The Monday Memo from John Stanko

862: Go and . . . Sin No More

After a week off, we continue with our series focusing on Jesus' words "go and," highlighting the fact that Jesus always put people in motion, so to speak, because faith always requires action of some type. In John 8, there is the story of the woman who was caught in adultery whom the religious leaders brought to Jesus for sentencing. Jesus gave the woman instructions to "go and . . .," and it is that encounter that is the next installment in this series. Let's go there now.

SETTING THE SCENE    

This story raises a few questions that are impossible to answer but first, let's look at the narrative itself:

At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin" (John 8:1-11).

 The questions this story raises are:

1. Why did they only bring the woman and not the man caught in adultery?
2. What was Jesus writing on the ground?
3. Why did the older leaders leave first and then the younger?

We will not take time to speculate on these questions, for we can only surmise and postulate the answers. instead, let's focus on Jesus' response to the woman's alleged sin.

SIN

When Jesus was left alone with the woman, He said that He would not condemn her and then He in essence told her, "Go and stop it!" He did not send her for counseling; He did not lecture her once everyone was gone. He did not remind her of what the Law said. He did not tell her He was disappointed in her. He told her to go and sin no more. What does this tell us?

It tells us that we can too often wallow in our failures, convinced that we must go through major "reconstruction" before God can use us or even have fellowship with us. This encounter reminds of Saul's encounter on the Damascus road. God did not beat Saul over the head with his sin; He simply told him to stop kicking against the goads and then gave him a purpose assignment to the Gentiles.

Perhaps you read this and think I am making light of sin, which of course is terrible and causes repercussions that often affect other people (think of the problems that David's sin caused for his family as one example). Even in David's case, however, God still used and had close fellowship with David. Of course, the best strategy to follow is not to sin. In case that strategy fails, which it usually does, then you must learn how to run to God when you fail.

Have you allowed your failures or weaknesses, even your sins, to disqualify you from fulfilling your purpose and being productive for God? Yes, get counseling if you need it. By all means make restitution and ask forgiveness where necessary. Do what you have to do to get back into the game, so to speak, even if you have to spend time on the disabled list. Jesus was not shocked or scandalized by the woman's sin and we should follow His example by not making sinners pay a higher price for restitution than Jesus would require. Have a blessed week!

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IN KENYA: I am here for two weeks conducting some leadership training and visiting my ministry partners. We successfully raised $2,500 for bunk beds for our orphans here, but that did not include the cost of bedding ($1,800). If you would like to make a contribution toward that expense, please do so using my website or sending a check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 8882, Pittsburgh, PA 15221-0882. Thank you!

861: Go and . . . Wash in the Pool

This week, we continue with our series focusing on Jesus' words "go and," highlighting the fact that Jesus always put people in motion, so to speak, because faith always requires action of some type. In John 9, there is the story of the man born blind, which is one of my favorites. Let's look at this narrative in the light of our current theme:

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man  or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing (John 9:1-7).

THE PLAYERS  

There are three main characters in the first part of this story, and later we meet his parents and the Jewish authorities who were offended by Jesus' miracle, which makes five. The first is the blind man who had never seen in his entire life, a victim of congenital blindness. The second group was made up of Jesus' followers who wanted to debate the reason for the man's condition. The third character was Jesus, who wanted to heal the man. The fourth were his parents, who were so intimidated by the Jewish officials that they could not rejoice at their son's miraculous healing. And the Jewish officials comprised the final group, those who launched a congressional hearing of sorts to get to the bottom of the dastardly deed of healing a blind man on the Sabbath.

The context of this story is Jesus' lesson that He is the light of the world who requires that His disciples do good deeds and fulfill their purpose while they have the chance to do so. Jesus' healing in this case involved the strange act of spitting on the ground, making mud, and then smearing the mud on the man's blind eyes. He them told the man to go and wash in the historic pools of Siloam, built by Hezekiah to provide water in Jerusalem in case the city was ever under siege.

THE LESSONS

Jesus required that the man play a role in his own healing. Jesus told the man to go, something that was not easy for a blind man. Perhaps someone led him or maybe he was familiar with the way to the pool. Whatever the case, the man went immediately and obediently and after he washed, he came back and was healed. The name of the pool literally means "sent" so the man was sent by the Sent One to the pool named Sent to find his healing. Jesus was the start and finish, the Alpha and Omega, of the man's recovery and the same is true for you and me.

People ask me all the time when they find their purpose how they will fulfill their purpose. I had to face the same question in 1991 when I began teaching on purpose. Today 27 years later, I write, publish, travel, speak, consult, broadcast, and coach. The One who gave me my purpose is the same One who has helped me fulfill my purpose. He has been the Alpha and Omega of my purpose - He started it and has helped me achieve it. The same will be true for you.

