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Salvation Requires Pinhole Accuracy

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - Salvation Requires Pinhole Accuracy
Photo Courtesy of Ronnie Dankelman – Flickr

Salvation requires pinhole accuracy. Get it wrong and we die.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd who is leading us to a place that requires unimaginable skill as a shepherd and leader to get us to.

He alone can lead us to this place: ¹

the only place where there is good pasture and life, ²

the place that if we don’t get to, we will perish. ³

It is through a Door that requires pinhole accuracy to navigate to.

That Door is Jesus, Himself. ²

The Door is not broad through which anything and everything can fit. ⁴

Rather the Door is very narrow. ⁴

There is an incredibly specific Jesus we must go through.

It’s not the Jesus of how we think He would be, or the one that we want Him to be, or the one of our politics, but it is the real Jesus that came in the flesh, who died for our sin, who was raised from the dead and now lives before God forevermore. ⁵

Finding that Door, let alone getting through it is impossible, it’s like getting a camel through the eye of a needle. ⁶

But, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” – Luke 18:27

The kingdom of God is at hand. Humble yourself. Repent and plead to God to help you. Expose yourself to His Word.

If He grants you ears to hear, the Chief Shepherd will appear.

Follow Him, alone. ⁷

He will get you there. ⁸

As a pastor, I am merely an under-shepherd and my one job is to keep your eyes on the Good Shepherd and direct you in His path. ⁹

Follow Jesus, alone. ⁷

He, alone, will get you there. ⁸

#perfectourlove

¹ John 10:7-8, Acts 4:12
² John 10:9
³ John 3:16-19
⁴ Matthew 7:14, Luke 14:13
⁵ Revelation 1:18
⁶ Luke 18:25, Matthew 16:17
⁷ Matthew 23:10
⁸ John 10:27-30
⁹ 1 Corinthians 11:1

Whole Over Happy

A little boy of Asian decent playing catch with a yellow balloon, holding on to a red string to keep it from flying away

The pursuit of happiness is deceiving.

A major lesson that I’ve learned at the feet of Jesus was what I was really looking for wasn’t happiness but to be whole.

When I’m whole, I can better enjoy happiness.

And, I can also be well without it.

Happiness is a high. It’s an event that heightens an experience. Happiness is even more satisfying and long lasting if what I was already experiencing was joy.

We often chase happiness because we had nothing to begin with.

The thing about highs is you can never reproduce the first one.

Why?

As a result of having never experienced it, you couldn’t expect it. Serendipity, something pleasant and unexpected, is core to happiness. It hits different –something that affects you pleasantly in an unexpected way.

True happiness, therefore, cannot be sought, or else you would expect it. While you can create conditions that improve the chances of it happening, happiness can only be appreciated when it happens to happen. There’s a reason “happen” is part of the name.

Happiness, when rooted in good (what helps and not harms), is good and should be fully enjoyed but it cannot be grasped. Happiness can only be received.

But, joy is the perpetual, ever-lasting pleasure and satisfaction that comes from knowing something true, good and certain. (e.g. Happiness is a hug from your Mom. Joy is knowing your Mom wants to hug you.)

Jesus makes whole so that you have joy that satisfies and always abides even if you’re low and deepens your happiness when you’re high.

“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”
-John 15:11

What the world has us chasing is totally different than what actually satisfies. Jesus said, “Come to Me and drink.” (John 7:37)

Like the woman at the well, I can testify. While I sometimes find myself going back to the well out of habit, in reality, since coming to Jesus, I’ve never thirsted again.

#WholeOverHappy

Originally posted by Paul Luckett to Facebook here.

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Make War

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com Make War

Sometimes, I appreciate the female form more than I should. I objectify them.

People will say, “It is only natural to notice a beautiful woman.”

And, in fact, it is –only natural.

But, I am not called to be natural but spiritual.

Sin is any way of thinking besides God’s. And my behavior is not the mind of Christ.

I repent.

The Word that the Holy Spirit burns on my heart is Matthew 5:28 where Jesus says, “whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

It has been often taught from this verse that a wayward glance leads to adultery, but what most overlook is that this is but one of several sins Jesus used to illustrate His main point: all sin share the same root. To be guilty of one is to be guilty of them all because one sin contains the DNA for all of them and they all flow from an unregenerate heart –including murder. (Matthew 5:19, James 2:10)

Murder.

One of my greatest fears is for my sin to kill what is dear to me:
for my wife to catch my glance and it kill the certainty of love for her,
or for my boys to see me inappropriately look at a woman and it kill the security they have in the Father’s house, afraid that I could betray and abandon their mother, destroying our family,
or for a sister to see my wayward glance and it kill her hope in the sanctity and ministry of marriage, thinking “all men are the same,”
or anyone observing my behavior, it kills my testimony, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

So, “I discipline my body and bring it into subjection…” (1 Corinthians 9:27)

And, I fight for my loved ones… with the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:17)

First, I must be born again (Matthew John 3:3). God must give me a new heart. Then, I have to be sensitive to the conviction and urging of the Holy Spirit. He will guide me by His Word. All of this is facilitated by receiving the Word and giving myself to it. And, by the Word, the Spirit will help me to fight.

The Spirit, by the Word, will help me tear down the lies of the enemy (2 Corinthians 10:4) and overcome the flesh (worldly thinking). It will transform me, renewing my mind, imparting to me the mind of Christ. (Romans 12:2)

The Spirit will reveal the mind of Christ for whatever I’m facing with the Word.

