Fight the Right Fight

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 

 Ephesians 6: 10-12

I wonder if one reason for the relative ineffectiveness of the church in changing the culture is that it is fighting the wrong fight. I believe that for decades now the church has occupied itself with wrestling “flesh and blood” instead of wrestling “spiritual forces”. It seems that today’s church is more focused on political influence and victory rather than spiritual victory. The end result of wrestling flesh and blood results in votes and political offices. Wrestling spiritual forces results in saved souls and transformed lives. When the church wrestles flesh and blood, it does so in the power of flesh and blood. In this case he spiritual forces of darkness win because flesh and blood strength is no match for the strength of spiritual forces. When the church wrestles spiritual forces being “strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might people’s lives are changed, whole cultures are impacted and the Kingdom of God grows on earth.

If we really desire to see our culture changed to be more God- honoring our only hope is to makes sure that we are fighting the right fight. Maybe this is what the apostle Paul is referring to as “the good fight” that he exhorts Timothy to fight (1Tim. 6:2) and that he claims to have fought himself. (2Tim. 4:7)

Let’s make sure we are fighting the right fight, the good fight. 

Good Friday thoughts

Today is Good Friday for Christians. As I think of what God the Father went through in watching His only begotten son suffer and die because of our sin I wonder how He feels about certain approaches to salvation. To the person who says, "I'm pretty good, God will have to let me in." Its almost like they are telling God that he overreacted in sending Jesus to die for our sin.  I wonder if God might say something like the following to that person. "If you were able to be good enough to get into heaven, why did Jesus have to die? By the way, how good is good enough? You don't set the standard for what is 'good enough', I do and there is only one person that ever has been or ever will be 'good enough' and that is Jesus. You have a choice to make. You can try to enter heaven on your own merit, in which case you will be denied, or enter on the merits of what Jesus has done, in which case I will welcome you in."

Another approach might say this, "I'm covered by grace, and I can do whatever I want cuz God loves me and will always forgive me." I wonder if God might respond this way, "Do you understand the pain my son suffered because of this sin you so freely commit. Do you realize that I turned my back on my own son because of this sin which doesn't seem to bother you but bothered me enough to have to let my son be put on a cross to die as satisfactory punishment so that I don't have to punish you for this sin? If you really knew me and how much I love you, you wouldn't be able commit this sin so easily."

All too often I hear one or the other of these two rather cavalier approaches to sin and salvation. Both of these make light of what happened on the cross that day. Today is a day to reflect on what our lives say about either our desperate dependence on, or our flippant marginalization and disregard for, what Jesus did in our place that day.

The promise of access to the Father

          

With the promise of the father’s love we also have the promise of access to the Father. There is a famous photograph of President John F. Kennedy working at his desk in the Oval Office while his children played nearby. Not just any children could play in that office while the President of the United States worked at his desk. Only the children of that president were given that kind of access. If an earthly, imperfect father understood the importance of granting access to his children so that they may be present with him while he worked, how much more will our heavenly father, who is the very definition of a perfect father, grant his children access to into his presence. Ephesians 2:18 says,

“ For through him (Jesus) we both (Jews and Gentiles) have access in one Spirit to the Father.”  (parentheses mine)

What makes being in the Father's presence such a big deal? First, there is a sense of security. When one is in the presence of their heavenly Father who is also creator of the universe there is nothing to fear. Second, there is greater boldness. When one acts in accordance with their Father's character and values they can act with great confidence, knowing that they are bringing honor to their Father in what they do because of His presence. Third, they have greater courage. The presence of God en - courages or gives courage to His children to accomplish things that apart from His presence they would never attempt. 

