At the Center

For what it is worth...

2012-01-13T16:46:00.000-08:00

I am going to be blogging over here for a while. Maybe permanently. Time will tell.

Good stuff from Colossians

2012-01-05T21:10:00.000-08:00

I have started reading Tullian Tchividjian's book, "Jesus + Nothing = Everything." At the same time, I am listening to Matt Chandler preach through Colossians. Kind of a double whammy, since Tullian takes a lot of what he says from Colossians. Anyway, here are some thoughts/quotes from the first 3 sermons by Matt.

You can't love God and hate the church. (But that doesn't mean you have to agree with everything that is going on in current Evangelical churches either).
According to the Bible, it is not just your badness that falls short, it is your goodness too. (So just showing up for church doesn't give me any brownie points? What about all the pain I am going through! Has God heard my preacher?)
We don't do good works to fall in love with God, we fall in love and then do good works. (Just like obeying the speed limit really doesn't make me love that cop sitting behind that sign.)

I obey the speed limit because I don't want a ticket. If that is all there is to my religion, I fear that I am just wasting my time. If I don't see God as beautiful, I would feel just as out of place in heaven as I do when my wife hosts a Pampered Chef party. And I don't think that is any way to spend eternity. Do you?

Reasons 5-8

2012-01-03T09:38:00.000-08:00

I want to finish up my post on the 8 reasons to read your Bible, as shared by our pastor.

My original post is here.

5. So I can get the most out of life. (Josh 1:8)
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Sounds like a verse that Joel Osteen would quote. It is not that I do not believe God's promises, it is our interpretation of them I struggle with. Instead of Joel, how would John the Baptist interpret this verse? Remember him? The one about whom Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he." (Mt 11:11) This man was the ultimate prophet, yet he was imprisoned and his life sold for a lap dance. I think it is a matter of perspective. I think that John did get the most out of life. I just think that most people would not interpret this statement in that manner. I have heard my pastor preach, and I don't think he would either.

6. So I can know what is true. (Acts 17:11)
Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

There is no greater tool for truth than God's word. If only we didn't let our preconceptions get in the way so often.

7. So I can be close to God and learn from Him.(Heb 10:22)
let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

I love this verse, but not sure how this snippet of a much larger section is appropriate here. Read the entire paragraph! He is talking about a life style here, not just 10-20 minutes of reading and a journal entry on the "zinger" verse. He is talking about the confidence we can now have because of what Christ has done for us, and how that confidence should change us and the way we treat others. Perhaps more appropriate would be Deut. 5:6 "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." which conveys the very essence of our faith. Yet I remember a man who knew this verse and quoted it to Jesus and was then told that he was close to the kingdom of God. I find that one of the saddest verses in the Bible, because while we were told that he was close, we never know if he made it. I want to be more than close.

8. So I will have hope. (Rom 15:4)
For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Read the entire paragraph here. It is not that reading the Scriptures shouldn't give us hope, it is just that the hope should not end on us, but rather it has the purpose of changing us so that we might glorify God by how we live and treat others.

So I will end with this...Read your Bible, whether it be on a plan or not. A lover of God should want to know all that he or she can about the object of their love. In fact, if all you do is attend church, tithe, and even do read your Bible, but do it in a sense that you are fulfilling your obligation to God, then I think you need to question your love for Him and maybe even question your salvation. (You won't hear that coming out of our pulpit on a Sunday.) Selah.

Reasons 3 & 4

2012-01-02T18:01:00.000-08:00

I want to quickly touch on numbers 3 and 4 of our pastor's reasons to read the Bible.

3. So I will not sin. (Ps 119:11)
"I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you."

Bible reading is a great place to start when it comes to not sinning against God. Knowing God and His ways, and seeing Him for who He truly is should keep us from sinning against Him, shouldn't it? So how come it didn't work out that way for David when it came to Bathsheba? I think the answer lies in Ps 119:10:
"With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!"
Verse 11 must be understood in light of verse 10. It is not just storing up God's Word that keeps us from sin, it is storing up His Word because of our great love for Him. Without that part, it is just a legalistic trap that will only make us think more of ourselves than we ought.

4. So I can find comfort. (Ps 119:52)
"When I think of your rules from of old, I take comfort, O LORD."

Yes, there are times when I find comfort in reading the word of God. And yet, there are times when I find it down right uncomfortable too. Especially some of those red-letter words of Christ. I find comfort in a Savior who loves me and gave Himself for me. But I get a bit squeemish when He calls me to carry my cross and die to myself. Rules I can live with. But if reading the Bible doesn't make me a bit uncomfortable at times, I question if I am reading it right.

Reason 2

2012-01-02T08:53:00.000-08:00

As I continue to blog about our pastor's 8 reasons to read the Bible, we come to #2.

Reason #2: So my decisions will be wise. (Ps 32:8)

Ps 32:8
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

Reading the Bible to become wiser is an admirable goal. I think I might have used He 4:12 or James 1:5 or James 3:17 as a proof text, but perhaps that is being picky.

Wisdom is an admirable thing. Unfortunately, wisdom is not guaranteed just because one reads the Bible. When I think of wisdom, I think of Solomon. When given the chance to have anything his heart desired, he asked for wisdom. Yet even Solomon made his share of mistakes. I think the counsel that I get from here is that with wisdom comes responsibility. We preach about change, and how we can achieve it, but change does not come just from the desire for change. Our President should be able to tell you that. Change is a desirable message, but without a new heart, change is only surface and will not last.

Our Youth Pastor confirmed this yesterday as he preached. He concluded with an impassioned plea to get on board with the reading program. Yet he also confessed his previous experiences with such plans and how they always fizzled out after a period of time.

Reading the Bible to achieve wisdom is admirable. But perhaps even more admirable is to first lay yourself at the foot of the cross. I have always liked the way the Message Bible translates Proverbs 1:7,

Start with God—the first step in learning is bowing down to God;
only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning.

