The Great Banquet

Kyle Idleman continues Chapter 5 of The End of Me with an in-depth discussion of the Parable of the Great Banquet (Luke 14:16-24).  Pastor Idleman states it is important to understand that, in the Bible, a banquet often is a metaphor for the way God addresses the deepest needs of His people.  Jesus often used the image of a feast because it was a vivid and enticing image for His listeners.

Kyle observes that the best part of Jesus’ parables is deciphering who is who.  While some parables are simple and universal, others, like this parable in Luke, are pointed and specifically refer to certain people.  In most parables, God usually is identified as a king or master of an estate-definitely someone in a position of power.  But in this parable, Jesus is the servant.  The invitees are people of God who are too busy to attend.

The first guest has purchased a field and is eager to check it out.  Pastor Idleman states personal gain is the issue here.  Ironically, often people who believe they own property ultimately realize their property owns them.  The presumption of emptiness drives the need for consumer fulfillment.  Kyle summarizes:

“We hunt and we gather, and we can’t stop for fear of what a moment of reflection might say.”

As Mother Theresa would say, that moment of reflection might reveal a need for a living relationship with God.

Today’s question: What Scriptures help you fill your emptiness with God?  Please share.

Tomorrow’s blog: “A hedge against emptiness”

The Great Banquet

Question: full or filled?

Kyle Idleman continues Chapter 5 of The End of Me by exploring the difference between a jar being full or filled.  He draws on Luke’s account of Jesus at a Pharisee’s house, during which Jesus tells the Parable of the Great Banquet (Luke 14).

As the dinner commences and Jesus is being carefully watched, a man suffering from edema enters the room.  His body filled with excess fluid, the man’s health is an empty jar.  Of course, Jesus fills that jar and heals the man.  It should be a wonderful moment, but the Pharisees make no effort to question their preconceptions in the face of this miracle.  The question is: Are they full or filled?

Pastor Idleman explains the reason for the Pharisees’ static behavior.  They have no room.  They’re full to the brim with ideas so entrenched they are chiseled into their stony hearts.  The Pharisees have bought into Jesus being wrong.

Jesus makes a second attempt to get through the Pharisees’ ironclad defense by asking a really irritating question (v. 5): “If one of you has a child or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?”  Jesus knows the answer.  The Pharisees know the answer.  Then Jesus tells a parable in one final attempt to get through, even though He knows the parable is likely to go in one ear and out the other.

Today’s question: Is your jar full of preconceptions or does it need to be filled?  Please share.

Tomorrow’s blog: “Parable of the Great Banquet”

Question: full or filled?

Our level of emptiness

“The measure of filling we receive is in direct proportion to our level of emptiness.”- Kyle Idleman

In Chapter 5 (“Empty to Be Filled”) of The End of  Me, Kyle Idleman begins by boldly stating that God loves to fill empty things, whether it’s a widow’s jar (2 Kings 4) or a measure of hope.  All jars begin with emptiness, receiving what is poured into them.  Pastor Idleman describes what it’s like to come to the place of emptiness:

“. . . I’m sure it wasn’t part of your plan.  Life has a way of pouring us out, and it has nothing to do with what we wanted or expected.  Life takes away . . . a home.  A job. . . . At some point, we’re left holding what feels like a whole lot of nothing, and we hold on to it with clenched fists.”

Our emotions are raw.  The worst emotional state of all is emptiness itself. But, Kyle asks, what if that emptiness signifies God has us right where He wants us?  Kyle asserts that when life takes away, God gives.  We’re in position for the ultimate blessing in life, “a close encounter with a loving heavenly Father who has in-depth, sweeping plans for blessing us in ways we never imagined.”

Yet, as Pastor Idleman will explore next, there is a major difference between a jar that is full and a jar that is filled.

Today’s question: How would you describe your state of emptiness following your vocation loss?  Please share.

Tomorrow’s blog: “Question: full or filled?”

Our level of emptiness

The audience you choose

Kyle Idleman continues Chapter 4 of The End of Me by noting that, in God’s kingdom economy, much is determined by the audience you choose.  If your primary interest is in what other people think, your reward is their applause or attention.  In Matthew 6:1, Jesus says, “Be careful not to practice you righteousness in front of others to be seen by them.  If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.”

Pastor Idleman explains the problem with this approach:

“The problem comes when we metabolize a habit into a philosophy and come to believe that our faith is defined by things we do with no reference to the heart.”