Now that Jesus has opened your eyes to your purpose and creativity, He will continue to open your eyes but you must "go and . . . ." You must go and write, paint, rhyme, create, learn, expand, give, or travel. You are not to be like some of the characters in John 9 who wanted to debate or judge what Jesus was doing. You must not be like the man's parents who were terrified to embrace the moment. You must be like the blind man who obeyed immediately and, even though he could not see his way forward, found his way. As he did, he found his healing. That is your model to follow and as you go, I know you will have a great week this week and in the weeks to come!

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I NEED YOUR HELP: I have a trip coming up to Kenya on July 26 and I need your help. Watch this video of the children at Upako Centre and the Dr. Stanko Academy. Aren't they cute? They are excited because they received some of the resources you helped send in our container. Well, some of those children are orphans and they are sleeping on a mat on a concrete floor every night in one of the classrooms! I need to raise money for their beds and for other needs by the time I depart. You can give through my website or by sending a check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 8882, Pittsburgh, PA 15221-0882. Thank you but please don't delay. The need is urgent and my departure is near!

TRAVELS WITH DR. JOHN: I am planning three trips in the next two years, and I invite you to join me on any or all of them:

• Kenya Trip: February 15-23, 2019
• Alaska Cruise: August 4-11, 2019
• Israel Tour: April 21 - April 30, 2020 with an optional side trip to Jordan to see Petra from May 1-4.

If you would like information on these trips as it becomes available, write me at [email protected] and let me know.

The first is My Enemies My Friends, which is a fable that teaches important lessons about the book of Psalms, specifically the there is a message in the entire book and not just the individual psalms themselves. Dr. John imparts these lessons through an entertaining story of Pastor Harold Portis who is about to be voted out of his church (or so it seems).

The second is The Power of Purple, which contains the Monday Memo series on women of purpose in Scripture. Men and women who are reading this book are finding it helpful in their own search for purpose.

Click on the cover of either book and order your signed copy today. It will make great summer reading and you will learn a lot while you read. (Kindle versions are available through Amazon.) 

 

860: Go and . . . Show Yourselves

We continue our series on the combination of words that Jesus often used when He told people to "go and" do something as they went. In part one, we saw that Jesus told the woman at the well to "go, get your husband, and come back." Last week, we looked at Jesus telling the rich young ruler to "go and sell your possessions."  This week, we study a group of 10 lepers in Luke 17 who also encountered Jesus in His "go and" ministry.

LEPROSY

Recently, I had to have a tooth removed that had given me trouble on and off for more than 40 years. While I was glad for the relief, I also mourned the loss of my tooth! Then I had a wound on my nose that would not heal, so I went to the doctor who did not think it was serious, but advised me to cover it for two weeks and come back. Since I had already had an encounter with skin cancer, I knew this was not to be taken lightly, and I had some anxiety over it until I entrusted it to God's watchful care, but I was concerned for my nose. Why do I tell you this?

While experiencing these minor physical ailments, I reflected on what it must have been like to have leprosy in biblical times. I had never considered the emotional trauma for someone who witnessed their own flesh being eaten away and then have to endure being an outcast, away from family support systems and care. When I thought of all that, I appreciated even more the significance of Jesus' ministry to those poor souls, who had no hope of a cure until the Heavenly Healer came along. Having set that background, let's look at the account in Luke 17:11-14:

While He was on the way to Jerusalem, He was passing between Samaria and Galilee. As He entered a village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him; and they raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When He saw them, He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they were going, they were cleansed.

These men, outcasts and living in caves or mountain regions where they would not have any contact with people, had heard about Jesus. They came to the village, the place where they would beg for food, perhaps provided by family or people who took pity on them, and had a chance encounter with Jesus. They cried out to the Master, ten men who were a collection of Jews and Samaritans, usually divided by ethnic hatred but joined together in this case by their common human plight. True to His nature, Jesus heard their cry for mercy.

GO AND . . .

In Luke 5, Jesus healed a leper by touching him, a breathtaking act of compassion, for people did not have physical contact with lepers, adding to the lepers' emotional suffering. In this case, Jesus did not touch them or even say, "Thou art healed!" He told them to go and show themselves to the priests, which was required by the Law (see Leviticus 14). They went not because they were already healed but because Jesus told them to go while they were still lepers. As they went, not before they went or after they got to the priests, they were totally, completely, and miraculously healed! I had never noticed that in the story before today.

This story is astounding, for the men had faith in Jesus. They knew that they had to report to the priests when healed so the priests could reinstate them to community contact and fellowship. Even though they were not healed, however, they knew that Jesus would not send them unless they would be healed, so they went -- and were healed on the way.

The lessons for us are profound. The lepers acted in faith before they saw the evidence or results of their faith. They obeyed their Master and headed off to the priests and got the result they had hoped for while they were on the way. What is God asking you to do that your obedience can then unlock the desired result? Is He telling you to go and attend school, to go and take a missions trip, to go and give money to someone in need, to go and start your ministry, business, orphanage, or medical clinic.

If you respond, "I don't have the resources to do any of that," then think of those ten lepers who had nothing in their power except to go and obey. As they did, they were healed of a dreaded disease for which there was no cure. As you go, you will find the money, the time, the energy, the wisdom, and the partners to help you with what you cannot do because you did the one thing you could do, and that was go and. As you go, have a blessed week.

