Wants and Needs

 Wants and Needs

Minute by minute, we face a choice.  Our wants versus our needs.  Is what I desire simply something I simply want?  

Or is what I desire something I truly need to survive?  It sure sounds simple but it’s VERY difficult in practice.

Here in Acts 3:1-11, we meet a man who is certain about what he needs.  He is disabled and he needs to earn an income.  

But Peter and John take one look at him and correct him.  He thinks he needs money.  But what he really needs is Jesus.

Luke tells us that Pete and John were on their way to the temple to pray around 3pm (v1).  We already know that members of the first church made temple attendance part of the daily lives (Acts 2:46).  

The good doctor enlightens us to one reason they went: to pray.  Apparently first century Jews observed three times of prayer each day: 9am, noon and 3pm.  

How life had changed for these two men in what must seem like the blink of an eye.  Only three years ago they were commercial fishermen on Lake Galilee.  

Pete was the grizzled veteran angler.  Think of the guys you see on "The Deadliest Catch."  He worked for John's dad.  

By all accounts John was much younger.  Probably a teenager.  

That was all before the radical Rabbi/Carpenter changed everything (Lk 5:1-11).  They were no longer catching fish, but people.  They had left everything behind.  Everything. 

It was now 3 o'clock.  It was time for prayer.  So Pete and John do what good Jews do when they're in Jerusalem.  They head to the temple to pray.

While they were on their way, they saw "a lame man from birth" being carried (v2).  This man had never been able to work.  A birth defect left him disabled.  He had spent his entire life (40 years according to Acts 4:22) relying on others to carry him.  

They set the man down just outside the temple at Beautiful Gate.  This was his spot.  He went there everyday.  For someone who relying on the kindness of others to survive, it made perfect sense.  

People headed to worship were perfect targets.  They were loaded with both guilt and cash.  They had money for offerings.  

In my visit to Jerusalem in 1997, I was stunned to see much of the same.  The temple is obviously gone, but people crowd the gates of the Old City to beg.  

Some are disabled.  Some are simply panhandling.  It's a sad scene.  It's a grim reminder of Jesus teaching.  "You always have the poor with you" (Mt 26:11).

At this point, Pete and John make their way toward Beautiful Gate (v3).  The disabled man begs them for money.  The two apostles stop and look the man dead in the eye.  

Apparently he had discounted them and moved on to panhandle others.  Rocky gets his attention, "Look at us" (v4).  "Sweet!" the man must have thought.  

The disabled man probably got his wallet ready (v5).  He would get what he needed.  He would get what he came for.  He would soon find out it was only what he wanted.

But instead of handing him a few bucks, Pete gives him something else.  He gives him what he truly needs.  

"I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you.  In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!" (v6).

The man thought he needed money.  And why not?  He’d never walked.  Ever.  What he really needed was Jesus.  

Take a look over at Peter's first epistle.  He writes that we were not ransomed "with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ" (1Pet 1:18-19).  

Certainly this event at Beautiful Gate is exactly the kind of thing he was writing about in his later letter.  Jesus is so much more valuable than anything we could ever imagine.  He is truly our Greatest Need. 

The man had lost hope.  He didn't think he would ever walk.  It had been 40 long, frustrating years.  The thought of ever walking again had long left his heart.

Pete reaches down and lifts him to his feet (v7).  For the first time in 40 years, this man is walking!  

But he's not just walking.  "And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God."  

The once disabled man is literally dancing and skipping through the temple courts with his two new best friends.  All because they understood the difference between true wants and needs.

The people couldn't believe what they were seeing (v9-10).  They knew this guy.  He was a regular at the gate.  He was there everyday.  

But there he was running around the temple grounds like a kindergartner.  "And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him."

The miraculous healing was an important sign of the apostles' authority.  Such signs and wonders let the people know that they had the seal of approval from God Himself.  

This event is very similar to Jesus' healing of the man born blind in John 9.  And like that event, the story doesn't end here.  Soon the members of the Sanhedrin will stick their noses into things.

But on this wonderful and miraculous afternoon, we see an incredible example of the difference between wants and needs.

As a follower of Jesus, you may not have change in your pocket.  But you do have something (or Someone!) that can change everything.  Understand the difference between wants and needs.

©2011

Jay Jennings

Scratching the Itch

“For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (2Tim 4:3-4).