Reading the Bible is a great thing, but we must also be aware that some of the most prolific readers of the Bible were the scribes and pharisees.

Reason 1

2012-01-01T22:17:00.000-08:00

I want to address the 8 reasons our church's pastor has given as to why one should read the Bible.

Reason 1: So my prayers will be answered. (Jn 15:7)

John 15:7 reads... "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you."

So is what Jesus was saying here is, "If you read my word, your prayers will be answered?" Or is He speaking of something much more demanding. He is not talking about reading the Bible, He is talking about abiding in Him and His word. ABIDING. Living, dwelling, growing in these things. Doing them, and not just reading about them.

Again I want to emphasize that I am not against reading the Bible, and some people do well with reading plans. Good for them. And some people just read.

I think it is a mistake to think that because we read the Bible, God will do a better job of answering our prayers. I believe it borders on prosperity theology. And it is selfish.

This verse belongs on a coffee cup, and it probably is on some. But it is not a proof text for Bible reading.

At least that is my opinion.

Added 1/2: I kept thinking about the Lord's Prayer after I posted this. "Thy will be done." If we always pray with an attitude of thy will be done, will our prayers ever go unanswered? So perhaps instead of praying to get our prayers answered, we should read the Bible to get a better understanding of prayer and how to pray.

He would have been 49 today.

2011-12-29T19:57:00.000-08:00

I stopped in my insurance agent today, and had to sign a paper. When I hesitated before putting the date, she said, "It's the 29th." I responded with a "sheesh." and she said, "Yes, the year has gone fast."

But my "sheesh" came for a different reason. My brother would have been 49 today. He died several years ago of an intentional overdose. He just couldn't take being an addict anymore. It was so bad that he chose to take his life over it. So much for drugs being an escape from one's problems.

I do not know his eternal destiny, although things don't look good. He was antagonistically agnostic. He had a Buddha in his house, but when questioned about Buddhism, he admitted he did not really know much about it. I think it was mostly there to antagonize any Christians who might enter, like me.

He tried 12 step programs, but they don't work so well when you refuse to have anything to do with a higher-power. And yet, he believed in something. He was, among other things, a mountain climber. He said once, "You can't stand on a mountain and look around and say this all happened by chance. There has to be a creator."

Yet, he didn't like the creator. He didn't want to have anything to do with a god who would let children starve, or any of the other seemingly unexplainable miseries that befall mankind.

Brother, you are still loved and missed. I wish we could have talked more, although I don't know if it would have changed anything. I wish you peace. I pray that in those last moments, you wrestled with God and lost, that you might win something greater.

Why don't I like what I see?

2011-12-29T18:19:00.000-08:00

Jesus asked Peter, "Do you love me?" and Peter replied, "Yeah, sure, Lord. I like ya."

This comes to mind because our church is encouraging a Bible reading plan for this year. Now, I am all for Bible reading, but it is their motivation for the plan that concerns me. Here are their "8 good reasons to listen to God daily through His Word:

So my prayers will be answered. (Jn 15:7)
So my decisions will be wise. (Ps 32:8)
So I will not sin. (Ps 119:11)
So I can find comfort. (Ps 119:52)
So I can get the most out of life. (Josh 1:8)
So I can know what is true. (Acts 17:11)
So I can be close to God and learn from Him.(Heb 10:22)
So I will have hope. (Rom 15:4)

On the surface, these all sound like great things. But why is it I keep hearing, "Yeah, sure, Lord, we like ya."

Like I stated already, I am all for the reading of God's word, and I think it is powerful and can transform lives. But I also know that the scribes and pharisees were very devout in their knowledge and reading of God's Word, and that didn't work out so well for them.

Jesus question holds the answer. "Do you love me?" What is our motivation for reading the Word? Is it for what I will get out of it? Or is it because I love God and desperately want to draw closer to Him? Mere obedience does not bring about change. I (try to) obey the speed limit, but that does not make me love the police. I do it to not exact the consequence.

I guess that is why I think of this passage when I heard about the reading plan. I have contacted the pastor about some of the statements I hear from the pulpit. He puts me off for months. When he finally does talk to me, he promises to pray about it and get back with me. What he does is then send me a letter saying that if I do not have full confidence in his preaching, perhaps I should find another church. He follows that up with a meeting with myself and a couple of elders. No mention is made of my questions, just a meeting to say that we need to get along and start over. I left for a few weeks, but decided that I should not allow this bullying to chase me away from a church. I now attend again, but listen to my i-pod during sermons. Although many have seen this, no one questions anything. (What elephant in the room?)

"If you love me, feed my sheep."

"Yeah, sure, Lord, we like ya."

Late night ramblings...why I won't give up

2011-12-21T20:57:00.000-08:00

I am lucky to post 1 to 3 times a month these days. A far cry from what I am used to. Several reasons. The main being life is so busy right now. Work load is awful, father-in-law not doing well, mother-in-law driving everyone crazy. Wife struggling with her father's decline and mother's expectations (they live with us). Oldest son lives out of state, and we are not sure how he is really doing. The list goes on. And through it all, our church ignores us, treats us like outcasts or as non-existent, and just lives in a glory that isn't really there at all.

And yet, I believe in a sovereign God. So I can smile sometimes during the day. I can continue to praise Him, even though times are tougher than I would like. (Take that, Joel Osteen!) Like Job, I am sure that some would just advise me to curse God and die (or quit or leave or find another church). But my God allows me to stay, even in the midst of trials. Somehow, I should be glorifying Him through all of this, and I pray that I am. I do not seek to be a martyr, but I dare not run either.

Contrary to what I read in the Purpose Driven sequel called SHAPE, it is not my strengths and abilities that honor God, but it is my weaknesses and inabilities. It is the things that drop me to my knees that draw me to Him. Maybe I don't have the most read, coolest, most techno-savy blog. But maybe I touch a heart or two. Maybe I don't lead a platoon to Christ, but maybe I just fill the gaps that God desires I fill.

Just a little late night rambling from a man who is tired, but who clings to a faith that will not let me down, and a God who cannot fail.

I have really done this, and still do it!

2011-12-07T18:13:00.001-08:00

We had been in limbo for a while, searching for a place to worship. We either had issues with doctrine or theology or both. So we tried worshipping a home, but felt something was missing.

We decided to go back where we had previously worshipped, even though we felt the preaching sucks. Really, I can't think of a politically correct word for what I hear. Like recently, two of points were that 1) We should trust the promiser and not his promises; and 2) We should focus on the relationship and not the results.

But why would I trust a promiser who does not keep his promises? Why does God make promises and swear by Himself? I need to trust His promises, not as I understand them, but as He gives them. God is completely faithful. And to tell me not to trust in His promises belittles Him.

And why have a relationship and not consider the results? Unless we go in with selfish motives and then of course we will be unhappy. One of the greatest things about a true relationship with God is the result of the changed life I have as a result. That is why I seek a relationship, because I know God is good and I trust in Him.

So what have I done to resolve my dilemma? I use my i-pod during services to listen to preachers that uplift God rather than try to sell some god to me that needs to have someone give excuses for his imperfections. Really. And the preacher has seen me with them in. And no one says a word about it. Now, I must have had them a little loud a couple of weeks ago, because the little old lady in the row in front of me looked back at me a few times, but no one has said a word in the 4 weeks we have been back. Because if you ignore the elephant in the room, it isn't there, is it?

Why go back if it is that bad? Because we have made some connections there that will likely fade if we leave, and we don't feel that we should have to give them up. Strong, gospel centered connections.

Maybe someday they will talk to me. Maybe someday I will have an opportunity to say something that will change them. I am going to leave that in God's hands. I am not seeking to create controversy, but you really can't have a controversy if one party refuses to participate. I just want to worship.

Maybe I do need to turn up the volume a bit more though.

D is for Death

2011-11-08T14:20:00.000-08:00

Jesus said to live for Him, we must die to self. That is so contrary to what we hear today in our churches.

When did Jesus have a hog roast, carnival, picnic, basketball team, or other event just to draw in new members. Yes, I know about the feeding of the 5,000, but read it, it was not a membership draw. In fact, after feeding them, he tells them they were only there for the food! Harsh!

But as I read through the gospels, I see a lot of harsh teachings. That is about the only place I see harsh teaching, in the church it is often non-existant or buried in a load of fluff.

Dying is not a pretty thought. But perhaps we need to get over that idea. Carrying a cross is not a pretty thought, but we are told to do that too. But the cross we carry too often has wheels on it, and padding where it touches our shoulder. Blisters and blood would turn people off, and that crown of thorns is over the top.

All that talk about turning the other cheek, going the extra mile...

D is for death, but I will have to blog more about that later...my carpal tunnel is kicking in and it hurts to type too much. (No, I don't have carpal tunnel, I am being sarcastic).

C is for Christ

2011-11-06T18:00:00.001-08:00

Matthew 16:16
¹⁶Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Matthew 16:22
²²And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you."

I am often intrigued by Peter. One moment calling Him the Christ, and the next, rebuking Him. How could Peter do that.

Then I look at me. Haven't I accepted Him as Lord of my life? Don't I confess Him as Christ. So why is it that I often want to rebuke Him? Isn't that what I do every time I take matters into my own hands? If He is Lord, He should be in control. If I confess He is Christ, don't I also confess that I am not?

Aren't I just like Peter, walking on the water, looking around and seeing all the turmoil, and starting to sink. I need to see Him as more than just my Savior, I need Christ.

B is for Beautiful

2011-10-10T16:18:00.000-07:00

God is beautiful. How can He not be? He is perfect in all ways. I cannot imagine what it will be like to someday behold Him, although the thought puts both joy and fear in me. I know that some would disagree with me here. What about evil? What about disease and starvation and poverty and death? Are these not a reflection of our creator, if indeed we are created? And I could argue about the birth of a child, the sunset, the blooming of a rose, a cool, starry evening. But it is not a competition of which is greater. I don't understand all of creation, but I know that I am not at its center. He is beautiful in my eyes because I see Him. Looking at anything else is just a distraction.

I sometimes wonder what kind of parents these people are, who fault God for the calamities that befall man. Are they the kind of parents who only give their children good, even if they do not deserve it? Do they pat the child on the back after he has just taken a knife and carved their name in the walls of the house or the dining table and say, "Look how cute? I wonder what he could do if we gave him a chainsaw?" Or do they come home and ask their child how to spend their paycheck? Surely, if there is a God, He has the right to make creation as He sees fit. And it does not take away from His beauty any more than my deciding how to spend my paycheck takes away from my love for my children.

Kids have such a funny concept of money. I remember when my oldest son was much younger. We drove by a house and he thought we should buy it. Trying to deter him, I said that house must cost $100,000! He said, no problem, had $100, if I had the $1,000. I wish it worked that way, I'd own more real estate. But I explained to him it would take 100-thousand dollar bills, and that was a lot. We drove on, him understanding a bit more about finances, me amused at his understanding.

God is beautiful. Perfect in ways I cannot understand. He does things I sometimes wish were done in other ways. But He is infinite in knowledge, I am finite. But if you have a house you want to sell for about $100,000.00, I have $100...and I am sure I can get a loan for the $1,000. Do we have a deal?

A is for Almighty

2011-10-09T10:44:00.000-07:00

God is God. There is nothing that I can do to change that. Even unbelief does not change that. God knows this. He is not threatened by me or any other individual for that matter. That is one thing that makes Him such an awesome God.

He is the Almighty, the creator of Heaven and Earth. He alone is worthy of all worship and praise.

And this Almighty God loves me. Now, I shouldn't let that go to my head. His love gives me a reason to live, but it does not make me more important than anyone else.

