You turn things upside down,
as if the potter were thought to be like the clay!
Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it,
“You did not make me”?
Can the pot say to the potter,
“You know nothing”?
- Isaiah 29:16 (NIV)
Lately, I've been reading a book called Twelve Ordinary Men by John MacArthur. A simple title for a book, but I really like the sub-header: 'How the Master shaped His disciples for Greatness, and what He wants to do with you'.
So far, I've read about what MacArthur calls the 'inner circle' - the first disciples that Jesus appointed and the people closest to Him throughout His ministry on earth.
First off, what really moved me was to be reminded that Jesus comes to Peter, Andrew, James and John in the place where they're comfortable. They're fishermen and have become experts in that field. The first thing Jesus says to them is: Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. (Matthew 4:19 - ESV)
Reading this book made me think about that all-important first sentence. Jesus could have said a lot of things, but he gave them a conditional promise:
If you follow me (Jesus) - and only then - I will make you into this.
Jesus comes to us the way we are. But if we truly follow Him, we won't stay the same. The disciples decided to follow the son of God, to stand for the Truth they came to experience on a deeply personal level and to share that experience with men and women in different places. We can follow Christ today, because these four fishermen decided to follow Jesus first - until the very end of their lives. It's beyond inspirational! They are the models for true discipleship.
This is the important basis for my next point:
Each one of us is given the knowledge of God.
Romans 1:20 says: "For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse."
You and I are the clay that God, as creator, has the right to shape. Isn't it amazing how the God of the entire universe(s) has given us the free choice? In what scenario does the artist's material get to choose whether or not to disobey the artist?
My wife took up painting a few weeks ago. I don't ever see her paint jump back into the tube or her paintbrushes run away. Imagine how in Isaiah 29:16 the clay just tells the potter 'You did not make me!'. It's a really funny scenario, which makes no sense. It's totally irrational and unreasonable!
Many claim that there is no God and no creator. But God gave us an entire planet with unbelievably beautiful things: trees, plants, flowers, animals, colours and so on.
Ok, so now let's go back to Peter, Andrew, James and John. They could have said 'No!'. But as fishermen, they would have learned to depend on an outside force to provide the fish. You cannot go out to fish and expect there to be fish every time. Even the best fisherman will have to hope or pray that a fish takes the bait. And if a fish does get on the hook, the fisherman might say: that was me and my technique, or my expertise, or years of experience etc. It's all me!
But did you make those fish? ...
We are technologically advanced like never before. We worship at the feet of Google, Apple, Amazon and Co. We are a privileged generation (at least in the 'Western' countries). We turn Jesus down on a daily basis. We daily tell our creator: You know nothing!
There is another passage in the Bible (Acts 17:6 - ESV) where we learn about something being upside down: the kingdom of God.
Being a disciple of Jesus in 2019 still means being counter-cultural. The way of Jesus "is upside-down and inside-out—a kingdom, where weakness is power, power is weakness, and suffering leads to glory."
To sum up, becoming a disciple of God starts with you acknowledging that there is a creator in whose image you were made. Then it's up to you whether you want to allow Jesus to mould and shape you into His beautiful workmanship, created for good works and to build with Him.
In the coming weeks, I will continue along this train of thought. You're welcome to join me.
as if the potter were thought to be like the clay!
Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it,
“You did not make me”?
Can the pot say to the potter,
“You know nothing”?
- Isaiah 29:16 (NIV)
Lately, I've been reading a book called Twelve Ordinary Men by John MacArthur. A simple title for a book, but I really like the sub-header: 'How the Master shaped His disciples for Greatness, and what He wants to do with you'.
So far, I've read about what MacArthur calls the 'inner circle' - the first disciples that Jesus appointed and the people closest to Him throughout His ministry on earth.
First off, what really moved me was to be reminded that Jesus comes to Peter, Andrew, James and John in the place where they're comfortable. They're fishermen and have become experts in that field. The first thing Jesus says to them is: Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. (Matthew 4:19 - ESV)
Reading this book made me think about that all-important first sentence. Jesus could have said a lot of things, but he gave them a conditional promise:
If you follow me (Jesus) - and only then - I will make you into this.
Jesus comes to us the way we are. But if we truly follow Him, we won't stay the same. The disciples decided to follow the son of God, to stand for the Truth they came to experience on a deeply personal level and to share that experience with men and women in different places. We can follow Christ today, because these four fishermen decided to follow Jesus first - until the very end of their lives. It's beyond inspirational! They are the models for true discipleship.
This is the important basis for my next point:
Each one of us is given the knowledge of God.
Romans 1:20 says: "For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse."
You and I are the clay that God, as creator, has the right to shape. Isn't it amazing how the God of the entire universe(s) has given us the free choice? In what scenario does the artist's material get to choose whether or not to disobey the artist?
My wife took up painting a few weeks ago. I don't ever see her paint jump back into the tube or her paintbrushes run away. Imagine how in Isaiah 29:16 the clay just tells the potter 'You did not make me!'. It's a really funny scenario, which makes no sense. It's totally irrational and unreasonable!
Many claim that there is no God and no creator. But God gave us an entire planet with unbelievably beautiful things: trees, plants, flowers, animals, colours and so on.
Ok, so now let's go back to Peter, Andrew, James and John. They could have said 'No!'. But as fishermen, they would have learned to depend on an outside force to provide the fish. You cannot go out to fish and expect there to be fish every time. Even the best fisherman will have to hope or pray that a fish takes the bait. And if a fish does get on the hook, the fisherman might say: that was me and my technique, or my expertise, or years of experience etc. It's all me!
But did you make those fish? ...
We are technologically advanced like never before. We worship at the feet of Google, Apple, Amazon and Co. We are a privileged generation (at least in the 'Western' countries). We turn Jesus down on a daily basis. We daily tell our creator: You know nothing!
There is another passage in the Bible (Acts 17:6 - ESV) where we learn about something being upside down: the kingdom of God.
Being a disciple of Jesus in 2019 still means being counter-cultural. The way of Jesus "is upside-down and inside-out—a kingdom, where weakness is power, power is weakness, and suffering leads to glory."
To sum up, becoming a disciple of God starts with you acknowledging that there is a creator in whose image you were made. Then it's up to you whether you want to allow Jesus to mould and shape you into His beautiful workmanship, created for good works and to build with Him.
In the coming weeks, I will continue along this train of thought. You're welcome to join me.
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