The presence of God is not something to be taken lightly. In the time of the temple and the Ark of the Covenant the mercy seat on the ark was considered the abode of God. Only those priests who had carefully prepared themselves could go into the Holy of Holies where the Ark was located. If a priest did not prepare themselves properly he would die upon entering. For this reason a rope was tied to the ankle of every priest who was to enter the Holy of Holies so that if they died they could be pulled out. Through Jesus the curtain separating sinful man from God’s perfect holiness was torn in two thus destroyed. Anyone who thinks they can gain access to God on their own merit will experience the same fate as the unprepared priest, eternally. It is only by the completed work of Jesus that we have confident access to the Father. In the White House, any child not belonging to the president who tried to gain access to the president would be whisked away and taken to their own parents. Only children of the president were allowed access.  As beloved children of our heavenly father we have access to him 24/7. Not because we have earned or deserve it, but Jesus Christ did everything required for our access. Hallelujah!

The Father's Love

(Note: This blog is a follow up to my entry from Feb. 24 concerning the believer's identity as a child of the Father and promises He has made to His children. Upcoming blogs will address more  promises the Father has made to His children.)


The promise of our Father’s love.

What kind of love is this love that our heavenly Father has for us?

First, it is a steadfast love.

 According to Webster’s dictionary the first definition of ‘steadfast’ is:

a :  firmly fixed in place ; b :  not subject to change  

The Old Testament is full of references to God’s steadfast love for His people. Here are just a few examples.

Psalm 13:5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.

Psalm 31:7 I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love, because you have seen my affliction; you have known the distress of my soul…

Psalm 36:5   Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.

Isaiah 54:10   For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed," says the LORD, who has compassion on you.

Jeremiah 9:24   … let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD."

Joel 2:13   …rend your hearts and not your garments." Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.

Micah 7:18   Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love.

The New Testament does not use the word steadfast. Instead, the Greek (the original language of the New Testament) gives us three ways to understand the word ‘love’. They are eros, which is intimate, husband – wife love; philos which is the love of a friend; and agape which is faithful, unconditional love. It is the third understanding that is the equivalent to steadfast love. The apostle Paul talks about this love this way;

 “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38,39

Isn’t wonderful that our Heavenly Father loves us even when we are difficult to love. In fact, in another place Paul says that “while we were still sinners Christ died for us” and yet another place“… if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.”

Beyond the steadfast love of the Father we experience His proven love. Paul says in Romans 5:8;

“…but God shows (proves) his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

The apostle John puts it this way;

 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

There’s an old story about Ole and Lena. After several years of marriage Lena approached Ole and said with sadness in her voice, “Ole, you never tell me you love me.” Ole, sensing the concern in Lena’s voice Ole replied, “Lena, do you remember when I told you how much I loved you on our wedding day?” “Yes” Lena replied. “Well, when it changes I’ll let you know.” It’s important to tell those we love that we love them. It is even more to prove it. Taking out the garbage often proves love better than giving a dozen roses and saying, “I love you”.  When God said that He loved the world He proved it by sending His one and only beloved son to take upon himself the punishment of all the sin of the world for all time. But that’s not the only thing that proves God’s love. Not only does He prove His love by, through Jesus, removing the punishment we deserve. He also freed us from the chains of sin, gave us new and eternal life. With this He adopts us as His sons and daughters which makes heirs to His kingdom and therefore elevates us from slaves of sin to princes and princesses in His kingdom. That’s a proven love!

Finally we experience a love that motivates.

Paul says in his letter to the Church in and around Ephesus; “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.”

(Ephesians 5:1)

There was a time when I understood this verse as something I had to measure up to. I preached as though we had to work hard at trying to imitate God by either doing or avoiding the things laid out in verses two and following. One day as I was reading this text the phrase “…as beloved children” jumped off the page and had an entirely new understanding of this passage.  Every Father gets at least a little choked up when his young son says to him, “daddy, when I grow up I want to be just like you.” This is what I believe Paul is getting in this verse. He is saying that as we realize how much God really loves us, we will all the more desire to imitate Him.

The apostle John says it this way, “We love because he first loved us.” (1John 4:19)

The truly loving things we do are not done because generate the kind of love God has out of our own will and effort. We can only love the world around us with the kind of love God has, and in fact is, when we have experienced this love for ourselves. All the ought to’s we can shame ourselves with will not motivate us like resting in the realization of the Father’s great love for us.

Fourth Place Ministry

Fourth place ministries

Every Christian is a minister. We all know about ministry within the church. Most of us understand that we minister in our families. Still fewer of us see our job as a place of ministry. These are the three “places” that ministry happens according to most.

