On this Memorial Day, we pause to reflect on the sacrifices of those who loved and served this country by paying the ultimate price for our freedom. This day is often a time where we find ourselves evaluating our perspective on life.
This leads to a natural question- what is the proper perspective? Is there even something as a proper perspective? 2,000 years ago, a man named Paul provided an answer to the question "What is the proper perspective?":
"Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory." Colossians 3:1-4
Paul provides us two timeless truths when it comes to having the proper perspective. First, Paul tells us that we should have a serious desire to possess an eternal perspective. Paul explains that this desire for an eternal perspective flows out of the relationship that we have with Jesus Christ. Paul also tells us that this desire for an eternal perspective flows out of a desire to reflect Christ in our day to day lives.
Second, Paul tells us that an eternal perspective requires giving careful consideration to the eternal. A person who has a relationship with Jesus Christ is not to consider the temporary things of this world for two reasons. First, Paul explains that an eternal perspective recognizes that we have died with Christ to the things of this world. In other words, the things of this world are not to be preeminent and prominent in our thinking and focus.
In addition, an eternal perspective recognizes that we have security in our relationship with Christ. All that we need to have a proper perspective is found in our relationship with Christ; answers about meaning, purpose, and significance are found in who Christ is and whet He has done for us. And these realities should focus our perspective on the eternal and not the temporal.
So what is your perspective based on? Where do you find your identity, meaning, significance, and purpose?
Monday, May 31, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
When the Road Ends Sooner than Expected...
Yesterday I talked about how all of us come to times in are lives that are proverbial "forks in the road" where we have to choose. We can either choose to submit our thinking to God's will and direction or we can choose to submit God's will and direction to our thinking. When we choose the former, we find ourselves walking with God. When we choose the latter, we can find ourselves fighting against God.
Sometimes, however, the road of life here on earth ends sooner than we expect, even when we choose the right fork in the road. That happened this week to Kyle Christian.
Kyle chose to submit his thinking to God throughout his 28 years on earth. He chose to submit his thinking to God's will and direction and spent his time here in Arizona investing in the lives of teenagers during a very difficult time in the Youth Ministry at RBC. His example and his investment in the lives of students provided stability to the students and encouragement for the staff. He was part of a group of adults who set the foundation for some of the phenomenal things God is doing now.
He chose to submit his thinking to God's will and direction by heading back to the Midwest, where he ended up meeting and marrying his wife Abi.
He chose to submit his thinking to God's will and direction when he discovered only months after his wedding that he had Leukemia. Julie, Rachel, and I had the opportunity to connect with him last November. In the midst of all that was happening, we left our time together understanding that Kyle was still taking the right fork in the road.
He chose to submit his thinking to God's will and direction when his condition worsened. And earlier this week, God chose to end Kyle's journey here on earth. While the road that Kyle was traveling on here on earth ended sooner than expected, there is no doubt about what road Kyle is traveling on now. He no longer sees in a mirror dimly- he now sees His Savior face to face.
While we currently are traveling on different roads, I can take comfort in the fact that someday we will be on the same road again- a road where the pain and the hurts of this world will be replaced with the relationship with God and the relationships with one another that we were created to experience for all eternity.
Kyle just gets to travel on that road a little sooner than we do.
Sometimes, however, the road of life here on earth ends sooner than we expect, even when we choose the right fork in the road. That happened this week to Kyle Christian.
Kyle chose to submit his thinking to God throughout his 28 years on earth. He chose to submit his thinking to God's will and direction and spent his time here in Arizona investing in the lives of teenagers during a very difficult time in the Youth Ministry at RBC. His example and his investment in the lives of students provided stability to the students and encouragement for the staff. He was part of a group of adults who set the foundation for some of the phenomenal things God is doing now.
He chose to submit his thinking to God's will and direction by heading back to the Midwest, where he ended up meeting and marrying his wife Abi.
He chose to submit his thinking to God's will and direction when he discovered only months after his wedding that he had Leukemia. Julie, Rachel, and I had the opportunity to connect with him last November. In the midst of all that was happening, we left our time together understanding that Kyle was still taking the right fork in the road.
He chose to submit his thinking to God's will and direction when his condition worsened. And earlier this week, God chose to end Kyle's journey here on earth. While the road that Kyle was traveling on here on earth ended sooner than expected, there is no doubt about what road Kyle is traveling on now. He no longer sees in a mirror dimly- he now sees His Savior face to face.
While we currently are traveling on different roads, I can take comfort in the fact that someday we will be on the same road again- a road where the pain and the hurts of this world will be replaced with the relationship with God and the relationships with one another that we were created to experience for all eternity.
Kyle just gets to travel on that road a little sooner than we do.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
When Christians Oppose Jesus...
There are times in our lives as individuals or as a community of Christ followers that we can find ourselves at a proverbial fork in the road. One fork in the road has a sign marked "Submitting Thinking to God's Direction Drive". The other fork in the road has a sign marked "Submitting God's Direction to my Thinking Trail".
The decision that must be made by individuals, or in community, is "what road am I going to take?" And the results of that decision has a profound impact on our relationship with Jesus and with one another in community.
In the Bible, there is a story that provides a timeless truth about the implications that the choice of surrender and obedience to God's will and direction can have in our lives. The religious people of the day wanted to kill early followers of Jesus, who were proclaiming the message and teachings of Jesus. In the midst of their plans, one of the religious leaders made the following statement:
"So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God." Acts 5:38-39
Unfortunately, the religious people of the day ultimately chose not to follow this leaders advice. The result was that they opposed God's direction, and the advancement of God's kingdom mission, by placing their thinking and plans above God's plan.
How often do we tend to do the same thing? God gives us clear guidance and direction through His word and godly counsel about what we should do as individuals and as a church. Yet, in spite of knowing God's will and direction, we choose to submit God's direction and Scripture under our thinking. And when we do that we end up, as followers of Jesus, fighting against Jesus.
So are your decisions placing you in opposition to Jesus? Do you find yourself, as individuals or as a church, fighting against God? What direction do you take when you come to the fork in the road?
Decide today, before you reach that fork in the road, that you will always submit your thinking to Jesus and His teachings. Because when we make that decision, we find ourselves walking with Jesus instead of fighting against Jesus?
So what decision will you make when you come to the next fork in the road?
The decision that must be made by individuals, or in community, is "what road am I going to take?" And the results of that decision has a profound impact on our relationship with Jesus and with one another in community.
In the Bible, there is a story that provides a timeless truth about the implications that the choice of surrender and obedience to God's will and direction can have in our lives. The religious people of the day wanted to kill early followers of Jesus, who were proclaiming the message and teachings of Jesus. In the midst of their plans, one of the religious leaders made the following statement:
"So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God." Acts 5:38-39
Unfortunately, the religious people of the day ultimately chose not to follow this leaders advice. The result was that they opposed God's direction, and the advancement of God's kingdom mission, by placing their thinking and plans above God's plan.
How often do we tend to do the same thing? God gives us clear guidance and direction through His word and godly counsel about what we should do as individuals and as a church. Yet, in spite of knowing God's will and direction, we choose to submit God's direction and Scripture under our thinking. And when we do that we end up, as followers of Jesus, fighting against Jesus.
