This is taken from another website and I openly admit that this is NONE of my own work, but many of my own thoughts expressed well.
Here is the link: http://www.thinkchristian.net/index.php/2010/12/08/is-christmas-worth-defending/
Is Christmas Worth Defending?
Posted December 8th, 2010 @ 7:12 am by Bethany Keeley-Jonker
The more I think about Christmas traditions, the more I discover a strange amalgam of silly (but fun) cultural traditions, Christian symbolism, and unbridled consumerism. For instance, consider the following symbols of Christmas that would be unrecognizable in first century Israel: snowmen, reindeer, pine boughs, holly, bells, sleigh rides, electric Christmas lights, electronics wrapped in colorful paper and ribbons. Perhaps we can separate these things from “the reason for the season” or point to how they developed from the real gift of God With Us and the generosity of a real Saint Nicolas. I love a lot of these things, and I freely admit to buying a lighted garland to put on our mantle, and listening to Christmas songs that range from the profound (“O Come O Come Emmanuel”) to the ridiculous (“Christmas Don’t Be Late”).
Nonetheless, I am perplexed by people who fiercely defend these traditions and the use of phrases like “Merry Christmas” or “Christmas Party” as opposed to less specific references to “holidays” in the name of Christianity. To be perfectly honest, I’d feel more comfortable if a sale on sweaters at Old Navy stayed far away from my worship of Christ. I wonder if people concerned about the alleged “War on Christmas” are engaging in a deep conflation of Christianity with American Traditions. I want to suggest that while there is nothing wrong with bringing a pine tree indoors and putting some sparkling ornaments on it, it has little to do with the birth or life of Christ.
The more I think about the influences that go into the celebration of Christmas, the more uncertain I am about the appropriate Christian response. I think the holiday season helps me, in its best moments, to develop virtues like generosity and hospitality. I spend a lot of time thinking about other people, what they need and what they like, as I try to buy the perfect gift. I also think there’s nothing wrong with the things we associate with Christmas that have more to do with December at certain latitudes: piles of snow, snuggling up by a fireplace, time off work to spend with family. I think there is a profound message of incarnation in “In the Bleak Midwinter” even though I highly doubt the infant Christ ever saw any “snow on snow.”
I’m therefore torn between my affection for American (and global) holiday traditions and my awareness of potential syncretism. Christmas seems the time we most easily conflate our consumer culture with a religious celebration, a tendency that the documentary What Would Jesus Buy? highlights effectively. I hesitate to identify an advent longing for God’s peace with a childish anticipation of new toys. Around this time of year, I find myself in a difficult posture of enthusiasm and skepticism, and I wonder if those who aggressively trumpet Christmas as an expression of Christianity want to also cling to a harmless infant Christ rather than a challenging God who made a radical choice to dwell among us.
My current compromise is to enjoy the traditions, but think of them as separate from and unrelated to my contemplation of a God who became incarnate to save us, after centuries of waiting, and who is still saving us and will bring true justice again. But perhaps it reflects the spirit of advent that I’m a bit uncomfortable with my current state, and long for God to bring real peace to our broken world.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Monday, December 12, 2011
Redeeming the Time...
So it has been awhile since I have written on here... Months in fact.I always feel a little awkward talking about stuff God is doing in my life and hanging it out there for the general public to critique. And it gets to the point where I feel like I should have something profound to say and yet I am not sure I have much new to add to my story at the time, so I decided to take a break.
In that time, I have been on an interesting journey that has led me to some deep conclusions about my life, my ministry, and my every interaction with people. These ideas are much more impacting to me than to anyone else I am sure, but they are without a doubt course altering in my own heart. That being said, this post is not about those insights.
I love what I do. I love that I get to meet with people about life's most difficult moments. It is both challenging and very rewarding to walk with people through these times in their lives. And, every Sunday morning we have people who come to church wondering where hope can be found. They are in a "last ditch effort" to find something that can give them a reason to go on. Every week I get to rub shoulders with these people.
Here is the rub, every time I visit with one these precious souls, the words in that conversation are of profound importance. So, as I move through these seasons of growth and radically shifting my own personal life metric, I wonder... who have I messed up along the way? I love growing. I love God stretching me. I love stumbling onto new, deeper, truer understanding of God and who He is.
But I have a fear. Above all, I want to represent Jesus well. So I ask myself some questions - who have I messed up along the way? What false version of Jesus have i represented as truth? How much more will I have to learn before I can say that I know how to tie you to the power that heals? When will I be healed myself?
My hope: only God can protect people from my inadequate descriptions of who He is. Only God can help anyone fine Him in the midst of my cloudy explanation of Him and His power to heal and help. And as I grow, only God can redeem the time that I lost not having a right perspective of Him...
My prayer: Lord, forgive my inadequate understanding. Thanks for revealing, restoring, and redeeming. And please help me to represent You to the very best of my ability - Amen.
In that time, I have been on an interesting journey that has led me to some deep conclusions about my life, my ministry, and my every interaction with people. These ideas are much more impacting to me than to anyone else I am sure, but they are without a doubt course altering in my own heart. That being said, this post is not about those insights.
I love what I do. I love that I get to meet with people about life's most difficult moments. It is both challenging and very rewarding to walk with people through these times in their lives. And, every Sunday morning we have people who come to church wondering where hope can be found. They are in a "last ditch effort" to find something that can give them a reason to go on. Every week I get to rub shoulders with these people.
Here is the rub, every time I visit with one these precious souls, the words in that conversation are of profound importance. So, as I move through these seasons of growth and radically shifting my own personal life metric, I wonder... who have I messed up along the way? I love growing. I love God stretching me. I love stumbling onto new, deeper, truer understanding of God and who He is.
But I have a fear. Above all, I want to represent Jesus well. So I ask myself some questions - who have I messed up along the way? What false version of Jesus have i represented as truth? How much more will I have to learn before I can say that I know how to tie you to the power that heals? When will I be healed myself?
My hope: only God can protect people from my inadequate descriptions of who He is. Only God can help anyone fine Him in the midst of my cloudy explanation of Him and His power to heal and help. And as I grow, only God can redeem the time that I lost not having a right perspective of Him...
My prayer: Lord, forgive my inadequate understanding. Thanks for revealing, restoring, and redeeming. And please help me to represent You to the very best of my ability - Amen.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
How do I learn God's Will?
First, a couple of thoughts, then some explanation: there are 2 ways to answer this question... the proportional or direct way, and the inverse or consequence way. So, the direct way is Romans 12:2 says if you want to know God's will, transform yourself through the renewing of your mind. The inverse way of understanding God's will is to look at what missing the mark does, then we understand what hitting the mark should be.
I think it is less dramatic to attack it directly, however it is also less effective. The inverse way says that sin - or missing the mark - separates us. therefore, inversely, connectedness is the mark... The next question then would be does the rest of scripture corroborate that idea. And in fact it does. That is why Jesus gives us what we call the "great Commandment" or Love God and Love People. This is God's Will.
Next question... How do I love or what does it mean to love God and love people? this is where we get into the nuances of human design. You can only love God and people at the same time when you are living in your God given design. Because loving God is obedience to Him - Jesus said, "If you love Me, you will obey Me."
So, another presupposition - If God knits us together in our mother's womb, and He marks our steps for us, these two things have to be connected - our design and our path. So, alignment with God's will would be walking a God given path that would bring you across situations and circumstances that need your design for their maximum positive affect. Obedience in these moments would be Loving God and being in God's Will. It would also be me loving people. Because love then would be defined as using what God has given me to maximize and positively affect those around me. But it is still tied to my design and my faithfulness to that design.
That I guess would be the bulls-eye that I am aiming for. Acknowledgement of and alignment with my God given design for the purpose of maximizing my obedience and positive affect on those around me. This is what I will give an account for in my life. And it is me investing in the "fruit that will remain" that Jesus talks about in John 15. As I remain in Him and His words remain in Me, I will bear much fruit, but apart from Him I can do nothing.
I think it is less dramatic to attack it directly, however it is also less effective. The inverse way says that sin - or missing the mark - separates us. therefore, inversely, connectedness is the mark... The next question then would be does the rest of scripture corroborate that idea. And in fact it does. That is why Jesus gives us what we call the "great Commandment" or Love God and Love People. This is God's Will.
Next question... How do I love or what does it mean to love God and love people? this is where we get into the nuances of human design. You can only love God and people at the same time when you are living in your God given design. Because loving God is obedience to Him - Jesus said, "If you love Me, you will obey Me."
So, another presupposition - If God knits us together in our mother's womb, and He marks our steps for us, these two things have to be connected - our design and our path. So, alignment with God's will would be walking a God given path that would bring you across situations and circumstances that need your design for their maximum positive affect. Obedience in these moments would be Loving God and being in God's Will. It would also be me loving people. Because love then would be defined as using what God has given me to maximize and positively affect those around me. But it is still tied to my design and my faithfulness to that design.
That I guess would be the bulls-eye that I am aiming for. Acknowledgement of and alignment with my God given design for the purpose of maximizing my obedience and positive affect on those around me. This is what I will give an account for in my life. And it is me investing in the "fruit that will remain" that Jesus talks about in John 15. As I remain in Him and His words remain in Me, I will bear much fruit, but apart from Him I can do nothing.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Achieving Self Progress...
Man never achieves a clear knowledge of himself unless he has first looked
upon God's face, and then descends from contemplating Him to scrutinize
himself.
John Calvin
A good friend sent this to me this week. It is so true. He wrote in his email...
"I sometimes pray "Lord, help me to see You for who You really are,
and help me to see who I really am without You." In His response, I don't
think I ever fully get to see Him for all He really is, but I do get a
better and renewed picture of who I am without Him. It isn't pretty."
Isaiah wrestled with this in Isaiah 6...
Isaiah 6:5 (New Living Translation)
Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”
In fact, if you look at the common theme of all of man's encounters with Angels or with God in the Old Testament, there is only one thing that is true. It is not the message given or even how the message was given, but that the man shrank in fear - marveled and moved by the holiness of God Himself.
Anytime, that we put who we are on the scale of who God is, we not only fall short, but we are ruined, undone, doomed. But an interesting thing happens in the New Testament...
Hebrews 4:14-16 (New Living Translation)
So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
God becomes flesh and because of that we have hope. Not in our ability to "get it." But in His ability to relate to us.
So, we search the face of God, and contemplate His holiness, and we could feel undone in a hurry. He is so holy, and we are not! And we could feel undone, ruined, or doomed by that - and rightly so. But because of Jesus Christ, we have the hope that we can approach the throne room with boldness. What a gift He has given us.
So, may you be full of the boldness that comes from the character of Christ. May you have victory in your life over the things that keep you stuck. And as you search the face of God, may you marvel at His holiness, and may you marvel even more at the gift He has given you to have access to His throne.
upon God's face, and then descends from contemplating Him to scrutinize
himself.
John Calvin
A good friend sent this to me this week. It is so true. He wrote in his email...
"I sometimes pray "Lord, help me to see You for who You really are,
and help me to see who I really am without You." In His response, I don't
think I ever fully get to see Him for all He really is, but I do get a
better and renewed picture of who I am without Him. It isn't pretty."
Isaiah wrestled with this in Isaiah 6...
Isaiah 6:5 (New Living Translation)
Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”
In fact, if you look at the common theme of all of man's encounters with Angels or with God in the Old Testament, there is only one thing that is true. It is not the message given or even how the message was given, but that the man shrank in fear - marveled and moved by the holiness of God Himself.