Itch, itch, itch. Scratch, scratch, scratch.

Ever have an itch that you couldn’t quite scratch? What am I saying…of course you have! What begins as a little tickle quickly escalates into an all-consuming search for relief. You’ll do whatever you can, use anything available, or ask whomever is around to help.

Itch, itch, itch. Scratch, scratch, scratch.

Your Spiritual Thumper Leg

What a wonderful sense of immediate relief when you finally can. A little to the left…up just a bit…right there…oh yeah! AHHHHHH! At this point, a smile spreads across your face and your eyes close. If you’re not careful, your leg will start thumping like your dog Bootsie does when you scratch him in the magic place.

There are lots of causes for itching. That irritation is actually a symptom of something else. Poison ivy. A bug bite. A rash. An allergy. Eczema. Did you know that can even be an indication of more serious problems like food allergies, kidney failure, or even lymphoma? Just another reason to stop making regular visits to WebMD and see your own doctor!

A Symptom of Something Deeper

While Paul’s not a doctor and never played one on TV, he warns Timothy that appears to be a simple itch is actually a symptom of a deeper spiritual disease. “For a time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths” (v3-4).

The apostle delivers a scary prognosis for what appears to be only a slight tickle on the ear. It begins innocently enough. You scratch that itch by listening to what you want to hear rather than what you need to hear. You suddenly find yourself searching the internet and downloading podcasts of preachers and teachers who pump your ties and make you feel good.

Itch, itch, itch. Scratch, scratch, scratch.

It doesn’t matter that what you hear isn’t true and full of, shall we say, “alternative facts” (seems to be a lot of that going around these days). The next thing you know, you’re pulled off a sinful spin called the reverse repentance. It’s way more dangerous than anything you see in Olympic halfpipe snowboarding. Hard to believe it all started with an itty bitty itch. That’s because the itch is a symptom of a much deeper disease.

Itch, itch, itch. Scratch, scratch, scratch.

The Last Letter

Before we go any further, let’s pump our brakes and take a quick look at why Paul is writing this letter in the first place. It’s somewhere between the years 64-67 AD. We find the apostle behind bars (2Tim 1:8, 16; 2:9). That’s nothing new. The message he brings upsets people so often that you might think he’s traveling the Mediterranean Rim reviewing local jails and prisons for VRBO or TripAdvisor (Acts 16:19-24; 22:23-29; 24:23, 27; 25:14, 21, 27; 26:31-32; 27-28; Eph 4:1; 6:20; Phil 1:17; Col 4:4, 10, 18; Phm 9-10, 13, 23).

But this is different. This time, he’s run out of time. He’s on Death Row (2Tim 4:6-7). Historians believe he’s walking the Green Mile in the Mamertine Prison, Caesar’s SuperMax. With time quickly running out, the apostle writes one last letter with two purposes. One, pass the baton of the Gospel to the young pastor at the Ephesian megachurch (2Tim 2:1-4:5). Two, beg Tim for one last visit before it’s too late (2Tim 4:9, 21).

Don’t Get Blindsided

As he wraps up his instructions about ministry, Paul gives Timothy a very important heads up about what he can expect. “For a time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching” (v3). The mentor doesn’t want his protege to get caught off guard. Don’t let it blindside you. It’s going to happen. Don’t let it throw you off your game when it does.

Wearing Steel-Toed Boots to Church

Two thousand years later, the story is still the same in the local church. There’s going to be times when a percentage of people will have little patience for tough but necessary teaching. Oh, we love it when sermons go after the sins of others. Oh, I wish so-and-so could hear this! I need to send them a link ASAP!!

But then there are those days when I wish I’d worn steel-toed boots because the pastor is suddenly stomping all over my toes. The message has gone from preaching to meddling. As the old saying goes, church is there to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. When things get uncomfortable, will I hang in there and let God’s Spirit do His work in my heart? Or will I bail? Will I submit to God’s work in my life? Or will I hightail it for the nearest exit?

When the Going Gets Tough

The word “endure” is the Greek verb ανεχω/anecho. It means to exercise self-restraint, tolerate, or hold up under adversity. It means to stand tall no matter what. Paul uses this term when he encourages us follow Jesus “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with (Gr. ανεχω/anecho) one another in love” (Eph 4:2). We’re to hang in there in love because our Savior hung on the cross out of love.