So are your decisions placing you in opposition to Jesus? Do you find yourself, as individuals or as a church, fighting against God? What direction do you take when you come to the fork in the road?
Decide today, before you reach that fork in the road, that you will always submit your thinking to Jesus and His teachings. Because when we make that decision, we find ourselves walking with Jesus instead of fighting against Jesus?
So what decision will you make when you come to the next fork in the road?
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
The Danger of Deceptive Religion
There are dangers followers of Jesus face when it comes to deceptive philosophies. In addition, there are dangers followers of Jesus face when it comes to deceptive religion. Religion is an attempt by people to enter into a relationship with Jesus through following a list of rules and regulations that have nothing to do with actually following Jesus. In a letter in the Bible, a man named Paul makes us aware of these dangers:
"Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God. If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, "Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!"(which all refer to things destined to perish with use)-- in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence." Colossians 2:18-23
In these verses, Paul reveals five dangers that deceptive religion present to followers of Jesus. First, deceptive religion desires to rob us of our reward. Religion desires to remove the reward of an eternal relationship with God with rules and regulations.
Second, deceptive religion desires that we delight in self humiliation. Deceptive religion focuses on our earthly bodies being evil instead of being a blessed creation of God.
Third, deceptive religion desires that we devote ourselves to idols. Religion tries to entice us to worship things that are created; either spiritual beings, the things of this earth, or even ourselves.
Fourth, deceptive religion desires to remove us from community. Religion will attempt to remove us from the community that is led by our Lord and Leader, Jesus Christ. In addition, religion will attempt to remove us from the community that is united in Christ. It is interesting that many religious people can be identified by their divisive demeanor, especially religious "Christians".
Finally, deceptive religion desires we live apart from Christ and according to the world. Religion will deny a connection to Christ and is often rooted in prior flawed religious systems. Religion also replaces freedom with rules. These religious rules always involve the material and perishable. In addition, these religious rules are man-made and fail to result in any spiritual growth. Wile man-made religion and its rules appear to be wise, at the end of the day the denying of physical desires, or asceticism, and other practices that man-made religion promotes do not satisfy the selfish desires that lead to sin.
So are you being endangered by deceptive religion? Are you aware of the danger that deceptive religion presents to the relationship with God that you were created for through Jesus Christ?
"Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God. If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, "Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!"(which all refer to things destined to perish with use)-- in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence." Colossians 2:18-23
In these verses, Paul reveals five dangers that deceptive religion present to followers of Jesus. First, deceptive religion desires to rob us of our reward. Religion desires to remove the reward of an eternal relationship with God with rules and regulations.
Second, deceptive religion desires that we delight in self humiliation. Deceptive religion focuses on our earthly bodies being evil instead of being a blessed creation of God.
Third, deceptive religion desires that we devote ourselves to idols. Religion tries to entice us to worship things that are created; either spiritual beings, the things of this earth, or even ourselves.
Fourth, deceptive religion desires to remove us from community. Religion will attempt to remove us from the community that is led by our Lord and Leader, Jesus Christ. In addition, religion will attempt to remove us from the community that is united in Christ. It is interesting that many religious people can be identified by their divisive demeanor, especially religious "Christians".
Finally, deceptive religion desires we live apart from Christ and according to the world. Religion will deny a connection to Christ and is often rooted in prior flawed religious systems. Religion also replaces freedom with rules. These religious rules always involve the material and perishable. In addition, these religious rules are man-made and fail to result in any spiritual growth. Wile man-made religion and its rules appear to be wise, at the end of the day the denying of physical desires, or asceticism, and other practices that man-made religion promotes do not satisfy the selfish desires that lead to sin.
So are you being endangered by deceptive religion? Are you aware of the danger that deceptive religion presents to the relationship with God that you were created for through Jesus Christ?
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
The Danger of Deceptive Philosophy, pt. 2
Yesterday I wrote about the danger of deceptive philosophies that are empty of truth and find their foundation in man's attempt to return us to former faulty religious systems. Another danger of deceptive philosophies is that they deny the person and work of Jesus Christ. But in order to see how deceptive philosophies deny the person and work of Christ, we first need to know who Jesus Christ is and what He accomplished for us through His life, death, and resurrection.
A little later in the same letter that we looked at yesterday, Paul talks about the person and work of Jesus:
"For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. hen you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him. Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day-- things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ."
Colossians 2:9-17
Paul reveals for us seven different aspects of the nature and work of Jesus Christ. First, Jesus Christ is "God in a bod": He is the unique, one and only Son of God who took on flesh and entered into humanity in order to reveal and explain God to us. Second, Jesus Christ makes us complete; believing, trusting, and following Jesus as Lord and Leader brings us into the relationship with God we were created for. Third, Jesus is large and in charge; He is in charge over all earthly powers and over all spiritual powers.
Fourth, Jesus Christ identifies us with Him. As His followers, Jesus Christ spiritually strips away our selfishness and sin and restores us to a relationship with God through His death and resurrection. Fifth, Jesus Christ makes us alive in Him. Through His gracious forgiveness the record of our selfishness and sin, that was hostile to us and that sentenced us to death, is obliterated.
Sixth, Jesus Christ stripped away the spiritual forces in the heavenlies. Jesus life, death, and resurrection exposed the spiritual enemies of God for who they were and provided triumph over those enemies. And seventh, Jesus Christ provides freedom from judgment. Jesus Christ provides us the freedom from judgment when it comes to our worship of God. Jesus also provides us the freedom to focus on the reality of who God really is instead of focusing on temporary religious activities that have no eternal value.
To recognize and remain unscathed from the dangers of deceptive philosophies, we must understand and embrace who Jesus Christ is and what He has done for us.
So how do you recognize the dangers that deceptive philosophies pose? How do you determine the difference between various philosophies?
A little later in the same letter that we looked at yesterday, Paul talks about the person and work of Jesus:
"For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. hen you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him. Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day-- things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ."
Colossians 2:9-17
Paul reveals for us seven different aspects of the nature and work of Jesus Christ. First, Jesus Christ is "God in a bod": He is the unique, one and only Son of God who took on flesh and entered into humanity in order to reveal and explain God to us. Second, Jesus Christ makes us complete; believing, trusting, and following Jesus as Lord and Leader brings us into the relationship with God we were created for. Third, Jesus is large and in charge; He is in charge over all earthly powers and over all spiritual powers.
Fourth, Jesus Christ identifies us with Him. As His followers, Jesus Christ spiritually strips away our selfishness and sin and restores us to a relationship with God through His death and resurrection. Fifth, Jesus Christ makes us alive in Him. Through His gracious forgiveness the record of our selfishness and sin, that was hostile to us and that sentenced us to death, is obliterated.
Sixth, Jesus Christ stripped away the spiritual forces in the heavenlies. Jesus life, death, and resurrection exposed the spiritual enemies of God for who they were and provided triumph over those enemies. And seventh, Jesus Christ provides freedom from judgment. Jesus Christ provides us the freedom from judgment when it comes to our worship of God. Jesus also provides us the freedom to focus on the reality of who God really is instead of focusing on temporary religious activities that have no eternal value.
To recognize and remain unscathed from the dangers of deceptive philosophies, we must understand and embrace who Jesus Christ is and what He has done for us.