Anytime, that we put who we are on the scale of who God is, we not only fall short, but we are ruined, undone, doomed. But an interesting thing happens in the New Testament...
Hebrews 4:14-16 (New Living Translation)
So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
God becomes flesh and because of that we have hope. Not in our ability to "get it." But in His ability to relate to us.
So, we search the face of God, and contemplate His holiness, and we could feel undone in a hurry. He is so holy, and we are not! And we could feel undone, ruined, or doomed by that - and rightly so. But because of Jesus Christ, we have the hope that we can approach the throne room with boldness. What a gift He has given us.
So, may you be full of the boldness that comes from the character of Christ. May you have victory in your life over the things that keep you stuck. And as you search the face of God, may you marvel at His holiness, and may you marvel even more at the gift He has given you to have access to His throne.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
My Ecclesiology or in other words, my view of the church - Part 5
Battle #5 - Culture over a leader...
I recently heard a recording from Jim Collins (author of Good to Great and Built to Last). He said we must get over the draw we have to the idea of a need for a dynamic, charismatic leader.
I grew up in the church. My dad was a pastor my whole life. I have spent my life around church leadership in varying degrees. I have to say that there is no place that the tendency to follow a dynamic leader is more present than in the church. One powerful church pastor told me, "People are sheep. They will go where ever you lead them." Fairly scary proposition!
One of the transitions that I observe in culture is that the boomer generation was a very hierarchical in its respect of and need for leadership. people respected positions, not people. This is not true anymore. With the fall of so many great high profile leaders across the leadership perspective, we have grown cynical of leaders in general. The notion of a strong dynamic leader being the answer to the church's woes is a painfully misinformed idea in this culture. And it will serve to further widen the gap between the church and the world.
We need to establish and participate in a culture that reflects the ideals and values that we espouse. While leaders definitely have a strong role to play in that scenario, it is not in the control and steering of people. The leader's role falls more inline with being a co-laborer and a model of the values and vision lived out. Not a benevolent dictator.
In the book ReWork, the authors make a great statement. "You don't create culture. It happens...Culture is the byproduct of consistent behavior....Culture is action not words."
Simple implication - what we do is what we will reproduce, not what we teach. So people are attracted to who we are through what we do. By the way, they are repulsed by who we are by the same criteria. It is not enough for a high powered, dynamic leader to get up and preach a motivational sermon anymore.
The people who are part of the church will determine what the church is known by regardless of how strong the preaching is. The responsibility is solely on the people to become what Christ has called them to. This is a scary idea, but is a reality none the less. I am not sure that it is better or worse, it is simply a reality of the world in which the church is called to function.
I think it would be fun to discuss the potential good and bad of this notion. so, have at it!
May you become part of a culture that collectively pursues the mission of Christ above their own individual comfort. And may you become the type of follower of Christ and deeply presses into his agenda for the purpose of knowing Him more and more. May your church community be defined as a place full of passionate followers of Christ.
I recently heard a recording from Jim Collins (author of Good to Great and Built to Last). He said we must get over the draw we have to the idea of a need for a dynamic, charismatic leader.
I grew up in the church. My dad was a pastor my whole life. I have spent my life around church leadership in varying degrees. I have to say that there is no place that the tendency to follow a dynamic leader is more present than in the church. One powerful church pastor told me, "People are sheep. They will go where ever you lead them." Fairly scary proposition!
One of the transitions that I observe in culture is that the boomer generation was a very hierarchical in its respect of and need for leadership. people respected positions, not people. This is not true anymore. With the fall of so many great high profile leaders across the leadership perspective, we have grown cynical of leaders in general. The notion of a strong dynamic leader being the answer to the church's woes is a painfully misinformed idea in this culture. And it will serve to further widen the gap between the church and the world.
We need to establish and participate in a culture that reflects the ideals and values that we espouse. While leaders definitely have a strong role to play in that scenario, it is not in the control and steering of people. The leader's role falls more inline with being a co-laborer and a model of the values and vision lived out. Not a benevolent dictator.
In the book ReWork, the authors make a great statement. "You don't create culture. It happens...Culture is the byproduct of consistent behavior....Culture is action not words."
Simple implication - what we do is what we will reproduce, not what we teach. So people are attracted to who we are through what we do. By the way, they are repulsed by who we are by the same criteria. It is not enough for a high powered, dynamic leader to get up and preach a motivational sermon anymore.
The people who are part of the church will determine what the church is known by regardless of how strong the preaching is. The responsibility is solely on the people to become what Christ has called them to. This is a scary idea, but is a reality none the less. I am not sure that it is better or worse, it is simply a reality of the world in which the church is called to function.
I think it would be fun to discuss the potential good and bad of this notion. so, have at it!
May you become part of a culture that collectively pursues the mission of Christ above their own individual comfort. And may you become the type of follower of Christ and deeply presses into his agenda for the purpose of knowing Him more and more. May your church community be defined as a place full of passionate followers of Christ.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
My Ecclesiology or in other words, my view of the church - Part 4
Battle #3 - Information vs. Insight...
So I spend time on an amazing website called TED.com. TED.com is dedicated to taking people who are teh global trendsetters and putting them on a stage and letting them talk.
Today I happened across a lecture that Seth Godin gave in 2003 that speaks exactly to what is happening in the church. At the time, he was in the process of releasing his book called "The Purple Cow." And the whole idea is that in defining what you bring to the table, you need to be remarkable. The idea is that if you are driving down the road, and you see a cow, you will not notice it at all. Cows are boring and normal. But if the cow was purple, you would stop and take note, because cows aren't purple as a rule. Now, if every cow was purple, you would no longer notice a purple cow. But the fact is that they aren't and so we notice.
What Godin says is that ideas that stick are remarkable - regardless of the topic that idea is about. This is also true of the church. IT is funny how there are very few trend setters in the church world. Everyone seems to be chasing the latest "church growth fad" that someone started. For what it is worth, I also believe this is true outside of the church as well, but the interesting part about the church specifically is that God makes people unique and perfectly designed to accomplish His purpose for each person's life. The Bible says that God marks our steps. But to take that a step further... Not only does He mark our steps, He also designs us to be the perfect person to walk the path He has laid out for each of us.
So why isn't the church remarkable? it would seem that the diversity inherent in people should be celebrated and we should see phenomenal ideas cropping up everywhere. What is going on that makes the church chase its own tail and in the process become less and less relevant in our culture?
Church is built around information transfer. Sunday the sermon is the point. Bible study is the group time during the week. And we study our Bible to learn something new. There is nothing wrong with learning and we should. But honestly, we have to admit that our attempts at education aren't working. People are moving further and further away from Biblical knowledge, not closer to it. Culturally, this happens as a result of several factors but the over riding principle is pretty simple - information with insight is boring, lifeless, and useless. And because we live in an era where we are constantly barraged with information, stuff that seems useless or like it can be put off is forgotten.
John 5:39-40 (New Living Translation)
“You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life.
Where are the remarkable life transformation stories? Where are the people who have been so deeply changed by putting God's Word into practice that they cannot keep it in? Where are those who are like Jeremiah and cry out, "Your Word is like a fire in my bones and I have to let it out!"
When I was in Bible college, I was told that it is the preaching of the Word of God that has held the church together over the centuries. Now, after nearly 20 years in the ministry, what I have observed is that the preaching of the Bible has continued to fracture and splinter the church all while robbing people of their appetite.
My theory today... It is the testimony of God working among His people that holds the church together. That is what the Old Testament is. And that is what we should be most concerned about celebrating. Because expression give insight. And it is remarkable how much we gain simply by seeing and experiencing the lessons of the Word of God played out in our lives and the lives of those we are peers with.
I am not down on education. I have an advanced degree and am working on another. But my dad used to say all the time that impression without expression leads to depression. Stated another way, there is nothing remarkable that will happen when all I am getting is more information. Until I learn through expression of that truth and gain deep insight about those truths, I have gained nothing. And if we don't make this shift, the church becomes more and more unremarkable.
So, may you have a life of insight. And may your expression of God's truth lead to tremendous and life transforming relationships. May it be said of you that your relationship with God is remarkable!
So I spend time on an amazing website called TED.com. TED.com is dedicated to taking people who are teh global trendsetters and putting them on a stage and letting them talk.
Today I happened across a lecture that Seth Godin gave in 2003 that speaks exactly to what is happening in the church. At the time, he was in the process of releasing his book called "The Purple Cow." And the whole idea is that in defining what you bring to the table, you need to be remarkable. The idea is that if you are driving down the road, and you see a cow, you will not notice it at all. Cows are boring and normal. But if the cow was purple, you would stop and take note, because cows aren't purple as a rule. Now, if every cow was purple, you would no longer notice a purple cow. But the fact is that they aren't and so we notice.
What Godin says is that ideas that stick are remarkable - regardless of the topic that idea is about. This is also true of the church. IT is funny how there are very few trend setters in the church world. Everyone seems to be chasing the latest "church growth fad" that someone started. For what it is worth, I also believe this is true outside of the church as well, but the interesting part about the church specifically is that God makes people unique and perfectly designed to accomplish His purpose for each person's life. The Bible says that God marks our steps. But to take that a step further... Not only does He mark our steps, He also designs us to be the perfect person to walk the path He has laid out for each of us.
So why isn't the church remarkable? it would seem that the diversity inherent in people should be celebrated and we should see phenomenal ideas cropping up everywhere. What is going on that makes the church chase its own tail and in the process become less and less relevant in our culture?
Church is built around information transfer. Sunday the sermon is the point. Bible study is the group time during the week. And we study our Bible to learn something new. There is nothing wrong with learning and we should. But honestly, we have to admit that our attempts at education aren't working. People are moving further and further away from Biblical knowledge, not closer to it. Culturally, this happens as a result of several factors but the over riding principle is pretty simple - information with insight is boring, lifeless, and useless. And because we live in an era where we are constantly barraged with information, stuff that seems useless or like it can be put off is forgotten.
John 5:39-40 (New Living Translation)
“You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life.
Where are the remarkable life transformation stories? Where are the people who have been so deeply changed by putting God's Word into practice that they cannot keep it in? Where are those who are like Jeremiah and cry out, "Your Word is like a fire in my bones and I have to let it out!"
When I was in Bible college, I was told that it is the preaching of the Word of God that has held the church together over the centuries. Now, after nearly 20 years in the ministry, what I have observed is that the preaching of the Bible has continued to fracture and splinter the church all while robbing people of their appetite.
My theory today... It is the testimony of God working among His people that holds the church together. That is what the Old Testament is. And that is what we should be most concerned about celebrating. Because expression give insight. And it is remarkable how much we gain simply by seeing and experiencing the lessons of the Word of God played out in our lives and the lives of those we are peers with.
I am not down on education. I have an advanced degree and am working on another. But my dad used to say all the time that impression without expression leads to depression. Stated another way, there is nothing remarkable that will happen when all I am getting is more information. Until I learn through expression of that truth and gain deep insight about those truths, I have gained nothing. And if we don't make this shift, the church becomes more and more unremarkable.
So, may you have a life of insight. And may your expression of God's truth lead to tremendous and life transforming relationships. May it be said of you that your relationship with God is remarkable!