Too many times we don’t tolerate the tough truth of God’s Word. Too many times when the going gets tough, we get going…right out the door! We tune out. We check out. We shut down. That’s when we minimize the Bible app on our phone and open Facebook. Instead of the messy business of conviction of sin, let’s see how many likes I got on that snarky comment I posted about the election!

A High Protein Diet

Paul wants us to know it’s not bad teaching that folks are tuning out. It’s actually “sound teaching” (v3). The apostle uses a word here he may have picked up from his old friend Dr. Luke. “Sound” (Gr. ‘υγιαινω/hugiaino) is a medical term that means healthy or the state of wellness.

Luke actually uses it that way twice in his biography of Jesus. When the religious police freak out when Christ hangs out with the spiritual riff raft, our Savior says, “Those who are well (Gr. ‘υγιαινω/hugiaino) have no need of a physician, but those who are who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but the sinners to repentance” (Lk 5:31-32). Later when Jesus heals Roman military officer’s servant without even making a house call, folks back at the house “found the servant well (Gr. ‘υγιαινω/hugiaino)” (Lk 7:10).

So “sound teaching” (v3) is actually healthy doctrine. It’s not spiritual junk food that does us more harm than good. It’s good for you. It builds you up. It gives you the fuel you need for spiritual growth. Think of the high protein diet a high performance athlete needs. A big part of getting ourselves in top physical shape, is eating healthy. It’s the same in our walk with Jesus. A healthy diet is loaded with the protein of “sound teaching” (v3).

Scratching the Itch

When we regularly consume the spiritual superfood of the Gospel, it prevents us from “having itching ears” (v3). Paul uses an interesting little word we translate as “itching” (Gr. κνηθω/knetho) which describes to scratch, tickle, or even titillate. This is the desire something for something pleasant.

You know how you scratch your dog in that one spot that gets his thumper leg going? Oh yeah, right there! That’s the ticket! It’s the very same with us. We want our ears tickled. We want our itch scratched. We want to hear what we want to hear. Stop trying to give me what I need. Too many times we’re only interested in what feels good.

Itch, itch, itch. Scratch, scratch, scratch.

Collecting in the Medicine Cabinet

We see that when folks start scratching that spiritual itch “they will accumulate for themselves teachers for their own passions” (v3). In other words, people begin kicking their own pastor to the curb for preaching truth. Then they replace him with a handpicked assortment of teachers who tell them exactly what they want to hear.

They surround themselves with voices who don’t bruise their egos. And it usually takes a small army. The apostle drops the word “accumulate” (Gr. επισωρευω/episoreuo), which can mean to persist in or insist on something. But it literally paints a picture of gathering in big piles. Think of a hoarder. They’ll completely surrounded themselves with teaching that will never challenge their sin or question their behavior.

The best comparison I can think of is that place where we store over-the-counter medicines that don’t really work. That medicine cabinet, closet, or drawer where OTCs go to die. We’ve got that nagging itch that just won’t go away. We bring home another new ointment, cream, spray, or pill every time we go to the drug store. We accumulate them. They pile up.

My latest purchase might provide a little relief from the itch but the truth is they don’t really work effectively. Why? Because they only treat the symptom and not the deeper problem. The same with my itching ears. I have a bigger issue that must be addressed. Until then, I’ll keep surrounding my self with all sorts of teaching that simply skims the surface and never does serious spiritual surgery.

Virtual Preaching Leads to Virtual Obedience

The New Living Translation says how folks will “look for teachers who will tell them whatever they want to hear” (v3 NLT). Let’s face it, with the internet and countless podcasts available to us, we do this now more than ever. We may listen to the teaching from our own pastors on the weekend. But too many of us are more devoted to what someone like Chuck Swindoll, Matt Chandler, or Andy Stanley has to say. Hey, I’m just as guilty as the next person here.

There are a couple of dangers when we do. First of all, we have a habit of looking for itch scratchers and ear ticklers who tell us only what we want to hear. We want a “feel good” gospel that provides pleasure without any pain. Grace without any of that nasty talk of sin. God’s love without any mention of God’s wrath. John MacArthur says it’s wanting blessing without forgiveness or salvation without repentance.

The other danger is more subtle. When we gather our dream team of digital pastors, we slowly start shifting our submission their way. There’s an almost imperceptible transfer of authority to those teaching on smart phones and tablets from preachers who lead our local congregations. Before we know it, our own pastor supplements what we hear online, not the other way around.

