Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.

Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.       John 11:1-6

Lazarus was deathly ill. Although his sisters, Mary and Martha, weren’t deeply worried. There was no doubt in their mind that Jesus would rush to their home the moment he heard about the illness of Lazarus. After all, they were among His best friends on the earth.

The message they sent to Jesus was simple. “Lord, the one You love is sick.”

Much to the amazement of the disciples, however, Jesus did not respond immediately to the urgent need of His friend. In fact, the Bible says that even though Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters, when He heard Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was two more days.

By the time He arrived, Lazarus would be dead, and his sisters would be heartbroken.

Why did Jesus stay away when His best friend was dying? He obviously had the power to heal him, yet He left him to die. This question is important because sooner or later, all of you will face a similar situation.

At some point of great need in your life, God will stay away. Although there are a number of reasons why God stays away, we will only examine the two that are most pertinent.

First, unlike us, God does not become hopeless as the severity of our crisis grows. To Jesus, it didn’t really matter if Lazarus was merely dying, or already dead. He knew He had the power to easily handle either one of these scenarios.

The problem was that some of Lazarus’s family members and friends did not share that confidence. The sicker Lazarus became, the more their discouragement grew.

This probably describes how you feel at times, as well. Your limited view of God’s power and the unbelief of your heart leave you vulnerable to the fear and discouragement that comes as your situation worsens.

Second, Jesus had far more in mind than simply healing Lazarus. He wanted to give Mary, Martha, and Lazarus the faith they would need to face His own eminent death. Therefore, healing Lazarus would not be enough.

Giving them the necessary faith would take His friend being raised from the dead.

It is no different for you today. There are times when Jesus is far more interested in building your faith than He is in immediately alleviating the painful crisis of your soul.

When these times come, He will allow your situation to worsen beyond anything you have imagined possible because it takes a great crisis to build a great man or woman of faith.

© Copyright 2005 by Jim Laffoon

After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. But Jesus came and touched them.

“Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.

As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”       Matthew 17:1-9

When Jesus had asked Peter, James, and John to climb up a mountain with Him, they were not surprised. They knew how much He liked to pray in solitary places. This time, though, it was different.

Heaven itself seemed to come into the earth. With the glory of God streaming down on Him, the face of Jesus shone like the sun, and His clothes were dazzlingly brilliant. If this was not enough, Moses and Elijah even appeared, and began to talk to Jesus about His upcoming ordeal.

“Jesus!” Peter finally shouted. “It’s fortunate for You that we happen to be here, as well! If You’d like, I will build three tabernacles – one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. It wouldn’t be any trouble at all.”

Feeling very pleased with himself after his magnanimous offer, Peter hardly realized that he was being enveloped in a dense, bright cloud. “This is My Son, Whom I love. With Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him!” the Father said.

When the disciples heard this frightening voice, they fell on their faces in terror. When Jesus finally helped them up, they looked around and saw that everyone but Jesus was gone.

Have you ever wondered why God did not want Peter to build three tabernacles on the mountain? Although there may be a number of reasons, I want to give you the two that I think are most critical.

The primary reason for the Father’s rebuke had to do with the divinity of Christ. Unlike Moses and Elijah, who were mere men, Jesus, as the Son of God, was divine. Therefore, if God had any desire for Peter to build a tabernacle, it would only be for His Son.

Second, I am convinced that God did not want Peter to build any tabernacles because He did not want the Mount of Transfiguration to become a permanent place of worship. In fact, the only thing the Father wanted built on the Mount was the faith of His Son’s disciples.

Their newfound faith would be desperately needed to deal with the tormented young demoniac with whom they would be confronted when they descended the mountain.

It is no different for you and me today. If we’re really honest with ourselves, all of us would admit that we would prefer to stay on the mountaintop with Christ if we had a choice.