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
my Ecclesiology or in other words, my view of the church - Part 3
Sorry for the delay on this... My father spent the last few days in the hospital so I have been a bit preoccupied. Things are much better now so we can continue with the task at hand - The second battle that the church will have to fight. Battle #2 is The Battle for the role of Church in my life and in the life of the culture.
Hebrews 10:25 (New Living Translation)
And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
In years past, it has been Christian practice that if you have a friend who is ready to start a relationship with God, or if we have a friend that we want to accept God (whether they are ready or not) we bring them to church. By which we mean a building and a Sunday morning or Saturday night service. We were taught and believed that if we could just "get them to church" God would work on their hearts and they would suddenly become "hungry for God."
Worship experiences are not designed to make you hungry for God. They are designed to fill you up.
Hunger comes from exercise… exercising your faith is the key to staying hungry in your spiritual life.
Bringing people to church to find a hunger for God will not work. Living out your faith in front of them will create the hunger that coming to church will fill.
We are going to have to re-assess the role of church in our lives. We need to grab ahold of the reality that church truly is me, but the role of church as a community is also vital. Wherever I go, I take church with me. The Holy Spirit living inside of me empowers me to accomplish great things through Him. I can walk with my friends through the process of their receiving Christ. I can minister to them in their time of need. I can be the pastor of my world as I move in it. And then Sunday morning, dried up and used from a week of ministry, I drag myself into church "the building" or the community, desperate to hear from God and be filled up for another week of amazing ministry as we walk with God and observe and join His work in and around us.
Church (the building) is no longer enough. It never was, but that is more evident now than ever before. We must actually live out our faith daily. Or it amounts to nothing. And you see these people around you all the time. They are the ones who come to church every week but are critical and nit picky. Why? because they are not hungry... Why? no exercise...
So the building must be a place that we come each week poured out from a week of serving and ministering to our sphere of influence. Sunday worship service still has great value if we understand the truth that we don't go to church, we are the church. And the power of a spiritually alive life comes not from attending a Sunday service alone, but from being poured out each week in exercise of our faith. In this way we find worship service to be extremely valuable and a necessary part of our lives. So are you struggling to want to go to church? this may say more about your own faith exercise than the church you are currently attending.
May you be compelled to action by Christ's love. May you live to serve your sphere of influence. May each Sunday morning find you desperate for God to fill you up. And may you become a powerful part of your church - personal, local, and corporate.
Hebrews 10:25 (New Living Translation)
And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
In years past, it has been Christian practice that if you have a friend who is ready to start a relationship with God, or if we have a friend that we want to accept God (whether they are ready or not) we bring them to church. By which we mean a building and a Sunday morning or Saturday night service. We were taught and believed that if we could just "get them to church" God would work on their hearts and they would suddenly become "hungry for God."
Worship experiences are not designed to make you hungry for God. They are designed to fill you up.
Hunger comes from exercise… exercising your faith is the key to staying hungry in your spiritual life.
Bringing people to church to find a hunger for God will not work. Living out your faith in front of them will create the hunger that coming to church will fill.
We are going to have to re-assess the role of church in our lives. We need to grab ahold of the reality that church truly is me, but the role of church as a community is also vital. Wherever I go, I take church with me. The Holy Spirit living inside of me empowers me to accomplish great things through Him. I can walk with my friends through the process of their receiving Christ. I can minister to them in their time of need. I can be the pastor of my world as I move in it. And then Sunday morning, dried up and used from a week of ministry, I drag myself into church "the building" or the community, desperate to hear from God and be filled up for another week of amazing ministry as we walk with God and observe and join His work in and around us.
Church (the building) is no longer enough. It never was, but that is more evident now than ever before. We must actually live out our faith daily. Or it amounts to nothing. And you see these people around you all the time. They are the ones who come to church every week but are critical and nit picky. Why? because they are not hungry... Why? no exercise...
So the building must be a place that we come each week poured out from a week of serving and ministering to our sphere of influence. Sunday worship service still has great value if we understand the truth that we don't go to church, we are the church. And the power of a spiritually alive life comes not from attending a Sunday service alone, but from being poured out each week in exercise of our faith. In this way we find worship service to be extremely valuable and a necessary part of our lives. So are you struggling to want to go to church? this may say more about your own faith exercise than the church you are currently attending.
May you be compelled to action by Christ's love. May you live to serve your sphere of influence. May each Sunday morning find you desperate for God to fill you up. And may you become a powerful part of your church - personal, local, and corporate.
Monday, April 18, 2011
my Ecclesiology or in other words, my view of the church - Part 2B
In continuation of yesterday's battle #1 - I want to post an excerpt from a book called New Testament Christianity, Edited by Z.T. Sweeney. It was compiled in 1923 and written by various authors who wrote the articles some as many as 50 years prior to the compilation of the book. I have re-written it to make it more readable, but this section of Vol. 1 Chapt. 1 is exactly what I am trying to communicate in fighting the battle of transitioning generations well. I hope you enjoy it...
In the process of living as a Christian, or in the example of Christianity as a lifestyle or worldview, questions arise about issues that are in and of themselves debatable, but which may have a relative importance. These issues often take on a life of their own and become the dividing lines for various schools of thought. When we look at issues like this as a point of history, these kinds of issues are easily dealt with. But when they are present issues, because of all the preferences and arguments that they give birth to, it requires a lot of wisdom and careful navigation of the issue to deal with these issues well.
Within these types of discussions, there will always be those who want to attach the high value of “essential” to one of these types of issues while the other side could be in danger of treating the same issue flippantly. But however trivial the issue might actually be, it requires a certain amount of importance and becomes a big deal because of the feelings and prejudices that are attached to that issue.
This shows up most in the area of Public worship – church services. Preferences here, left up to a matter of discretion, taste, and judgment are likely to be as they always have been – various. One man will think an full band the best thing possible to improve and perfect the singing of a congregation. Another, who is disgusted by the sound of a congregation that sings poorly, may want only the band and the professionals to sing and thinks that we should have a worship concert, not an involved worship service. Still another regards the instruments of any kind in and of itself an abomination and insists that instruments be ruled out all together or it will rule him out of that particular group. He finds it offensive, his feelings are aroused by it, and 10 to 1 odds that his conscience will somehow become involved in the matter, and he will believe that the introduction of instruments in worship is a sin just like witchcraft. All sides search the scriptures for authority, pro and con, and finding none, as, of course, they do not, because the matter is not the subject if biblical teaching at all, they strain and force different texts into a sort of simulated support of their respective positions, while attacking motives, unkind words, and all manner of evil thoughts grow and multiply until they run their course and die only to be replaced by another argument or issue that will be fueled by the same passions and pass through the same stages.
What we need in this whole line of discussion is a reality check without reservation or qualification concerning the rights and value of others.
No man who has taken a good hard look at the state of various church denominations can fail to notice that various churches gather largely upon the single point of taste. 9/10 of those are Presbyterians are so, not because they appreciate the distinctive doctrines of that sect, or really care anything about them, but because they like the way Presbyterians do things. Others who prefer to be Methodists or Episcopalians do so for the same reason. And it is so through the whole round of churches. It is only a few who are there because of consideration of doctrine or creed; because, whether it is true or false, it is beyond doubt that most people accept that in regards to doctrine, theology, and/or creed, one church is pretty much as good as another. But aside from that, every one has an opinion about church things and takes his position concerning those things as his opinion leads him.
There is a predominant philosophy underlying all this that the capital “C” Church universal needs to recognize and live by. It is a philosophy of not only tolerating, but also providing for, the various tastes and peculiar preferences that come from different people on all these debatable issues. Hold firmly and teach faithfully without any wavering or compromise the essential truth. Make men Christians according to Christ’s law, and develop and perfect their moral and spiritual nature by His word, and in all other things leave them free. If they want a band, let them have it. If they are opposed to it, respect their preference. If they wish to worship like a Presbyterian or a Methodist or an Episcopalian, or a Lutheran, let them do so, not only without censure, but with your blessing and encouragement.
But unfortunately, the human nature is so weak and our heart is so intolerant that we feel like we need uniformity in regards to all these secondary things, even if it puts the success of vital truth at risk. We must accept one another’s tastes, be governed by our preference, worship in our own mode, or have no place and no recognition among us.
For myself, I prefer spontaneous variety on all these non-essential matters instead of stale, dry, dead uniformity. We seldom need two churches just alike in the same town. And it would be a positive blessing if, when there are several, each should be composed of those who find their own particular tastes provided for, and their innocent preferences gratified. Thus without denominations and with perfect agreement in faith and doctrine, we should be able to reach all types of people and save people from all walks of life. Without this, we will address only a fraction of the types of people out there to be reached. And the rest will go about their own way finding their own place and mode of worshipping God – or will not worship at all.
May we be focused the value of people before we demean, trounce, or belittle others. May we see that diversity is the mark of the blessing and work of God and that loving each other above all else will open the door to all of having permission to live out our worship of God without regret.
In the process of living as a Christian, or in the example of Christianity as a lifestyle or worldview, questions arise about issues that are in and of themselves debatable, but which may have a relative importance. These issues often take on a life of their own and become the dividing lines for various schools of thought. When we look at issues like this as a point of history, these kinds of issues are easily dealt with. But when they are present issues, because of all the preferences and arguments that they give birth to, it requires a lot of wisdom and careful navigation of the issue to deal with these issues well.
Within these types of discussions, there will always be those who want to attach the high value of “essential” to one of these types of issues while the other side could be in danger of treating the same issue flippantly. But however trivial the issue might actually be, it requires a certain amount of importance and becomes a big deal because of the feelings and prejudices that are attached to that issue.
This shows up most in the area of Public worship – church services. Preferences here, left up to a matter of discretion, taste, and judgment are likely to be as they always have been – various. One man will think an full band the best thing possible to improve and perfect the singing of a congregation. Another, who is disgusted by the sound of a congregation that sings poorly, may want only the band and the professionals to sing and thinks that we should have a worship concert, not an involved worship service. Still another regards the instruments of any kind in and of itself an abomination and insists that instruments be ruled out all together or it will rule him out of that particular group. He finds it offensive, his feelings are aroused by it, and 10 to 1 odds that his conscience will somehow become involved in the matter, and he will believe that the introduction of instruments in worship is a sin just like witchcraft. All sides search the scriptures for authority, pro and con, and finding none, as, of course, they do not, because the matter is not the subject if biblical teaching at all, they strain and force different texts into a sort of simulated support of their respective positions, while attacking motives, unkind words, and all manner of evil thoughts grow and multiply until they run their course and die only to be replaced by another argument or issue that will be fueled by the same passions and pass through the same stages.
What we need in this whole line of discussion is a reality check without reservation or qualification concerning the rights and value of others.
No man who has taken a good hard look at the state of various church denominations can fail to notice that various churches gather largely upon the single point of taste. 9/10 of those are Presbyterians are so, not because they appreciate the distinctive doctrines of that sect, or really care anything about them, but because they like the way Presbyterians do things. Others who prefer to be Methodists or Episcopalians do so for the same reason. And it is so through the whole round of churches. It is only a few who are there because of consideration of doctrine or creed; because, whether it is true or false, it is beyond doubt that most people accept that in regards to doctrine, theology, and/or creed, one church is pretty much as good as another. But aside from that, every one has an opinion about church things and takes his position concerning those things as his opinion leads him.