When this happens, who will ever know if you’re applying the teaching? There’s very little opportunity for accountability. Virtual preaching leads to virtual obedience.

You Can’t Handle the Truth!

Scratching those itching ears eventually results a radical move that will leave your head swimming. We’ll “turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (v4). Call it reverse repentance. Instead of spinning from our own sin and toward Jesus, it’s just the opposite. We do a 180 away from God’s truth and find ourselves falling for something phony. From Good News to fake news. From spiritual truth to alternative facts.

According to Paul, some folks have little stomach for what they need to hear. Remember that famous line from “A Few Good Men”? You know the one. Jack Nicholson as Colonel Jessup yells, “You can’t handle the truth!!!” Same for some of us in the local church.

Tearing an ACL

When God’s truth starts hitting a little too close to home, we must be careful not to tuck our tail between our legs and head the other way. When we do, we’ll find ourselves sliding down a slippery slope and “wander into myths” (v4).

It’s interesting to note that the Greek word the ESV translates as “wander” (Gr. εκτρεπω/ektrepo) means a whole lot more than a mindless stroll down the greenway. It’s actually another medical term that describe an injury to the ligaments of a joint, a dislocation or a joint pulled from the socket. Think season ending ACL tear.

The writer of Hebrews uses it when talking about having a healthy walk with Jesus. “Make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint (Gr. εκτρεπω/ektrepo) but rather be healed” (Heb 12:13). Picture a radical and painful twist. Your arm or leg suddenly heads in the wrong direction.

Swerving toward Pleasure

Instead holding the course when biblical teaching gets uncomfortable, our tires screech and we run toward fun and pleasure. The irony is that God wants us to experience the ultimate joy and the only way to get there is through our submission and obedience to His guidance.

Don’t turn away. Don’t wander. Avoid reverse repentance. The best way to do that is to not scratch that itch in the first place. Let’s realize this is the symptom of a deeper problem. Chances are there’s an area of my life that I haven’t fully submitted to Jesus. When people do, “they’ll turn their backs on truth and chase mirages” (v3-4 The Message).

Take It from Jeremiah

To stop the itch means curing the problem behind it. Stop filling your medicine cabinet with salves and ointments. Take Jeremiah’s recommendation and try the Balm of Gilead (Jer 8:22; 46:11). It doesn’t come in a tube or a tub. You can’t buy it at Walgreens or Walmart. It’s the true healing that only comes from Christ.

Following Jesus’ lead and obeying God’s commands will be hard at times. But remember two things. First, it is the source of true blessing and joy of the overflowing life that our Savior came to bring us (Jn 10:10). Second, Christ gives each one of us His Spirit to live in us to give us the power to do everything He asks.

This doesn’t mean the itching will stop forever. But we’ll have the supernatural strength to keep from scratching.

Itch. Itch. Itch. 

Stop.

Wants and Needs

“If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again” (Philippians 1:22-26).

George Bailey wanted to be anywhere other than Bedford Falls. If you’re asking “George who?”, you’re probably one of the few people on the planet who’s never seen the classic flick “It’s a Wonderful Life.” He had a burning desire to pack his bags and travel the world. But just as he was about to hit the road, something happened that changed everything. George’s dad died. Somebody had to run the family business, the Bailey Building and Loan. Suddenly, what he wanted took a backseat to what others needed. 

A couple of thousand years before, a guy named Paul mulls over a similar choice. He’s always dreamed of spending eternity with Jesus. There’s absolutely nothing better. Talk about the ultimate destination! Some folks dream of retiring to the Caribbean. Others long for lounging in a hammock outside a cabin in the Rockies. Not Paul. Ever since that day just outside of Damascus (Acts 9:1-9), he’s had one thing on his bucket list. Spending eternity in the presence of Jesus. That sounds especially appealing since he’s sitting in behind bars in Rome. Like George Bailey, the apostle would love nothing better than to hit the road for heaven. He can’t wait for Christ to call him home so he could start hanging out with his Savior. But realizes that his friends in Philippi have a need. They’re just coming to understand what it means to follow Jesus. They’ve only begun to wrap their brains around the overflowing life He wants for believers on this side of eternity. They desperately need to know what this looks like. So what Paul wants takes a backseat to what others need.