So how do you recognize the dangers that deceptive philosophies pose? How do you determine the difference between various philosophies?
Monday, May 24, 2010
The Danger of Deceptive Philosophy
A common objection to the claims of Jesus and the teachings of the Bible is "there can not be only one way to God" or "there is no absolute truth; all truth is relative". The problem with these points of view is that two competing "truths" can not both be true.
This is not a new view of the world or the nature of truth, however. In the Bible, there is a letter written by a man named Paul that called followers of Jesus to be alert to the danger of deceptive philosophy. In Colossians 2:8, Paul reveals how deceptive philosophy can be so dangerous:
See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.
In this single verse, Paul makes us aware of four reasons why deceptive philosophy is so dangerous. First, deceptive philosophy desires to take us captive; faulty philosophical systems desire to carry us into a captivity that enslaves us to its view of the world. Second, deceptive philosophy is empty of any truth. While deceptive philosophy claims to contain truth, at the end of the day it is empty. For example, the person who states that they do not believe in absolute truth actually does believe in absolute truth; they absolutely believe that there is no absolute truth.
Third, deceptive philosophy tries to return us to the past. Many deceptive philosophical systems that exist today are not new; they are simply repackaged lies from previous periods in history. These systems either attempt to return us to one of two faulty philosophical streams from the past. Some systems try to return us under the control of previously flawed and failed religious systems that were created by man in an attempt to become God. Other systems try to return us under the control of systems that are influenced by spiritual forces that set themselves up in opposition to God and His kingdom.
Another danger of deceptive philosophy is that they deny the person and work of Jesus Christ. Tomorrow, we will look at exactly how deceptive philosophies deny who Jesus is and what He accomplished for us through His life, death, and resurrection.
Are you critically evaluating the framework that you use to navigate life with? Or are you opening yourself up to be deceived by philosophy that has no basis in truth?
This is not a new view of the world or the nature of truth, however. In the Bible, there is a letter written by a man named Paul that called followers of Jesus to be alert to the danger of deceptive philosophy. In Colossians 2:8, Paul reveals how deceptive philosophy can be so dangerous:
See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.
In this single verse, Paul makes us aware of four reasons why deceptive philosophy is so dangerous. First, deceptive philosophy desires to take us captive; faulty philosophical systems desire to carry us into a captivity that enslaves us to its view of the world. Second, deceptive philosophy is empty of any truth. While deceptive philosophy claims to contain truth, at the end of the day it is empty. For example, the person who states that they do not believe in absolute truth actually does believe in absolute truth; they absolutely believe that there is no absolute truth.
Third, deceptive philosophy tries to return us to the past. Many deceptive philosophical systems that exist today are not new; they are simply repackaged lies from previous periods in history. These systems either attempt to return us to one of two faulty philosophical streams from the past. Some systems try to return us under the control of previously flawed and failed religious systems that were created by man in an attempt to become God. Other systems try to return us under the control of systems that are influenced by spiritual forces that set themselves up in opposition to God and His kingdom.
Another danger of deceptive philosophy is that they deny the person and work of Jesus Christ. Tomorrow, we will look at exactly how deceptive philosophies deny who Jesus is and what He accomplished for us through His life, death, and resurrection.
Are you critically evaluating the framework that you use to navigate life with? Or are you opening yourself up to be deceived by philosophy that has no basis in truth?
Friday, May 21, 2010
Obedience and Intimacy
There are many times when we can feel like God is distant and far away from us. We wonder why church services suddenly feel cold and impersonal. We wonder why our prayer life and our devotional life seems dry and detached from the encounter with God we once experienced. And we can find ourselves asking the question "where is God? Did He leave? Where did He go?"
Sometimes, however, a better question to ask may be "Who moved?" Does God move away from us, or do we move away from God? Could it be that the reason that we lose intimacy with God has more to do with our failure to follow Jesus? Could it be that our intimacy with God as followers of Jesus is directly connected with our obedience to the teachings of Jesus and the Bible?
There is a story in the Bible where Jesus, in a conversation with His disciples, reveals for us a timeless truth when it comes to the link between obedience and intimacy:
"He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him." Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?" Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him." John 14:21-23
Jesus explained to His disciples that faithfulness to His teachings results in intimacy in our relationship with Him. As we follow Jesus and His teachings, God discloses Himself to us and dwells with us.
So, if your relationship with God is dry and distant, who moved? What is keeping God disclosing from disclosing Himself and dwelling with you?
Sometimes, however, a better question to ask may be "Who moved?" Does God move away from us, or do we move away from God? Could it be that the reason that we lose intimacy with God has more to do with our failure to follow Jesus? Could it be that our intimacy with God as followers of Jesus is directly connected with our obedience to the teachings of Jesus and the Bible?
There is a story in the Bible where Jesus, in a conversation with His disciples, reveals for us a timeless truth when it comes to the link between obedience and intimacy:
"He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him." Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?" Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him." John 14:21-23
Jesus explained to His disciples that faithfulness to His teachings results in intimacy in our relationship with Him. As we follow Jesus and His teachings, God discloses Himself to us and dwells with us.
So, if your relationship with God is dry and distant, who moved? What is keeping God disclosing from disclosing Himself and dwelling with you?
Thursday, May 20, 2010
The Tension of Practical Bible Teaching...
Yesterday I talked about the power of practical Bible teaching. But there is a tension that we all experience when it comes to practical Bible teaching that often causes us to hesitate or push back when we are exposed to it. And that tension comes from the fact that practical Bible teaching that calls for life change is not calm, quiet, or peaceful. Practical Bible teaching is often disturbing and unsettling. Practical Bible teaching often causes discomfort for those who are listening.
Practical Bible teaching challenges; practical Bible teaching blows up and upsets categories in our minds about God; practical Bible teaching disturbs our equilibrium. I say that because people were often disturbed or upset after listening to Jesus. Let me give you just a few examples. In Luke 4:28, after Jesus gave a sermon, here is how the people responded:
"And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff"
In John 8:59, after having a conversation with the religious people of His day, here is how they responded:
Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him,
And here is how the crowd responded after listening to what Jesus had to say in His most famous sermon:
When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.
The crowd responded to Jesus sermon with amazement. Now when it says that the crowds were amazed, it was not “wow that was a cool sermon”. It was not “wow, I was really fed today”. It was not “wow that really ministered to my heart”. The word amazed literally means that they were be filled to the point of being overwhelmed with fear.
Practical Bible teaching is uncomfortable, disturbing, and unsettling because growing and maturing spiritually is often uncomfortable, disturbing, and unsettling. This morning growth can often be painful; whether it is the growing pains that accompany physical growth or the growing pains that accompany a growing and maturing relationship with God. And just as a parent leverages practical teaching and explains to their children that growing pains are a natural part of the pathway to adulthood, as followers of Jesus, God leverages practical Bible teaching to grow and mature us spiritually.
So, how do you respond to the tension that comes from practical Bible teaching? Are you investing your time by being involved in environments where you can experience practical Bible teaching?