Let me interject here, lest I be accused of plagiarism, that the ideas about “places” of ministry are not original to me. I first heard the basic idea several years ago at a conference and I do not remember who the speaker was that I heard it from.

 As believers we recognize these three places, home, church, and work as important places for ministry but if that is where ministry ends I’m not sure our ministry is complete. There is a fourth place that is often neglected. It is the ‘fourth place’. Fourth places are places where people gather in their leisure time. These places include bars, malls, coffee shops, ball games, concerts, sports practices, beaches, marinas, you get the idea. I believe that the fourth place is the best place minister to unbelievers. The workplace is limited because if you are truly honoring God in your work you will be sensitive about using work time for spiritual conversations. In fact, truly effective, God-honoring marketplace ministry uses the workplace to build relationships and fourth places to expand on that relationship with more directed, biblical ministry. I position myself in a mall outside a coffee shop 2-3 days a week for a few hours and most of the time I end up in a conversation that relates to spiritual matters. In fact that last sentence took three days to write because of interrupting conversations. I suppose I could do this writing at home where I wouldn’t be interrupted. I could probably get more writing done but then I wouldn’t have had spiritually related conversations with Paul or Ken or Brad or Aziz or Mohammed or Abdullah or Keri or Alyssa or Erika or Jai and those are just a few whose names I know.

Acts 1:8 tells us that believers will be witnesses in “Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the uttermost parts of the earth”. Maybe we can understand this verse in the following manner. Jerusalem represents the first place, home. Judea represents church. The workplace as Samaria, the place we would rather not be but have to be. The uttermost parts are the fourth places.

What ‘fourth places’ do you frequent? How can your being there result in ministry?

Our Identity as a Son or Daughter of Our Heavenly Father and King

Sons and Daughters of the King

 But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Galatians 4:4,5

The relationship between God and man as workman and workmanship; poet and poem; Creator and created is only the beginning. When Adam fell, God made a promise to redeem him as well as his (Adam’s) offspring. In this redemption we receive “full rights of sons (and daughters).” What are the “full rights of sons”? When God the Father grants rights to His children, He is guaranteeing those right as promises to be fulfilled.  To understand this let’s look at a functional family. God created the family when He created Eve out of Adam to be with Adam. The fall however twisted and tainted what God intended for the family. In spite of this we can still get a sense of what a family and especially the father might have looked like before the fall. In a well-functioning family with a well-functioning father we will see the following promises (rights) to their children.

Promise of their father’s love                     Romans 5:8

Promise of access to their father               Ephesians 2:18

Promise of protection                                 Psalm 91:14

Promise of provision                                  Matthew 6:25-34

Promise of their father’s guidance             Psalm 31:3

Promise of their father’s discipline             Hebrews 12:6

As sons and daughters of the King of Kings we are promised the same, in a perfect sense, of our Heavenly Father as the verses above indicate.

Kingdom Identity 1; God's Workmanship

God’s Workmanship

 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10

The greek word for workmanship is poiema, we get the word ‘poem’ from it. How special to understand that God crafted each one of us uniquely, as a poet crafts each one of their poems different from the others. This verse makes it clear the His workmanship is not be a decoration or adornment like a painting which does nothing but hang on the wall and look pretty. God created His masterpieces with function and purpose as well as beauty. In days gone by craftsmen added beauty to their work even when it did nothing for its function. Look at the great cathedrals of Europe, or a house built in a Victorian style.  They had purpose, function and beauty. He has crafted each one of us with a unique set of talents, physical attributes, life circumstances, experiences and passions. When we are saved the Holy Spirit adds a personalized set of spiritual gifts. All of these are combined to address a God given purpose and ongoing function which we are especially qualified to address. 

I played basketball at the bible college I attended. Our coach tried to instill in each one of us an attitude he called ‘praise performance’. The idea was that the only one that mattered as we played was the one gave everything for us, that is Jesus. He knew how hard we tried when the coach and teammates didn’t.  Similarly he knows what we are best suited for and what our true potential is. What others think about us and what we think about ourselves are often distractions, diverting our attention from God’s best purpose for our lives. The only person that matters is God and what He thinks of us. To Him each one of us is a carefully crafted masterpiece with a unique purpose.