The apostle has just written about the ultimate win-win situation he faces. “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil 1:21). If he lives, he gets to make Jesus famous wherever he goes. If he dies, it’s face time with the Son of God. Now he teases out a few of the specifics of the win-win. It’s a tough choice. The dude is seriously torn! “Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell” (v22). I love how this reads in the New Living Translation: “I really don’t know which is better” (v22 NLT). No matter what happens, he can’t lose.

Let’s see what Paul has to say about his two choices. First of all, how ‘bout his dream of spending forever with the One who came to his rescue. “My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better” (v23). If this decision is simply about what the apostle wants, it’s a no brainer. It’s Jesus time! Being with the risen Savior is “far better” (v23). The phrase in the original language literally translates as “more better.” I can see all you grammar geeks squirming. Sorry, but that’s just how it reads in Greek. This isn’t the only time this has come up for the man from Tarsus. He tells the folks in Corinth how “we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2Cor 5:8). Being with Jesus isn’t just an eenie weanie bit better. This isn’t a photo finish. It’s not even close. Paul doesn’t sugar coat what he prefers. If it’s totally up to him, he’d rather be with Jesus. 

But here’s the deal. While the apostle may want to pack his bags and head for heaven, he knows there’s a need that takes priority. A very important need. “But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith” (v24-25). Being with Jesus may be more better, but being with the Philippians is “more necessary” (v24). He drops a Greek word (Gr. anagkaios) that means urgent. The Philippians are on the front burner. Teaching these new believers what it means to follow Jesus is top priority. It takes precedence over any desire Paul has to punch out of his earthly life and be with Christ. What the apostle wants takes a backseat to what others need.

This isn’t about what Paul wants. It’s about what’s best for the Gospel. It’s about what’s best for the Philippians. Their need is more important than his want. It would be very easy for the apostle to adopt an it’s-all-about-me attitude since he’s cooling his heels in Caesar’s supermax. Let’s be honest, who wouldn’t rather be with Jesus than locked up with a jail full of Rome’s Most Wanted? He gives us a picture of what some people call a “me third” attitude. God first. Others second. Me third. Paul’s wants now rank third on his list of priorities. Glorifying God always ranks number one. That’s followed by his concern for others. That includes his friends in Philippi. He’s ready and willing to sacrifice his desire to be with Jesus so that the folks back in this little Macedonian church can fall more deeply in love with their Savior. 

When we think about what Jesus did for us, it makes perfect sense. Christ had perfect friendship with the Trinity. There was no better place to be. There was no reason to leave. But there was a need. The people God created in His image had trashed His perfect creation and given Him a spiritual stiff arm. They had sinned and rejected their relationship with Him. Something had to be done. Instead of kicking back and relaxing in paradise, Jesus saw the need and got busy. He left the comforts of heaven to come to our rescue. For the sake of our incredible need, He made incredible sacrifice. That’s exactly the sacrifice Paul talks about a little later in Philippians 2:1-11. For Jesus, it’s not about rights. It’s not about self. It’s about someone else’s needs. He counts others more important than Himself. The King of Kings becomes the Servant of Servants. 

Christ calls each one of us to the same kind of sacrifice. It’s not about our wants. It’s about others’ needs. We respond to the Gospel when we intentionally invest into the lives of others. Jesus gives to us so that we can give to others. Would it be a whole lot easier just to kick back and relax? You betcha. But the Lord calls us to get off our blessed assurance and pour into others. Who has He dropped into your life to be a firehouse of His grace? Your next door neighbor? The barista at the coffee shop? The dude in the cube behind you at work? Give to them without any expectation of anything in return. Hey, it’s what Jesus did for you me. That’s the very definition of grace. Tullian Tchividjian calls it one-way love. Folks will be surprised when you don’t have an angle. You simply love because you’ve been loved. You invest because Someone has invested in you. 

That leads us to the secret sauce of service and sacrifice: God blesses you in the process! When you put aside what you want in order to serve a need, Jesus gives you something so much better than you thought you wanted in the first place. Who saw THAT coming?!? SPOILER ALERT! After living his entire life in Bedford Falls, George Bailey finds the blessing of putting his dreams on hold while serving the needs of others. (Okay, this one’s on you if I just spoiled the big ending to a movie made in 1946.) Paul knows it too. You see, crazy things happen when what we want takes a backseat to what others need.