Whether these spiritual mountaintops are glorious church services, dynamic conferences, or the poignant encounters we all have with Christ, all of us would like to live within these moments for the rest of our lives. Sadly, these mountaintop experiences are never meant to become permanent places of refuge for our souls.

As much as we all love the spiritual euphoria and escape from reality they provide, this is not their purpose. Like the disciples, they are meant to give us the fresh faith and power we need to meet the needs of our hurting world.

© Copyright 2005 by Jim Laffoon

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes.

“Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means Sent). The man went and washed, and came home seeing.       John 9:1-7

The crowd was astonished. If anything, His disciples were even more amazed. Was the Master losing His touch? No one could ever remember seeing this happen. After all, Jesus hadn’t just touched the blind man; He’d given him a mud pack over his eyes.

Yet, he still couldn’t see. Jesus, however, ignored the rising questions around Him.

“Go,” He told the blind man.

“Go?” the crowd thought. “Where’s the poor fellow going to go?”

“Wash in the Pool of Siloam,” Jesus said. When the man obeyed Jesus and washed in the pool, he was instantaneously healed.

The enemy’s retaliation, however, was almost immediate. When the man who had been blind refused to denounce Jesus as a charlatan, the Pharisees threatened to throw him out of the synagogue. They were even angrier when the man asked them if they wanted to become the disciples of Jesus, too.

Finally, when he refused to recant his newfound belief in Christ, and even his parents were unwilling to defend him, the Pharisees made good on their threats and expelled him.

Maybe you’ve wondered yourself why this man wasn’t healed the first time Jesus touched him. Although it’s true that healing can be progressive, there is a far deeper lesson in this story: Jesus told the man to wash in the Pool of Siloam.

The word Siloam means sent, and it is similar to the word from which we derive the term apostle (sent one). It is also interesting to note that Jesus used the word “go.” Once the man had washed in the pool called “sent,” he could immediately see.

Even when his parents refused to defend him, and he was expelled from his synagogue, his faith did not waver.

I have met a number of Christians like the blind man in this story. Although Jesus has touched them, and even done extensive work in their lives, they are still blind to a very important thing: the purpose for which Christ has sent them into the world.

Once they wash in the apostolic pool, however, their eyes are opened to their life’s purpose. You may be wondering what I mean by this; the answer is simple. Many well-meaning Christians have either no idea what their destiny is or any concept of God’s purpose for their lives. Until they are exposed to the realities of apostolic Christianity, they normally remain unseeing.

When I use the term apostolic, I am not describing a denomination or a specific church. I am, however, talking about the reality of being sent by God into the world to advance His Kingdom.

As much as I delight in hearing a tremendous teaching or a great evangelistic message, I would not be the Christian I am today without the apostolically impassioned men with whom God has called me to walk. Their burning desire to plant churches and advance the Kingdom of God to the uttermost regions of our planet keeps me from being blind to the realities of the larger world which I have been called to reach.

Whatever it takes, I encourage you to expose yourself to the type of dynamic ministry I am describing. Once you have washed in these waters, your life will never be the same again.

© Copyright 2005 by Jim Laffoon

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her.”       Luke 10:38-42

Although many houses were open to Jesus, by the end of His life there were very few places where He was truly at home. One of them was the home of Martha. Along with her siblings, Mary and Lazarus, she was among the best friends of Jesus.

Martha, however, was a never-ceasing bundle of energy. A natural administrator who would never settle for anything less than perfection, she needed all of her strength to refrain from screaming a rebuke at her sister, Mary, that day.

Although everyone considered Mary the family mystic, and the truly spiritual one, Martha still wondered about her motives. Maybe her spirituality was just an excuse to be lazy and not to work. Even when they were children, Mary had been far more interested in contemplating nature and God’s creation than in cleaning her room or doing the dishes.

This time, though, Mary had gone too far. Martha knew with Jesus as their house guest, a fact of which she was quite prideful, everyone in town would be visiting. As usual, Mary was sitting around, being spiritual, while Martha was working like a slave.

