Rancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian Church

1 Cor. 1:26-29, Ex. 8:20-23

The wife returned home to find her husband pacing the floor with a fly swatter. She asked, “Did you get any yet?” The husband responded proudly. “Yep. I’ve already killed three male flies and two female flies.” “How can you tell whether they are males or females?” “Three were on the television remote and the other two were on the phone.”

Let’s talk about the plague of flies in ancient Egypt.

We are in the midst of a summer series of messages on the life of Moses and the birth of the Israelite nation. This week we come to the plague stories. The first few plagues impacted the Israelites as much as the Egyptians. The plague of frogs meant the Israelites had to deal with frogs in their breakfast cereal as much as the Egyptians did. The plague of gnats was as uncomfortable to the Israelites as it was to the Egyptians. Then the fourth plague hit—flies. For the first time God sent a plague against only the Egyptians. The Israelites in the land of Goshen were spared.

How did that work? Some scholars suggest that Goshen was most likely in northern Arabia along the eastern edge of the Nile. This means the slaves would have lived on one side of the river while the wealthy lived on the other side. The homes of the Israelites must have been close enough to the Egyptians that the first three plagues against Egypt included the land of Goshen. It was not until this fourth plague that the people of Goshen were spared while the Egyptians suffered. God used the plague of flies to separate God’s people from Pharaoh’s people.

Does this week’s Bible story promote the idea that Christians should remain separate from their neighbors? If so we are doing a pretty good job of it. A recent study shows that 80% of those who are not Christians have never met a Christian! Here’s the truth, they probably know a Christian and just don’t know it. We are doing a good job of staying on our own side of the river so we don’t have to deal with their flies. Is this God’s intention for us? We are to protect ourselves by staying away from other’s problems? Is that what makes God’s people distinctive? Let’s think about it.

Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Rise early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh, as he goes out to the water, and say to him, “Thus says the Lord: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. For if you will not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies on you, your officials, and your people, and into your houses; and the houses of the Egyptians shall be filled with swarms of flies; so also the land where they live. But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people live, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I the Lord am in this land. Thus I will make a distinction between my people and your people. This sign shall appear tomorrow.” ’

- Exodus 8:20-23

One day a man walked into the produce section of the local supermarket and asked to buy half a head of lettuce. The boy working in that department tried to explain that they only sold whole heads of lettuce. The customer insisted that the boy ask his manager.

Walking into the back room, the boy said to his manager, “Some jerk wants to buy only half a head of lettuce.” As he finished his sentence he turned and realized the customer was standing right behind him, so he quickly added, “And this gentleman wants to buy the other half.”

The manager approved the deal and the customer went on his way. The manager called the boy back and complimented him. “I was impressed with your quick thinking in that situation. We like people who can think on their feet. Where are you from, son?”

“Minnesota, sir.” The boy responded.

“Well, why did you leave Minnesota?” the manager asked.

The boy answered, “There was nothing there but street walkers and hockey players. So I left.”

“Really!” said the manager. “My wife is from Minnesota.”

The boy replied, “No kidding? On which team did she play?”

It is sometimes tempting to divide the world into two mutually exclusive groups: Muslims and Infidels, Republicans and Democrats, Jews and Gentiles, heterosexuals and homosexuals, Black and White. Is that really how the world is?

The Apostle Paul was careful to remind the Corinthian Christians that their belonging to God did not make them some exclusive club with special rights or privileges. They were followers of Jesus not as a result of intelligence. Their faith did not result from nobility of birth. As followers of Jesus they demonstrated different personalities and came from various cultures. So, if it was not economics, politics, culture, nationality, or personality style, what made them special as God’s people?

When I was a new Christian I wanted the categories to be clear cut and absolutely certain. There are the moral, ethical, loving Christians and the immoral, unethical, unloving irreligious. Two simple exclusive groups. As I grew in my faith I learned that it isn’t that simple. I began to realize that Christians can be as immoral and unethical as anyone outside the church.

In seminary, Kate and I were part of a small group. One evening the discussion turned to our hopes for future ministry. As we shared around the circle, one of the seminary students described his desire to specialize in a counseling ministry. In our attempts to clarify his sense of calling, the rest of the group asked if he saw himself serving in a large, multi-staff church. When we asked if he saw himself focusing on family or marriage counseling, his wife grew uncomfortable with the questions. Finally, she exploded. “John will not be counseling Christians!” she announced angrily. “Christians don’t have problems! He will be counseling the lost sinners so they can learn through counseling how God’s Word has the answers to their problems.” Yeah. Right! Here’s the truth: we Christians are as emotionally and relationally damaged as everybody else.

Let me be clear here. I do believe that encounters with Jesus transform lives. The difficulty is that these transformations take place first in the heart and spirit. They are so subtle and internal that we can’t point to their outward effects until some significant progress toward holiness is made. Spiritual transformation is such a long slow process. I believe that real lovers of Jesus ought to experience some genuine transformation toward healthier relationships and emotional stability. I believe we learn to be genuinely repentant about our moral failures and experience a growing desire for truthfulness and honesty in our ethical behaviors. But does this make us distinctive?

Jesus said people would recognize his followers by their love (John 13:35). In the early Roman Empire we have historic records of how stunned the Romans were that the Christians showed compassion to the helpless and needy, the unlovely and the rejected of society. Followers of Jesus were doing something new, loving their enemies and caring for those considered unworthy. But since then this distinctively Christian value of helping the less fortunate has become so pervasive that we now have people donating to the Salvation Army who know nothing about salvation. Irreligious people volunteer for the Red Cross without knowing what a cross means to Christians.