I say this because I need to be reminded of it. I look at all of the philosophies and thrologies that are out there, and I make a conscious effort to choose what I believe is right. I hear a lot about how God is love. But I have to wonder how His love is different from my idea of love. His love is not just a gushy feeling, but it encompasses things like justice and judgment. It has to, or it would not be love.

He is Almighty, and I am not. He wants my praise, but He will not compromise who He is to get it. Nor will He be changed if He does not. God does not change. He is not like the fickle people we are, who alter our behavior if something or someone does not cater to Him. He is God.

I guess that is why reformed theology appeals to me. I used to think so much less of God. I used to think that my importance to Him could change Him. But that is unscriptural. I used to think that He was content with whatever I had to offer. Imagine, an Almighty God who was impressed by my returning his sixpence. How much more beautiful to think of Him as a Father who looks and the sixpence and smiles, lovingly, knowing it is a gift from the heart. How much more damning that He is also the Almighty God who knows when it is not. I cannot fool Him, even if I fool myself.

A is for Almighty.

Pat Robertson and Love

2011-09-28T19:16:00.000-07:00

I read a few days ago a few posts about Pat Robertson's comment regarding a man who wanted to divorce his wife because she had Alzheimer's. In case you did not hear, Pat Robertson (supposedly, I did not hear the comments myself) said that the man should go ahead and divorce her.

When his co-anchor asked if this broke his wedding vows, Pat responded that vows were "until death do us part, and this is a kind of death."

Does this bother anyone? While I am sure Pat took some heat for this, is this just a non-issue for most folks. Isn't Pat just stating what our itching ears want to hear? Isn't he just stating what most of us practice in some form or another? Isn't he just stating our truth. When the going gets tough, the tough find a loophole or a justification for their actions.

We live in time of economic crisis. Will borrowing more money really get us out of this mess?
We see the poor and afflicted. What do we do to help them in Jesus' name? Not even a cup of cold water?
We make vows to our spouses. We tell them we love them. But when that beauty fades or they are no longer of service to us, we cast them aside. Was not the person we loved really ourselves? As long as we get what we want, we love and stay together. Was that the vow we took?

It is no wonder that non-Christians are not affected by us. We don't clothe ourselves in Christ, we just put on a t-shirt that says, "I love Jesus because saying so gets me into heaven." Problem is, we have never read the back of the shirt. It says, "I wanted to go to heaven, but all I got was this lousy t-shirt!"

That's been my experience...

2011-09-17T19:52:00.000-07:00

I was listening to a Matt Chandler sermon. If you are not familiar with Matt, he has a less that positive view of most of what is done in the name of evangelicalism.

In this particular sermon, he mentions how many churches are about confirmation. We confirm that what the minister says is good and right, and he confirms us through his distortion of the word. Has Matt been to my church?

I did not confirm the minister, but I questioned what he said or at least how he said it. Did he really say that good deeds plus the gospel = Jesus follower? Yup, and I have the outline to prove it. Now I am not opposed to good deeds. But they are not in needed in addition to the gospel, are they? Are they not rather a response to the gospel. I guess what bothers me most is the fine line that is walked. I cannot say that he is wrong. In some ways he is right. Faith without works is dead. But taken in context, that is not how I see him meaning it. Not when you take all of the other statements and see a bigger picture.

I can't confirm that message. But he won't either. I find it sad.

I still haven't found...

2011-09-17T19:51:00.000-07:00

Things continue to be busy at work. It seems that shortening our day by 30 minutes actualy makes for more work, as I try to figure out how to get everything done that needs done. Add to the the new "fixes" they have incorporated into our teaching, and it is amazing I have time to sleep at all. Hence, the blog has taken a back seat lately. But sometimes I just need a break from grading papers, like now.

Tomorrow will be the 4th Sunday away from UCC (which I pronounce phonetically as Uck!) We have had an elder stop by to encourage us to return, but not another sound. I am sure that many do not even realize we are gone.

We went to a Presbyterian church last weekend. Not the place for us, although I had such hopes. So much of their service was consumed by their upcoming building project. It made me uncomfortable. They asked when we signed in if they could contact us...(silence)

So we will worship at home tomorrow. Sing a bit, listen to a sermon (tomorrow will most likely be a Tim Keller sermon), share communion and pray. We will talk about how we can give back to God some of what he has given us.

I want a church home, but I don't want to play church. I can't pretend all is well and paint a smile on my face. I pray God will lead us somewhere soon.

Mother Fletcher

2011-08-30T17:37:00.000-07:00

Life has been crazy! School is back in session, and I have been going non-stop trying to keep up. They have initiated so many changes this year, it is like starting over.

Church is crazy too. I applied to teach Sunday School. I was told that if I am going to teach SS, I must attend worship. I politely refused, which drove the SS Chairman bonkers. So I had to explain how I have had questions about the minister's sermons and he refuses to speak to me. Yet he tells the SS Chairman how much he respects me and the manner in which I approached him.

So I am reading this week's story for my class. It is about a woman in Harlem who invites a friendly police officer to Christmas dinner. She says this, "'Cause the more you expect the more you get your heart broke up. But you got to be ready whey they do act right because that's what makes the surviving worth surviving. That make any sense to you, honey?'"

Well, it makes a lot of sense to me. We have stopped attending our church, but have left the door open if they want to talk to us. I really don't have a high expectation. The SS Chairman did stop by, but only to convince me to come back. He knows my background and has seen me teach, and has told me I have a lot to offer. I reiterated my position. I would love to return, but not if it means showing up and listening without being able to question. He told me that the minster knew he was coming to see me, but did not offer to join him. That spoke volumes to me.

It hurts. Even though we have only a little over a year invested there. I am sad for them. One of the elders, who I have known for a long time, came from a similar background. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church, training to become a minster. He was asked to leave because he wanted to do what he believed the Bible wanted him to do. Now he is on the other side of the table. How ironic.

Well, back to school work. I hope to be caught up and back to more frequent blogging within a few weeks.

If you have about 45 minutes...

2011-08-02T18:37:00.001-07:00

That's always been my experience...

2011-08-01T10:04:00.000-07:00

I had lunch about a week ago with a man from our church. During the course of lunch, we discussed some theology. I am Reformed and Calvinist. He leans toward a prosperity theology. He quoted a verse in Corinthians to support his thoughts (I wish I had written it down) and also stated, "That's always been my experience, when I am closer to God He blesses me more and more." The context of our conversation made it plain that this was in regard to material things.

But what about the Bible? Taken as a whole, we cannot find this theology to be supported. The Apostles died horrible deaths, and suffered along the way. I think of Stephen, John the Baptist, Jesus' mother just as a few other examples. I just finished reading Trevin Wax's Blog and see all that he had endured this month. Either this theology is wrong, or Trevin has been a very bad boy. I don't know him personally, but I am going to go with the former.

God is a God of comfort. To know comfort, we must know pain. There have been times in this life He has been all I have had to cling to. While I do not like pain, those times have brought a bond that gets stronger every time.

Has God blessed me materially? Yes. But that is not the only kind of comfort He intends for me to have. Because God loves me, he will allow me to walk through the valley of death too. The place where His rod of correction and his staff of leadership will give me what I need. At least, that's always been my experience.

Here is a video Trevin had posted at the end of his post. I have always loved Bebo Normen, and this is powerful.

He said it on our way home from the county fair

2011-07-20T21:31:00.000-07:00

From love arises hatred of those things which are contrary to what we love...

-Jonathan Edwards

That one is found on page 13 of Religious Affections.

Edwards is looking at the question, "What is true religion?" And a large part of that answer is affection. Loving God, the greatest command of all. But what does it mean to love God?

I love my family. If you want to get on my bad side, do something that harms my family. What kind of husband would I be if I said I loved my wife, but watched as someone abused or berated her and did nothing? What kind of father would I be if I observed my children being bullied and just watched and laughed. No, my love and affection for them would cause me to react in a different way.

So what about God? Do we love Him? Do we come to His defense when He is attacked?

My 9 year old son and I were driving to the county fair, listening to the radio. A man was on who had witnessed many atheists and those who had given up their faith. He said that in his experience, people who rejected God on a rational basis always had a painful past that led to this attitude. As he spoke, he mentioned one who had rejected God because his fiance had gotten ill, and even after much intense prayer, she died. I was not aware how intently my son was listening, but suddenly he burst out, "That's ridiculous! You shouldn't hate God just because your fiance dies! God can't do everything! Well, He can, but He does not have to. You shouldn't hate God just because you don't get what you want!"

And I pray that that child-like affection and devotion, that love and instinct to protect a God that he loves, will never, ever die. No wonder Jesus loved the little children, and stated that the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as them.

Wish I woulda said that...

2011-07-19T15:29:00.000-07:00

In nothing is vigor in the actings of our inclinations so requisite, as in religion; and in nothing is lukewarmness so odious. -Jonathan Edwards

It is on page 6 of "Religious Affections." My progress in this book is slow. So much to drink in. Why does it always sound more obvious when someone else says it? Shouldn't I understand that without passion, without love, my works are hollow?

So many Scriptures come to mind that validate this idea, yet I continue to fall short. I need to put these Scriptures more before me.

Isaiah 64:6 All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.

What Scripture comes to your mind?

What is your answer to this question?

2011-07-18T08:37:00.000-07:00

I just started reading through Jonathan Edwards "The Religious Affections." It's going to take a while. It seems to be the kind of book that you can't just read through, you have to think it through.

You don't normally expect to get hung up in the introduction, but even the intro has a lot of thought in it. He begins with this question as a premise. "What is the nature of true religion?" Seems like a simple enough question to answer, but look around at the various religions and even at the variety of answers within a single religion, and you will see much diversity, if not in response, at least in practice.

So does this make God the author of confusion, or do we not get it?

It seems to me that there is no one subject where God ought to lead more than in the answer to this question, yet there is no one subject where we bring our preconceptions and baggage in than this.

I look forward to reading this book. It's gonna take a while. But these nagging questions haunt me...Does Jonathan get it? Will I?

If you dare and have the time, what is your answer to the question of the true nature of religion?

I wanna be like Leslie

2011-07-13T06:59:00.000-07:00

You have to believe it, and you hate it. I don't have to believe it, and I think it is beautiful.

The above quote is one that I wrote down in my journal from "Bridge to Teribithia. The scene is the boy in the movie has invited the new girl, Leslie, who moved into the house next door to church. They are riding home and Maybell, the younger sister is sounding off. Maybell apparently is not to fond of church. Perhaps she is too young to understand, or maybe she has just fallen into the trap of participating without belonging. She has found religion, but not a love for the God of that religion.

I wonder how these words apply to many in the church today. We see people leaving churches and organized religion in droves. Is it because God has failed or has religion gotten in the way? Do we feel the pressure of having to be perfect on the outside, while inwardly we know the truth? Does our enthusiasm wane when we just can't play the part anymore? Is that really what God has in mind for us?

Maybell had to believe it. Her parents made her go to church, and she resented it and all of the trappings that went along with it. Leslie saw something different. Instead of condemnation, she saw forgiveness. Instead of rules to obey, she saw freedom. Instead of outer obedience, she felt the inner response to the tug of God on her heart.

Which does your church sell? Which do you buy?

I Can't Get No Satisfaction...

2011-07-11T07:31:00.000-07:00

"As soon as the Christian life becomes attainable, it ceases to require faith and loses its seasoning of humility and grace." (John Fischer, Real Christians ~~Don't~~ Dance, pg. 16.)

We like things to be attainable. We preach the disciplines of the New Testament so that people will attain what God desires. We do stuff. Stuff like going to church, tithing, etc. so we can attain a measure of satisfaction in what we have done.

I am not saying doing stuff is bad. But doing stuff is not enough. Doing stuff is never enough.

I like what David Platt says, although I cannot recall his exact words. The idea is that we don't do stuff expecting God to be pleased with us, are doing is in response to seeing who He is. It is not an obligation, it is an act of love. Like when I come home. Usually my children will shout, "Daddy!" and come up and hug me. A response. But sometimes, they are preoccupied with a TV show or a video game. Then I have to announce myself, and I get a "daddy" out of obligation. It just is not the same.

I want to always stand in amazement of God, but truth is, sometimes I do not. But these times lead me to seeing His grace and my humanity. They show me the beauty of who He is and what He has done for me. I don't want to intentionally fall, just so I can see Him as greater. But when I do fall short, seeing His continuing grace is amazing.

Worth viewing

2011-07-09T07:39:00.000-07:00

Saw this here. Bet you know you I want to send it to.

Of course, to speak with conviction, you first ought to be convicted. So in a sense, I think the level of your speech at least gives a hint to your conviction.

Thought for the Day

2011-07-07T07:46:00.001-07:00

"If your understanding of the Christian faith can be summed up on a bumper sticker, printed on a tee shirt, or could make its way on to a Hallmark greeting card, you could be in a very dangerous place." (Nathan W. Bingham, found here.)

Sometimes simple is good. And when it comes to faith, I think we all start out simple. So the above quote does not apply as much to those new to the faith. But we are told not to be eternal milk drinkers. There is an expectation that we will mature in that faith. I would even go so far as to say it is something that we should strive for.

That is a problem for some, who get stuck in a denominational or other type of mindset, thinking they have it all figured out and in essence, getting stuck in the mud. As my mother-in-law would say, doing the same old six and seven. But God's word is living and active.

I say this as much for me as for anyone who might read this. I like to be right. Problem is, that I am only sometimes right. Hard to say how much. So I need to be aware of over-simplifying, and holding on to what I believe instead of holding on to truth.

Thought of the Day

2011-07-06T12:33:00.001-07:00

...when you hide certain things about Jesus to attract people to him, it's not Jesus you're attracting them to. (Jarod Wilson, here)

I like reading Jarod's blog. He is no-nonsense and gospel focused. To many times we feel that we must be people pleasers. That Jesus needs some make-up to cover his flaws. Yeah, we will mention some of his hard teachings, like his encounter with the Rich Young Ruler where Jesus tells him to sell all that he owns. But then we will soften the blow with phrases like, "that does not apply to everyone," or "you just have to have a loose grip on your stuff." While I agree that it does not apply in the same way to everyone, that does not mean that it does not apply in the same way to you or me. But we like to let people off the hook so they will join the "Christian Club." The Christian Club is a lot like the church, only it has all the benefits with 99% fewer commitments.

Now go out there and have your best life now!

That can't be what that means...

2011-06-29T18:22:00.000-07:00

I was listening to the sermon from Sunday. The preacher said that "doing the right things for the right reasons requires purity." He went on to connect Jesus telling the Rich Young Ruler that he must "follow the commandments" to Jesus calling us to be pure, and that Jesus was saying "if (we) want to be good, then (we must) live a life free of disobedience and sin."

Dang, I was really hoping for a shot at going to heaven, but I know that I am not pure.

But maybe Jesus telling him to follow the commandments was not a call to purity, but to show him his impurity. Jesus had previously stated that "No one is good except God alone." And this man was no exception. But the man thought he was.

He responded to Jesus by saying that he had kept all these commandments since his youth. But he also knew that this was not enough. In Luke's version of this encounter, the man wants to know what he still lacks.

Jesus then tells him to sell all he has and follow him. Wow. So what is Jesus saying here? Is he replacing the legalism of the OT law with monastic poverty? Or is he saying take all that you depended on in the past, your purity, your wealth, your ways of thinking of these things, and throw them out and put yourself in my care. Follow me. Love me. See the Father through me. I am the way, truth and life.

I think that would be how Paul would interpret this encounter.

Philippians 3:7-9

⁷But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ ⁹and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—

Okay, I feel better now.

Radical...or minimal???

2011-06-26T14:02:00.000-07:00

Last Monday our church had its monthly men's meeting. They were going over Chapters 6-9 of the book "Radical" by David Platt.

Overall, they did a decent job of discussing the book. I wonder if they understood that David in a Calvinist, and that they spend most of their time tearing down the very theology that they were heartily embracing this night. It reminds me of Fiber One commercial where the dad puts his hands over the F-I in Fiber and tells his son it's a new cereal, Number One, to get him to eat it.

Needless to say, I was enjoying hte evening. Until the end. That was when the preacher spoke up. He had to say something, he had to grab some glory for himself. Seeing that things had gone well, he stated that this was why he had chosen this book, because of its challenging message. Yet this is the same preacher who 4 months earlier had admitted to me that he had not yet read the book, but merely "perused"it. (The book was chosen well prior to this time, as the reading list was given last year.) But that was not bad enough. He went on to talk about the challenge that Platt issued at the end of the book. And he issued his own challenge. "If you don't do anything else, if you don't accept all of David Platt's challenge, at least pray about it." Now I have nothing against prayer, in fact, I am all for it. It just that James 1:22 and 2:14-17 are ringing loudly in my ears.

Way to water it down, brother! Drown that seed.

Purposefulness...which rock are we building on?

2011-06-24T08:20:00.000-07:00

For some reason, this is what's on my mind today...

A few months ago, I went to one of our church's small group meetings. It was stated at the outset that the purpose of this meeting was fellowship. (This seems to be the purpose of most of what our church does.) It was stated that even if we did not get to a bit of discussion of the Bible, or prayer, or anything else, if all we did was get together and fellowship, that was okay, because that is the primary purpose of our small groups.

So I wonder...

Did the early church ever meet just for fellowship? Peter is in prison, Paul is at sea, Jesus died for your sins, persecution is rampant. Let's have a cookout!

