Author: RTP/MJ

“You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am.  Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.” John 13:13-14

Sometimes, the most profound spiritual truths can be found within a good joke. One of my favorite comedians is Michael Jr. I was introduced to him while learning about God’s generous heart towards us. We were shown a short video of him talking about laughter and the anatomy of a joke. He discussed the ‘setup’ and the ‘punch line’ in the context of generosity. He shared the most significant paradigm shift in his heart when he realized that comedy was not about getting laughs from people; comedy is about giving people the opportunity to laugh, which is a form of generosity.

In the same way, a Kingdom paradigm shift is what Jesus was demonstrating in washing his disciples’ feet. It was the punch line. Let’s unpack it.

The setup is the part of the joke that provides the context and information needed to understand what’s coming. The punch line is the surprising, often illogical or witty twist that subverts the expectation you’ve built. It is where the humor lies – the element that makes the listener see the situation in a new, funny light. Jesus used the setup of cultural expectations, and then delivered the punchline that flipped the script.

Think of it this way:

Setup: “Why don’t scientists trust atoms?” (You’re introducing a question about scientists and atoms, setting up a potential reason related to their work.)
Punch line: “Because they make up everything!” (The unexpected twist is the double meaning of “make up” – to invent and to be composed of.. This is the funny part that breaks the initial expectation.)
So, the setup creates the path, and the punch line is the unexpected turn that makes you laugh. You need a good setup to make the punch line land effectively!

The ‘setup’ by Jesus was the cultural practice and expectation that religious leaders were elevated in the eyes of their flock by the nature of their position, importance, and training. People served them. The surprising, illogical twist or ‘punch line’ was the message that the Son of God came to serve and not to be served and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Matthew 20:28) He washed their feet, then he told his followers to do the same; to be the ‘punch line.’

Michael Jr. helped me see that in the Kingdom of God, the setup is our cultural norm of trying to get things from people, and the punchline is to be like Jesus; all in for them. For example, during my time as a financial advisor, when I met with a prospect, the setup was their expectation that I would try to sell them a product or attempt to secure them as a client. My punch line was something like, “Thank you for coming in to talk today. I hope I can assist you. But that so you can relax, you should know I don’t care what you do after this, and I don’t need anymore clients. If you want to work together you will have to call me.” At the end of our meeting, I would close in prayer, not to impress, but genuinely for their well-being. Our punch line is that we believe the value of each person lies in their being an image bearer of the One True God, not in their net worth, power, or influence. We can’t fully love someone until we are entirely for them.

The people God puts in our lives are not projects, nor are they something we can leverage to satisfy our desires or needs. They are in our orbit, so we can love and serve them. Every encounter is a divine appointment infused with eternal significance and opportunity. Look around. Who in your life needs a surprising act of service—a Kingdom punch line?

Run the play – be the punch line.

“Our punch line is that we believe the value of each person lies in their being an image bearer of the One True God, not in their net worth, power, or influence.”

Finding Our Place in the Story

1. What cultural ‘setups’ might God ask you to flip with a Kingdom punch line?
2. When have you experienced someone being ‘all in for you’ without expecting anything in return? How did it impact you?

Michael Jr video link: I Like Laughter

Romans 10:17 “So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” (NKJV)

I’m often asked, ‘How do you hear God speak so clearly?’ It’s an important question, and the answer is a bit nuanced. (Note: These thoughts should not be interpreted as a ‘how-to recipe’ or exhaustive study but only a few signposts or guides.) Jesus promised we would be able to hear him,¹ and because Romans 10:17 is a familiar passage, it’s easy to miss the punch line – ’hearing’ comes by the word of God, the Bible.

Reflecting on our journey, the foundation for hearing God’s voice was learning to study using the Inductive Bible Study method. Inductive Bible study focuses on observing the text, interpreting its meaning, and applying it to one’s life. It’s an investigative approach that encourages readers to discover the truth of God’s Word for themselves. The process generally involves four steps: prayer (asking the Holy Spirit to guide you⁴), observation (what the text says), interpretation (what it means), and application (what it means for you). Then, ‘run the play.’

We were introduced to this form of study through Kay Arthur’s Precept Ministry.⁵  We used a double-spaced Bible, colored pencils, a concordance, a Greek interlinear dictionary, and a leader. (This is what was required before the internet.)  After years of reading and studying inductively, it has become second nature. It’s made hearing his voice much easier and incredibly rewarding. 

In the Pentecostal tradition, it’s common to hear testimonies of people getting a ‘word from God,’ and some friends receive pictures. Thanks to our inductive studies, I sometimes receive sudden detailed spiritual insights — I call them ‘downloads’ — during prayer or study. I don’t know how else to describe them. I’ve asked for words and pictures, but those are rare. Downloads are pretty common for me. One of the reasons I enjoy writing so much is that Jesus is a great writing partner. He is generous, kind, and funny. 