Here is where it gets really interesting. In one sense we can celebrate as followers of Jesus that the value of charity has become so pervasive in the western world it shows we have influenced our society for good. Many do not know that two thousand years ago cruelty was considered more than acceptable and it was featured for entertainment. The Christians were the ones who challenged this view of human life as expendable. Now irreligious people with no connection to Christianity simply accept the values of respecting others and helping the less fortunate, so participating in these things are no longer distinctively Christian.

So we are back to the same question: How are God’s people distinctive? I suggest that for twenty-first century American Christians, about the only thing left that can make us distinctive is our willingness to be filled and led by the Holy Spirit. While the general population may participate in general morality, goodness, ethical behavior, charity and mercy, God’s people are to be filled with the Holy Spirit. So what is the difference between a good person who lives a good life and a follower of Jesus who is lead by the Holy Spirit?

I appreciate the writings of Watchman Nee, an Asian Christian writing a century ago. He has some valuable reflections on the Bible passage where Jesus told Nicodemus that “what is born of flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6). Hebrews 4 says God’s Word is like a sharp tool in the surgeon’s hand so that just as the surgeon can separate the joint from the bone, so God’s Word slices and separates the soul from the spirit.

What is the difference between soul and spirit? Nee defines the soul as consisting of the mind, personality, natural abilities, and emotions. Most of our childhood involves learning that our souls are intended to control our bodies. From potty training in childhood to dieting and exercise in adulthood we learn to control our physical impulses and urges by putting the soul in charge of the body. Everybody does this. In general we grow up often succeeding and occasionally failing to keep our bodies under the control of our souls. Thus we become moral people who respect our neighbors. In short, we become fine upstanding citizens, with no distinction between God’s people and the general population.

Now comes an encounter with Jesus. The Holy Spirit enters our lives as a gentle whisper. This whisper is different from the internal thoughts we normally have. That is the soul voice, not the Holy Spirit.

When we meet Jesus and the Holy Spirit enters; our shriveled up, dead little seed of a spirit experiences a fresh birth. God wants us to listen to the Holy Spirit and let God take control of our souls and bodies. Each time we step out in faith by doing something the Holy Spirit asks us to do, our spirit takes control of our souls as well as our bodies. What does that look like?

You are walking from the shopping center to your parked car when the Holy Spirit asks you to do something irrational. Your soul tries to make sense of it, but there is no logic to it. You hear the divine whisper, “Go offer to pray for that lady.” Your soul argues, “But I don’t even know her.” The Holy Spirit says, “She’s feeling down today and just needs someone to connect.

Ask her if you can say a prayer for her.” The soul responds, “Lord, this feels so foolish. She is going to think I’m crazy.” One more time the Holy Spirit urges, “Just ask if you can help her.”

You feel foolish as you walk toward her car. She looks up and you make eye contact. Everything in you wants to turn around, but you smile and ask, “How are you today?” She looks back at you with a worried expression, and responds, “I think I lost my car keys.” Now your soul is telling the Lord, “See, Lord, she didn’t need a prayer she needs help opening her car.” The Holy Spirit says, “Then pray that she’ll find the keys.” You silently pray and just then she smiles and says, “I found them!”

You start to walk away, but the lady’s eyes tear slightly as she says almost in a whisper. “I’ve felt so confused lately.” And you step forward and ask, “Are you alright?” And she says, “My daughter died last week.” “Could I pray for you?’ With a grateful sigh she responds, “That would be wonderful!”

This kind of a spirit-led life is exciting and terrifying and wonderful. It is what makes us distinctive from the rest of the world. Almost always the Holy Spirit nudges us to bless somebody. We grow as followers of Jesus as we heed those little nudges to do a random act of kindness or bless a neighbor.

When I think about body, soul, and spirit, I am reminded of the old stagecoach tickets. Did you know that there were classes of tickets to ride on a stagecoach? Think about it. If everybody rides inside facing each other, what difference would it make whether the passenger held a first, second, or third class ticket?

First class stagecoach tickets ensured maximum comfort for the traveler. No matter what happened, the passenger would not have to get off the stage. Second class tickets meant that if the coach ran into trouble and had to repair a wheel, got stuck in the mud, or whatever, these passengers had to climb out of the coach until the problem was remedied.

The third class ticket meant that you were the first off the coach and the last on in any trouble situations. On top of that, third class passengers were expected to help with the stagecoach. Third class ticket-holders helped repair the broken wheel and pushed the coach through the mud. Whenever there was a problem, they were expected to be part of the answer.

So what makes God’s people distinctive? We are born with first class tickets. As babies we want our own needs taken care of and we don’t care about others—body. Then as we grow up most of us become second class ticket holders, learning to be considerate and kind and to share what we have—soul. Some even excel in the soul life by showing love through unselfish acts of charity and compassion. But when we encounter Jesus, he invites us to trade our second class tickets for third class and become filled with God’s Spirit who calls us to love and serve others as a lifestyle.

What kind of ticket are you holding?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

What do other people say are some of your distinctive characteristics? In other words, what makes you unique?

Do you find yourself dividing the world into “two mutually exclusive groups”? Why do so many people do this?

How are God’s people distinctive and how have you experienced that distinctiveness in your own faith journey?

Share a story of a time you responded to a subtle prompting of the Holy Spirit and did something out of the ordinary. What were the ranges of your emotions in that moment?