We can abuse our identity as poiemas when we refuse to recognize what we were created for. Like using a screwdriver to pry or to chisel, when we try to operate outside of our God given design and purpose the result is often at the very least damage to us and ineffectiveness in what we were trying to accomplish, at worse, damage to what we were trying to accomplish.

Let’s never lose sight of the fact that we are God’s masterpieces then live live in accordance with who He created us to be.

Kingdom identities

One day, as I was walking, I began to think about the acorns crunching under my feet and consider the huge oak trees from which they fell. I began to reflect on the fact that these huge oak trees are the result of little acorns becoming what they were always intended to be. What happened to turn that little marble sized acorn into a sixty foot tall oak tree?  Put simply, it died. As long as the acorn remains an acorn it can never become what its DNA says it should be. Only when it loses its identity as an acorn can it become an oak tree. In fact it isn’t long after the acorn dies that any evidence of its existence is gone, replaced by root system that bears no resemblance to the acorn from which it came. 

A tiny acorn doesn’t look much like an oak tree yet all of the information required to become a mighty oak tree is stored in it. Its intended identity is significantly different that it’s initial identity.

Individual believers and local churches are like the acorn, unless they first and continually die to everything they think are and have been they will never become what God intends them to be.

I can guarantee this truth: A single grain of wheat doesn't produce anything unless it is planted in the ground and dies. If it dies, it will produce a lot of grain. ²⁵ Those who love their lives will destroy them, and those who hate their lives in this world will guard them for everlasting life.

John 12:24-25 (God’s Word translation)

In life we can have a number of identities. Father, mother, brother, son, daughter, sister, homemaker, engineer, professional athlete and president are all identities we may have. Some of these are based in achievement while others are inherent. Identities based on achievement are earned and can be changed, diminished or even lost. Inherent identities are descriptive of who we are apart from any earned status or achievement. Our gender is part of our inherent identity. We are born either male or female. We are also either a son or daughter. We didn't earn the status of son or daughter, we were born into it. Likewise there are a number of inherent identities that we have been given as believers. Too often we choose to operate under identities that we no longer have. We tend to live like slaves to fleshly impulses, or living like losers, defeated, as if we had no purpose in life. Maybe we continue to buy into the lie that I am master of my own destiny. Paul speaks to these former identities in his letter to the Church at Rome when he said, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (12:3) He also addresses this in his second letter to the Church at Corinth, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” We have been given brand new identities in Christ. The best thing about these new identities is that they are not earned, they are simply declared. They are gifts!

Simply Being

Who are you? If you asked 10 people this question most of them would probably answer first with their name and then with what they what they have achieved. It might be teacher, wife, father, student or barista. In fact I had two people respond with, “that’s a hard question!” This question haunts all of us at one time or another. We talk of ‘finding themselves’. We say things like, “who do they think they are?” or “who are they to think they can…?” For many the answer lay in what they do or have done. Even when we ask someone who someone else is, after we get their name, we often get information on either what they do for a living or who they are related to. Is our identity defined by what we done or who we are related to? I want to consider two distinct approaches to life and identity. The first is basing our identity on externals.. This approach defines our personal value by the socially decided value of what we do or who we are related to. The second approach is to know who we are and what we do follows. This approach defines personal value based on identity

It really comes down to being and doing. Does being result in doing or does doing result in being? I believe that only when we know who we are will we find ourselves doing what we were created to do.

There is a danger in identifying and categorizing people based on achievement. I regularly hear, especially in educational and sports circles, about, ‘overachievers’ and ‘underachievers’. These can pigeonhole people and leave them resigned to an underachieving life, living up to significant others expectations. I was one of these. Epileptic since the age of 5 I was constantly battling with “you could do so much better if you just applied yourself”. I could never do enough or perform at a high enough level to satisfy teachers, coaches, church friends, and sometimes family member’s expectations. What none of us knew until much later was that the levels of medication I was on were affecting my ability to apply myself. Because of these experiences I learned that I was a lazy, underachieving, waste of potential both academically and athletically. At least that was the identity I gave myself based on what I thought people’s expectations were of me. My identity was developed through my doing (or lack thereof).

