Pastor Pusch

Last week I delivered a message on the subject of Spiritual Blindness. I took my text from Mark 10:46-52, where Jesus gave sight to blind Bartimaeus (a familiar story to you no doubt.) Though a blind beggar, Bartimaeus was no dummy. He knew who Jesus was prior to His arrival. This is evident in the fact that when Bartimaeus called out to Him, he used a messianic titled, “Son of David“, that title caught Jesus attention. This is an amazing story of the faith of Bartimaeus and the grace of our Lord. 

For the sake of this blog post, I want to focus on the one particular interaction within this passage. I have always been intrigued by the question presented to Bartimaeus from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. When Bartimaeus was brought to Jesus, Jesus asked a truly invaluable question, “What do you want me to do for you?” The question, though great, was simple and Bartimaeus responded in like manner, “I want to see.” The rest of the passage tells us that Bartimaeus, because of his faith, “immediately” received his sight and followed after Jesus. 

What Do You Want Me To Do For You?
What a question! What would be your answer? If the Lord Jesus Christ were standing right before you in the flesh and ask you the same question He asked of Bartimaeus, what would be your response (knowing that you would still have to live out the remainder of your life here on earth)? What would be your answer in view of eternity? 

I asked a close friend of mine what his response would be and he said that he would like to see all of his grandchildren serving the Lord. Obviously, that was a good answer. What made it a great answer is that this friend of mine lives every day with a debilitating disease and has struggled with it for several years. In conversations past, he would tell about days when MS gets the best of him and when it takes away from his daily activities. What makes this answer great is that had nothing to do with the temporal and all do to with the eternal. 

Perhaps your answer would be different. I once posed this question to a congregation of believers, and some of the responses were simply amazing. Some answered with health, others, money, and some with other “stuff”. The real questions involved are: What is sickness or disease in view of eternity? What is the value of money in view of eternity? What are houses and lands worth in view of eternity? Better yet, James wrote in his epistle, “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14). 

Personally, I hope my answer would be same as Bartimaeus, “Rabbi, I want to see.” Bartimaeus was a changed man that day. Mark records that Bartimaeus left his beggars clothes behind. He not only knew that Jesus could help him, he knew this encounter would change his life for all eternity. He would no longer need his beggar’s clothes. Bartimaeus did not just become a “sighted” beggar, he was changed. He left his former way, picked himself up, and he followed after Jesus. 

While I may have the ability to see physically, I want a vision that seeks to know Christ more and the ability to view this life in light of eternity and to see the world as He sees it.

Could it be that the answer to the overwhelming majority of issues facing the church can be answered with these two words, “discipling men”?

This is the question I have been asking myself the last few days. Discipling men sounds like an “easy” solution to issues created by the lack of said discipleship. I’ve been reading the book, Pastoring Men by Patrick Morley and I have been challenged even more deeply about the lack of Christian discipleship happening in our churches. The truth is many churches struggle. I know this because I work with hundreds of churches across the country as I try to encourage our pastors and leadership. Churches do struggle. Often times their ministries go unfulfilled; their resources are depleting (or at least not up to par); their pastors are tired and tried by those who, truthfully, are intentional about monopolizing their time and/or make it their life goal to bring him down as he does his best to lead the flock. As a result of weakened discipleship, we’ve allowed personal preference to rule over Godly principles which has lessened our effort to do whatever it takes to win the lost to Christ. (Side Note: We seem to worry more about who to keep out of our churches as opposed to seeing all changed by the power of God we claim to know all about.) Our worship is weak and our faith isn’t much stronger.

All of the above are really secondary issues in light of what really matters most. I believe the answer to the opening question is a resounding YES. While the answer is easy to define, the process of making disciples can be much more complex. What does it mean to be a disciple? It’s much more than showing up at church and knowing the songs. It’s more than giving. It’s more than ministry. It’s more than evangelism. It’s more than being a good husband or a good father. It’s more. It is, as one pastor describes it, being a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ. It’s making Christ the center of all life to where we “take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ.” It’s more than knowing the language. It’s implementing His message and making our lives more like His; being “doers of the Word and not Hearers only”. It’s counting the cost and picking up the cross. It’s more about giving up than merely showing up. It’s about living the abundant life found in Christ. It’s not about figuring how to place God in our life. It’s all about how we can place our life completely in Him. It’s about pursuing an eternal relationship with the Living Christ. It’s valuing that relationship above all others. Knowing Christ IS the primary issue. We must concern ourselves with discipling and mentoring others in Christ. When that happens, all of the secondaries will fall into place.

A Final Thought: Scripture tells us that if we “delight ourselves in the Lord, He will give us the desires of our hearts.” Delighting ourselves in the Lord is no means to a Ferrari or even 10 bucks. However, when we truly delight ourselves in the Lord, His desires will become our desires as we seek to be more like Him.

“Some things are too sacred to joke about.” – Dr. Robert E. Woodard

“You can tell a lot about a man’s character by what makes them laugh and what makes them cry” – Dr. Robert E. Woodard

The first time I heard the above quotations was about 10 years ago when I began my college experience. While I’m sure I haven’t always lived up to the principles found in those two statements, I haven’t forgotten his impression. I do think there is a lot to be said as they are great words to live by. Dr. Woodard, though a tough professor, was a great encourager and had a heart of gold. I am thankful for the relationship I have with him.

Death would be one of those issues Dr. Woodard would have placed into the sacred category. Death is not just the termination of life here on earth, but it is a beginning of eternity in one of two destinations. Anytime we attend a funeral or learn of somebody dying (celebrity or not), it ought to be a sobering thought.

Surely if you have any sense of awareness of what’s happening in the world around you, you are then well aware of the iconic deaths that have taken place in recent days. Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, and Billy Mays all have stepped out into eternity over the last 3-4 days. Where they are, I do not know, however, I do know that Christ was the only avenue into the Father’s paradise for them; I hope they made that discovery.

Making Fun of Death – It took only a few minutes after the pronouncement of death for the jokes to begin circulating concerning the deaths of Billy Mays, Ed McMahon, and especially Michael Jackson (mostly coming from friends who heard them first). In my humble opinion, I think it’s absurd. ”Some things are too sacred to joke about.”

Side Thought 1: While there is great rejoicing that takes place after the deaths of the most notorious evildoers a.k.a. Saddam Hussein or Adolf Hitler, it is still a sobering thought to know that these stood before their creator and all was revealed.

Side Thought 2: Thousands of people step out into eternity every day, notorious or not. That’s sobering or at least it should be.