Practical Bible teaching challenges; practical Bible teaching blows up and upsets categories in our minds about God; practical Bible teaching disturbs our equilibrium. I say that because people were often disturbed or upset after listening to Jesus. Let me give you just a few examples. In Luke 4:28, after Jesus gave a sermon, here is how the people responded:
"And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff"
In John 8:59, after having a conversation with the religious people of His day, here is how they responded:
Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him,
And here is how the crowd responded after listening to what Jesus had to say in His most famous sermon:
When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.
The crowd responded to Jesus sermon with amazement. Now when it says that the crowds were amazed, it was not “wow that was a cool sermon”. It was not “wow, I was really fed today”. It was not “wow that really ministered to my heart”. The word amazed literally means that they were be filled to the point of being overwhelmed with fear.
Practical Bible teaching is uncomfortable, disturbing, and unsettling because growing and maturing spiritually is often uncomfortable, disturbing, and unsettling. This morning growth can often be painful; whether it is the growing pains that accompany physical growth or the growing pains that accompany a growing and maturing relationship with God. And just as a parent leverages practical teaching and explains to their children that growing pains are a natural part of the pathway to adulthood, as followers of Jesus, God leverages practical Bible teaching to grow and mature us spiritually.
So, how do you respond to the tension that comes from practical Bible teaching? Are you investing your time by being involved in environments where you can experience practical Bible teaching?
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
The Power of Practical Bible Teaching
When you engage people who are in a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus Christ, their conversations are dominated by how the Bible and the teachings of Jesus have transformed their life. And when you engage in conversations with people who are involved in a growing and maturing relationship with Christ, their conversations reveal that charting a course to spiritual maturity requires investment and involvement in practical Bible teaching. People who are in a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus Christ invest their time by being involved in practical Bible teaching. As Jesus was ending perhaps His most famous sermon, which we call the Sermon on the Mount, He told a parable that hammers home the reality that charting a course to spiritual maturity requires investment and involvement in practical Bible teaching:
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. "And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. "Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. "The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell-- and great was its fall." Matthew 7:24-27
You see, for Jesus, it is not what you know that matters; it is what you do that matters. And practical Bible teaching not only helps us to know more; practical Bible teaching helps us to live life differently because obedience matters. Simply knowing doctrine and theology is not enough; it is what you do with what you know that counts. And spiritually mature and growing followers of Jesus are marked by life change, not just head knowledge. And intuitively we understand this, don’t we? Obedience matters. Throughout His sermon, Jesus makes it clear that obedience is more important than knowledge or attendance. Whoever hears these words of mine and acts on them. Not whoever hears theses words of mine and memorizes them. For Jesus hearing and acting are inseparable.
But there is a tension that we can experience when it comes to practical Bible teaching that often causes us to hesitate or push back when we are exposed to it. We'll look at that tension and its implications tomorrow.
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. "And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. "Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. "The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell-- and great was its fall." Matthew 7:24-27
You see, for Jesus, it is not what you know that matters; it is what you do that matters. And practical Bible teaching not only helps us to know more; practical Bible teaching helps us to live life differently because obedience matters. Simply knowing doctrine and theology is not enough; it is what you do with what you know that counts. And spiritually mature and growing followers of Jesus are marked by life change, not just head knowledge. And intuitively we understand this, don’t we? Obedience matters. Throughout His sermon, Jesus makes it clear that obedience is more important than knowledge or attendance. Whoever hears these words of mine and acts on them. Not whoever hears theses words of mine and memorizes them. For Jesus hearing and acting are inseparable.
But there is a tension that we can experience when it comes to practical Bible teaching that often causes us to hesitate or push back when we are exposed to it. We'll look at that tension and its implications tomorrow.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Charting a Course to Spiritual Maturity with our Conversations...
When we are involved in conversations with others, we can tell fairly quickly what they love and value, because our conversations are dominated about what we are devoted to. When we step back and think about our conversations, isn’t that true? We love to talk about the things we love, don’t we?
So, if our conversations are dominated by the things we love and our devoted to, then a natural question that arises is “what does the conversation of a person who has a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus Christ dominated by?” When people who are spiritually mature and growing talk about the Bible, what do you hear them say about it?
When you engage people who are growing and maturing in their relationship with God, what you find is that they are not just talking about theology or doctrine; people who are being transformed by their relationship with Jesus Christ talk about how the Bible and the teachings of Jesus have changed their life. Now I am not saying that theology and doctrine are not important, because theology and doctrine are essential components of our faith and our relationship with God. What I am saying is that theology and doctrine that does not lead to transformation is merely information. The Bible and the teachings of Jesus were not simply meant to be informative: the Bible and the teachings of Jesus are transformative.
So what do your conversations reveal about what you love and are devoted to? And where can you find environments where the teachings of Jesus and the Bible can change and transform your life? This week, I will talking about some different environments where life change and transformation happen...
So, if our conversations are dominated by the things we love and our devoted to, then a natural question that arises is “what does the conversation of a person who has a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus Christ dominated by?” When people who are spiritually mature and growing talk about the Bible, what do you hear them say about it?
When you engage people who are growing and maturing in their relationship with God, what you find is that they are not just talking about theology or doctrine; people who are being transformed by their relationship with Jesus Christ talk about how the Bible and the teachings of Jesus have changed their life. Now I am not saying that theology and doctrine are not important, because theology and doctrine are essential components of our faith and our relationship with God. What I am saying is that theology and doctrine that does not lead to transformation is merely information. The Bible and the teachings of Jesus were not simply meant to be informative: the Bible and the teachings of Jesus are transformative.
So what do your conversations reveal about what you love and are devoted to? And where can you find environments where the teachings of Jesus and the Bible can change and transform your life? This week, I will talking about some different environments where life change and transformation happen...
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010
How do you read the Bible?
As I was preparing for this Sunday's message, I found myself thinking about how people can, and often do, read the Bible for the wrong reasons. For example, do you read the Bible for information or for transformation? A person who reads the Bible for information is focused on only two questions: "What does the Bible say?" and "What the Bible mean?" People who read the Bible for information approach it as an ancient document that may tells us about God and His activity 2,000 years ago. And that is where it stops. So we can find ourselves reading the Bible for the data, the doctrine, and the theology so that we can be religious people who spend their time discussing and debating, but not living a life that reflects its teachings.
A person who reads for transformation, on the other hand, is focused not only on what the Bible says and what the Bible means. The person who reads the Bible for transformation asks two additional questions: "What are the timeless truths that the Bible proclaims?" and "What do I do with the timeless truth that the Bible proclaims?"
The Bible was not inspired by God to be informational; the Bible was inspired by God to be transformational. The Bible was inspired by God to engage us in an encounter with Him that results in a life that is growing and maturing to look more like Him.
This Sunday, we will look at how God expects us to respond to the words contained in the Bible and how people who have a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus Christ engage this timeless book of timeless truth. Hope to see you there...
A person who reads for transformation, on the other hand, is focused not only on what the Bible says and what the Bible means. The person who reads the Bible for transformation asks two additional questions: "What are the timeless truths that the Bible proclaims?" and "What do I do with the timeless truth that the Bible proclaims?"
The Bible was not inspired by God to be informational; the Bible was inspired by God to be transformational. The Bible was inspired by God to engage us in an encounter with Him that results in a life that is growing and maturing to look more like Him.
This Sunday, we will look at how God expects us to respond to the words contained in the Bible and how people who have a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus Christ engage this timeless book of timeless truth. Hope to see you there...