There is a predominant philosophy underlying all this that the capital “C” Church universal needs to recognize and live by. It is a philosophy of not only tolerating, but also providing for, the various tastes and peculiar preferences that come from different people on all these debatable issues. Hold firmly and teach faithfully without any wavering or compromise the essential truth. Make men Christians according to Christ’s law, and develop and perfect their moral and spiritual nature by His word, and in all other things leave them free. If they want a band, let them have it. If they are opposed to it, respect their preference. If they wish to worship like a Presbyterian or a Methodist or an Episcopalian, or a Lutheran, let them do so, not only without censure, but with your blessing and encouragement.
But unfortunately, the human nature is so weak and our heart is so intolerant that we feel like we need uniformity in regards to all these secondary things, even if it puts the success of vital truth at risk. We must accept one another’s tastes, be governed by our preference, worship in our own mode, or have no place and no recognition among us.
For myself, I prefer spontaneous variety on all these non-essential matters instead of stale, dry, dead uniformity. We seldom need two churches just alike in the same town. And it would be a positive blessing if, when there are several, each should be composed of those who find their own particular tastes provided for, and their innocent preferences gratified. Thus without denominations and with perfect agreement in faith and doctrine, we should be able to reach all types of people and save people from all walks of life. Without this, we will address only a fraction of the types of people out there to be reached. And the rest will go about their own way finding their own place and mode of worshipping God – or will not worship at all.
May we be focused the value of people before we demean, trounce, or belittle others. May we see that diversity is the mark of the blessing and work of God and that loving each other above all else will open the door to all of having permission to live out our worship of God without regret.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
My Ecclesiology or in other words, my view of the church - Part 2
I believe there are 5 battles facing the church in the future. And since I did not get the chance to explore all of them in my sermon, I thought I would explore each of them in their own post here on the blog. I guess that is the kind of thing that this is for. =)
Battle #1 - Generational Transitions
Matthew 10:16 (New Living Translation)
“Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves.
I think it is of great value for us to be aware of how culture is shaping the way we think. We cannot assume that the world will simply "come around" to our way of doing things. We must be aware of where they are and how they think so that we can present a correct Gospel message that is appropriate for the context we are speaking to.
Boomers desired a common enemy… This is the reality of the end of the Modern Era. Boomers wanted to know who they were fighting.
Gen “X” desired a common experience… My generation reacted strongly to this reality and the seeker sensitive movement was born. of course we took it too far and became "seeker driven." this led to an absence of any real content. and it lost the power and blessing of the Holy Spirit and mostly fizzled out. But we became very effective at branding our experience and creating big events that were "Christian Cool."
Gen “Y” desires a common cause… At this point in history, we are watching people of diverse world views, religious expression, and ideologies come together around common causes (i.e. Japan's relief efforts are seeing Muslims and Christians work side by side... something unheard of 60 years ago).
This reality was explored in the most full capacity in the sermon so I will explore it the least here. You can get further explanation from the sermon podcast @ http://www.liferotp.com/mediaresources/listen-online...
Some concluding thoughts... We can fight it all day long, but in the end we will not stop this shift from happening. So as the church we must find a way to respond to this and use the tools available to us to change the world we live in.
Whether we like it or not, the nature of relationship is being redefined and whether we agree with it or not, we will have to find away to build authentic relationships within the world that we live in or we will be left with little to no influence and the church will all but disappear.
Please join the discussion on this one. I know that the mixed generations that follow this blog will be a good indication that what I am saying is true. We are not trying to decide who is right or wrong. Generational shifts are "amoral." however understanding how we can impact each generation is a powerful tool in advancing the work of the Kingdom.
So may you have grace for people different than you. May you celebrate God's diversity and creativity. And may your life be an example of Christ's love that resonates across generational lines and world views.
Battle #1 - Generational Transitions
Matthew 10:16 (New Living Translation)
“Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves.
I think it is of great value for us to be aware of how culture is shaping the way we think. We cannot assume that the world will simply "come around" to our way of doing things. We must be aware of where they are and how they think so that we can present a correct Gospel message that is appropriate for the context we are speaking to.
Boomers desired a common enemy… This is the reality of the end of the Modern Era. Boomers wanted to know who they were fighting.
Gen “X” desired a common experience… My generation reacted strongly to this reality and the seeker sensitive movement was born. of course we took it too far and became "seeker driven." this led to an absence of any real content. and it lost the power and blessing of the Holy Spirit and mostly fizzled out. But we became very effective at branding our experience and creating big events that were "Christian Cool."
Gen “Y” desires a common cause… At this point in history, we are watching people of diverse world views, religious expression, and ideologies come together around common causes (i.e. Japan's relief efforts are seeing Muslims and Christians work side by side... something unheard of 60 years ago).
This reality was explored in the most full capacity in the sermon so I will explore it the least here. You can get further explanation from the sermon podcast @ http://www.liferotp.com/mediaresources/listen-online...
Some concluding thoughts... We can fight it all day long, but in the end we will not stop this shift from happening. So as the church we must find a way to respond to this and use the tools available to us to change the world we live in.
Whether we like it or not, the nature of relationship is being redefined and whether we agree with it or not, we will have to find away to build authentic relationships within the world that we live in or we will be left with little to no influence and the church will all but disappear.
Please join the discussion on this one. I know that the mixed generations that follow this blog will be a good indication that what I am saying is true. We are not trying to decide who is right or wrong. Generational shifts are "amoral." however understanding how we can impact each generation is a powerful tool in advancing the work of the Kingdom.
So may you have grace for people different than you. May you celebrate God's diversity and creativity. And may your life be an example of Christ's love that resonates across generational lines and world views.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
My Ecclesiology or in other words, my view of the church - Part 1
John 17:20-23 (New Living Translation)
20 “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. 21 I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.
22 “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. 23 I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.
This was Jesus' prayer. And I have to admit, it sounds really awesome! The idea of unity and grace and a true loving community sounds like such a great idea. And I believe that a movement of churches like that would really do some major work in the Kingdom. So, what is the problem? Why is it so hard to get there?
It is easy to say, "Well, Satan." and move on. But to be honest, I don't think that he has to work all that hard at getting the church off track. We are so good at it. And for all the calls to grace and love and forgiveness, people stand up and demand justice and repentance and condemnation at the expense of relationship. using verses like , "Religion that God accepts as pure is to look after widows and orphans in their distress and TO KEEP ONES SELF FROM BEING POLLUTED BY THE WORLD!!!" these well intentioned folks light up the world with shouts of humiliation and shame. It makes me sad. Because Jesus didn't shout. Jesus didn't yell. Jesus asked us to get along.
There are 2 reasons that we have "doctrine." One reason defines who is with me and who is not. We know where each other stands and then, though we may acknowledge that we could both be saved, I think I am more saved than you because my doctrine is "more right."
The second reason is to define the parameters of a lifestyle lived out in faith. This is not about being right as much as it is about being Godly. That idea resonates. It says, "I don't have all the answers, but I have an opinion. And I would love to hear yours so we can both grow." I don't have to agree. But I do have to acknowledge that everyone has infinite value given by God. And when I understand, acknowledge and treat others with that value, I can then disagree without being disagreeable. This key unlocks Jesus' definition of unity.
So I fancy myself a cultural tour guide. What I mean is, I am particularly passionate about understanding and getting out ahead of culture and helping people see how to respond. But in my study of culture I think I have been a bit remiss in my study of the church.
How do we find that place of unity? How do we let go of the junk and hold onto Christ and let people's lives be transformed by who He is? How do I promote an accurate representation of the church that God loves and Jesus died to marry? Do you see my dilemma? Please respond and help me out. But please don't think that trite answers like "Just love Jesus" will do. If it was truly that easy, this would have been resolved years ago. How do we move the church towards real unity so that the world will know that God sent Him.
May you be challenged to think deeper. And may you love the church and its history and the hopeful future. Can't wait to read your responses.
20 “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. 21 I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.
22 “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. 23 I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.
This was Jesus' prayer. And I have to admit, it sounds really awesome! The idea of unity and grace and a true loving community sounds like such a great idea. And I believe that a movement of churches like that would really do some major work in the Kingdom. So, what is the problem? Why is it so hard to get there?
It is easy to say, "Well, Satan." and move on. But to be honest, I don't think that he has to work all that hard at getting the church off track. We are so good at it. And for all the calls to grace and love and forgiveness, people stand up and demand justice and repentance and condemnation at the expense of relationship. using verses like , "Religion that God accepts as pure is to look after widows and orphans in their distress and TO KEEP ONES SELF FROM BEING POLLUTED BY THE WORLD!!!" these well intentioned folks light up the world with shouts of humiliation and shame. It makes me sad. Because Jesus didn't shout. Jesus didn't yell. Jesus asked us to get along.
There are 2 reasons that we have "doctrine." One reason defines who is with me and who is not. We know where each other stands and then, though we may acknowledge that we could both be saved, I think I am more saved than you because my doctrine is "more right."
The second reason is to define the parameters of a lifestyle lived out in faith. This is not about being right as much as it is about being Godly. That idea resonates. It says, "I don't have all the answers, but I have an opinion. And I would love to hear yours so we can both grow." I don't have to agree. But I do have to acknowledge that everyone has infinite value given by God. And when I understand, acknowledge and treat others with that value, I can then disagree without being disagreeable. This key unlocks Jesus' definition of unity.
So I fancy myself a cultural tour guide. What I mean is, I am particularly passionate about understanding and getting out ahead of culture and helping people see how to respond. But in my study of culture I think I have been a bit remiss in my study of the church.
How do we find that place of unity? How do we let go of the junk and hold onto Christ and let people's lives be transformed by who He is? How do I promote an accurate representation of the church that God loves and Jesus died to marry? Do you see my dilemma? Please respond and help me out. But please don't think that trite answers like "Just love Jesus" will do. If it was truly that easy, this would have been resolved years ago. How do we move the church towards real unity so that the world will know that God sent Him.
May you be challenged to think deeper. And may you love the church and its history and the hopeful future. Can't wait to read your responses.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Relationship Series Post Number 4... the final chapter
So, No relationship series would be complete without a section on conflict. I am convinced that conflict is the single greatest help and the single greatest hinderance to building real relationship.
It is the single greatest help because it forces us down to those risky places in our hearts that we work to keep covered up. We feel exposed and vulnerable and often react in silly ways to what is going on around us. We have already talked about how it is necessary to get to these places in our lives because we have to go there to allow the Word to transform us at that level. These are those moments where we do things and say things that we regret. We let our worst side out - we become the person that work to keep hidden from the world - the most real version of me.
It helps because we are forced to deal with those places in ourselves that we hide even from ourselves. But that is where the point of real transformation can take place. That helps us become more when we deal with conflict rightly... and it reinforces poor behavior when we allow it to consume us and we deal with it poorly. This is where it can also be most hurtful in relationship. But it is our choice in how we deal with conflict helps or hurts us - not the conflict itself.
So, scared of conflict? Take a deep breath, then charge in... not be right or to make the other person feel wrong, but to bring resolution to what conflict does in yourself. Then you can have a heart of peace no matter the circumstances.
May you understand that peace does not come from ease. Peace comes from a decision to let God and His Word penetrate your soul at its deepest level. And may you celebrate conflict as an opportunity to go there. May you love people more that correctness. And may you be transformed by the peace that conflict can bring.
It is the single greatest help because it forces us down to those risky places in our hearts that we work to keep covered up. We feel exposed and vulnerable and often react in silly ways to what is going on around us. We have already talked about how it is necessary to get to these places in our lives because we have to go there to allow the Word to transform us at that level. These are those moments where we do things and say things that we regret. We let our worst side out - we become the person that work to keep hidden from the world - the most real version of me.