So then, what is the mind of Christ as it relates to women? How should I see them?

“Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold your mother!’ And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.” John 19:27 – As a mother, someone that I honor and secure.

“Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, “Talitha, cumi,” which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, arise” Mark 5:41 – As a daughter, someone that I lift up.

“And as [the women] went to tell His disciples, behold Jesus met them, saying, ‘Rejoice’… ‘Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.'” Matthew 28:9-10 – As a sister, someone that I encourage and respect as heirs together and fellow ministers of the grace of Life.

“You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection [women] neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven.” Matthew 22:29-30 – As a wife, someone that is not to be treated as property -something to be picked up or put away based on my whims, but someone who is to be venerated as an awesome, holy vessel of God. (What angel was ever encountered in scripture without fear and awe?!)

Therefore, the mind of Christ is, if a woman is not my wife, she is either to be regarded as a sister, daughter or mother –all positions of honor. Then, I bring my body into subjection to use His view. This is how I fight. And, I fight everyday.

Being Christian does not mean that I do not struggle with sin.

It means I struggle with sin, with the Strength to overcome.

The natural man embraces sin.

But, we are called to be spiritual, to have the mind of Christ.

Therefore, make war.

#spiritualwarfare

Originally posted to Facebook here.

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52 Weeks of Gratefulness #18 – The Stopping Game

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com Thankful For My Mom And The Stopping Game

In Week 18 of 52 Weeks of Gratefulness, I give thanks for a fond memory of my mother and her Stopping Game.

My Mom made everything fun.

When I was learning to drive she made up this game to see who could stop the car most smoothly.

A successful stop was one that was gentle on the passengers and did not cause them to jerk forward in their seats. An excellent stop was one that your passengers barely felt.

On our way to choir rehearsal or Bible class (as church was our most common destination), we’d take turns driving to see who could stop the car better.

My younger brother, though too young to drive at the time, would get in on the game too. We’d all have so much fun exaggerating like we were going to get thrown out of the car when the driver was making a stop.

At the time, I was completely unaware that my mother was teaching me to be calm behind the wheel, gentleness with the pedals, speed management and to better gauge distances in traffic. But even more than that, my mother turned what would have been a loathsome task (going to church) into absolute joy.

My Mom constantly did stuff like this. This is what motherhood looks like to me, she was simultaneously my best teacher and my first friend.

Oh, what a blessing Rosemary Luckett is to me.

I’m grateful. #52WoG

52 Weeks of Gratefulness #11 – Dr. Joe Bumgardner

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com Thankful For Dr. Joe Bumgardner
Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com Thankful For Dr. Joe Bumgardner

In Week 11 of 52 Weeks of Gratefulness, I give thanks for Dr. Joe Bumgardner

I love old people.

I considered intently whether to say that. I try to be purposeful and measured in every word I say. “Old people” carries a pejorative connotation while “young people” does not. And, for this reason I chose to use it. We need to take back the words “old” or “elder” and restore them to their rightful honor. There are treasures that can only be gained with age, experience and mindful contemplation over time. When we dishonor and dismiss our elders we’re poorer for it, throwing away wonderful gifts of unimaginable wealth.

Dr. Bumgardner is in his “ninth decade of life”, as he puts it, and in that time he has amassed a great wealth of wisdom to share.

My boys and I have never been hunting. It was something new I thought we could do together and more than the hunting, I was interested in the lessons about life that we could glean from it. I was also interested in the idea of developing a useful skill and was attracted to the efficiency of the bow. So, I approached Dr. Bumgardner because I knew he as an avid outdoorsman and a skilled bowhunter.

My proposition was to hire him as a coach and pay him to tutor us, but he would have none of it. At the moment that I approached him, Dr. Bumgardner set things in motion to help us along on our journey of bowhunting. Just an hour or so after we met, I received an email where he had charted out next steps for us to consider. He had already contacted people and made arrangements for us to get measurements for our “draw length”. Unlike going to the gun range, you can’t just rent a bow and fire off a few to get a feel for it. A bow is largely customized to its owner. I didn’t know that at the time and wasn’t prepared for how expensive it was. But, Dr. Bumgardner wouldn’t let that stop us. He again made calls and managed to borrow a bow from another hunter with a draw length similar to us so that we could, at least, get an introduction. He then invited us out to his home to give us our first lesson.

It was like we had hit a vein. Dr. Bumgardner was so full of wisdom and experience that he literally erupted. In one hour with him, I gained more knowledge and insight than if I had read a whole book. He shared safety considerations, mechanics of the bow, physics of the arrow and its release, the anatomy of game (deer, turkey), etc. etc. I left with an entirely new lexicon; limbs, cams, biscuit, cock / hen fletch, peep sight, release aid… I could spend several hours deconstructing what he taught in one. It was like drinking from a fire hose.

Dr. Bumgardner is an old man whose age and experience affords him the ability to offer more than I could ever hope to consume. I am grateful that he is eager to share his wisdom and am humbled that he is willing to pour that into us. I am committed to soaking up everything I can and paying it forward so that not a single precious drop is wasted. Dr. Bumgardner I rise before you and honor you. I’m grateful. #52WoG

P.S. Special thanks to Eddie Myles for allowing us to borrow his bow. I’m grateful to be surrounded by such kind, giving and compassionate people.

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Twitter Testimony

Dove Of Peace
#TwitterTestimony
An attempt to share the Gospel through my experience in 140 characters or less.
A complete list of the tweets from this series can be found below: