Author Archives: Gregg A Caruso

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About Gregg A Caruso

I have enjoyed the privilege of serving the Church as a co-church planter, pastor of multi-staffed churches, coach, mentor, mission’s executive, trainer, interventionist, diagnostician, and intentional interim pastor. I have served in such varied places as Carson City (NV), Santa Barbara (CA), Oceanside (CA), Boone (IA), London, Amsterdam, Barcelona, the North Shore of O’ahu, the SF Bay Area (CA), Manchester (NH), Temecula (CA), Torrance (CA), Taunton (MA), and Rehoboth (MA). My all-time favorite book on leadership is “Leadership is an Art” by Max DePree. What a great and humbling topic. "Leading Without Power" is also an excellent read. Specialties: Intentional Interim Pastor (IIP) Gospel-centered theological 'reboot' Change management Organizational development Analytics (3 tiers of diagnostics available) Policy-based governance Conflict management and reconciliation

Holy Week Devo – Day 4

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Wednesday, April 8th

What was happening on Wednesday of Holy Week?

The major event was Judas’ decision to betray Jesus.

One Of You Will Betray Me, Matthew 26:14-16

Then one of the twelve disciples—the one named Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, “What will you give me if I betray Jesus to you?” They counted out thirty silver coins and gave them to him. From then on Judas was looking for a good chance to hand Jesus over to them.

Based on the median income for a full-time wage or salary worker in 2019, the equivalent amount would be approximately $5,460—not nearly as much as we might have thought!

Someone once said, “Knowing what NOT to do is just as good as knowing what TO do.” So, what can we learn from Judas? At least two things…

1 For three-and-a-half years Jesus, the only perfect person who ever lived, provided the ultimate environment for incubating a dynamic faith, yet Judas still went sideways. Parents of prodigals, or pastors, or employers who have experienced loved ones making poor choices, walking away from the faith they were raised in, or employees not living up to their potential and needing to be let go can be overwhelmed with a strong sense of shame and guilt.

(It should be noted that there is legitimate shame and guilt that humbly acknowledges our failures and points us to the cross of Christ. Legitimate shame exposes our depravity. We should feel shame when we hurt someone because we violate our relationship with them and the Lord. Take care not to justify or deny your wrongdoing. Let legitimate shame do its work. If the Spirit of God lives in you, you will be nudged into the light of His presence and seared by His penetrating eyes. It is God’s kindness to orchestrate the events of our life so that our heart will be tested and then humbled.[1])

Certainly, we must acknowledge and own what we could have done differently—and apologize where necessary, yet in the end we cannot control the decisions of others.

Application: Own what you can own. Repent. Apologize wherever it is appropriate. Ask for the Holy Spirit to be released afresh on the person/people because God desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4).

2 Seemingly “insignificant” and unconfessed sin can snowball into addictive, destructive, and lethal behaviors if not acknowledged and confessed. There are many kinds of addictions. There are ingestive addictions—like alcohol, drugs, nicotine, sugar, caffeine, and/or food. And there are also process addictions—things like illegitimate shame and guilt, a poor understanding of who we are in Christ, and other processes like pornography and masturbation, shopping, social media, binge watching digital content, religion, making money, and working out can even become an addiction—although most of us could use a little more time at the gym 🙂

Judas had been stealing from the collective money bag, and when he kept this sin secret, Satan gained more and more ground in his life. Judas made a deal with the chief priests and then sat down at our Lord’s table with known sins that he was unwilling to own and confess, and Satan entered even further into his life. Unconfessed sin always opens the door to Satan’s power in our lives.

John 13:27a: When Judas had eaten the bread, Satan entered into him…

Matthew 27:3-5: Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to that yourself!” 5 And he threw the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary and departed; and he went away and hanged himself.

Application: Confess all know sin. Join a Community Group and seek out safe, challenging, and accountable relationships.

[1] Dan Allender. The Wounded Heart: Hope for Adult Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse, NavPress 1990: 63-66.

Holy Week Devo – Day 3

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Tuesday, April 7th

What was Jesus doing on Tuesday of Holy Week?

It’s important that, as we move through Holy Week, we begin to see and understand the resolute focus and intentionality of Jesus that is reflected back to us by the Gospel writers…

He, with the Disciples, Passed by The Barren Fig Tree: Matthew 21:19-22

This object lesson teaching of Jesus on faith and prayer emphasizes that the power of prayer lies not in the power of the person praying but, in the power and promises of God. Our freedom from doubt begins to arise from a growing awareness that something is truly God’s will. True faith receives what it asks for. True trust is not presumptive arrogance but submission to God’s will.

The Authority of Jesus is Challenged in the Temple: Matthew 21:23-27.

When Jesus entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him as He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” Jesus was no stranger to controversy and conflict with the religious establishment. Most Jewish people (including the disciples of Jesus) held a fixed (but wrong) view of how the Messiah should come and what He would do. The demands of the chief priests and the elders emanated from a stubborn place and a desire for personal power and comfort rather than a heart that desired to know and do the will of God.