I think it is good to have purposefulness, but it must be the right purpose! Fellowship is a great thing, but our church was not built on the rock of fellowship!

I feel a volcano brewing. It is just a matter of time until it spews. I think this blog is a sort of pressure release that has kept it from blowing already. When and where it will happen I do not know. But when it does, I will blog about it here.

From the backyard

2011-06-23T20:32:00.000-07:00

We are hosting a bar-b-que on Friday, and I was doing some cleaning up in the backyard. I really didn't intend to spend much time on it. First, I hosed off the patio and then saw some of the chairs looked awful. So I started powerwashing the chairs. They looked nice, but then I saw that in the process, there were some "clean" spots on the patio. Now I would have to powerwash the patio. While I was at it, the picnic table looked a little green, so it would have to be done too. But now the privacy fence looks dingy next to the clean picnic table, so now the fence needs powerwashed. Which means that the decking is gonna need done too, or it won't look right. So a 20 minute job turns into a 3 hour job.

So why am I writing about this? Because it reminds me of my spiritual life. Just when I think I have everything almost in place, getting those last few things in place reveals that there is more to be done. I finally feel like I have forgiven someone for wronging me, and I see hidden behind those feelings other things that need work too. A small project turns into a larger one.

Living the Christian life is a never ending task. Thankfully, it is not one that needs to be accomplished in one moment, one day, or even a year. It is a journey and a process. Left alone, my backyard will revert to its former self. Dirty, messy, etc. But even while that is true, I cannot spend my all of my time on my backyard, because I have a front yard, family, job, etc. It is a balancing act, a matter of choices. Just like my relationship with God. I cannot spend all of my time on any one portion of it. Prayer, worship, service, etc. need to flow and each part needs attention. But right now, it is my bed that calls me to it. Rest is also a needed part of life, I hope you are getting your share of it too.

Do I have to?

2011-06-21T07:36:00.000-07:00

³And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. (I John 2:3)

There is a constant struggle between legalism and grace. So what is John saying here? Are we bound to keep the commands of Christ? Is it a part of our salvation to do so? And the answer is apparently, YES!

But before someone yells, "legalist!" at me, that is not my answer, it is John's. So here are some thoughts about this verse that might clarify things a bit.

John is not talking about keeping his commandments as a means of salvation. He does not say that if we keep his commandments we are saved.
He does state that this is evidence of our salvation. That if we want to know if someone knows Jesus, we should look at them and be able to see a difference.
Verse 6 states, "whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked."

Salvation is not a matter of works, it is a matter of faith. And by that faith, we pursue the object of that faith, God as revealed by His Son. We cannot pursue that by works of righteousness.

My son is at the age where he is a constant shadow to me. If I am going somewhere, he wants to know where and if he can go along. If I am doing something, he wants to help. Not because I ask him too, but because he wants to. In a sense he is pursuing me, and in some ways he will become like me. He would not become like me by merely doing what he was told. He would not become like me by cleaning his room and mowing the yard. To become like me he must spend time with me. Watch me. Talk with me.

I don't become Christlike by merely attending church, giving, serving. These are good things, but take out the love for God (see 1 Cor 13!) and it all means nothing.

God, help me to love you today. Help me to pursue You, to spend time with You, to see You. What more is needed?

True Story ('cause I can't make this stuff up)

2011-06-11T09:05:00.000-07:00

After yesterday's post, I checked the mail. We got a post-card from our church because they have missed us in worship service. Let me share the text with you...

"Just a note to let you know that you were missed in our worship service this past Sunday. You are a loved and valued member of our church family, and we look forward to seeing you next week. If your absence was due to a problem we can help you with or pray about, please let us know. Also, if you have been ill and would like communion brought to your home, please call the church (555-5555) prior to Sunday so we can notify the deacon.

God Bless,

Your Church Family"

God has a wicked sense of humor. In case you have not read here before, we struggle with the church we attend. The speaker (I hesitate to use the word preacher) tells stories and jokes, and sprinkles in a few verses now and then, often out of context. I have expressed my concerns to him very gently, only to be told that if we do not like his preaching, perhaps we should find another church. We have communicated our concerns to him and 2 elders, and have let them know that for now we are attending Sunday School and until we know what God wants us to do, we are refraining from attending worship services. I have expressed my desire to discuss the situation, but they have no interest in doing so.

So I thought I would take the time to rewrite their letter, adding a few comments along the way, that perhaps better expresses their actions.

"Just an impersonal, form letter note to let you know that you ~~were~~ missed in our worship service this past Sunday and this really kinda ticks us off. You are a loved and valued member of our church family, and we look forward to seeing you next week provided you don't make any waves. If you do, you can become a loved and valued member one of our neighboring churches. If your absence was due to a problem we can help you with or pray about, please let us know. If you do not have a good excuse for not being here, please be motivated by the intended guilt of this card. Also, if you have been ill and would like communion brought to your home, please call the church (555-5555) prior to Sunday so we can notify the deacon. That way we can better keep tabs on you.

God Bless Us and All Who Agree With Us,

Your Extremely Dysfunctional Church Family"

Legal Disclaimer: This card is all that God requires of us as a follow-up to those who miss worship services and releases us from all obligation. No legal or moral rights are granted or implied to the recipient of this card because those who forsake assembling together are in danger of heathenism and the fires of hell.

Have a nice day.

About church growth...

2011-06-10T18:59:00.000-07:00

1 John 1:1-4

¹That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— ²the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— ³that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. ⁴And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

They (John and whoever else "we" refers to in verse 1, probably leaders of the church) had seen Jesus with their own eyes. They had witnessed more than just the miracles, they had seen them in context. They had heard Him speak of the Father and proclaim the gospel. So now what did they want? They wanted to share that with others, they wanted others to be a part of this great fellowship. But not to fellowship with them, but to fellowship with God.

Church growth is a great thing, provided it is growing into fellowship with God and Christ. Just having a large or a small gathering without it being completely centered on God is irrelevant. As Matt Chandler says about church, it is a lame hobby.