Thursday, May 13, 2010
2 Kinds of Leaders...
In my experience there are two types of leaders. First, there are positional leaders. Positional leaders attempt to lead by leveraging their position and power to get others to accomplish their objectives. Positional leaders believe that their position affords them the right to be heard and lead. Positional leaders are often easy to identify, because their leadership is exemplified by the question "What are you doing to help me?" And while positional leaders will often wield power, they often have little authority. This tends to be the case because while power often comes with a position, authority can only be granted to you by others. When things go wrong, positional leaders will often look to others to accept both fault and responsibility, in order to protect their position.
Then there are servant leaders. Servant leaders attempt to lead by leveraging their position to empower, equip, and unleash others to accomplish a shared vision and mission. Servant leaders believe that their position affords them the right to serve others in order to earn the right to be heard and lead. Servant leaders are often easy to identify, because their leadership is exemplified by the question "What can I do to help?" As a result, servant leaders have both power and authority that has been granted by those around and under them. When things go wrong, servant leaders recognize that while it may not be their fault, they are responsible and accept the responsibility in order to better serve others.
Contrary to some opinions, the Bible repeatedly calls for qualified leadership. There are stories and books in the Bible that show how leadership, or the lack there of, can impact others. The Bible even gives qualifications for identifying Christ-centered and God honoring leaders. The tension we often face is not whether there is to be leadership, but what kind of leadership should there be?
Jesus answered this question for us in a conversation with His disciples:
"Calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, "You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. "But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." Mark 10:42-45
Jesus calls leaders to use their influence to be servant leaders, not positional leaders. So what type of leader do you desire to be? How are you using the influence that you have been given?
Then there are servant leaders. Servant leaders attempt to lead by leveraging their position to empower, equip, and unleash others to accomplish a shared vision and mission. Servant leaders believe that their position affords them the right to serve others in order to earn the right to be heard and lead. Servant leaders are often easy to identify, because their leadership is exemplified by the question "What can I do to help?" As a result, servant leaders have both power and authority that has been granted by those around and under them. When things go wrong, servant leaders recognize that while it may not be their fault, they are responsible and accept the responsibility in order to better serve others.
Contrary to some opinions, the Bible repeatedly calls for qualified leadership. There are stories and books in the Bible that show how leadership, or the lack there of, can impact others. The Bible even gives qualifications for identifying Christ-centered and God honoring leaders. The tension we often face is not whether there is to be leadership, but what kind of leadership should there be?
Jesus answered this question for us in a conversation with His disciples:
"Calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, "You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. "But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." Mark 10:42-45
Jesus calls leaders to use their influence to be servant leaders, not positional leaders. So what type of leader do you desire to be? How are you using the influence that you have been given?
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Why do people abandon Christianity for other religious systems?
Every day, there are people who walk away from following Jesus in order to embrace another religious system that either rejects the claims of Christ or provides a mere shadow of what the Bible states about Jesus Christ. So what causes people who have claimed to believe and follow the Jesus that we read about in the Bible to end up adopting or adapting to religious systems that contain faulty and heretical teaching?
In a letter in the Bible, a man named Paul prayed that early followers of Jesus "would be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding". Paul then reveals the knowledge and understanding that marks the core truth about Christianity:
"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-- all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. " Colossians 1:15-20
When we fail to know, understand, and embrace the truths that mark the core of the Christian faith, we place ourselves in a position to be influenced and misled into false and heretical religious systems. The reality is that in order to see and expose heresy and false religious systems for what they are, one first needs to know truth. All religious systems claim to represent truth; yet all religious systems differ on what the core religious truths are. Thus, two contradictory truths can not both be true; one is true and the other is false. Only by knowing truth can one fully embrace that truth and be aware of the heresy that many false religious systems present.
So have you critically thought about what you believe, regardless of the religious system you now subscribe to? Do you know why you believe what you believe? Do you really know, in an in-depth manner, what the religious system you follow believes about the nature and character of God, humanity, and other key truths?
Do not believe what you believe because you have been told it is true; believe what you believe because you have critically examined what you believe and know that it is true.
In a letter in the Bible, a man named Paul prayed that early followers of Jesus "would be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding". Paul then reveals the knowledge and understanding that marks the core truth about Christianity:
"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-- all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. " Colossians 1:15-20
When we fail to know, understand, and embrace the truths that mark the core of the Christian faith, we place ourselves in a position to be influenced and misled into false and heretical religious systems. The reality is that in order to see and expose heresy and false religious systems for what they are, one first needs to know truth. All religious systems claim to represent truth; yet all religious systems differ on what the core religious truths are. Thus, two contradictory truths can not both be true; one is true and the other is false. Only by knowing truth can one fully embrace that truth and be aware of the heresy that many false religious systems present.
So have you critically thought about what you believe, regardless of the religious system you now subscribe to? Do you know why you believe what you believe? Do you really know, in an in-depth manner, what the religious system you follow believes about the nature and character of God, humanity, and other key truths?
Do not believe what you believe because you have been told it is true; believe what you believe because you have critically examined what you believe and know that it is true.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Investing your interest...
One of the most interesting stories in the Bible is found in Matthew 16. Peter had just expressed his belief that Jesus was the Messiah who would rescue humanity from their selfishness and sin. Then, just a few minutes later, Peter rebukes Jesus for explaining that He was going to allow Himself to be treated as though He lived our selfish and sinful lives so that God the Father could treat us as though we lived Jesus perfect life. How could someone recognize and proclaim that Jesus was the Savior of the world one minute and then proceed to tell Jesus that His plan was flawed the next?
In Jesus response to Peter's rebuke, we find a timeless truth about why Peter did what he did:
"You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's." Matthew 16:23b
Just like Peter, we can find ourselves stumbling when it comes to following Jesus when we place our interests ahead of God's interests. But not only can we stumble when we place our interests above Jesus interests; we can also cause others to stumble when we place our interests above God's interests.
So are there interests in your life that compete with God's interests for your life? What are they? What needs to happen to align your interests with God's interests?
In Jesus response to Peter's rebuke, we find a timeless truth about why Peter did what he did:
"You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's." Matthew 16:23b
Just like Peter, we can find ourselves stumbling when it comes to following Jesus when we place our interests ahead of God's interests. But not only can we stumble when we place our interests above Jesus interests; we can also cause others to stumble when we place our interests above God's interests.
So are there interests in your life that compete with God's interests for your life? What are they? What needs to happen to align your interests with God's interests?
Monday, May 10, 2010
Monday morning reflections on the Christian atheist...
Yesterday, we talked in church about the fact that many people live their day to day lives as Christian Atheists. So what is a Christian Atheist? Here is the definition, per Craig Groeschel:
A Christian Atheist is a person who believes in God but lives life as though He does not exist.
So this morning, does that describe your relationship with God? The problem with being a Christian atheist is two-fold. First, Jesus had a lot to say about Christian atheists. And they were not the type of things we would want to hear. Here is just one example:
"You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: 'THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. 'BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.'" Matthew 15:7-9
Ouch! If that is not hard enough to hear, when we live our lives as Christian Atheists, we become stumbling blocks for others, who use our lives as evidence as to why they do not need to have a relationship with Jesus.