It helps because we are forced to deal with those places in ourselves that we hide even from ourselves. But that is where the point of real transformation can take place. That helps us become more when we deal with conflict rightly... and it reinforces poor behavior when we allow it to consume us and we deal with it poorly. This is where it can also be most hurtful in relationship. But it is our choice in how we deal with conflict helps or hurts us - not the conflict itself.
So, scared of conflict? Take a deep breath, then charge in... not be right or to make the other person feel wrong, but to bring resolution to what conflict does in yourself. Then you can have a heart of peace no matter the circumstances.
May you understand that peace does not come from ease. Peace comes from a decision to let God and His Word penetrate your soul at its deepest level. And may you celebrate conflict as an opportunity to go there. May you love people more that correctness. And may you be transformed by the peace that conflict can bring.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Relationship Series Post Number 3...
Blessed are the Meek, for they shall inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5)
Meek is a dirty word in our culture. Partly because we don't know what it means. Partly because we don't like the implication of what it does mean. And partly because we have an over developed sense of personal vindication.
Meek does not mean weak. It means "Power under restraint." the idea of meekness is a powerful stallion submitting to the bit in its mouth. Or an ox submitting itself to the direction given it by a yoke. It actually assumes great power. but that power is kept under control - for the best outcome of the situation. Meekness is not about personal benefit, but what we must always understand is that the common good actually improves my position in life no matter what the world would tell us. As the whole improves, my position improves with it.
And Jesus alludes t this. He says, when we keep our power under control for the good of those around us, we will inherit the earth. As Americans, we have an over developed sense of vindication, justice, and pressing our own rights. And what we are seeing is that as we choose to press our own rights globally, the rest of the world looks at us and doesn't like the US. We are called arrogant and boastful.. Is it true? probably not. Mostly not... but we appear that way because we do not keep our power under control. We leverage our position to increase our position. That will never work.
I am no political expert nor do I care to engage in a political discussion. What I can say is that there is example after example of people pressing their own rights through out history. It never works.
In relationship, we cannot be overly concerned with being right. I often meet with marriages that are in crisis. And I often say in those meetings, "Do you want to be happy? Or do you want to be right?" We get so consumed with pressing our part of an argument that we lose the reality that even if we are proven right, we will be more miserable than if we just let ourselves be wrong.
So often, I see in my own life a need to be vindicated. Justice must be served! I am right and that is that. And this notion.. this posture, is a direct afront to real genuine relationship. So the very thing that I am craving becomes the very thing that I take away from myself. That is my trophy for correctness. I am right, but alone - and miserable.
When I stay meek - power stays under control - I inherit more than I could ever imagine. So, may you be focused more on being Godly than being right. May you keep the power that you have to control people emotionally and physically under restraint. And may you experience the reality that giving your life to making people better actually makes your life better as well.
Meek is a dirty word in our culture. Partly because we don't know what it means. Partly because we don't like the implication of what it does mean. And partly because we have an over developed sense of personal vindication.
Meek does not mean weak. It means "Power under restraint." the idea of meekness is a powerful stallion submitting to the bit in its mouth. Or an ox submitting itself to the direction given it by a yoke. It actually assumes great power. but that power is kept under control - for the best outcome of the situation. Meekness is not about personal benefit, but what we must always understand is that the common good actually improves my position in life no matter what the world would tell us. As the whole improves, my position improves with it.
And Jesus alludes t this. He says, when we keep our power under control for the good of those around us, we will inherit the earth. As Americans, we have an over developed sense of vindication, justice, and pressing our own rights. And what we are seeing is that as we choose to press our own rights globally, the rest of the world looks at us and doesn't like the US. We are called arrogant and boastful.. Is it true? probably not. Mostly not... but we appear that way because we do not keep our power under control. We leverage our position to increase our position. That will never work.
I am no political expert nor do I care to engage in a political discussion. What I can say is that there is example after example of people pressing their own rights through out history. It never works.
In relationship, we cannot be overly concerned with being right. I often meet with marriages that are in crisis. And I often say in those meetings, "Do you want to be happy? Or do you want to be right?" We get so consumed with pressing our part of an argument that we lose the reality that even if we are proven right, we will be more miserable than if we just let ourselves be wrong.
So often, I see in my own life a need to be vindicated. Justice must be served! I am right and that is that. And this notion.. this posture, is a direct afront to real genuine relationship. So the very thing that I am craving becomes the very thing that I take away from myself. That is my trophy for correctness. I am right, but alone - and miserable.
When I stay meek - power stays under control - I inherit more than I could ever imagine. So, may you be focused more on being Godly than being right. May you keep the power that you have to control people emotionally and physically under restraint. And may you experience the reality that giving your life to making people better actually makes your life better as well.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Relationship Series Post 2...
One of the big components of relational alignment is transparency...
The problem with transparency is that it takes risk. Risk is something that as a rule we try to minimize in our lives. Even those who like risk in certain areas of their life whether that be investing or amusement parks, still try to minimize the pain that risk in relationship causes.
We try this in several ways... when someone shares a transparent or risky piece of themselves with us, we tend to either try to "fix" it or "rescue" them. When we try to take risk in relationship we often feel minimized or mistreated. either way, we don't desire to go back there again. It is awkward and difficult. But when it is dealt with well, it is one of the most powerful things that there is to experience.
In Matthew 5, Jesus gives us 9 statements that turn the world upside down. the second of those is "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." I want to talk about this word comfort... it is the future tense of the word "paraklete" which is a compound word meaning to call alongside. Jesus is conveying the idea that when we mourn, we do not have to do it alone. because God will provide the Holy Spirit and others who will journey along side us through it. Comfort does not mean that we can fix or rescue. We cannot take another's pain; or even make it less for that matter. But we can walk with them through it.
The only thing is, we have to know where each other's hurts are. that takes risk. So comfort comes from risk. Comfort comes from transparency. And often the most risk finds the most comfort. So may you be pushed to take risk... and may you find the comfort that your soul desperately needs.
The problem with transparency is that it takes risk. Risk is something that as a rule we try to minimize in our lives. Even those who like risk in certain areas of their life whether that be investing or amusement parks, still try to minimize the pain that risk in relationship causes.
We try this in several ways... when someone shares a transparent or risky piece of themselves with us, we tend to either try to "fix" it or "rescue" them. When we try to take risk in relationship we often feel minimized or mistreated. either way, we don't desire to go back there again. It is awkward and difficult. But when it is dealt with well, it is one of the most powerful things that there is to experience.
In Matthew 5, Jesus gives us 9 statements that turn the world upside down. the second of those is "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." I want to talk about this word comfort... it is the future tense of the word "paraklete" which is a compound word meaning to call alongside. Jesus is conveying the idea that when we mourn, we do not have to do it alone. because God will provide the Holy Spirit and others who will journey along side us through it. Comfort does not mean that we can fix or rescue. We cannot take another's pain; or even make it less for that matter. But we can walk with them through it.
The only thing is, we have to know where each other's hurts are. that takes risk. So comfort comes from risk. Comfort comes from transparency. And often the most risk finds the most comfort. So may you be pushed to take risk... and may you find the comfort that your soul desperately needs.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Relationship Series; Post Number 1
So I want to do a series of posts on different aspects of relationship. Hopefully, we can refine and focus our ideas and our actions concerning relationship.
I have an amazing privilege to travel and visit with other churches about the story of Real Life Ministries from our early days in Post Falls up to today and the church planting parts and the differences is different communities and all that God has done. The Real Life association does a series of training called Immersion 1, 2, and 3. In Immersion 1, we talk about areas of alignment that help make disciples who can disciple.
There are four areas that we need alignment in order to succeed as a church: Philosophical, Organizational, Theological, and Relational. In my opinion, the foundation of all of this is relational alignment. without that, we cannot accomplish anything. With relational alignment, even if we don't agree, we can part as friends, brothers and sisters in Christ, and protect God's reputation.
Relational alignment with those who call themselves followers of Jesus is key to growing as a disciple. yes we need to know God and develop our relationship with Him, but the out pouring of that relationship is always relationship with others... this is what 1 John says... If we walk in the light as HE is in the light, we have fellowship with one another.
So to begin the discussion, I would like to get your take on what relationship means. what does it mean to have relationship? Play nice - this will shape the rest of the discussion.
I have an amazing privilege to travel and visit with other churches about the story of Real Life Ministries from our early days in Post Falls up to today and the church planting parts and the differences is different communities and all that God has done. The Real Life association does a series of training called Immersion 1, 2, and 3. In Immersion 1, we talk about areas of alignment that help make disciples who can disciple.
There are four areas that we need alignment in order to succeed as a church: Philosophical, Organizational, Theological, and Relational. In my opinion, the foundation of all of this is relational alignment. without that, we cannot accomplish anything. With relational alignment, even if we don't agree, we can part as friends, brothers and sisters in Christ, and protect God's reputation.
Relational alignment with those who call themselves followers of Jesus is key to growing as a disciple. yes we need to know God and develop our relationship with Him, but the out pouring of that relationship is always relationship with others... this is what 1 John says... If we walk in the light as HE is in the light, we have fellowship with one another.
So to begin the discussion, I would like to get your take on what relationship means. what does it mean to have relationship? Play nice - this will shape the rest of the discussion.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
What do I offer?
John 15:1-17 (New International Version, ©2011)
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.
So, I grew up in the church. What is more, I grew up in a Preacher's home. What is more, I grew up in the home of a person with the gift of Evangelism. That didn't work out too well for me. I am not a "gifted" evangelist. Though I am proud of my God, and have no problem sharing my faith, I find myself struggling to be that guy who we revere in the American church world... the guy who can stand on the street corner and people come to know Jesus. And they passionately preach about evangelizing the world - and I am convicted. But when I try to do it the way they are saying it, it is awkward for me, it is awkward for the person I am talking to and it doesn't work.
I take solace in Jesus' words. "If you remain in Me, and My words remain in you, you will bear much fruit... fruit that will last." So my question is - what is the fruit of my relationship with Jesus? What is my fruit that remains? And more than that... what does it mean to remain in Jesus as the vine? I have no problem talking about God, my faith, and the hope I have in Christ. But it is most effective and most natural for me in the context of relationship. So where does my fruit remain? Long after I am gone, what will be said of me? This is the lasting impression that I can leave simply by remaining in Christ and allowing Him to direct my paths.
That, by the way, is not an inactive or lazy approach to Christianity. In fact, it is quite the opposite. But it is a focused way to be engaged in remaining in the vine, and producing fruit that will remain. this is at the heart of living by faith.
So, may you find yourself remaining in the vine. And may you produce fruit that lasts. When you are long gone from this life, may you be remembered for the fruit that God prepared for you to produce before the world existed.
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.
So, I grew up in the church. What is more, I grew up in a Preacher's home. What is more, I grew up in the home of a person with the gift of Evangelism. That didn't work out too well for me. I am not a "gifted" evangelist. Though I am proud of my God, and have no problem sharing my faith, I find myself struggling to be that guy who we revere in the American church world... the guy who can stand on the street corner and people come to know Jesus. And they passionately preach about evangelizing the world - and I am convicted. But when I try to do it the way they are saying it, it is awkward for me, it is awkward for the person I am talking to and it doesn't work.
