Light in the Darkness

Blind Fear

John 9:1-41
Becky was a divine appointment through a website prayer request that I personally responded to. She had ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease, and her husband had progressive MS. We began to correspond and eventually met in person at church. I’d just lost a good friend after a long battle with cancer, and then went through cancer myself including surgery, chemo, and radiation. I felt a heart tug toward Becky, but knowing what she was facing from my own research and maybe because of what I’d just gone through I remember crying out to the Lord, I just can’t lose another friend! I can’t watch her suffer as I knew she would. I just don’t have it in me to become close to Becky–and I’m not sure I’m even equipped to be of any help to her.

All I can say is that God in his mercy heard my honest pleading and in spite of it, Becky and I started meeting for coffee. She wanted to know how she could pray for me and my family and I wanted to know more about her. I felt as if I had always known her and it wasn’t long before she could no longer drive and I found out they lived only minutes away. (another God thing) I visited often, and she became my mentor, confidante and prayer warrior. We became close friends. Very often diseases like ALS scare friends away because they are scary diseases! Eventually, Becky spent most of her day in a special chair, had full-time care from her sister and it became difficult at the end to even speak. Yet, she still prayed and the love of Jesus still shone through her. Her husband Bill ended up in a rehab facility for a time and my husband began visiting him regularly and they became friends.

Why do I share this story with you? Because blindness comes in many forms for different reasons. My fear and insecurity might have cost me the blessing of a very special friendship and all of the things I learned as a result. I’m so grateful that God was in control of my life (not me) and blessed me with a wise friend as close as a sister in spite of myself. Her loss was hard and I’ve missed her greatly and think of her often, yet that pain was nothing compared to the joy she brought to my life. Jesus healed the blind man, but we all have blind spots God overcomes and protects us from. I am forever grateful he didn’t let my blind fear cause me to stand in my own way of a great blessing! Her final words to me were you are my joy! She was mine!

Do you have any blindspots caused by your own fear or insecurities? Ask the Lord to reveal them.

Deb Hill

by Deb Hill

The Big Why

As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.
John 9 1-3

I was born free of any disability, and I stayed that way for the first 18 months of my life. I ran around all over the place, and I had this fascination with water. Then, one day, I managed to elude my sitters and make my way to the pool. No one told me I didn’t know how to swim, I quickly discovered I couldn’t. Some unknown amount of time later, my poor mother discovered my limp body in the pool. The 911 call was timestamped, and the time the paramedics resuscitated me was recorded. My heart had been stopped for over 45 minutes! Then began the 3-and-a-half-month coma the doctors promised would never end. They swore up and down I‘d be a vegetable if I survived at all. I had multiple terminal infections, and one time, the doctors pronounced me dead for all of five minutes. Some of you know the whole story because you lived it alongside my folks. Emmanuel Faith prayed for my healing, and the Lord healed me. To those who did pray for me, I want to say a massive Thank You!

I eventually noticed the Lord chose to heal my body incompletely, though. He healed me from death to a very specific point: no more, no less. In high school, I would have given anything to be healed just a little more. My body has always felt like something to contend with; it seldom felt like me. I had hoped that God would complete the healing somehow, but I had to face the reality of this being a permanent thing. I can’t tell you how much I hated being so different, I despised not being able-bodied in ways even toddlers were.

I remember just clinging to my faith at school during lunch. I became aware of my desperate state, and I began looking for victory. The Lord tended to my broken heart by delivering brothers to prop me up and listen to me. Slowly, I’ve made peace with this, and then the Lord showed me I can use the whole situation to do some fairly amazing things. The Lord freed me from big sorrows, and I came to understand that we are meant to be much more than survivors in this world. We are meant to triumph over the darkness, and with his help, we can accept and conquer the hardest things.

I didn’t really ask for this life, but God is very good, and I’m stoked to see what the future holds. We just gotta anticipate the blessings more than we fear the cost! I have found God teaches us the most epic truths in the hardest stuff so we can anticipate epic stuff when we feel the darkest and do battle with it

Jonathan Duncan

by Jonathan Duncan

Jonathan’s Story

We are Jonathan’s parents, John and Bette Duncan. We’ve been asked to weigh in on our perspective regarding God’s purpose in allowing Jonathan’s accident 37 years ago. To provide you with context, Jonathan suffered a severe brain injury due to a lack of oxygen. Although he survived with the remarkable skill of the ICU staff at Children’s Hospital, we were given the devastating news his injuries were so total and irreversible he would remain in a vegetative state for the remainder of his life. As the unbearable days turned into months, the message from neurologists stayed the same … no chance of any recovery or meaningful function. But our God, who specializes in the impossible, chose to miraculously alter the outcome of his injury…bringing him out of the coma that had locked him away for three and a half months! In those first brief moments, we got a glorious glimpse of Jonathan’s spirited self, complete with laughter…of course. Thus began a painfully slow journey of recovery….” that the works of God might be displayed in him.” What are the works of God? The Bible says God is a worker, a creator, but sin has marred His creation, and as a result bad things and disasters happen. People are disabled by blindness (John 9:1-3), palsy (Matt 9), loss of hearing, etc. But Scripture tells us in Leviticus 9:14..."You shall not curse the deaf nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God."