The Olivet Discourse: Matthew 24-25. Excerpt from 25:1-13

Leaving the Temple, Jesus and the Disciples walked up the Mount of Olives, probably to a place that overlooked the city. Matthew 24-25 are the last of Jesus’ five teaching discourses that make up the bulk of Matthew’s Gospel. Jesus is speaking to His disciples, giving them a prophetic overview of events to come in the near and distant future. Here’s how to outline the chapters…

  • Jesus foretells the destruction of the temple (which happened in 70 A.D.). (24:1-3)
  • The troubles before the destruction of Jerusalem. (24:4-28)
  • Jesus foretells other signs and miseries. (24:29-41)
  • Exhortations to watchfulness. (24:42-51)
  • The parable of the ten virgins. (25:1-13)
  • The parable of the talents. (25:14-30)
  • The Second Coming and Judgement. (25:31-46)

 As we can see, Tuesday was a packed day of exhortation and instruction! A concise overview of the day’s focus would be:

  • A pattern for personal prayer that it is not petitioning God to do our will, but a humble inquiring of God to share His will for us.
  • The natural drift of the human heart is toward selfishness, personal comfort, and control. It is essential that we engage the Christian life as humble learners.
  • Jesus will not take His followers around suffering, but through suffering—and we are to be watchful, prepared, and productive along the way—because judgement is coming.

Application:

  • Consider your prayer life. Ask God to draw you after Him in a new and powerful way. “Draw me after you and let us run together!” –Song of Solomon 1:4a
  • Where is personal preference, stubbornness, and control hindering your relationship with God and others? Get real.
  • Where are you stuck in your longing for comfort in the midst of our call to stand firm for Jesus even when it means suffering?

Tim Keller and George Hebert on Prayer

The Christian’s Call to Suffer

Holy Week Devo – Day 2

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Monday, April 6th

Mary Pours Out Her Costly Perfume, Matthew 26:6-13

Now when Jesus was in Bethany, at the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume, and she poured it on His head as He reclined at the table. But the disciples were indignant when they saw this, and said, “Why this waste? For this perfume might have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.” But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you bother the woman? For she has done a good deed to Me. For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me. For when she poured this perfume on My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial. Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”

A Note of Context: The anointing of Jesus recounted in Luke 7:36-50 is a different incident from this anointing. This anointing is also related in John 12:1-11 and Mark 14:3-9 (although John 12 states that Mary anointed His feet and wiped them with her hair). Mary is the sister of Martha and Lazarus. It is Monday evening, two days after Lazarus was raised from the dead and the day after Palm Sunday. Jesus enjoyed a very special friendship with Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. They offered Jesus warm friendship and their home provided a respite in a world of conflict and escalating hostility (cf. Luke 10:38–42). It is also worth noting that the resurrection of Lazarus was likely one of the main reasons the crowds in Jerusalem were so large and boisterous on Palm Sunday. The word had spread and there was a holy hope and expectation that swept through the city including those who made the trek to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration.

Big Idea: The main emphasis seems to be, don’t waste your life on anything but Jesus.

Dig In: Chinese Pastor and Theologian, Watchman Nee wrote a book in the 1930s entitled The Normal Christian Life. The last chapter of the book is titled, “The Goal of the Gospel” and it addresses this idea of waste from Matthew 26. Nee points out that in the parallel accounts of John (12:1-11) and Mark (14:3-9), all the disciples joined Judas in scolding Mary for wasting this expensive perfume on Jesus when it could have been sold and the money given to the poor. Yet we find Jesus defending Mary by replying, “Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her” (Matt. 26:13). What does Jesus mean? Nee contends that Jesus is saying, “people should come to Him and waste themselves on Him.”[1] If Jesus is the pearl of great price and the treasure hidden in the field[2] (see Matthew 13:45-46), then it’s not a waste to sell everything we have to buy the field that contains the pearl. To have Jesus is worth “wasting” all that we are and all that we have on Him.

Application: This might seem like kind of an in-your-face question, but I’ll ask it nevertheless—In your mind, what is the difference between a wasted life and an “un-wasted” life? How will you discern whether or not you are wasting your life (or even portions of your life)? I have been wrestling with this question for the last few weeks. Spend some time in this shelter-at-home season and prayerfully reflect on and evaluate your life. How did you get to where you are today? What is God placing on your heart for this next season of life?

Deeper Dive: In Paul’s letter to young Timothy he provides some sage advice…

Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you. –1 Timothy 4:15-6 (emphasis added)

The two verses above offer a context for regular moments of reflection and evaluation. First of all, the goal is not perfection, but progress (v.15), and secondly, a consistent and thorough evaluation of ourselves and our message will lead to the furtherance of the gospel (v.16). This requires courage because we must be willing to confront the most brutal facts of our current reality, whatever they might be.

