The Warrior Hero      Mark 11

The shoes you pack say alot about the trip you're taking. How you ever thought about how many of the metaphors for discipleship involve your feet? We "follow" Christ. We describe our Christian "walk". The new unit of study for October is entitled "Discipleship: The Epic Adventure". What shoes did you pack for the journey? When it comes to discipleship there are mountains to climb, battles to fight, and enemies to face. When it comes to following Jesus you will need more than flip-flops and bunny slippers!

This week's lesson from Mark 11 is called "The Warrior Hero". Believers need to understand that an active life of faith leads to victorious Christian living that pleases God, is pleasing to us, and is useful to Christ's Kingdom. We battle daily with temptation, doubt, crises, relational differences, and a host of other things that can turn our focus away from Kingdom living. In Mark 11:12-14, 20-21 Jesus enacted a parable to drive home the importance of a fruitful Christian life. The parable is interrupted as Mark records the account of Jesus cleansing the Temple. Mark often wraps one story around another. The outer story helps the reader to understand the importance of the central story. Just as the fig tree in 11:12-14 was bearing no fruit, so the worship of the Jews also bore no fruit (11:15-19).

What would it take to produce more fruit in your life? Fruit is symbolic of evidence. Apples on an apple tree are evidence that the tree you are observing is an apple tree. "A good tree doesn’t produce bad fruit; on the other hand, a bad tree doesn’t produce good fruit. For each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs aren’t gathered from thorn bushes, or grapes picked from a bramble bush. A good man produces good out of the good storeroom of his heart. An evil man produces evil out of the evil storeroom, for his mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart." Luke 6:43-45 (HCSB)

So how is the level of evidence in your walk with Jesus? As we walk with Him and He transforms us into His likeness, we will exhibit evidence (fruit) of His character. Galatians 5:22-23 lists what is called the 'Fruit of the Spirit'; evidence of the Holy Spirit's transformational work in our lives. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23 (HCSB) Are you fighting fruitlessness and striving to bear fruit? How can we do that?

• Pruning - giving up something that stands in your way of a real, personal relationship with Christ.
• Watering - spending time in the Word to receive Living Water.
• Transplanting - moving out of a bad situation or relationship that is hindering you from placing your faith in God.
• Fertilizing - growing through personal disciplines such as stewardship, service, study, fellowship, prayer, and worship.

In the middle story of Mark 11:15-19, inattention to the worship of God drew Jesus' righteous wrath. From Mark's description of the Temple complex, it must have looked more like a flea market than a sacred place of prayer and worship! No wonder the Jews' worship and sacrifices to God were unacceptable. They allowed other things to crowd in and distract them from the true purpose of knowing and worshipping God. Temple worship had become big business. If you wanted to get to the Temple to worship, you had to fight your way through all the merchants that were set up in the courtyard out front, as well as everyone who was using the courtyard as a shortcut to get where they were going. To many, the hassle may not have been worth the effort.

What's distracting you from your walk with Christ? Escape from the day's busy routine? The pursuit of pleasure? Climbing the corporate ladder? A troublesome relationship? Too busy at church? Busyness is not fruitfulness. We must ruthlessly combat anything that pulls our focus from Jesus and His mission. In Mark 11:22-25 Jesus taught His disciples about the power of prayer to combat distractions and accomplish fruitfulness. A settled trust in God and His ability to solve our troubles and aid us in our struggle is essential to achieving spiritual victories. Many try to analyze away the power of Jesus' promise here. Although He used hyperbole in His statement concerning mountains to represent life's problems, we should never spiritualize away the power of God to answer our prayers and the effect of praying in faith.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) said, "A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is braver five minutes longer." I would venture to add that spiritual heroes stay at the task day after day after day. Through faith and by the power of God that is available to us we battle against unfruitfulness and worldly distractions to grow in our relationship with Christ and our usefulness to His Kingdom. Do you consider His best for you something worth fighting for?