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TRAVELS WITH DR. JOHN: I am planning three trips in the next two years, and I invite you to join me on any or all of them:

• Kenya Trip: February 15-23, 2019
• Alaska Cruise: August 4-11, 2019
• Israel Tour: April 21 - April 30, 2020 with an optional side trip to Jordan to see Petra from May 1-4.

If you would like information on these trips as it becomes available, write me at [email protected] and let me know.

The first is My Enemies My Friends, which is a fable that teaches important lessons about the book of Psalms, specifically the there is a message in the entire book and not just the individual psalms themselves. Dr. John imparts these lessons through an entertaining story of Pastor Harold Portis who is about to be voted out of his church (or so it seems).

The second is The Power of Purple, which contains the Monday Memo series on women of purpose in Scripture. Men and women who are reading this book are finding it helpful in their own search for purpose.

Click on the cover of either book and order your signed copy today. It will make great summer reading and you will learn a lot while you read. (Kindle versions are available through Amazon.) 

859: Go and . . . Sell Your Possessions

Last week, I started a series highlighting the times when Jesus told people to " go and" do something. We looked at the woman at the well in John 4, when Jesus ordered her to "go and get your husband." When she confessed that she had no husband, Jesus had what He was after: her need to honestly admit her spiritual condition. This week, we look at an encounter with a man who approached Jesus to ask a question: “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” (Matthew 19:16). Jesus' response is the second entry in our "Go And" series.

GOOD QUESTIONS    

A famous motivational speaker once said that quality questions lead to a quality life. I have found that to be true when someone is seeking purpose, for they must ask questions they have never asked if they want answers they have never heard. In the case of the man who came to Jesus, he asked good questions, but those questions led to more truth than he could handle.

Jesus first response was for the man to keep the commandments. That led to the man's second question, "Which ones?" (Matthew 19:18), to which Jesus answered, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 19:19). The man could not leave well enough alone, however, and he pressed the discussion even further: “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” (Matthew 19:20).

It was then Jesus delivered the explosive answer that sent the man reeling, retreating to lick his wounds and to try to regain his self-righteous equilibrium: “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (Matthew 19:21). In Mark's gospel, we are told, "Jesus looked at him, loved him, and said 'Go and sell all your possessions' . . ." (Mark 10:21). Because the man kept asking, Jesus expressed His love by telling the man the truth that his possessions owned him, and not the other way around.

THE LESSONS    

What Jesus told this man did not become the standard for all people trying to enter the kingdom of God. He did not say that all people had to sell all their possessions, but Jesus told this man that he had to do so if he was serious about what he was asking and seeking. Jesus did draw a lesson that He shared with His disciples from this encounter, and it is this lesson that applies to you and me as we seek God's will and purpose for our lives: "“Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 19:23).

The reformer John Calvin said, "Man's nature is a perpetual factory of idols." We can make an idol out of our looks, ethnic or tribal origin, career, business, relationships (spouse, kids, grandkids), money, house, or hobbies. Jesus was helping the man see that while he was keeping all the rules, something else had hold of his heart - and that was going to keep him from obtaining what he was seeking to identify.

What has a hold of your heart? Are you keeping all the rules, the commandments, but missing the bigger picture? Are you asking the right questions and if you are, are you prepared for God's honest answers? As in the man's case, Jesus was not trying to ruin his life. He loved the man and wanted him to find the life he was seeking, but that life could only be released when he put following Jesus ahead of his business interests.

As we go through this series, I challenge you to ask God to show you what you must do to gain the kind of purposeful, Kingdom-centered life you have expressed an interest in living. Then when He answers – and He will most certainly answer – take steps to reorder your priorities so that God's purpose, and not a counterfeit imposter, is the main focus of your daily life. Have a blessed week!

******

TRAVELS WITH DR. JOHN: I am planning three trips in the next two years, and I invited you to join me on any or all of them.

• Kenya Trip: February 15-23, 2019
• Alaska Cruise: August 4-11, 2019
• Israel Tour: April 21 - April 30, 2020 with an optional side trip to Jordan to see Petra from May 1-4.

If you would like information on these trips as it becomes available, write me at [email protected] and let me know.

DR. JOHN'S LATEST BOOKS: You don't want to miss Dr. John's latest books, which are selling well and receiving positive reviews.

The first is My Enemies My Friends, which is a fable that teaches important lessons about the book of Psalms, specifically the there is a message in the entire book and not just the individual psalms themselves. Dr. John imparts these lessons through an entertaining story of Pastor Harold Portis who is about to be voted out of his church (or so it seems).

The second is The Power of Purple, which contains the Monday Memo series on women of purpose in Scripture. Men and women who are reading this book are finding it helpful in their own search for purpose.

Click on the cover of either book and order your signed copy today. It will make great summer reading and you will learn a lot while you read. (Kindle versions are available through Amazon.)