Pastor Robert Hudson, Littleby Baptist Church
Jesus had a knack for shaking things up.
In John chapter 4, Jesus stopped in Samaria, spoke to a woman, and shared His message of love with the Samaritan people. The Jewish people did not like Samaritans, they were considered impure. Yet Jesus went to Samaria and witnessed to a community. Jewish men went out of their way to avoid talking to women they did not know, yet Jesus spoke to the woman at the well. Jewish teachers would never speak with an adulteress, yet Jesus did exactly that.
With this one act, Jesus showed that He was not following the traditional ways, it was no longer business as usual.
In Mark chapter 2 Jesus’ once again acted in a way that shocked those that watched Him. He ate dinner at Levi’s house with tax collectors and sinners. Tax collectors were considered traitors to the Jewish people and sinners were the lowest of low, people who were not even welcome in church. Yet Jesus, ignored those rules and ate with them.
In Mark chapter 3 we see Jesus heal a man on the Holy Sabbath day in which no work was to be performed. This completely unacceptable in the eyes of the religious leaders and it enraged them.
Jesus was showing us that it was no longer business as usual, the rules had changed. Even His death on the cross which wiped away all the old rules and replaced them with an amazing gift that sets us free, showed that it was not business as usual.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways.” This is the Lord’s declaration.” Isaiah 55:8
Our thoughts and ways are not the same as our Lord’s and we cannot understand all that He is doing. Our Job is to trust Him, to have faith in our Lord Jesus, trust that He has our best interest at heart, and do our best to follow the path He has placed before us.
It was not business as usual when Jesus walked this earth, and it is not business as usual today. We are going to be stretched beyond our norms, we may question what God is doing, but we need to trust that His Word is true and that He is in control.
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is the Lord” – Jeremiah 17:7
It may be unnerving, it will stretch our patience, and it may test our faith, but we need to trust in our Lord. Trust that He will work in our lives. Trust that He will work in the lives of our friends and loved ones. Trust that when we are being pushed beyond our comfort zone that Jesus is still in control. Trust in God when you see that it is not business as usual.
This country needs things shaken up a bit, we need true Holy Spirit lead revival. Revival that starts in the hearts of all who confess Jesus Christ as Savior. Revival that begins with each of us crying out to our God, confessing, and repenting of our sins. Revival that grows through the reading, studying, and preaching of the Word of God. Revival that results in the hearts of those that Follow Jesus to be broken for a need that they can help with.
Business as usual will get us the same comfortable and mediocre results that we are getting today. For the Gospel to be shared, for revival to come, and for lives to be changed it cannot be business as usual. Don’t be afraid to shake things up a bit, you would be in Great company. Follow Jesus example and remember, it is not business as usual.
