Tempted Away from our Purpose

Temptation has been reduced in our society to being all about ice cream, breaking diets and sexual sin.

But Jesus’ encounter with temptation is fought for high stakes. Temptation threatens not only his sense of identity but also the whole mission God has given him. The temptations happen at the start of his ministry because he needs to know that he is straight in his own mind about his purpose and the methods he will use in his ministry.

The first temptation is to use his God given gifts to satisfy his own needs and desires. If that happened then his ministry would be all about getting people to serve Jesus rather than him serving others. He had to master his own personal agendas. The story begs the question, “Have you, too, mastered your desires and agendas or do they control your life and ministry?”

The second temptation is about getting quick results as long as Jesus does things the devil’s way…

The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. ⁶ And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendour; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. ⁷ If you worship me, it will all be yours.” ⁸ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.” Lk 4:5-8

The devil knew that Jesus wanted to liberate the people of the world from their slavey to sin and self. God’s method was the slow path of eating and drinking with sinners, teaching disciples, and letting love slowly percolate through church and society changing people one by one. It was the long path that went to the agony of the cross and beyond to resurrection. The devil virtually said ‘Why bother going the slow way? I can give you control now as long as you worship me.’

Jesus was tempted but did not succumb. True change can only be brought about by using God’s methods.

Sometimes in church we lose our way.

The bureaucracy of the institution becomes our Christian service instead of the support for our Christian service.

Sometimes Church is all about doing and not being. We get task oriented and have no time for long deep slow loving relationships. And we wonder why the church withers ‘on the vine’ despite all our frantic activity.

Sometimes we just want the church to be a service provider like a dentist or a teacher- we ‘attend’ church, we ‘go’ to church, but we hesitate to say ‘we are the church’.

Next weekend we are having a Leader’s Retreat for Living Faith Church. Pray that we may grow deeper in Jesus’ way and may set aside the many whisperings of the devil to go the quick path to ‘success’.

May you too follow in Jesus’ footsteps and have the courage to reject shortcuts.

 Graeme.