire to be important or valuable, but it can also be the threshold to humility, to realizing that I am nothing on my own and I need God’s strength. If Jesus Christ did all that He did in the power of the Holy Spirit, how could I suppose I’m able to do anything in my own power? Feeling unable should be the norm and feeling useless needs to point me in that direction. As Tozer says, some Christians accomplish very little for God — we need to be filled with His Spirit to be busily and fruitfully doing His will.

^^^^^^^^^

Jesus, today I feel ‘useless’ because of my health issues, but You reminded me yesterday afternoon that it is in weakness that Your strength is perfected. May this sense of being unable cause me to rely on You more and more. I know that with Your grace and power, I can do whatever You want me to do — and that is enough.