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Playing Marbles With Diamonds

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A story was told of a man who loved old books. He met an acquaintance who had just thrown away a Bible that had been stored in the attic of his ancestral home for generations. “I couldn’t read it,” the friend explained. “Somebody named Guten-something had printed it.” “Not Gutenberg!” the book lover exclaimed in horror. “That Bible was one of the first books ever printed. Why, a copy just sold for over two million dollars!” His friend was unimpressed. “Mine wouldn’t have brought a dollar. Some fellow named Martin Luther had scribbled all over it in German.”

1 Thessalonians 2:13 And we also [especially] thank God continually for this, that when you received the message of God [which you heard] from us, you welcomed it not as the word of [mere] men, but as it truly is, the Word of God, which is effectually at work in you who believe [exercising its superhuman power in those who adhere to and trust in and rely on it].

What do you value? What do you truly prize? How do you know what you truly value? A value isn’t a value unless it costs you something. Shane Snow, in an online article entitled, “Here’s How to Know if Your “Values” Are Really Values,” commented that, “Giving up our money is one ouch! we’ll endure to get something we care about. Or we might give up our time, our prerogatives — even our ego. Regardless of what we say, it’s what we sacrifice that reveals what our values truly are. To find out what you really value, ask yourself: What cost am I willing to pay for this?” We can say we value something but if it’s not part of our lifestyle then we really don’t value you it. If it’s something that sounds good to others and leaves a good impression, but my lifestyle – what I sacrifice my time for, what I invest in extravagantly, what I eat, sleep, drink, and wake up thinking about – is the opposite; then it’s not a value it’s an ideal.

Focus On the Family shares the following story: I was ministering in Vietnam in 1971, and one of my interpreters was Hien Pham, an energetic young Christian. He had worked as a translator with the American forces, and was of immense help both to them and to missionaries such as myself. Hien and I traveled the length of the country and became very close friends before I returned home. We did not know if our paths would ever cross again. Seventeen years later, I received a telephone call. “Brother Ravi?” the man asked. Immediately I recognized Hien’s voice, and he soon told me his story.  Shortly after Vietnam fell, Hien was imprisoned on accusations of helping the Americans. His jailers tried to indoctrinate him against democratic ideals and the Christian faith. He was restricted to communist propaganda in French or Vietnamese, and the daily deluge of Marx and Engels began to take its toll. “Maybe,” he thought, “I have been lied to. Maybe God does not exist. Maybe the West has deceived me.” So Hien determined that when he awakened the next day, he would not pray anymore or think of his faith. The next morning, he was assigned the dreaded chore of cleaning the prison latrines. As he cleaned out a tin can overflowing with toilet paper, his eye caught what seemed to be English printed on one piece of paper. He hurriedly grabbed it, washed it, and after his roommates had retired that night, he retrieved the paper and read the words, “Romans, Chapter 8.” Trembling, he began to read, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him….for I am convinced that nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Hien wept. He knew his Bible, and knew that there was not a more relevant passage for one on the verge of surrender. He cried out to God, asking forgiveness, for this was to have been the first day that he would not pray. Evidently God had other plans. What his tormentors were using for refuse—the Scriptures—could not be more treasured to Hien. After finding the Scripture, Hien asked the commander if he could clean the latrines regularly, because he discovered that some official was using a Bible as toilet paper. Each day Hien picked up a portion of Scripture, cleaned it off, and added it to his collection of nightly reading.

What do you value? Do you treasure preaching, teaching, and the Word of God as if the words were from God Himself? Or is it just more rubbish to be tossed to one side, or stuffed in a bin of waste? Years ago, contemporary Christian artist Steve Camp wrote a song, titled, “Playing Marbles With Diamonds.” An excerpt from the chorus line drives home the point: Ah, there’s a whole lot more than preaching to the choir, Kneeling at the altar, or paying our tithe, we’ve been treating God like He’s happiness for hire, we’ve been playing marbles with diamonds…”