The ICU doctor in charge of Jonathan’s care initiated a well-documented study of his recovery including data from PT, OT, speech therapy, as well as an educational psychologist. The conclusion confirmed what we already knew in our hearts….he was a miracle! There hadn’t been another case with such severe anoxic brain damage with any recovery at all. In those first early days in the ICU, Pastor Joe Silvey, Jonathan’s two grandfathers, and we, his parents prayed for God’s touch of healing ... along with hundreds of believers around the world. His miraculous healing is a work of God.

As Jonathan developed and became increasingly articulate, we were thrilled at his unique perspective of life, its challenges, and how beautifully he experienced God‘s part in it all. The only problem …we were amongst only a few who could understand his speech. He would never be a preacher or Bible study leader or counselor. How could God possibly let these insights be wasted? Oh, such little faith!

As his parents, we traveled a path of deep grief, at the same time, giving every ounce of energy to his care and recovery. There were many times it wasn’t a pretty picture but God patiently grew (and grows) each one of us. We give praise to God, because He says in 2 Corinthians 12:9...."My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions and difficulties."

May the works of God continue to be displayed in each of our lives.

John & Bette Duncan

by Jonathan Duncan

Egō eimi

“I am.”
A powerful phrase in the scriptures.
God’s revelation of self to Moses at the burning bush (Ex 3:14.)

Then, when Jesus says it, people are moved; sometimes to anger and judgment, and as we will see, sometimes in fear.

Now, saying “I am” would have been common like it is today. “I am… …going to mow the lawn, …watch the game, …get groceries, …remember to pick up the kids this time.” It was normal and common. That’s why the religious leaders didn’t freak out when Jesus said:

I AM the bread of life (John 6:35)
I AM the light of the world (John 8:12)
I AM the door (John 10: 9)
I AM the good shepherd (John 10:11)
I AM the resurrection, and the life (John 11:25)
I AM the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6)
I AM the true vine (John 15:1)

When the religious leaders heard these phrases, they listened to him, they questioned him about his meaning, and they debated with him. But there are two places where Jesus says “I am,” listed as the Greek phrase “egō eimi” that met a very different response. In John 8:58-59, “Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.’ So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.”

This time they wanted him dead for blasphemy. This time there was no subtlety. They believed he was breaking the 3rd commandment and was using the Lord’s name as his own. But it wasn’t vanity, and it wasn’t a mistake. Jesus proclaimed who he was/is/and will be.

Later, in the book of John, when the soldiers went to arrest Jesus in the middle of the night and found his group in the darkness where Judas knew they often went, one of the soldiers called out that they were looking for Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus said to the soldiers “Egō Eimi,” and the soldiers, “drew back and fell to the ground” (John 18:6.) At this phrase in the darkness, military men backed up and got knocked over. Coming from Jesus, this was a powerful phrase indeed.

Does the person and nature of Jesus keep you humble and loved or is there a part of you still fighting to be the boss of our creator and savior Jesus?

Pastor John Riley

by John Riley

Spiritual Sight

John 8:43
Spiritual Sight John 8:43

I was driving my kids to school the other day and my daughter started explaining her new book to me. She loves reading and the series she’s in right now is one of her favorites. It chronicles the adventures of Percy Jackson following the narrative lines of famous Greek myths. However, the more details my daughter gave me, the more lost I felt. I haven’t read any of the previous books and I only have a cursory working knowledge of Greek mythology. I was lost!

I get the sense that’s how many people felt when Jesus was teaching. He faced much resistance and was often engaged in debate. Listen to the way he responded to some of the Jewish leaders, “Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word.” (John 8:43) They are lost, but it’s not that they don’t understand the content of what he’s saying, it’s that they cannot believe it. It’s as though their spiritual ears are closed - they’re spiritually deaf. They are hard-hearted. They could not “bear his word.”

This exchange is a challenge for us to ask ourselves if we can bear his word. It’s a challenge for us to gauge how attentive and open we are to the voice of God in our own lives and if we are willing to understand and listen. It’s easy to cast stones wondering why people were unwilling to listen to Jesus when he taught in the temple, but it’s good for us to recognize that we often do the same thing.

Let’s step back from the story for a moment and name how alike we are to the Jewish leaders. They were in a theological system of belief and praxis. It was a system that gave the people in charge a certain amount of power and prestige. It was a system that people knew that made them feel safe because they knew what to expect. It was a system that included their religion, politics, and social structures - and Jesus was blowing all of it up. So much so that the heart of the Jewish religion, the Temple, would not be a part of the new system moving forward. It made sense that they couldn’t “bear to hear his word.”

Jesus was completely disorienting and wholly unexpected. Maybe that’s what following Jesus is like - unexpected. Maybe it feels like laying down our way of understanding. I wonder what Jesus would say to us as we go to church week in and week out. As we read scripture and sing songs, do we expect to be confronted with things Jesus wants us to surrender, or do we expect our already-held convictions to be reinforced? I don’t think the church was ever designed to be an echo chamber, I think it’s supposed to be a refining fire.