Conversely, Kyle states, coming to the end of me means you are through with the emptiness of that charade and only seek to praise God.  The reward is from God rather than people- and we are not consumed by appearances.  Kyle adds:

“God calls us to live one life and live it out in the open.  HIs mane for that is purity of heart, and his reward for that is rich and fulfilling blessing in life.”

While very instinct we have draws us to deeply cover our sin, giving the impression we have all the answers, the real me needs to experience the real life available in Christ.

Today’s question (from Kyle): In what ways are you sometimes inauthentic with others?  Please share.

Tomorrow’s blog: “Our level of emptiness”

The audience you choose

False advertising

In Chapter 4 (“Authentic to Be Accepted”) of The End of Me, Kyle Idleman observes that no one like it when someone advertises one thing and delivers something entirely different- whether that is a business or an individual.  Businesses with false advertising claims are one thing, but when we apply this standard to ourselves, however, it’s another story.  Taking a look in the mirror and asking ourselves if we show our true selves to the world is much more difficult.

It’s hard to risk showing our true selves to the world, even considering the possibility people might be more drawn to us if they know some of our failings and struggles.  As Kyle notes, “fear is the enemy of transparency.”  Yet, it is when our inside and our outside match up that we’re pure in heart and where God wants us to be.

Pastor Idleman states the word purity was a buzz word in Jesus’ day.  Purity captured what religion was all about.  The problem was the Pharisees defined purity almost exclusively in terms of outward acts.  But Jesus put a new spin on the word- what Kyle refers to as “purity of heart over purity of decoration.”

A pure heart is unmixed (no bad ingredients) and sincere.  “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”- Matthew 5:8

Today’s question: What Bible verses help you establish “purity of heart over purity of decoration?  Please share.

Tomorrow’s blog: “The audience you choose”

False advertising

Where no one has gone before

Kyle Idleman concludes Chapter 3 of The End of Me with four ideas he has found helpful in enabling us to take ownership of our humility.

1.  To humble myself, I voluntarily confess sin.  Pastor Idleman states God promises to exalt those who, like the tax collector, voluntarily confess their sins.  If we confess because we’ve been caught or confronted, we may be humbled.  But we are not humbling ourselves.

2.  To humble myself, I give sacrificially and anonymously.  Kyle states sacrificial giving is a “real way of saying the kingdom of God is more important than me.”

3.  To humble myself, I treat others better than myself.  In today’s society, we’re taught to rely on ourselves and look out for numero uno.  The apostle Paul turns this philosophy on its ear in Philippians 2:3- “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.  Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves.”

4.  To humble myself, I ask for help.  Kyle emphasizes that every time he humbles himself and asks for help, that act opens a new door to some type of blessing.

Pastor Idleman concludes there is a vast frontier of strategies out there for humbling ourselves:

“Everywhere you look, every situation you’re in, is a laboratory for self-humbling, an opportunity to exalt Christ and put pride on the cross.  You can boldly- or humbly- go where no one has gone before.”

Today’s question: Which of Kyle’s four ideas resonate most with you?  Please share.

Tomorrow’s blog: “False advertising”

 

Where no one has gone before

Taking ownership of our own humility

“And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death- even death on a cross!”- Philippians 2:8

In the final section of Chapter 3 (The End of Me), Kyle Idleman focuses our attention on four words from the end of the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector: “those who humble themselves” (Luke 18:14).  While we think being humbled is a passive activity, Jesus speaks of a humbling that is active.  Active humbling involves taking ownership of our own humility.  It does not mean being humbled by someone or something.

Nik Wallenda walked across Niagara Falls on a high wire in 2012 and became the first man to walk across the Grand Canyon in 2013.  Nik is a strong Christian, and has a unique way of actively handling pride- spending hours cleaning up garbage left behind by his fans.  Nik says:

“Three hours of cleaning up debris is good for my soul.  Humility does not come naturally for me.  So if I have to force myself into situations that are humbling, so be it. . . . I do it . . . because it’s a way to keep from tripping.  As a follower of Jesus, I see Him washing the feet of others.  I do it because if I don’t serve others, I’ll be serving nothing but my ego.”

Next, Kyle offers four ideas for taking ownership of our own humility.

Today’s question: To this point, have you considered humbling passive or active?  Please share.

Tomorrow’s blog: “Where no one has gone before”

 

Taking ownership of our own humility