Turn The Tables On Me

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In 1517, an obscure Catholic priest named Martin Luther placed his life in God’s hands when he nailed his 95 theses, his 95 arguments against the Catholic church, on the door of the Wittenberg Church. There was nothing wrong with nailing pages to the door. Everything was posted there for everyone to read. It was the community bulletin board. But Martin Luther had been studying the Bible personally and realized that Catholic ceremonies did nothing to dispense grace and the church had no right to sell indulgences. Salvation is received through faith in Jesus. His 95 theses specified errors of the Catholic church in the light of personal Bible study. He began his argument by stating: Out of love for the truth and the desire to bring it to light, the following propositions will be discussed at Wittenberg, under the presidency of the Reverend Father Martin Luther, Master of Arts and of Sacred Theology, and Lecturer in Ordinary on the same at that place. Wherefore he requests that those who are unable to be present and debate orally with us, may do so by letter.In the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Theses 1. Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, willed that the whole life of believers should be repentance.

As a result of this simple, but obedient action, Heaven came down, and Hell broke loose, as a firestorm of revolt, and controversy erupted within the Catholic Church, and the countries it held sway over. The 95 Theses confronted many of the injustices, beliefs, and wicked practices of the Catholic Church, its Pope, cardinals and priests. Luther’s action created a ground swell of what was later called the Protestant Reformation.

2000 years ago the greatest event in human history occurred through Jesus’ week of Passion, Crucifixion, and Resurrection. During the week leading up to His Crucifixion Jesus created His own firestorm by entering the Temple grounds and driving out the money changers, and those involved with the sale of sacrificial animals. This action ultimately led to the verdict to crucify Him.

As we have noted in earlier blogs, self-centeredness, and fear strangles faith blocking any attempts of the Spirit of God from rising within us to new heights. Our floor becomes our ceiling as our feet remain firmly rooted to the ground of self. Making matters worse is the introduction of man-serving, self centered religion. Instead of being molded and shaped into the Imago Dei (Image of God), conformed to the Image of Jesus, we only become more corrupted images of our self. Self-serving, man created religion, crucifies Jesus afresh every time it is practiced, discounting His Resurrection Power.

In 1992 a man invited me to join him and another for prayer at our church. I was on staff as a youth minister. My passion, and heart at this time was to see revival break out in our church, and country. During this season of prayer I was challenged by the Spirit of God to begin praying for revival to come to my life. I took the challenge ignorant of the adventure that awaited me. During this season of prayer, and seeking, the Lord revealed the nastiness of my bitterness, anger, unforgiveness, lust, and demonic strongholds. The final challenge came through a song I was listening to written by Mylon Lefevre, entitled, Turn The Tables On Me. The lyrics which got my attention, and the Lord used as a challenge, were the following:

My heart belongs to Jesus, But it’s trapped inside of me, Trying to live for Him, But the world won’t let me be, I know my spirit’s willing, But my flesh is not as strong, I want to do what’s right, Oh, but sometimes I’m so wrong. Buyers, sellers, Cheaters, liars, Have had their way too long inside of me. Jesus, Master, Take this temple, set me free
(Jesus, set me free) Turn the tables on me.

As I listened to this song the Holy Spirit whispered, Can you pray that? And my response? Go For it Lord! I chuckle as I write this thinking back to the arrogant, self-centered individual I was at this time. Little did I know what that simple agreement would ignite in my life, and my life has never been the same. I want to challenge the few people that read these blogs to accept that same challenge, inviting Jesus to come to your temple (Which really belongs to Him) and clean house. You don’t have to pray as violent as the song, but maybe that’s the kind of fearless, passion you need to be set free from all that has prevented you from becoming who He has made you to be. As I repeatedly state, Jesus made you for more than coming to a building, looking at the back of someone’s head, and calling it Church (or worse calling it worship). Jesus has made you for more than pre-setting your radio stations to Christian radio. Jesus has made you for more that pasting a fish on the back of your car, or wearing Christian T-shirts. He has called you to be a son or daughter of the Most High God. He has called you to co-reign with Him in this foreign country we call Earth. Don’t you desire for Jesus to loose His reformation in you?