The other approach is to understand our identity (being) apart from our activity (doing). This means that our identity is based on something outside of our control. I didn't have any control over the fact that I was born to Boyd and Lois Brue. I can’t change the fact that I was (thankfully) born to these two people. There is evidence that I was born to these two people in that I resemble them. My identity as a Brue has nothing to do with what I have or have not done and it is not affected by anybody’s expectations of me. I am a Brue because my DNA says I am.

The big question is this, Will we strive to achieve an identity that meets our’s as well as our significant others expectations, or will we seek to understand our given identity and let the activity of our life flow from it? A life lived out of being which leads to doing, or a life lived from doing which creates our being. 

Until we have an understanding of who God says we are, we will never be able to settle into what we have been created to do.

Containers and Contents

In the church today we tend to confuse methods and message, style and substance, or container and content. The issue of style in church has been a contentious one for a long time. It even goes back to the very public condemnation of Isaac Watts as a heretic because he wrote his own words to be put to music instead of limiting himself to the common practice of putting music to the words of the Psalms.

I want to put this discussion into the terms; container and contents. Imagine a person dying of thirst coming to your front door with an empty gourd, the container they have always used to carry water, and asking to fill it with water. Your response is to say, "We don't put water in gourds around here. We believe it is wrong to drink water from anything other than a glass." You send them away thirsty, unwilling to give them water in a gourd.

This seems like a ridiculous story yet I believe it illustrates the way many churches respond when they are confronted with a new way to deliver the gospel. When we make the container too important people die of spiritual thirst because of our stubborn pride concerning the container we have always used.

On the other hand some churches are flexible with containers but the contents are tainted. They have taken the gospel and colored it and sweetened it so that more will drink it. In the process they don't realize that the contents they have offered has become poison Kool-Aid.

The contents are the important thing. Presenting the pure gospel, being faithful to the word are the contents where life giving water is given. In fact the Word Himself, that is Jesus, said,
" ... but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:14

We come to Jesus with all kind of containers, gourds, glasses, ladles, bowls, even open hands to receive the living water. Lets stop arguing about who has the best, most correct container and be happy that people are receiving life giving water in any container!!!  

The Power of Weakness

"`...Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty." Zechariah 4:6b

I looked over the pasture with a hoe in one hand and a pail in the other. I had been given the task of eliminating thistles from this pasture. My dad hates thistles and there were way too many of them on the hobby farm we had recently moved to. The task seemed insurmountable. I was paid five cents per thistle. It was hot and I was thirteen years old. In the end it was more efficient and effective for my father to use other methods to eradicate the thistles in his pastures.

We have all had circumstances that set a seemingly impossible task in front of us. In my experience the most common ways of dealing with this kind of thing is to say that because it is impossible for me to do, it must not be meant for me to do it.  Zerubbabel was facing such a situation when he was tasked with rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. The prophet was given this word from, God to give Zerubbabel as both exhortation and encouragement that the completion of the temple wasn't dependent on Zerubbabel's natural abilities or resources.

It seems many churches will go one of two directions here. On the one hand a church - or believer - will look at what God is asking them to do and say, "its too big" or "we're  too small" or "its not in the budget". The emphasis is not on what God can and wants to do but on the ability of a church or person to accomplish it. At the heart of this is either a belief in a small, weak or unwise God, or, that we will only do what we can receive credit for. If all that is ever done is limited what humanity can naturally do, humanity will always get the credit. I read an author several years ago who said something like this, "Unless it is impossible for man to do, God will never get the credit." This leads to what's on the other hand.

Sometimes we can see God's provision in an endeavor and we can watch as the Holy Spirit moves in equipping and enabling  for His purpose. However, in the end, as others admire the results, it is way to easy for us to take at least some of the credit thus diminishing the glory God gets.