Jesus wants us to know him; to know him is to hear him. He wants that for us so much that he died, arose again, ascended into heaven, and sent his Spirit so we could hear and follow him. Hearing God’s voice well and responding to it in faith is a process that requires growing and maturing spiritually.  We can trust God to do his part, but we must also do ours. 

If you’ve never studied the Bible inductively, start this week. Try the method. Watch the Francis Chan video. Expect to hear from Him.

Run The Play 

Finding Our Place in the Story

1. How well are you hearing God’s voice now?
2. What would you be willing to do to hear God speaking to you more clearly and frequently?
3. What impressed you from the Francis Chan video? How consistent are you with applying the things you learn from the Bible? 

¹ John 10:26-28

² Hebrews 4:12

³ 1 Samuel 15:22

⁴ John 14:26

⁵ Precept

So Samuel did what the Lord told him, and he came to Bethlehem. Then the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and said, “Do you come in peace?” (1 Samuel 16:4 NASB)

“Don’t make me come up there,” my dad would warn, his voice echoing through the dimly lit hallway as his four restless boys, wide-eyed and giggling, refused to settle down for the night. We knew we didn’t want to hear him coming up those stairs because he would not be coming in peace.

I can vividly picture the scene in 1 Samuel 16-when Samuel arrived in your town, it likely meant you were in trouble with the Lord. (They had probably heard the chilling tales of what he did to King Agag of the Amalekites. 1 Samuel 15:32-33) It’s a lot like the warning our dad issued to us, filled with a mix of love and authority. We adored him, but the thought of him climbing the stairs to discipline us filled us with dread, making us think twice about our mischief.

For the last few months, we’ve been studying 1 Samuel at our church, especially Israel’s battles with the Amalekites and Philistines. At the same time, I’ve been watching Amazon Prime’s new series, House of David, which doesn’t shy away from portraying the brutality of war. It’s reinforced the reality that spiritual warfare is just as real and fierce.

Samuel commanded respect wherever he went because of the spiritual authority granted to him by Almighty God. Those young boys who were full of mischief and warned by their father to settle down finally did so not out of fear, but from a desire to obey and please their dad.

By the power of his love, death, and resurrection, Jesus destroyed the works of the devil, conquered sin and death, and won all authority over heaven and earth. Authority and love he shares with his followers. As his apprentices, we take ground from the enemy with every divine appointment.

Run The Play … with love, boldness, and authority.

One of the biggest obstacles to living the life we’ve always dreamed of is the cultural currents that promote the separation of the secular and the sacred. This is an obstacle to living our best life because it is not aligned with Biblical teachings. God is Lord over all, imbuing all of life with sacredness. The secular-sacred divide is a false dichotomy that leads to compartmentalized and fragmented lives. It’s a lie.  

When I fell in love with Jesus and began following him, I longed for the abundant life he promised. To fully embrace that life, I realized I would need to leave my job and eventually commit to full-time ministry. That’s how the fish were swimming, so it made sense to enroll in seminary because that’s how a person became qualified for serious ministry. Perhaps you’ve experienced the same pressure to “go into ministry” to make a ‘real’ difference. There appeared to be different levels and expectations for followers of Jesus. No one said that to me, but as far as I could tell from how people behaved, that’s how Christianity worked. So, I tipped my toe into seminary night school to begin testing the waters.  

But the entirety of Scripture paints a very different picture. The apostle Peter captured the arc of the Biblical story when he wrote about the priesthood of all believers. He was making a powerful statement about the identity and role of every Christian. This concept appears most clearly in 1 Peter 2:5 and 1 Peter 2:9:

“You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 2:5 (ESV)

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9 (ESV)

Isn’t it fascinating that our Lord Jesus chose twelve men without theological training? Why would he choose followers who had no political influence? How many of them would fit the label of high net worth donor? That’s not how we typically choose leaders—in churches, non-profits, or the marketplace. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7 (ESV)

I’m not saying we don’t need seminaries, trained theologians, or full-time pastors—we do. But here’s where it gets personal. My friends, the truth is that ALL followers of Jesus are called into full-time ministry. All of life is sacred and overflowing with divine purpose. One of my favorite Bob Goff quotes captures this essence: “Don’t call it ministry; call it Tuesday.” 

Your mission is to fulfill your purpose right where you are. You have everything you need. Work doesn’t give your life meaning; you bring meaning to your work. Wherever you go, the Kingdom of God has arrived … in you. 

Run the play! 

Finding Our Place in the Story
Where in my life have I unintentionally bought into the lie that some work is more “spiritual” than others?

What would it look like to incorporate sacred purpose into my everyday routines on a Tuesday, not just a Sunday?

How might I live differently if I truly believed I was already a full-time minister of God’s Kingdom, right where I am?

PS: Please add your thoughts in the comments section. Iron sharpens iron.