So are you a Christian atheist? Is there an aspect of your life that would reflect the reality that God does not exist? What do you find followers of Jesus struggling with when it comes to this issue?
Let me know what you think...
A Christian Atheist is a person who believes in God but lives life as though He does not exist.
So this morning, does that describe your relationship with God? The problem with being a Christian atheist is two-fold. First, Jesus had a lot to say about Christian atheists. And they were not the type of things we would want to hear. Here is just one example:
"You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: 'THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. 'BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.'" Matthew 15:7-9
Ouch! If that is not hard enough to hear, when we live our lives as Christian Atheists, we become stumbling blocks for others, who use our lives as evidence as to why they do not need to have a relationship with Jesus.
So are you a Christian atheist? Is there an aspect of your life that would reflect the reality that God does not exist? What do you find followers of Jesus struggling with when it comes to this issue?
Let me know what you think...
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Reflections on Mother's Day
In many ways, one of the most misunderstood women in the Bible is Mary, the mother of Jesus. While some streams of the Christian faith venerate her to the point of being an idol, other streams, like the one that I serve in, tend to minimize the impact of her life on history.
Mary was a teenage girl who was asked by God to trade in her hopes and dreams for a life of scorn and ridicule as the mother of "God in a bod"- Jesus. Mary responded to the prospect of losing her reputation, friends, and the life that she dreamed of, with humility, integrity, and faithfulness to the kingdom mission she was given.
While the Bible never tells us to elevate Mary to a place of worship and adoration, Mary is an amazing example of a mother who humbly and willingly sacrificed her hopes and dreams so that she could be the vehicle that God used to enter into the world to rescue humanity who had rebelled against Him.
So this Mother's Day, may we celebrate the influence and impact that mothers have in our lives. And may we celebrate the example that Mary provides us of how to live humbly, faithfully, and obediently in relationship with God.
Mary was a teenage girl who was asked by God to trade in her hopes and dreams for a life of scorn and ridicule as the mother of "God in a bod"- Jesus. Mary responded to the prospect of losing her reputation, friends, and the life that she dreamed of, with humility, integrity, and faithfulness to the kingdom mission she was given.
While the Bible never tells us to elevate Mary to a place of worship and adoration, Mary is an amazing example of a mother who humbly and willingly sacrificed her hopes and dreams so that she could be the vehicle that God used to enter into the world to rescue humanity who had rebelled against Him.
So this Mother's Day, may we celebrate the influence and impact that mothers have in our lives. And may we celebrate the example that Mary provides us of how to live humbly, faithfully, and obediently in relationship with God.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Ed Stetzer - Sometimes You Just Need a Diversion
Sometimes we need to laugh at ourselves; found this on Ed Stetzer's blog...so laugh away!
Ed Stetzer - Sometimes You Just Need a Diversion
Posted using ShareThis
Ed Stetzer - Sometimes You Just Need a Diversion
Posted using ShareThis
Friday, May 7, 2010
Is Christianity divisive?
A common theme in that occurs in the conversations that I have with those who are skeptical about the church and about Christianity is "Christians and Christianity is arrogant, judgmental and so divisive. How can you say that there is only one right way". Maybe you are reading this and agree with their statements. So is that the case?
First, I believe that these comments often flow out of a misunderstanding about Jesus. Jesus never claimed to be a unifying force in human history. Jesus claimed to be a force for transformation and change in the most profound and possible ways, but He never expected that everyone would unite behind His claims and His message. Just look at what Jesus had to say in Matthew 10:34-39:
"Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. "For I came to SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; and A MAN'S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD. "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. "And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. "He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it."
Jesus message and claim to be the only source of rescue, healing, and repair for our flawed and broken nature does divide people. Jesus was fully aware that His claims and message would either be enthusiastically embraced or violently opposed.
Second, I believe that these comments flow out of the reality that those who are skeptical of the claims of Christ have had the misfortune to run into His followers who do not reflect His character. The sad reality is that many followers of Jesus often are arrogant, judgmental, and divisive as they expect those who are not Christians to act like Christians, while at the same time allowing Christians to act like non Christians.
So, is the reason that Christianity is often viewed as divisive due to the claims and message of Christ; or is the reason that Christianity is often viewed as divisive because of His followers behavior? What attracted those who we would call seekers and what was undeniable to the skeptics and those who rejected the claims of Christ was the unity and love demonstrated by His followers. Maybe we should take that into consideration as we engage in conversations with those around us.
What do you think?
First, I believe that these comments often flow out of a misunderstanding about Jesus. Jesus never claimed to be a unifying force in human history. Jesus claimed to be a force for transformation and change in the most profound and possible ways, but He never expected that everyone would unite behind His claims and His message. Just look at what Jesus had to say in Matthew 10:34-39:
"Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. "For I came to SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; and A MAN'S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD. "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. "And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. "He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it."
Jesus message and claim to be the only source of rescue, healing, and repair for our flawed and broken nature does divide people. Jesus was fully aware that His claims and message would either be enthusiastically embraced or violently opposed.
Second, I believe that these comments flow out of the reality that those who are skeptical of the claims of Christ have had the misfortune to run into His followers who do not reflect His character. The sad reality is that many followers of Jesus often are arrogant, judgmental, and divisive as they expect those who are not Christians to act like Christians, while at the same time allowing Christians to act like non Christians.
So, is the reason that Christianity is often viewed as divisive due to the claims and message of Christ; or is the reason that Christianity is often viewed as divisive because of His followers behavior? What attracted those who we would call seekers and what was undeniable to the skeptics and those who rejected the claims of Christ was the unity and love demonstrated by His followers. Maybe we should take that into consideration as we engage in conversations with those around us.
What do you think?
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Does God punish people unfairly and unjustly?
This morning, I found myself looking at one of the most difficult parts of the Bible for people understand and accept, which is found in Malachi 1:2-5:
"I have loved you," says the LORD. But you say, "How have You loved us?" "Was not Esau Jacob's brother?" declares the LORD. "Yet I have loved Jacob; but I have hated Esau, and I have made his mountains a desolation and appointed his inheritance for the jackals of the wilderness"...Your eyes will see this and you will say, "The LORD be magnified beyond the border of Israel!"
What is God's point here? Does God just randomly flip a coin to decide who He loves and who He going to hate? Does God punish people unjustly? Is God unfair?
What God was trying to get His people to understand was they they were loved in spite of their behavior, not because of their behavior. We find Jacob and Esau in the 1st book of the Bible, Genesis. Jacob and Esau were brothers who both lived lives that did not follow God's teachings. Jacob was a deceiver and manipulator; Esau rejected his position of leadership as the older brother and rebelled against his parents and God. Both Jacob and Esau were worthy of punishment by God. Yet, while both were worthy of punishment, God chose to lovingly extend grace to Jacob. God did not punish Esau unjustly; Esau and his descendants received the punishment that their rebellious actions deserved. Jacob and his descendants, who became the Jewish people, were chosen by God to receive grace and forgiveness, in spite of their selfishness and sin. God's point through the prophet Malachi was that the Jewish people should respond to God's gracious choice by giving honor and glory to Him and to proclaim His love and grace to others.