Are you attentive to Jesus in a way that would allow you to hear him if he spoke something unexpected? Would he say to you, “You cannot bear to hear my word” like he did to the leaders? Maybe right now we just pause and ask him to open our ears and hearts more and more to him.

Pastor Ryan Paulson

by Ryan Paulson

Call Me Abba!

John 8:40-42
Jesus, in his relentless effort to make the Jews who believed in him in John 8 understand who he really was, said their father was the father of lies and they did what their father did. Ouch! We know Satan is the father of lies, so why did Jesus say that to them?

Believe it or not, Jesus loved them enough to speak truth because they still had evil in their hearts (they sought to kill him), and they were still confused about who Jesus was and the relationship with God that was available to them. They were unable or chose not to hear and understand what Jesus was saying; that God sent him, his only “begotten” Son to restore our relationship to Abba Father as sons and daughters.The way he spoke of God as (Abba) Father offended them. This shows they did not understand the prophecy in Isaiah about a future son (they refused to identify as Messiah):

Some of us struggle to see ourselves as sons and daughters of God. It’s easier to think of God as Creator, Lord, God of the Universe, Author of our lives. But Father? Dad? (Abba) It seems a little too close for comfort. Our vulnerability sensors go off. It can even feel scary. Do you struggle with such an intimate relationship?

As Jesus’ disciples we are called to become like Christ, and Christ calls God “Daddy.” We are to become like little children, and place ourselves in relationship with God not as his slaves but as his children. And not his adult children who are self-sufficient and have their parents at arm’s length. As his little four-year-old children, completely dependent, vulnerable, and trusting. Have you ever watched three or four year olds learn about God? They accept his love whole-heartedly and how they love to sing songs of praise to him! In Matthew 19 Jesus said to let the little children come…for to such as these belongs the kingdom of heaven.

He cherishes each of us and wants an intimate relationship with us for his glory and our good for all eternity. By his grace and through the Holy Spirit we can cry out “Abba, Father.” Let’s pray to make good use of this grace for our Father in heaven delights in us, his children.

Deb Hill

by Deb Hill

Truth vs. Lies

Jesus exposed Satan’s true nature when he declared, “He is a liar and the father of lies.” (Jn 8:44) Satan’s favorite tactic is using lies and deceit. He quickly unleashed this tactic upon mankind by tempting Eve with the question, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” (Gen. 3:1) Adam and Eve fell for this deception and believed Satan’s lie instead of God’s Word. Their spiritual DNA has been passed along to every generation.

Ideas come from many sources and have the potential to shape the world. Ideas that align with divine truth will shape the world for good. Ideas that contradict, deny or tarnish the truth of God’s Word can do great damage. The devil is at war against the truth and reaps destruction through lies. He challenges God's Word and even attempts to erase it. As believers, when we stand firm in God’s Word and proclaim its truth we are actually engaging in spiritual warfare. Standing for truth helps us to bring every idea and thought captive in obedience to Christ, the living word. (2 Cor 10:3-5)

One way to discern spiritual truth versus a lie is through observing the spiritual fruits of opposing claims. A clear example from church history was medieval Roman Catholicism. For a thousand years they prohibited the use of any translation of the Bible except the Latin version which, as the centuries passed, only scholars could read. And the Vatican wrongly claimed sole authority to interpret the Bible. Without access to God’s word, masses of people became lost and spiritually oppressed. That was the fruit of a lie. But spirit-led reformers like William Tyndale, Myles Coverdale, and Martin Luther believed that the Bible must be available to people in their own language. The fruit of their efforts to translate the original Hebrew and Greek texts of the Bible into everyday language led to the Protestant Reformation. Over the span of two centuries, the Holy Spirit used such new translations to bring countless numbers of souls across Europe, and beyond, to a saving faith in the God of the Bible!

Likewise, contemporary believers shouldn’t be surprised when confronted by spiritual lies and deceit. Whenever you encounter such spiritual warfare, may you lean into God for grace to stand firmly upon His unchanging Word!

Pastor Dave Korinek

by Dave Korinek

Believe or Follow

Over the last few weeks in John 8, we have seen Jesus speak to a group of people and contend with the obligatory pack of Pharisees. Many believe in Him, even though they lack a basic comprehension of what He means. Jesus then takes the new believers aside and continues to teach them. These people get completely hung up on an idea they take right out of context. They get so bent out of shape and belligerent about it that Jesus blasts the whole group, calling them “Children of Satan,” and things proceed to get worse from there.

What happened? What went wrong? Why did it escalate so quickly? Why did Jesus burn the bridge so thoroughly with these people? Jesus is after their commitment and their devotion. Jesus is tilling the soil for his church to come with the Holy Spirit. These people just want an easier life, hoping Jesus will overthrow Caesar soon. The Lord has no qualms about making people angry, the human race poses no threat to him.

To those who come to Jesus with selfish motives, they can look forward to the same sort of mutual rejection. See the answer Jesus gives to the rich young ruler. Jesus still wants people to make Him Lord, live for him, and obey him. We’ll mess up and not do these things perfectly, but he has patience for the humble.

God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble
James 4:6

Jonathan Duncan

by Jonathan Duncan