I take solace in Jesus' words. "If you remain in Me, and My words remain in you, you will bear much fruit... fruit that will last." So my question is - what is the fruit of my relationship with Jesus? What is my fruit that remains? And more than that... what does it mean to remain in Jesus as the vine? I have no problem talking about God, my faith, and the hope I have in Christ. But it is most effective and most natural for me in the context of relationship. So where does my fruit remain? Long after I am gone, what will be said of me? This is the lasting impression that I can leave simply by remaining in Christ and allowing Him to direct my paths.
That, by the way, is not an inactive or lazy approach to Christianity. In fact, it is quite the opposite. But it is a focused way to be engaged in remaining in the vine, and producing fruit that will remain. this is at the heart of living by faith.
So, may you find yourself remaining in the vine. And may you produce fruit that lasts. When you are long gone from this life, may you be remembered for the fruit that God prepared for you to produce before the world existed.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
When the enemy terrorizes....
In Psalm 64:1 King David asked to be preserved not from the enemy but from the fear of the enemy.
Fear and faith cannot live in the same heart (Mark 4:40). If the enemy can make you afraid, he has almost won the battle.
A calm heart makes a confident soldier.
Jesus asked the disciples "Why are you so fearful?"(Mark 4:40) ....... Are you?
Warren Wiersbe
Bible Teacher/Author
The above note came to me from my good friend John Samuel. John often send me profound wisdom in his daily emails to me. It is true that in our moments of deepest trouble, we find God there. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."
a couple of thoughts... first, the Greek word for comfort is in the future tense. That means that whatever the type of comfort that we receive (that will be my second point) it isn't happening right at the time when we start to mourn. My thought is that though it does not come when we start to mourn, our comfort comes when we are most desperate. When we reach the end of ourselves, we can have an inner state of happiness because that is when God shows up.
Second, the word for comfort literally means "will have someone to come alongside". Consider the implications. the idea that Jesus conveys in relation to comfort is not that your pain will be eased or that your heart will be without hurt. But that you will not be alone. First, you have the Holy Spirit as your inner guide. He is always with you. Second, we have each other as believers in Christ to walk through life's crazy circumstances together.
How devastating it would be to have to navigate life's tragedies alone! So, may you always have a life full of friends. And may you find the strength to journey with others as they hurt in the deepest parts of their souls. And may you find comfort in life's darkest moments because you know that you are not alone. And may you never have a fear of the enemy!
Fear and faith cannot live in the same heart (Mark 4:40). If the enemy can make you afraid, he has almost won the battle.
A calm heart makes a confident soldier.
Jesus asked the disciples "Why are you so fearful?"(Mark 4:40) ....... Are you?
Warren Wiersbe
Bible Teacher/Author
The above note came to me from my good friend John Samuel. John often send me profound wisdom in his daily emails to me. It is true that in our moments of deepest trouble, we find God there. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."
a couple of thoughts... first, the Greek word for comfort is in the future tense. That means that whatever the type of comfort that we receive (that will be my second point) it isn't happening right at the time when we start to mourn. My thought is that though it does not come when we start to mourn, our comfort comes when we are most desperate. When we reach the end of ourselves, we can have an inner state of happiness because that is when God shows up.
Second, the word for comfort literally means "will have someone to come alongside". Consider the implications. the idea that Jesus conveys in relation to comfort is not that your pain will be eased or that your heart will be without hurt. But that you will not be alone. First, you have the Holy Spirit as your inner guide. He is always with you. Second, we have each other as believers in Christ to walk through life's crazy circumstances together.
How devastating it would be to have to navigate life's tragedies alone! So, may you always have a life full of friends. And may you find the strength to journey with others as they hurt in the deepest parts of their souls. And may you find comfort in life's darkest moments because you know that you are not alone. And may you never have a fear of the enemy!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
The elephant in the room.....
The elephant in the room.....
If I preach against gay marriage, everybody cheers. If I preach about sin you can hear the amens ring. But those aren't the real problems. The biggest sin in our church is you sitting there doing nothing and still calling yourself a follower of Jesus.
The elephant in the evangelical room is that were not making disciples. People are still struggling through how to do that. We studied 2,500 Protestant church attendees and did so again a year later and the spiritual development was shocking and frustrating.
Whom are you discipling today?
Ed Stetzer
Author/Bible Teacher
If I preach against gay marriage, everybody cheers. If I preach about sin you can hear the amens ring. But those aren't the real problems. The biggest sin in our church is you sitting there doing nothing and still calling yourself a follower of Jesus.
The elephant in the evangelical room is that were not making disciples. People are still struggling through how to do that. We studied 2,500 Protestant church attendees and did so again a year later and the spiritual development was shocking and frustrating.
Whom are you discipling today?
Ed Stetzer
Author/Bible Teacher
Thursday, February 3, 2011
"I Just want to hear from God!!!!!!"
Have you ever felt that way? Life is so crazy, and so many things come at us from so many different angles that it seems impossible to stop long enough to eat and sleep, let alone a definite quiet time with God. And it feels like we miss God all the time. Are we moving too fast or is God not talking? I want to set up some parameters for this idea...
First, in John 5:17, Jesus says, "My father is always at His work..." That means that no matter whether we are sensing God's leading or not, He is doing things around us all the time. We don't have to ever worry about whether or not God is doing His part. He will always do His part!
Second, in Psalm 46:10, God says, "Be still and know that I am God..." So we constantly work on the back half of that phrase while spending very little time on the first half. I have seen this phrase plastered all over everything. Heck, I had a coffee mug with this verse painted on the side. Which if you think about it, is a bit of a contradiction! (Caffeine makes it hard to sit still or be quiet). But when was the last time that we sat down and really focused on being still? When was the last time we quieted our hearts enough to gain clarity on anything. Even for those who choose to fast, we often fast but life still happens at such a rate that we don't slow down and wait and watch and know. I would submit that you can't truly know that He is God unless you slow down enough to let Him close the gaps in our life. Instead of wishing for more hours in the day or more hands to juggle more obligations in a day, maybe we should slow down enough to watch God work and resolve many of the issues that keep us up at night.
Third, if you are struggling with this right now, you are already thinking BUT I DON'T HAVE TIME!!!!! I want to give you a quote from George Mueller...
George Mueller, after having read the Bible through one hundred times with increasing delight, made this statement: "I look upon it as a lost day when I have not had a good time over the Word of God".
He explained "Friends often say, 'I have so much to do, so many people to see, I cannot find time for Scripture study.' Perhaps there are not many who have more to do than I. For more than 50 years I have never known one day when I had not more business than I could get through. For 4 years I have had annually about 30,000 letters, and most of these have passed through my own hands."
"Then, as pastor of a church with 1,200 believers, great has been my care. Besides, I have had charge of live immense orphanages; also, at my publishing depot, the printing and circulating of millions of tracts, books, and Bibles; but I have always made it a rule never to begin work until I have had a good season with God and His Word. The blessing I have received has been wonderful."
May we never think that the world's obligations should take priority over God's time. May we be still and know that He is God, that He is in control, and that that He is always working. And May we stand and be amazed at the handy work of God, and always give Him the glory!!!
First, in John 5:17, Jesus says, "My father is always at His work..." That means that no matter whether we are sensing God's leading or not, He is doing things around us all the time. We don't have to ever worry about whether or not God is doing His part. He will always do His part!
Second, in Psalm 46:10, God says, "Be still and know that I am God..." So we constantly work on the back half of that phrase while spending very little time on the first half. I have seen this phrase plastered all over everything. Heck, I had a coffee mug with this verse painted on the side. Which if you think about it, is a bit of a contradiction! (Caffeine makes it hard to sit still or be quiet). But when was the last time that we sat down and really focused on being still? When was the last time we quieted our hearts enough to gain clarity on anything. Even for those who choose to fast, we often fast but life still happens at such a rate that we don't slow down and wait and watch and know. I would submit that you can't truly know that He is God unless you slow down enough to let Him close the gaps in our life. Instead of wishing for more hours in the day or more hands to juggle more obligations in a day, maybe we should slow down enough to watch God work and resolve many of the issues that keep us up at night.
Third, if you are struggling with this right now, you are already thinking BUT I DON'T HAVE TIME!!!!! I want to give you a quote from George Mueller...
George Mueller, after having read the Bible through one hundred times with increasing delight, made this statement: "I look upon it as a lost day when I have not had a good time over the Word of God".
He explained "Friends often say, 'I have so much to do, so many people to see, I cannot find time for Scripture study.' Perhaps there are not many who have more to do than I. For more than 50 years I have never known one day when I had not more business than I could get through. For 4 years I have had annually about 30,000 letters, and most of these have passed through my own hands."
"Then, as pastor of a church with 1,200 believers, great has been my care. Besides, I have had charge of live immense orphanages; also, at my publishing depot, the printing and circulating of millions of tracts, books, and Bibles; but I have always made it a rule never to begin work until I have had a good season with God and His Word. The blessing I have received has been wonderful."
May we never think that the world's obligations should take priority over God's time. May we be still and know that He is God, that He is in control, and that that He is always working. And May we stand and be amazed at the handy work of God, and always give Him the glory!!!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
More discussion...
So, Who is the most influential person in your spiritual development and why? Both present and past is fair game.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
What is the purpose of temptation?
So here is a discussion starter...
What is the purpose of temptation?
The Bible says that no temptation has overtaken you except that which is common to man. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
But my question is, why do we have Temptation at all? This discussion will influence the sermon on sunday, so have a ball!!!
What is the purpose of temptation?
The Bible says that no temptation has overtaken you except that which is common to man. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
But my question is, why do we have Temptation at all? This discussion will influence the sermon on sunday, so have a ball!!!
Monday, January 24, 2011
Friday, January 21, 2011
Difference between Ambition...
Here is a life long battle for us... How do we separate our personal ambition and God's ambition for us? Rather than waxing eloquent on this one, I would like to present you with 2 questions:
1. What is your dream for your life? Don't get all philosophical or overly spiritual like, "Just to do God's Will." That is nice and all, and we all could say that, but what is YOUR dream for your life?
2. How do you mesh that with God's agenda?
Enjoy the discussion.. and remember as Paul wrote: "I have LEARNED the secret of being content in any and all circumstances..." Philippians 4
1. What is your dream for your life? Don't get all philosophical or overly spiritual like, "Just to do God's Will." That is nice and all, and we all could say that, but what is YOUR dream for your life?
2. How do you mesh that with God's agenda?
Enjoy the discussion.. and remember as Paul wrote: "I have LEARNED the secret of being content in any and all circumstances..." Philippians 4
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Sin Hinders Prayer...
Another entry that I borrowed from my friend John Samuel:
We cannot pray while we hide our sin. Israel can never prevail so long as Achan is spared.
The way back to power is by the valley of humiliation. God is not mocked. We cannot hoodwink the Almighty. Every man knows the cause of his defeat. He needs no man to tell him what robs him of power and hinders his praying.
Let every man’s life be reviewed before God. Let God judge your business, your social ties, your family life, your motives, your affections, and your thoughts. He will put His finger on the secret cause of failure and disgrace. Lay bare the soul to His searching, cleansing fire, and when our life is sanctified in His will there will be an end of defeat.
Then we shall be more than conquerors through Him that loved us.
So what is it that is robbing you of your spiritual power?
Samuel Chadwick
Pastor/Author/Bible Teacher
We cannot pray while we hide our sin. Israel can never prevail so long as Achan is spared.