The apostle Paul was faced with this when he asked God to remove a "thorn in the flesh" three times. God answered him by saying,

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."
(2  Corinthians 12 : 9a)

Paul, instead of whining like I usually do, responded with the following statement,


"Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
(2 Corinthians 12:9b,10)

How cool is it that it is when we are weak, when the task seems too big, that God's power, through the Holy Spirit, rests on us and we can do whatever it is that He calls us to. What a comfort to know that what God wants to accomplish doesn't depend our competency, ability or resources. He just asks for our willingness to take part in what He is doing and allow His Spirit to use us for His glory!!! 

Lessons from a Computer Game?

Finally, I made it to level 9 in Bubbletown. For a long time I have not been able to get past level 7. Today I not only got past level 7, but level 8 as well. As I leave the game I am reminded of how our spiritual lives can be similar to that of a computer game.

Have you ever felt 'stuck' on a certain level spiritually? I know I have. There are two ways we can respond when we find ourselves in this position. The first is that we simply become satisfied that we have gone far enough. This is like saying that because I have completed level 2 of my game I have completed the game all the while denying the fact that there are 8 more levels to the game. The writer of 'Hebrews' addresses this response when he says,

"For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil." (Heb. 5:12-14 ESV)

The writer's audience had become satisfied. They apparently didn't want to admit that there was another level. The writer tears away their smug contentedness by referring to them as immature children who fall far short of what they should be as teachers. We all need that challenge, not to be satisfied. This brings us to the second response.

The Apostle Paul helps us here when he describes his response this way,

"Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way." (Philippians 3:12-15a ESV)



Paul's response is to 'press on'. He says that pressing on has two parts. First we must forget what is behind. Whether it is a level of achievement or certain failures we must stop being preoccupied with them and look to the future. Then we must strain forward toward what is ahead. This approach doesn't leave us the option of being casual or nonchalant about our spiritual life. It requires both effort and intention. An athlete can intend to be great but without effort it will never happen. Without intention there is no need for effort.

Every endeavor has a level of 'press on' connected to it. At what level in our growing relationship with our Savior and Lord can we say we no longer need to 'press on'? Do we recognize the value of the prize, being everything that God intended us to be to be, as great enough to motivate us to keep 'pressing on'?

Which response are we choosing when our spiritual life seems stagnant; satisfaction or pressing on?Tomorrow, level 10!! 
 

Oak Tree or Acorn?

Why is it that Christians seem to be so content with so little of what Jesus offers. Its kind of like an acorn being content with being an acorn though it knows that it could be an oak tree. Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." John 14:12ff Do we really believe this? I sometimes think that when we don't see the power of God in healings, deliverance, or provision that we believe that Jesus must be kidding when he said the words above. Could it really be true that we could do 'greater things' than Jesus? The context here is clearly referring to the miracles Jesus did. Maybe we don't see 'greater things' because  we don't really take Jesus at His word, even if we took Him at His word we don't expect Him to do them through us and because maybe He knows that all to often we would steal His glory if He did do them through us. So we go on living an acorns life when we could become the oak tree God created us to be.

The Father's Poem

I've been thinking about a verse that sometimes gets neglected because of the two verses that precede it. Ephesians 2:8,9 says,

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,  not a result of works, so that no one may boast."

These are critical verses in  understanding the relationship  between grace, faith, and salvation. But the next verse, often omitted, is critical in understanding who we are as God's creation. It says,
"For we are his workmanship,..." The word 'workmanship' can mislead us. It can give us the impression that God was toiling,  hard at work when He created you and me, hardly enjoying the process. This couldn't be further from the truth .Recently I attended a conference where Len Sweet was a speaker and he pointed out that creation is the result of a Creator at play, not work.  Think about it, when are we most creative? We are far more creative when we are free from the pressures of work. It has been said that if one enjoys what they do, they will never work a day in their life. You see, in the original language the word 'poiema' is used. This is the same word from which we get the English word  'poem'. This is huge. We are the lyric written by the Master lyricist and we are the result of His playful creativity. Any true artist will tell you that their masterpiece was a labor of love and enjoyment. None of us are an accident. The reality of our birth means that we are the product of God's labor of love. He created us with aptitudes, personalities, gifts and environments that are unique to each one.