And returning to the idea of waste, on May 20, 2000, in Memphis TN John Piper delivered a message to thousands of college students at a one-day Passion Conference. The message was titled Boasting Only in the Cross. Piper made a passionate plea to that generation to avoid the dangers of a wasted life, calling on them to take risks and make sacrifices that will matter for eternity. Piper called for a single-minded, soul-satisfying passion for the glory of God that seeks to make much of Him in every sphere of our lives. Subsequently, that sermon has been called, a “message that moved a generation” and had a ripple effect through that generation (see below for a 7-minute clip—or the link above for the full message). As Nee wrote in The Normal Christian Life, “A life spent in selfless devotion to Jesus is not wasted, but a life spent on self is totally wasted.”

 

[1] Pgs 186.

[2] By-the-way, this “pearl” passage goes both ways. You are also the pearl of great price that Jesus purchased for Himself.

Holy Week Devotional – Day 1

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Palm Sunday, April 5th — Jesus’ Triumphal Entry Into Jerusalem, Matthew 21:1-11

When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.” This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying,

Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey. [see Isaiah 62:11 and Zechariah 9:9]

The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,

“Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” [See Psalm 118:26]

When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Thinking it through: The big question seems to be, would you have recognized Jesus?

Someone has said, “Expectation is the root of all hurt.” Think about it. If you were to go back and consider the times in your life where deep relational woundedness occurred, it most likely includes someone disappointing or hurting you in a way that was completely unexpected. Expectation is a programmed assumption. Sometimes our expectations are legitimate, and the wound is raw and real. Sometimes our expectations are illegitimate and the wound, while it may still be piercing, has been self-inflicted. The Jewish people were looking for a Geopolitical King to liberate them from Roman oppression; instead, they got a Servant King, intent on liberating the soul.

Here are three questions for you to consider…

Are there areas in your life where you have placed unrealistic or unbiblical expectations on God?

In a blog post Christian author Randy Alcorn identifies six false expectations that diminish true happiness…

  1. God’s Love for Us Should Look Just Like What We Want
  2. We Won’t Be Persecuted for Our Faith
  3. Jesus Must Return in Our Lifetime
  4. Life Will Go Smoothly and We’ll Always Have Health and Wealth
  5. Life Will Be Fair and People Will Treat Us Kindly and Thoughtfully
  6. Churches Owe Us Better Treatment than We’ve Received

Do you still carry woundedness or bitterness from your past as a result of unmet expectations?

All of our pain resolved or otherwise, is important to our heavenly Father. Your feelings, right or wrong, are valid. Nevertheless, consider real hurt vs. perceived hurt. Read Psalm 22; a psalm of David. He’s confused and in deep anguish—and yet he turns to God in his anguish. David is famous for being a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22), yet we sometimes fail to recognize how he repeatedly paid attention to loss, grief, and disappointment. As King, David led Israel to God through his own experiences of grief and loss.[1]

Are your aspirations, hopes, dreams, and expectations rooted in a developing biblical theology?

As Matthew notes, the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem was foretold in the Old Testament. Those who were deeply familiar with the Scriptures would have recognized what was happening.

So, what is biblical theology? Biblical theology can be contrasted with experiential theology, which defines God through personal experience, emotion, and the subjective discernment of reality. Simply stated, biblical theology is seeing the whole Bible (both Old and New Testaments) as a single narrative. A more robust definition is the lifelong endeavor of tracking the whole story of the whole Bible as Christian Scripture in its proper context. It is one story that moves from creation to sin, to judgment, to reconciliation, and finally, to the restoration of all things.

Many Christians have never seen or understood the difference between experiential theology and biblical theology. Experiential theology will keep us trapped in immaturity and set us up for repeated disappointments. This could be a main reason for people exiting the Church—they’ve never been taught how to study and embrace the full single story of the Bible. And consequently, they didn’t recognize Jesus when He showed up in their lives. Unrealistic expectations and the resulting disappointments have hijacked their lives.

Is this happening to you? Do you know someone who is on the fringe or who has exited the Church because of poor instruction? If this describes you, go back to the Beatitudes: acknowledge your spiritual poverty, mourn over your sinful condition (along with the condition of the world around us), become a humble learner once again, and you will begin to experience a hunger and thirst for God. If you know someone who is deeply disappointed with God and/or the Church, invite them to meet and ask to hear their story. Don’t try and fix them, listen to them, affirm their feelings, and continue to love them. When the time is right, offer to read a book with them. One of the best books to help someone get back on the right track is Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith by Tim Keller. It’s a retelling of a biblical narrative from Luke 15 that we often get wrong. Both brothers were prodigals and the main character is not the younger prodigal but the older one. Keller tells us there are two ways to miss God, 1) rebellion (younger prodigal) and 2) religion (older prodigal). The gospel is the third way. Read this book with your friend (Spouse? Child? Co-Worker?), walk together and let God do the rest.

Here are some additional resources to further consider biblical theology:

[1] Adapted from Enlarging Your Soul and Church Through Grief and Loss by Peter Scazzero.