It is That Simple
with Larry Kutzler
The Simple Ideas of Profound Truths
Vision Leaders for Jesus
An influential, charismatic Church on the West Coast, announced major changes to their Church culture. They said it needed ‘attention and reform.’ I have noticed when a charismatic leader brings vision and ministry to a group of people, that ministry takes on the emphasis of that leader. Visionaries are necessary for the proliferation of the Gospel … without them new avenues to reach people would cease. The problem isn’t the visionary … the problem is the management of the vision. Too often, the vision gets a life of its own, and Jesus becomes a means to make it happen. The ministry culture of the Seven Churches in the Book of Revelation, are great examples of how vision develops without Jesus being the center of that vision. The message of the Cross is preeminent … not the leader or the vision. It is That Simple.
The Lust of the Eyes
I heard a preacher say, “The lust of the eye in 1 John 2:16 is not only a moral issue, but a prideful one. Not all knowledge is profitable, in fact, most knowledge is like trivia … it has a short life span. Think about how you get interrupted in your day by all the notifications on your phone. What percentage of the messages are worthless non-stop promotions and irritating news stories? Yet, we hang on every notification as if it was announcing the second coming of the Lord. I realize we use our phones productively too, but the challenge is our insatiable desire to see and know things (the lust of the eyes), being preoccupied with needless chatter and information. Check out the stats on how long your screen time is each week. That is worth seeing. It is That Simple.
Failure
When failure is turned over to God, it becomes a learning moment … not a crippling, human crisis. Failure is inevitable, and depending how you react to it, will determine whether failure will serve you, or you will serve it. King David’s moral failure brought him to pen Psalm 51, one of the most honest passages of Scripture for anyone who has failed. King David was vulnerable, honest, and appealed to God for restoration. Verse 10 says it all, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” One of the most remarkable statistics is that all the major human characters in the Bible failed, but God still chose them to do His will. You are no different than them … use failure to learn and then do it right. It is That Simple.
The Righteous Rise Again
Much of my Christian life has been tainted with this idea … if you fall as a believer, you’re done. That is the legalistic view of living out Christ. Yet, Proverbs 24:16 says something different … “For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again.” What that says is when the righteous fall, and they will, they will not stay fallen. Some people may say, “That’s it for them, they will never minister, or be an influence again in the Church.” That is just not true. The Proverb writer is talking about a righteous man who falls, not a perfect man, and the fall is not permanent … the righteous do not stay down. Righteous people rise because God’s mercy is still real. Remember, His Mercy says, “Arise again, don’t delay. My Mercy puts you back on track.” It is That Simple.
Small Things
There is something about small things that God likes. There are hundreds of references to small things in the Bible. Why small things? It is because small things lead to great outcomes. The mustard seed, the fish and the loaves, and whoever is entrusted with small things, will be trusted with bigger things. In a recent movie (Pressure), is portrayed the small matter of weather that would determine the outcome of the invasion of Europe on D-Day in 1945. An unknown meteorologist predicted weather on the planned day of D-Day that would have been devastating for the invasion. He convinced General Eisenhower to postpone one day. Against the better judgment of his staff, Eisenhower listened and invaded the following day. A small voice saved D-Day from disaster. God’s answers come in small voices. Are we listening? It is That Simple.
Worship is All Day
We often think worship is a song service, but is that all it is? Worship is not just music and lyrics, it is the way we think, the way we act, and the way we serve. Worship is the way we love people, forgive people, and the way we engage with people. Worship is not about God joining our agenda to make us successful … it is about joining His agenda and surrendering to do His will. Worship is doing, as Colossians 3:23 says, “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” Worship is not a static activity for Sunday morning, when the worship team strikes the first note. It starts with the morning when you rise, and it ends at night when you rest. We live to worship God. It is That Simple.
What Would Make Us Curse God?
God said that Job was the finest man on the earth. Job feared God and stayed away from evil. Satan said, “Take all his stuff from him, and destroy his health and he will curse God.” Yet, Job never changed his perspective of God. How can we accept only good things from the hand of God, and not anything bad? Satan knows our weaknesses, and if Satan were to place a bet on whether the rest of us would react like Job, the chances are Satan would win. Job’s perspective? Lose it all, and still trust God. This evaluates the price point at which we would curse God. Satan tempts through weakness, and as Satan tempted Job, Satan tempted Jesus on the Cross, “Save yourself, and come down from the Cross.” Temptation is all about abandoning God. It is That Simple.
Timelessness
Time is a measurement, and it is limited. Time is how we remember. We think back at a time when something happened … good or bad. We go to funerals and we hear the stories of the times in a person’s life. We all feel time as we age, too. There was a time I could do certain things, and now I can’t. Time is a collection of memories that make up our lives. Yet, one day, time will end, and we go from measuring time to timelessness. That is why our time now is so critical … to think clearly about the timeless world of eternity. “So, we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18) It is That Simple.
Not Being Enough
I’ve never felt that I had what it takes to win or succeed, as I wanted. Have you felt that way? Well, what is success? Fair question. The greatest detriment in feeling that you don’t measure up, is comparing yourself to others. You’re better than some, but you’re not as good as others. This will divide and be a source of jealousy. This kind of comparison is crippling in how God made you, and the Scriptures tell us it is unwise to do it. Take pleasure in who God made you, no one is like you in all the world. Galatians 6:4 says, “Take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to anyone else." God has made you unique … take pride in you. Using comparison as a measurement of worth is unwise. It is That Simple.