In the same way, those who have become followers of Jesus are not better than those who have rejected Jesus; the only difference between a Christian and a non Christian is that a Christian has been forgiven as a result of God's sovereign and gracious activity in our lives. God is unfair; God is unfairly generous and gracious by offering grace and forgiveness in spite of what we have done. And the fact that we have received forgiveness in spite of what we have done should drive us to give honor and glory to God as we worship and proclaim God's grace to others.
So what do you think? Is God unfair? Is God unjust? Do you want God to be fair?
"I have loved you," says the LORD. But you say, "How have You loved us?" "Was not Esau Jacob's brother?" declares the LORD. "Yet I have loved Jacob; but I have hated Esau, and I have made his mountains a desolation and appointed his inheritance for the jackals of the wilderness"...Your eyes will see this and you will say, "The LORD be magnified beyond the border of Israel!"
What is God's point here? Does God just randomly flip a coin to decide who He loves and who He going to hate? Does God punish people unjustly? Is God unfair?
What God was trying to get His people to understand was they they were loved in spite of their behavior, not because of their behavior. We find Jacob and Esau in the 1st book of the Bible, Genesis. Jacob and Esau were brothers who both lived lives that did not follow God's teachings. Jacob was a deceiver and manipulator; Esau rejected his position of leadership as the older brother and rebelled against his parents and God. Both Jacob and Esau were worthy of punishment by God. Yet, while both were worthy of punishment, God chose to lovingly extend grace to Jacob. God did not punish Esau unjustly; Esau and his descendants received the punishment that their rebellious actions deserved. Jacob and his descendants, who became the Jewish people, were chosen by God to receive grace and forgiveness, in spite of their selfishness and sin. God's point through the prophet Malachi was that the Jewish people should respond to God's gracious choice by giving honor and glory to Him and to proclaim His love and grace to others.
In the same way, those who have become followers of Jesus are not better than those who have rejected Jesus; the only difference between a Christian and a non Christian is that a Christian has been forgiven as a result of God's sovereign and gracious activity in our lives. God is unfair; God is unfairly generous and gracious by offering grace and forgiveness in spite of what we have done. And the fact that we have received forgiveness in spite of what we have done should drive us to give honor and glory to God as we worship and proclaim God's grace to others.
So what do you think? Is God unfair? Is God unjust? Do you want God to be fair?
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
How should we pray?
This week I have been sharing how we can measure the depth of our love for God and our spiritual maturity by what we contemplate or think about, because we spend our time thinking about what we love and are devoted to. Yesterday, I talked about the danger of misunderstanding and misusing prayer with a focus on impressing others. A person who is in a growing and maturing relationship with God will spend time contemplating or thinking about God through the practice of prayer, either individually or in groups, with the focus of having communion with God and with the focus of hearing from God as well as being heard by God. Now a natural question that arises is “well what does the prayer of a person who is in a growing and maturing relationship with God look like?” Jesus Himself answered that question for us in Matthew 6:9-15:
"Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 'Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 'Give us this day our daily bread And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 'And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen].' "For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. "But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.
Notice the focus of this prayer. Jesus reveals for us that people who are charting a course to spiritual maturity by investing their time thinking about God reflect that reality in their prayers. The person who is in a growing and maturing relationship with God pray God centered and other centered prayers that focus on God as the center and God being the one who receives glory. The person who is in a growing and maturing relationship with God will pray in a way that acknowledges the reality that God is worthy of our awe and our worship. A person who is in a growing and maturing relationship with God acknowledges that God is large and in charge because He sets the agenda as our provider, our forgiver, our deliverer and our leader who is beyond anything we can wrap our minds around. A person who has a growing and maturing relationship with God recognizes these realities and asks God to align us with what He is doing and with what He desires us to be doing in the lives of those around us. Jesus also reveals to us the reality that a person who is in a growing and maturing relationship with God will pray in a way that acknowledges and understands that we are called by God to forgive others. And when we invest our time thinking about God in a way that reflects God’s nature and character, God leverages our time with Him in a way that transforms our hearts and our minds resulting in spiritual growth and maturity as He cultivates and develops a growing and maturing relationship with Him.
So what do your contemplations reveal about what you love and are devoted to? What does what you spend your time thinking about reveal about what you are focused on?
"Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 'Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 'Give us this day our daily bread And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 'And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen].' "For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. "But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.
Notice the focus of this prayer. Jesus reveals for us that people who are charting a course to spiritual maturity by investing their time thinking about God reflect that reality in their prayers. The person who is in a growing and maturing relationship with God pray God centered and other centered prayers that focus on God as the center and God being the one who receives glory. The person who is in a growing and maturing relationship with God will pray in a way that acknowledges the reality that God is worthy of our awe and our worship. A person who is in a growing and maturing relationship with God acknowledges that God is large and in charge because He sets the agenda as our provider, our forgiver, our deliverer and our leader who is beyond anything we can wrap our minds around. A person who has a growing and maturing relationship with God recognizes these realities and asks God to align us with what He is doing and with what He desires us to be doing in the lives of those around us. Jesus also reveals to us the reality that a person who is in a growing and maturing relationship with God will pray in a way that acknowledges and understands that we are called by God to forgive others. And when we invest our time thinking about God in a way that reflects God’s nature and character, God leverages our time with Him in a way that transforms our hearts and our minds resulting in spiritual growth and maturity as He cultivates and develops a growing and maturing relationship with Him.
So what do your contemplations reveal about what you love and are devoted to? What does what you spend your time thinking about reveal about what you are focused on?
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Why is homosexuality viewed as a sin?
A great engagement by John Piper on why the Bible views homosexuality as a sin and how we as followers of Jesus should engage others on this issue:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_n078cvLw8I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_n078cvLw8I
Misunderstanding and misusing prayer
Yesterday, I talked about being on the alert for the danger of living out our relationship with God in the presence of others with a focus on impressing others. This is especially dangerous when we are investing our time thinking about God through spiritual practices like prayer. Jesus exposed how the people of His day misunderstood and misused prayer with the wrong focus and motives:
"When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. "And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. "So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him." Matthew 6:5-8
To understand what Jesus is communicating here, we first need to understand what prayer looked like in Jesus day. In Jesus day, people prayed out loud in the temple. So, for those who wanted to show how spiritual they were, they would pray in a raised voice so as to attract attention and impress others. And if that was not bad enough, they would also repeat their prayer requests over and over again. Jesus, responding to what He had seen in the temple, tells that crowds listening that those who pray to be seen by men are posers, they are putting on an act. Jesus point was that the reason that people were posers was because they misunderstood and misused prayer and prayed with the wrong focus in mind. You see, prayer is more about communion with God than it is communication with God. When we pray, we are, in a mystical and supernatural way, entering into the presence of God. When we pray, we are spending time in the presence of God not only to speak with God; when we pray, we are to be carving out space to hear from God. But how often do our prayers look something like this: “Dear God, thanks for this day, OK got that out of the way; God please bless me, protect me, give me, make her like me.” So we come to God with our list of what we want Him to do for us and spend little or no time quiet before Him to let Him speak to us. So prayer ends up being a one way conversation when it was designed to be a dialogue; where God speaks to us by His Holy Spirit through a part of Scripture that He brings to our attention, or through an impression that He places on our hearts, or through bringing to remembrance a piece of counsel we have received from Him or others in the past.