The way back to power is by the valley of humiliation. God is not mocked. We cannot hoodwink the Almighty. Every man knows the cause of his defeat. He needs no man to tell him what robs him of power and hinders his praying.
Let every man’s life be reviewed before God. Let God judge your business, your social ties, your family life, your motives, your affections, and your thoughts. He will put His finger on the secret cause of failure and disgrace. Lay bare the soul to His searching, cleansing fire, and when our life is sanctified in His will there will be an end of defeat.
Then we shall be more than conquerors through Him that loved us.
So what is it that is robbing you of your spiritual power?
Samuel Chadwick
Pastor/Author/Bible Teacher
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Psalm 56...
Psalm 56 (New International Version, ©2010)
1 Be merciful to me, my God,
for my enemies are in hot pursuit;
all day long they press their attack.
2 My adversaries pursue me all day long;
in their pride many are attacking me.
3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise—
in God I trust and am not afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?
5 All day long they twist my words;
all their schemes are for my ruin.
6 They conspire, they lurk,
they watch my steps,
hoping to take my life.
7 Because of their wickedness do not let them escape;
in your anger, God, bring the nations down.
8 Record my misery;
list my tears on your scroll—
are they not in your record?
9 Then my enemies will turn back
when I call for help.
By this I will know that God is for me.
10 In God, whose word I praise,
in the LORD, whose word I praise—
11 in God I trust and am not afraid.
What can man do to me?
12 I am under vows to you, my God;
I will present my thank offerings to you.
13 For you have delivered me from death
and my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of life.
This is my favorite chapter of the Bible. There was a period of time where I refused to preach. I got to the place where I got hives from the anxiety that came with getting up and preaching. I could not do it any more. I could not handle that no matter what I said or how I said it, someone had a problem with it. And it hurts when someone dehumanizes me enough to feel comfortable chewing me up in front of other people. I could not deal with the feeling of rejection. I could not endure one more negative comment from someone who had the spiritual maturity of a child. So, for 2 and a half years, I did not preach. Then I found Psalm 56....
...All day long they twist my words... my adversaries pursue me all day long... BUT I WILL TRUST IN THE LORD - WHAT CAN MORTAL MAN DO TO ME?
So, now I preach every week. And every Sunday, probably for the rest of my life, right before I preach I want to run. I do not want to own the responsibility of bringing the truth out of the Scripture. Because I know what is in store. It still eats at me. I still lose sleep. I still feel very insecure at times because I have people trying to twist what I say. And they often try to blame me for the work of the Spirit bringing conviction into their lives. While I am flattered that they would give me that much credit, there is nothing that I can say or do to bring conviction in anyone's life. That is solely the work of the Holy Spirit. And I just wish they would do the hard work with Him and not take out on me. But, I have not yet had that luxury.
I love the last section of this Psalm:
I am under vows to you, my God;
I will present my thank offerings to you.
For you have delivered me from death
and my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of life.
So, honestly, I struggle. I would much rather have a job in the Kingdom where there was not so much controversy. I wold love to be the one who just encourages people and loves people. That would be so much easier than dealing with holding people accountable to the truth. I would sleep better. But that is not what the Lord has called me to. And because my life is not my own, I am under vows to God, I will fulfill my duty to the Lord with a joyful heart. And I am honored that He would use me at all. And because I trust that He is good and that He knows and wants my best life for me, I am willing to obey, even though I don't always understand how this is better. I guess that is at the heart of faith.
So with that being said, I am the Lord's to do with as He sees fit. And if He desires for me to be taken out of ministry, it is His to decide not mine. So, I am invincible until He is done with me. And on that day, He can take me home, move me, whatever He chooses. But until then, I will preach the truth - in love. And if the devil thinks that trying take me out is the best way to hurt the Kingdom, then he is welcome to try. Not that I am begging for a fight, but I have no choice in light of all that God has done for me other than to fight. "What can mortal man do to me?"
So I will continue to preach - hives and all!
May we all see the battle for what it is. And may each of us trust in the goodness of our God who stores up all our tears. May we cry deeply, love fully, and preach powerfully concerning the truth of the Scripture. And most of all, may we never allow mortal men to stop the work of God in our lives. See you on Sunday...
1 Be merciful to me, my God,
for my enemies are in hot pursuit;
all day long they press their attack.
2 My adversaries pursue me all day long;
in their pride many are attacking me.
3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise—
in God I trust and am not afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?
5 All day long they twist my words;
all their schemes are for my ruin.
6 They conspire, they lurk,
they watch my steps,
hoping to take my life.
7 Because of their wickedness do not let them escape;
in your anger, God, bring the nations down.
8 Record my misery;
list my tears on your scroll—
are they not in your record?
9 Then my enemies will turn back
when I call for help.
By this I will know that God is for me.
10 In God, whose word I praise,
in the LORD, whose word I praise—
11 in God I trust and am not afraid.
What can man do to me?
12 I am under vows to you, my God;
I will present my thank offerings to you.
13 For you have delivered me from death
and my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of life.
This is my favorite chapter of the Bible. There was a period of time where I refused to preach. I got to the place where I got hives from the anxiety that came with getting up and preaching. I could not do it any more. I could not handle that no matter what I said or how I said it, someone had a problem with it. And it hurts when someone dehumanizes me enough to feel comfortable chewing me up in front of other people. I could not deal with the feeling of rejection. I could not endure one more negative comment from someone who had the spiritual maturity of a child. So, for 2 and a half years, I did not preach. Then I found Psalm 56....
...All day long they twist my words... my adversaries pursue me all day long... BUT I WILL TRUST IN THE LORD - WHAT CAN MORTAL MAN DO TO ME?
So, now I preach every week. And every Sunday, probably for the rest of my life, right before I preach I want to run. I do not want to own the responsibility of bringing the truth out of the Scripture. Because I know what is in store. It still eats at me. I still lose sleep. I still feel very insecure at times because I have people trying to twist what I say. And they often try to blame me for the work of the Spirit bringing conviction into their lives. While I am flattered that they would give me that much credit, there is nothing that I can say or do to bring conviction in anyone's life. That is solely the work of the Holy Spirit. And I just wish they would do the hard work with Him and not take out on me. But, I have not yet had that luxury.
I love the last section of this Psalm:
I am under vows to you, my God;
I will present my thank offerings to you.
For you have delivered me from death
and my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of life.
So, honestly, I struggle. I would much rather have a job in the Kingdom where there was not so much controversy. I wold love to be the one who just encourages people and loves people. That would be so much easier than dealing with holding people accountable to the truth. I would sleep better. But that is not what the Lord has called me to. And because my life is not my own, I am under vows to God, I will fulfill my duty to the Lord with a joyful heart. And I am honored that He would use me at all. And because I trust that He is good and that He knows and wants my best life for me, I am willing to obey, even though I don't always understand how this is better. I guess that is at the heart of faith.
So with that being said, I am the Lord's to do with as He sees fit. And if He desires for me to be taken out of ministry, it is His to decide not mine. So, I am invincible until He is done with me. And on that day, He can take me home, move me, whatever He chooses. But until then, I will preach the truth - in love. And if the devil thinks that trying take me out is the best way to hurt the Kingdom, then he is welcome to try. Not that I am begging for a fight, but I have no choice in light of all that God has done for me other than to fight. "What can mortal man do to me?"
So I will continue to preach - hives and all!
May we all see the battle for what it is. And may each of us trust in the goodness of our God who stores up all our tears. May we cry deeply, love fully, and preach powerfully concerning the truth of the Scripture. And most of all, may we never allow mortal men to stop the work of God in our lives. See you on Sunday...
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Allowing anonymous comments...
So that you all know, I have enabled anonymous comments for the blog for those who want to join the discussion without giving out personal information. As long as that is not abused they will stay open. there are lots of blogs to be combative on. This is not one of them. So, feel free to post, but be nice!
Fasting...
From time to time, I choose to fast. And people often wonder why anyone would choose to go without food.
There are volumes written about what fasting is and what it does. Foster's the Celebration of Discipline is probably the most concise yet thorough work I have seen on it. I think that whole books labor the point, and short articles don't do it justice. So, in the spirit of not doing it justice, I have some thoughts on fasting that I would like to share.
First, religious practice is often misunderstood. We often try to leverage some religious practice to "obligate the gods" to something. So it is with prayer, singing, church attendance, and many other religious practices today. Fasting often falls into this category and so we fast to get what we want just like the prophets of Ba'al cutting themselves on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18). And we get frustrated when it doesn't work. Here is the point: Religious practice is not a matter of obligating God to something. If that is our posture, it will fail. And we, like the Catholic church accepting indulgences during the Middle Ages face 2 horrible consequences:
First, it puts the church in the position of mediator between God and man. Our depending on religious practice to get to God allows the church to decide how we live out our relationship with God. Which is fine as long as the church is truly seeking the face of Jesus. But again,I would point to the Catholic church of the middle ages to prove that when any man run institution is given that kind of power in people's lives, it gets corrupted.
Second, We place God in a box that He has no obligation to uphold. And consequently, we paint a picture of God that is not true and leads people only to disappointment. And many people walk away from God, not because He is false, but because they were given or painted for themselves a picture of God that is simply not accurate. And no one stepped in to help bring understanding and hope.
The second major point I would like to make is that I believe that the point of all the disciplines is for me to conform my attitude, thoughts, and actions to His. Whether this practice is as "commonly talked about" as prayer and Bible reading, or it is as complex and avoided as simplicity, fasting, memorization, or solitude; each of these practices serve the purpose, not of obligating God, but more of bringing my life (body, mind and soul) in line with God's agenda - which is always right.
The last major point that I would make is that we all know the connection between food and our well being. We eat a big starchy lunch and struggle to stay awake for the rest of the afternoon. We eat really poorly for a few days and become lethargic and grouchy. We know that beyond what we think we look like, there is an emotional component to food. That is why many of us struggle to be emotional eaters, stress eaters, or why we crave certain foods in certain situations. The same effect is true with our spiritual well being.
Leviticus 10:8-10 (New International Version, ©2010)
8 Then the LORD said to Aaron, 9 “You and your sons are not to drink wine or other fermented drink whenever you go into the tent of meeting, or you will die. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, 10 so that you can distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean,
Deuteronomy 29:5-6 (New International Version, ©2010)
5 Yet the LORD says, “During the forty years that I led you through the wilderness, your clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet. 6 You ate no bread and drank no wine or other fermented drink. I did this so that you might know that I am the LORD your God.”
I am not arguing the ethics of alcohol consumption. I absolutely believe that in moderation, the world is ours. What I am arguing is that food and drink has an affect on us. Even in the Deuteronomy passage, they ate no bread, and drank no wine so that they would know that He is God. Think about it for a second, what are 2 of the most addictive food products? Carbs and Alcohol? Maybe there is something to this... maybe much more than we realize.
So, back to fasting... in my opinion, fasting is about me clearing my body of impurities that fog my mind and my spirit from seeing God - so that I can be aware of what He is doing. it does not obligate God to speak, nor does it obligate God to do what I want Him to do. But I also do not believe that God is trying to be illusive or hard to get to. We just have to do the right things in order to put ourselves in a position to see and to hear. So in fasting, I put myself in a position to hear, I am not forcing God into a position to speak. But then again, He has been speaking all along. if John 5 is true (and I believe it is), and God is always at His work, then my focus should be finding out what that work looks like so that I can join Him.