Since God wrote the lyric that is each one of us, I think He gives us the freedom to supply the tune by our attitudes, word, and actions . A song's tune can make the difference between a song that brings people joyful tears or one that is painful to listen to. We have all heard the national anthem sung done by professional musicians and jr. high choirs. One is generally much easier to listen to than the other.

When I look at my own life I see times when  the tune I supplied was angry, or without hope, or sad, or confused or defeated. My life was out of tune. It doesn't matter how beautiful the lyric, or how perfect the tune fits the lyric,if it is sung out of tune, it is difficult to listen to.These times didn't reflect the faith I professed. As I practice with the Master as my teacher, I sing more and more on-key and my life sounds more of contentment, hope, joy, victory and trust. Maybe you can relate.


It is amazing to me that He wrote the lyric of our lives for His pleasure, purpose and enjoyment. Like the parent of the novice musician beams with pride and joy at the recital even when there are missed notes, so our heavenly Father beams with the same as He hears the recital which is our life. He is not surprised by our missed notes and being off key at times. He knows that it gets better with time and practice. Most of all He knows that there is coming a day when the tunes of all of those who love Him will blend in perfect harmony as we sing His praise before His throne. How cool is that!!! 

Evidence

I like  CSI/NCIS shows and something I have noticed is how often the word 'evidence' is used. There seems to be two kinds of evidence; hard evidence and circumstantial evidence. Hard evidence is what is needed to offer some certainty of guilt while circumstantial evidence may suggest guilt but doesn't prove guilt.

Likewise, our lives as followers of Jesus are proved by evidence. Too often the evidence we offer is merely circumstantial. We attend church regularly, behave as good citizens, practice good hygiene, and give to good causes. All of these and more are just circumstantial evidence. So what is the hard evidence of a relationship with Jesus? The apostle Peter tells us...

"... always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, " (1 Peter 3:15)


It appears that hope is hard evidence. For someone to ask about our hope they must first recognize it in us. Do our attitudes, words and actions reveal hope or fear. Do they suggest confidence concerning the future especially when circumstances would allow otherwise. I'm afraid that many who claim the name of Jesus have put more of their hope in their wealth or a political stance than in Jesus.

Jesus gives us another piece of hard evidence when he says...

"By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
(John 13:35)
Love is the other key piece of hard evidence that proves our guilt as followers of Jesus. Why are so many telling of how they have been hurt by the church? The bible tells us to love our neighbors as ourselves yet this is interpreted to mean send a check to someone far away. How many of us  would rather turn away from someone who is hurting rather than risk getting our hands dirty and our reputations tarnished loving someone who, by most accounts, doesn't deserve our love. (see the parable of the Good Samaritan) We seem to forget the we are undeserving of His love for us. You see love is a great evidence because we can't generate this kind of love. We love because He first loved us. (1 John 4) We have the ability to love the unlovable because we have experienced His love for us!

With this in mind the question  has been suggested by another, and paraphrased ' If we were on trial for being a follower of Jesus would there be enough hard evidence to convict us?'

I wonder...

Gotta go, CSI is on.

Community

When was it decided that taking care of the poor, sick, and underprivileged is the government's reponsibility. The bible I read tells me that it is the local church's responsibility.

"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world."
James 1:27 (ESV)

"...all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need."
Acts 2:44-45 (ESV)

For all it's talk about community the local church isn't very good at doing it. The church is good at getting people to gather at a given place and time, but gathering and having coffee and cookies does not equate to experiencing community. The bible's word for community is koinonos which means, " a sharer, i.e. associate :- companion, × fellowship, partaker, partner." (—Strong's Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary) If the church is going to model true community it is going to have to come along side of the poor, sick and underprivileged which means being involved in their life in a way that exhibits the love of Jesus on a very personal, incarnational level. It seems like many christians have chosen to deal with these people by writing a check, (or using a card). Funds are important to meeting needs yet I wonder if sometimes writing checks is way to avoid getting one's hands dirty. It is certainly more convenient. How will they see Jesus if they never get to see the person who wrote the check. They will not experience His love until we invite them into our homes for lodging and meals. They will not understand His provision until the His body takes upon itself the responsibility for physical care of their body as well as their soul.