Martha was fuming. Maybe they could even afford an extra servant or two, if Mary would do a bit of work. Finally, in exasperation, she turned to Jesus, who had been talking with her sister, for help.

“Lord, don’t You care that my lazy sister isn’t helping me? Here she is, wasting time while I’m getting ready for all the guests Your presence will bring. Tell her to help me!”

“Martha,” Jesus replied, “why are you so worried and angry about the condition of your house? Only one thing should be your heart’s priority, and Mary has chosen it. Your house won’t last, but Mary will experience the fruit of her choice for eternity.”

This story has been expounded in various ways to women around the world. People cry, “Don’t be a Martha!” or, “Be a Mary, who simply spent time with Jesus.” In reality, this story, like most in the Bible, has very little to do with gender.

Furthermore, Jesus was not rebuking Martha for being administrative, organized, or busy. In fact, His rebuke had nothing to do with the perfection of her house, and everything to do with the priorities of her life.

Martha had been so busy in preparation for Jesus’ visit that she had forgotten how to enjoy her visitor. Like Mary, she, too, should have found the time to sit at His feet.

In my own experience, I have found Martha’s mistake to be almost universal among Christians. Many of them have lost sight of His person in their zeal to advance His purpose. If your work for God has taken priority over your waiting on God, you are one of the very people I am describing.

Sadly, lack of time in God’s presence will eventually result in a lack of the very power we need to serve Him. If this is where you are today, it’s time for you to make a shift in your priorities.

Instead of criticizing those in your church who seem to spend all their time in prayer and worship, you need to take a serious look at your own life. Never forget that the prayerless life is the powerless life, and the life without His presence will always lead to a life without His passion.

God is looking for people who will burn with the purpose of Martha, yet pray with the passion of Mary.

© Copyright 2005 by Jim Laffoon

The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”

He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”       Luke 10:17-20

As the seventy-two disciples began to come back from their first mission, many of them were ecstatic. “Jesus! You’re not going to believe it! Even demons listened to us when we used Your name!” They cried. “Lord, it was just amazing! The power was flowing out of our lives in rivers.”

Jesus smiled as He looked at them. “I saw Satan himself thrown out of heaven, and I’ve given you authority to smash his kingdom,” He replied. “It is not wise for you to place your joy in these things, though, because the foundation of your joy must be your citizenship in My Kingdom.”

When He had said these things, Jesus was so filled with joy that He began to laugh. Even though the cities of Korazin and Bethseda had not repented after He had just ministered there, Jesus’ joy had not been dampened.

“Thank You, Father,” He said. “You have hidden the secrets of Your Kingdom from the wise, and revealed them to people with hearts like little children.”

In this simple conversation, Jesus revealed to His disciples one of the secrets of a joy-filled life. He warned them not to derive their joy from the successes of their ministry, but from their citizenship in heaven. He did this because He realized their successes would not always be constant.

Just as Jesus felt rejection in the cities where He had preached, He knew that sooner or later his disciples, too, would encounter failure. Whether it was a demon that didn’t respond to them or a person who wasn’t healed, they would inevitably not always achieve the success they desired.

When they met with failure–and their joy was not based on eternal realities–they would end up joyless and despairing.

This principle is the same for you today: whatever profession you are in, it is dangerous to make your success the basis of your joy. If you do, you will find your joy will be fleeting at best, because it is based on what is temporal.

Although my successes and the successes of those I love have brought me tremendous happiness, I have never made the mistake of making them the sources of my joy. Instead, I have found that God’s love for me–and the Sonship I have been granted– are the continual sources of my joy. I say continual because, like God Himself, they never change.

As you ask God for the revelation I am describing, He will fill your life with a level of joy beyond anything you can imagine. This type of joy, unlike your happiness, will remain constant, no matter what your life may bring.

© Copyright 2005 by Jim Laffoon