So with that in mind, I come to my conclusion. Fasting is a lost art and should be a common practice in our lives. It helps with our awareness of God and His work as well as helping with our overall well being and feeling better. More than that, it develops discipline and self control in us and that attribute shows up in all areas of our lives.
For me, things have seemed a little off lately. Nothing specific is wrong, but some unresolved, lingering issue hanging out there that I need some clarity on. I need to know God's perspective on these things. So, with that in mind, I think that I will spend some time fasting.
So may you seek the Lord's face with all that you are - mind, body, and soul. May you be fully awake to God's direction in your life. And may you be willing to lay all things down for His sake and in pursuit of God's wisdom and direction for your life. It is more than you could ever think or imagine! Ephesians 3:20-21
There are volumes written about what fasting is and what it does. Foster's the Celebration of Discipline is probably the most concise yet thorough work I have seen on it. I think that whole books labor the point, and short articles don't do it justice. So, in the spirit of not doing it justice, I have some thoughts on fasting that I would like to share.
First, religious practice is often misunderstood. We often try to leverage some religious practice to "obligate the gods" to something. So it is with prayer, singing, church attendance, and many other religious practices today. Fasting often falls into this category and so we fast to get what we want just like the prophets of Ba'al cutting themselves on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18). And we get frustrated when it doesn't work. Here is the point: Religious practice is not a matter of obligating God to something. If that is our posture, it will fail. And we, like the Catholic church accepting indulgences during the Middle Ages face 2 horrible consequences:
First, it puts the church in the position of mediator between God and man. Our depending on religious practice to get to God allows the church to decide how we live out our relationship with God. Which is fine as long as the church is truly seeking the face of Jesus. But again,I would point to the Catholic church of the middle ages to prove that when any man run institution is given that kind of power in people's lives, it gets corrupted.
Second, We place God in a box that He has no obligation to uphold. And consequently, we paint a picture of God that is not true and leads people only to disappointment. And many people walk away from God, not because He is false, but because they were given or painted for themselves a picture of God that is simply not accurate. And no one stepped in to help bring understanding and hope.
The second major point I would like to make is that I believe that the point of all the disciplines is for me to conform my attitude, thoughts, and actions to His. Whether this practice is as "commonly talked about" as prayer and Bible reading, or it is as complex and avoided as simplicity, fasting, memorization, or solitude; each of these practices serve the purpose, not of obligating God, but more of bringing my life (body, mind and soul) in line with God's agenda - which is always right.
The last major point that I would make is that we all know the connection between food and our well being. We eat a big starchy lunch and struggle to stay awake for the rest of the afternoon. We eat really poorly for a few days and become lethargic and grouchy. We know that beyond what we think we look like, there is an emotional component to food. That is why many of us struggle to be emotional eaters, stress eaters, or why we crave certain foods in certain situations. The same effect is true with our spiritual well being.
Leviticus 10:8-10 (New International Version, ©2010)
8 Then the LORD said to Aaron, 9 “You and your sons are not to drink wine or other fermented drink whenever you go into the tent of meeting, or you will die. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, 10 so that you can distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean,
Deuteronomy 29:5-6 (New International Version, ©2010)
5 Yet the LORD says, “During the forty years that I led you through the wilderness, your clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet. 6 You ate no bread and drank no wine or other fermented drink. I did this so that you might know that I am the LORD your God.”
I am not arguing the ethics of alcohol consumption. I absolutely believe that in moderation, the world is ours. What I am arguing is that food and drink has an affect on us. Even in the Deuteronomy passage, they ate no bread, and drank no wine so that they would know that He is God. Think about it for a second, what are 2 of the most addictive food products? Carbs and Alcohol? Maybe there is something to this... maybe much more than we realize.
So, back to fasting... in my opinion, fasting is about me clearing my body of impurities that fog my mind and my spirit from seeing God - so that I can be aware of what He is doing. it does not obligate God to speak, nor does it obligate God to do what I want Him to do. But I also do not believe that God is trying to be illusive or hard to get to. We just have to do the right things in order to put ourselves in a position to see and to hear. So in fasting, I put myself in a position to hear, I am not forcing God into a position to speak. But then again, He has been speaking all along. if John 5 is true (and I believe it is), and God is always at His work, then my focus should be finding out what that work looks like so that I can join Him.
So with that in mind, I come to my conclusion. Fasting is a lost art and should be a common practice in our lives. It helps with our awareness of God and His work as well as helping with our overall well being and feeling better. More than that, it develops discipline and self control in us and that attribute shows up in all areas of our lives.
For me, things have seemed a little off lately. Nothing specific is wrong, but some unresolved, lingering issue hanging out there that I need some clarity on. I need to know God's perspective on these things. So, with that in mind, I think that I will spend some time fasting.
So may you seek the Lord's face with all that you are - mind, body, and soul. May you be fully awake to God's direction in your life. And may you be willing to lay all things down for His sake and in pursuit of God's wisdom and direction for your life. It is more than you could ever think or imagine! Ephesians 3:20-21
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Why do I follow God?
"Do you feel loved by God because you believe He makes much of you, or because you believe He frees you and empowers you to enjoy making much of Him?”
Is God a means to an end - or is it your goal to cherish Him above all?
John Piper
Pastor/ Bible Teacher
This is a great thought. Why do I follow God? Wrestling with God's goodness has some consistent results. Those results show up in different ways in our lives, but the motivations are always the same. 2 Corinthians 8:1-5 says that the Macedonian churches were in extreme poverty and severe trial and it welled up in them as rich generosity because they gave themselves first to the Lord.
Most in today's church would be mad at God and leave because God didn't take their bad life away. I cannot say that I wish to be placed in that situation or that I would long to have extreme poverty or severe trials. But I do want to have my life well up in rich generosity. What do you want to be said of you? Do you want God to dote on you or are you so blessed that in the scope of the universe, God looks down and notices you? This was David's dilemma in Psalm 8 - What is man that You are mindful of him? And we see the results in David's life of a man that didn't overestimate his own importance in the universe or in God's eyes. Read 2 Samuel 9 and 2 Samuel 24 the stories are both great examples of David being gracious to others.
I believe with all of my heart that his ability to do that came directly from his heart's posture before God. David didn't over estimate his own importance. Therefore, he was willing to pay the price to worship God through his actions. Oh, that we would love God that way.
May we see our position in the universe as it truly is. And may we realize that that position magnifies the love of God for us. And that it should translate into how we give to and treat others. May we be known as a generous people - rich in good deeds (1 Timothy 6)
Is God a means to an end - or is it your goal to cherish Him above all?
John Piper
Pastor/ Bible Teacher
This is a great thought. Why do I follow God? Wrestling with God's goodness has some consistent results. Those results show up in different ways in our lives, but the motivations are always the same. 2 Corinthians 8:1-5 says that the Macedonian churches were in extreme poverty and severe trial and it welled up in them as rich generosity because they gave themselves first to the Lord.
Most in today's church would be mad at God and leave because God didn't take their bad life away. I cannot say that I wish to be placed in that situation or that I would long to have extreme poverty or severe trials. But I do want to have my life well up in rich generosity. What do you want to be said of you? Do you want God to dote on you or are you so blessed that in the scope of the universe, God looks down and notices you? This was David's dilemma in Psalm 8 - What is man that You are mindful of him? And we see the results in David's life of a man that didn't overestimate his own importance in the universe or in God's eyes. Read 2 Samuel 9 and 2 Samuel 24 the stories are both great examples of David being gracious to others.
I believe with all of my heart that his ability to do that came directly from his heart's posture before God. David didn't over estimate his own importance. Therefore, he was willing to pay the price to worship God through his actions. Oh, that we would love God that way.
May we see our position in the universe as it truly is. And may we realize that that position magnifies the love of God for us. And that it should translate into how we give to and treat others. May we be known as a generous people - rich in good deeds (1 Timothy 6)
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Security...
Proverbs 3:5,6 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths
So, I memorized these couple of verses when I was a little kid in vacation Bible school. Since then, I have been subject to multiple renderings of this verse and this morning the Holy Spirit hit me with another one...
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding: God will show you how to think when He is ready for you to think it. We don't need to cook up great logic or new ideas, God gives us access to the information we need at the right time.
In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths: When we do everything that we do for His purposes and His glory, He directs us in the direction that we should go.
Nothing revolutionary yet, but since this month we are talking about money at the church, this is where it got interesting. Like everyone else, I am terribly curious about the condition of our economy and the future prosperity of our nation. What are things going to look like for my kids? Or even for us in a few years? It is enough to make many people very afraid and they begin to wonder where God is in all this as if somehow God demonstrates His love for us in the ability to have things...
Here is my personal revelation: Many Christians love the first phrase of the verse - Trust in the Lord with all your heart... And because we don't care about money or we don't know about money and we don't want to educate ourselves, we choose to leverage that statement to stick our head in the sand. But we forget the last part of the passage - And He will direct your paths...
So, the point is this, God is not out of control in this scary economic time. And He is not surprised at it all. And He will show each of us what we are to do as we navigate this new economy. God will provide. But we have to be willing to follow what He says. Don't think that by saying, "I will just trust the Lord," that you have done your economic homework. God will direct our paths - but we have to be willing to walk on them.
God's principles for money are still true, and we should still manage our money the way God says to. The fear that comes during times like this are a direct reflection of where we get our security from. As the Psalms say, "Some trust in chariots, some in horses, we trust in the name of the Lord our God." (20:7)
So, may your security always come from the promises of God. May you be a shining beacon of holding to God's money stewardship principles. And may He richly bless your efforts as you walk down the paths that He lays out before you.
So, I memorized these couple of verses when I was a little kid in vacation Bible school. Since then, I have been subject to multiple renderings of this verse and this morning the Holy Spirit hit me with another one...
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding: God will show you how to think when He is ready for you to think it. We don't need to cook up great logic or new ideas, God gives us access to the information we need at the right time.
In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths: When we do everything that we do for His purposes and His glory, He directs us in the direction that we should go.
Nothing revolutionary yet, but since this month we are talking about money at the church, this is where it got interesting. Like everyone else, I am terribly curious about the condition of our economy and the future prosperity of our nation. What are things going to look like for my kids? Or even for us in a few years? It is enough to make many people very afraid and they begin to wonder where God is in all this as if somehow God demonstrates His love for us in the ability to have things...
Here is my personal revelation: Many Christians love the first phrase of the verse - Trust in the Lord with all your heart... And because we don't care about money or we don't know about money and we don't want to educate ourselves, we choose to leverage that statement to stick our head in the sand. But we forget the last part of the passage - And He will direct your paths...
So, the point is this, God is not out of control in this scary economic time. And He is not surprised at it all. And He will show each of us what we are to do as we navigate this new economy. God will provide. But we have to be willing to follow what He says. Don't think that by saying, "I will just trust the Lord," that you have done your economic homework. God will direct our paths - but we have to be willing to walk on them.
God's principles for money are still true, and we should still manage our money the way God says to. The fear that comes during times like this are a direct reflection of where we get our security from. As the Psalms say, "Some trust in chariots, some in horses, we trust in the name of the Lord our God." (20:7)
So, may your security always come from the promises of God. May you be a shining beacon of holding to God's money stewardship principles. And may He richly bless your efforts as you walk down the paths that He lays out before you.
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