Maybe if our local churches would have kept doing biblical community, the health and human services department either wouldn't exist or be a fraction of its current size, there would be no health care debate and we would not be living in what is considered post-christian America.

Consumption

On Thanksgiving Day we consume food as if we haven’t eaten in a week. For the rest of the weekend we buy stuff with the same ravenous approach we brought to the table on Thursday. Why do we value consumption so much? Maybe I should change the pronouns because I have little or no influence concerning ‘our’ behavior. I do, however, have control over my attitudes and behaviors. You see ‘we’ value consumption because ‘I’ value consumption. I can deride the conspicuous consumption of our culture while I stuff myself at buffets, (or Thanksgiving) and own more stuff than my house and garage can really contain. I can make derogatory comments about the size of a house I see but at the same time if I had the means I might build a house just as big. I can complain about the conspicuous extravagance of church buildings around the country yet I know that I would probably attend the more extravagant church over a warehouse church all other things being equal. There is a fine line between having and using stuff, and worshipping stuff. The bible calls stuff, mammon. It says that it is impossible to worship God and stuff at the same time. It also says that there is no benefit in gaining all the stuff in the world now if we end up spending eternity in hell. I hear my friends in business use the phrase cost/ benefit analysis. I might butcher the concept but it seems to me that if I want to surrender my life to the pursuit of stuff the benefit is the stuff. The cost, however, is eternity in hell separated from God. The alternative is to surrender my life to God as the cost and receive peace in this life and eternity in heaven with Jesus as the benefit. When I see it put this way the choice is so obvious, why then is it so hard?

Missiology 101

Today I saw a website that all kinds of resources on missiology. I wondered why anyone would look to these resources if they had been reading what the word of God said about missiology. I don't think that God's intent for missiology is so biblically obscure that we need volumes written by 'experts' to explain it to the rest of us. Don't get me wrong, the personal study of missiology is a good thing and I know some people whose heart is broken over those who are lost who have made a study of it.

There are two potential problems that can arise when there is an unhealthy focus on the study of missiology. The first is that we create missiological experts which can intimidate (probably unintentionally) the average christian into a missional paralysis because of fear they won't do it right. The second is the we can get so caught up in the study that we lose sight of the action required to accomplish missions. Knowledge of approaches to missions and a variety theologies of missions doesn't mean a thing if we aren't bringing Jesus to our everyday living exposing the people around us to the gospel as exhibited by the hope, love, joy, and grace in our lives.

I guess the bottom line is this if we are spending more time studying what people have written about missiology than we have spent studying scripture concerning missiology I doubt whether we will ever become truly biblically missional. Stated another way: If we can't develop a solid theology of missions from the bible alone, we probably aren't really paying that close of attention to what it says.

What can Followers of Jesus learn from Veterans

Today is veteran's day. A time to honor those who have served, many of whom have suffered, and even given their lives to protect our freedoms and quality of life. When these men and women serve they have no gaurantees that what they are fighting for will be preserved. Those in Iraq and Afganistan today can only hope that their efforts will result in acheiving stated objectives. Much of the success or failure rests on the decisions of beaurocrats who are nowhere near the combat zones. Why then do these men and women volunteer to be put in harm's way? Because they love their country!

Their is a spiritual lesson here. As believers in Jesus Christ we are foot soldiers for the Kingdom of God. We don't use weapons of violence and death. Our weapons are far more powerful. We have the weapons of truth, love, grace and mercy in the Holy Spirit because of Jesus Christ. We also know something our enemy doesn't want others to know, the victory is already won! We still fight battles because the enemy has convinced those who don't believe that they could still achieve ultimate victory.

With this in mind, knowing the victory is won, lets storm the gates of hell with all the weapons at our disposal. Lets take the hill or the city or the neighborhood for the Kingdom of God with the same passion, love, zeal and preparedness that the veterans who have served our nation had.