Jesus is not talking about a private prayer closet here; Jesus was communicating to the crowd, and to us today, is that we are not to pray with a focus on us or so that the people around us, who are visible, can see and hear us. A person who is in a growing and maturing relationship with God will spend time contemplating or thinking about God through the practice of prayer, either individually or in groups, with a focus of having communion with God and with a focus of hearing from God as well as being heard by God.
Now a natural question that arises is “well what does the prayer of a person who is in a growing and maturing relationship with God look like?” We'll look at that tomorrow.
So what do you find yourself focusing on when you pray? How do you define prayer?
"When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. "And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. "So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him." Matthew 6:5-8
To understand what Jesus is communicating here, we first need to understand what prayer looked like in Jesus day. In Jesus day, people prayed out loud in the temple. So, for those who wanted to show how spiritual they were, they would pray in a raised voice so as to attract attention and impress others. And if that was not bad enough, they would also repeat their prayer requests over and over again. Jesus, responding to what He had seen in the temple, tells that crowds listening that those who pray to be seen by men are posers, they are putting on an act. Jesus point was that the reason that people were posers was because they misunderstood and misused prayer and prayed with the wrong focus in mind. You see, prayer is more about communion with God than it is communication with God. When we pray, we are, in a mystical and supernatural way, entering into the presence of God. When we pray, we are spending time in the presence of God not only to speak with God; when we pray, we are to be carving out space to hear from God. But how often do our prayers look something like this: “Dear God, thanks for this day, OK got that out of the way; God please bless me, protect me, give me, make her like me.” So we come to God with our list of what we want Him to do for us and spend little or no time quiet before Him to let Him speak to us. So prayer ends up being a one way conversation when it was designed to be a dialogue; where God speaks to us by His Holy Spirit through a part of Scripture that He brings to our attention, or through an impression that He places on our hearts, or through bringing to remembrance a piece of counsel we have received from Him or others in the past.
Jesus is not talking about a private prayer closet here; Jesus was communicating to the crowd, and to us today, is that we are not to pray with a focus on us or so that the people around us, who are visible, can see and hear us. A person who is in a growing and maturing relationship with God will spend time contemplating or thinking about God through the practice of prayer, either individually or in groups, with a focus of having communion with God and with a focus of hearing from God as well as being heard by God.
Now a natural question that arises is “well what does the prayer of a person who is in a growing and maturing relationship with God look like?” We'll look at that tomorrow.
So what do you find yourself focusing on when you pray? How do you define prayer?
Monday, May 3, 2010
Charting a course with our contemplations
As a church, we have been wrestling with the question "What does a person who has a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus look like"? One of the ways that we can measure the depth of our love for God and the level of spiritual maturity is by evaluating how much time we spend contemplating or thinking about God, because we spend our time contemplating, or thinking about what we love and are devoted to, don’t we? A common thread that we see in the lives of people who have a growing and maturing relationship with God is that they invest time contemplating, thinking, and interacting with God. Now a natural question that arises is how do we invest time contemplating, thinking, and interacting with God, who is invisible and inaudible? As followers of Jesus, we invest time contemplating, thinking, and interacting with God through what are called spiritual disciplines. While the term spiritual disciplines sounds, well disciplined and intense, spiritual disciplines are simply ways that we carve out space in our lives to contemplate, think, and interact with Jesus so that we can encounter Him and be changed by Him. And in the Bible, Jesus reveals for us the reality that charting a course to spiritual maturity requires investing time thinking about God. In a famous sermon He preached, we also see Jesus reveal that we can misunderstand and misuse our time that we spend contemplating and thinking about God:
"Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 6:1
Jesus makes the crowd listening to Him aware of a potential danger that can occur while we are living out our relationship with God. Jesus warns the crowd, and to us today, that we need to be on alert when we are investing our time with God while in the presence of others. Jesus then reveals that what we need to be on the alert for the desire to be noticed by men. In essence, Jesus is warning us to be alert to the danger of investing our time with God through the practice of what we call spiritual disciplines in a way that is focused on impressing others. Jesus explains that investing our time with God in a way that is focused on impressing others causes us to lose our reward from our Father in Heaven. When Jesus speaks of the concept of rewards in Heaven, He is speaking about the amount of recognition one will receive from God for the quality their relationship with Him. The principle that Jesus is revealing here is that those who invest their time contemplating or thinking about God with a focus on impressing others will not develop a growing and maturing relationship with Him.
This week, we will look at how we can misuse and misunderstand a common spiritual practice, prayer. We will also look at how a person who has a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus prays.
Do you find yourself struggling with trying to impress others with how you pray or worship? What do you struggle with when it comes to investing time thinking about God?
"Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 6:1
Jesus makes the crowd listening to Him aware of a potential danger that can occur while we are living out our relationship with God. Jesus warns the crowd, and to us today, that we need to be on alert when we are investing our time with God while in the presence of others. Jesus then reveals that what we need to be on the alert for the desire to be noticed by men. In essence, Jesus is warning us to be alert to the danger of investing our time with God through the practice of what we call spiritual disciplines in a way that is focused on impressing others. Jesus explains that investing our time with God in a way that is focused on impressing others causes us to lose our reward from our Father in Heaven. When Jesus speaks of the concept of rewards in Heaven, He is speaking about the amount of recognition one will receive from God for the quality their relationship with Him. The principle that Jesus is revealing here is that those who invest their time contemplating or thinking about God with a focus on impressing others will not develop a growing and maturing relationship with Him.
This week, we will look at how we can misuse and misunderstand a common spiritual practice, prayer. We will also look at how a person who has a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus prays.
Do you find yourself struggling with trying to impress others with how you pray or worship? What do you struggle with when it comes to investing time thinking about God?
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Reflections on 17 Years of Wedded Bliss...
As Julie and I celebrate our 17th wedding anniversary, we rejoice in all that God has done in and through our lives together. As I reflect on the journey that we have had together, several thoughts come to mind:
Marriage is where one best experiences God's other-centered love. The best definition of Biblical love that I have hear is "giving someone what they need the most when they deserve it the least". During our 17 years together, there have been many times where Julie has done just that for me, and I am so grateful, which leads me to...
Marriage is where we best experience and express love. It is in the covenant commitment of marriage that provides the best arena to express and experience love. It is within the lifetime commitment of marriage that we can truly be vulnerable, transparent, and secure in our expression of love. I rejoice in the 17 years of love that I have experienced with Julie. I also rejoice in the opportunity that God has given us to expand our loving relationship through the gift of our daughter Rachel. Which leads me to...
Marriage is what best expresses God's faithful devotion. Marriage was Divinely designed by God to reflect the covenant relationship that He has with His people (Ephesians 5:25-32). Marriage provides a picture of the commitment that God has to His followers, regardless of their performance. I rejoice in the faithful devotion that Julie and I have toward one another through 17 years of incredible highs and painful lows; through incredible career and geographic transitions; through life and death, sickness and health.
So today, I rejoice in God's gift of marriage and my 17 years with Julie. It is the covenant commitment of marriage that reflects God's commitment to His followers and creates the space and security to best experience and express His love through others.
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