But there is something else in these verses. At the end, he states a motivation for proclamation, "so that our joy may be complete." They found joy in sharing God with others. Failure to find joy in serving God is a problem. And failure to serve God gives us a joy that is incomplete. So, God is not in need of our begrudging submission. I don't think He even wants it. He wants our hearts to be turned to Him. He wants us to find our joy completely in Him regardless of circumstance. He wants us to love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind. So it naturally follows, that if we do love Him in such a way, that our joy will not be complete unless we serve Him wholeheartedly.

The Journey (Part 23) This Resume Stinks (Part 2)

2011-06-06T17:05:00.000-07:00

Out of the blue we found out about a youth ministry position open in Indiana. We applied and I got the job. That was where the real roller-coaster begins. 4 years there. 2 Senior Minsters, and then my wife decides to file for divorce. That was when I went through driver training school and learned to drive an 18-wheeler. To pay for the school, I had to make a 6-month commitment to drive for an over-the-road company.

As soon as my commitment was up, I found a job with a company in Indiana that I could be home on a more regular basis. I spent 5 years there, starting as a driver, moving up to a supervisor, and eventually running the transportation department for the last 2 years. A change of GM's brought about a change in jobs for me. I found a job down the road at an asphalt materials company. What a great job that was. No stress, just had to weigh and dispatch trucks for an early morning shift. Problem was, by the end of the year, the company I subcontracted for lost the contract. They offered me a job behind the wheel of a truck, but I felt I could do better. So I took a job working for Next Day Freight driving as a casual driver while I relaxed a bit, took some time off when I wanted, and looked for a permanent position.

I found that job through a friend at church. But it was not what I thought it was. The guy who hired me, and we became good friends, wanted me to take over his job while he worked sales to build up a larger client base. I ended up doing more of the sales, which involved making a lot of cold-calls, which is something I despise. I hung on for a while, but it just was not my cup of tea.

From there I went to Alliant Food Service, doing daily routes. Not a bad job, and I had done this type of work before. However, about 6 months into the job, I started to develop tendonitis. I spent some time in therapy, but when I started working again it came right back. It was then that my wife suggested that I go back to school to get my teaching certificate. I ended up going to Ball State and getting a Master's in Elementary Education. It was actually cheaper and shorter to do that than to add elementary education to my current degree.

After graduation I took a job teaching in our local system. This marks the end of 9 years in education. I wish I could say I will end up retiring from here, but there are 2 problems with that idea. One being the current economy and educational climate. Indiana is tough on public education. There is a lot of job uncertainty in this field right now. And the second is, you never know what God has in store. I really would love to preach and teach again in a church, and I have discussed this with God. But His current answer seems to be to stay and wait. In either case, I understand where my mission field is, and I love going out there.

A Long Journey (Part 22) This Resume Stinks!

2011-06-05T16:54:00.000-07:00

One of the things I have not mentioned a lot is my work history. I guess that is because I don't believe that I am defined by my job. Or maybe it is because my work history is such a bizarre carreer path. Let's take a quick journey...

First real job was working at a bank. I was 17 and had my drivers license. They needed someone to take some information each night to another location, so they paid me to come in and vaccuum a bit and take the paperwork a few miles down the road. A sweet gig for a kid with a license!

Next was Burger King. Is there anyone who has not spent some time in fast food in onr form or another?

Graduating from High School, I worked for an engineering company doing soils and concrete tests. While that sounds impressive, I did some simple science experiments for minimum wage and reported the results.

After a summer of that, I took a job as an apprentice mechanic where my did work. That was the best thing I ever did. I got to know my dad in a way I would have never known him. I also got to see what he had to put up with to provide for his family. He truly was an amazing man. But after a year of that, I decided to go to college. Partly because my being there made Dad's life more difficult. Although I know he never would have had me leave over that. But I was young and had so much life ahead of me.

I attended a small Christian College, where I did work study, helping the school's electrician, and had a weekend ministry for a part of that time.

Upon graduation I found a youth ministry where I spent a year before being asked to leave because they wanted to start fresh (they had been through 2 ministers in that time period). Upon leaving there, I sold vaccuum cleaners for a short time, and also worked as a salesman in a mobile home lot. I was offered the managerial position for a new lot they had just begun, but I chose to go to work for Pepsi when a friend told me he could get me a job there.

At Pepsi, I loaded trucks, worked as the day-checker (checking product out to drivers, doing inventory, etc., and drove a delivery truck. Then came the phone call...

Yeah, I am gonna continue this in another post!

A Long Journey (Part 21) Small Group Heaven

2011-06-03T20:35:00.000-07:00

Life never seems to slow down for long...at least not my life.

I was attending the singles group which met on Sunday nights, and then began attending Sunday morning as well. It was a large church, so connecting there was not really happening. However, I was connecting through the smaller singles group. I started attending a small group that met not to far from my home. It was kind of a strange situation at first. Apparently, there were 2 small groups that had combined for a study. The people from the small group that actually met in this home thought I was coming from the other group, so when I showed up after the study was over, they were puzzled at first, but soon we all figured out what was going on. I continued to meet with this small group for a while, but then the 2 girls who were leading the group decided it should be disbanded. Several of the group wanted to stay together. I was asked if I would be willing to lead, and I said I would if they would wait for me to go through the approval process. I did, and soon after we began meeting in one of the homes not far from the original group.

I love small groups if they are done right. Not micro-managed by the church so that they can form their own personality, and not just a place for fellowship, but an honest study of the word and connecting with people. A place where you are encouraged and sometimes tested as well. We had a good core of people and a good group as well.

I spent about 2 years in that singles group. It changed my life. I am thankful that I found them. But life never stands still for long, does it?

A Long Journey (Part 20) Slowing Down

2011-06-02T16:39:00.000-07:00

So I was keeping myself busy. I think I learned an important lesson through that relationship, actually several, but one that stands out to me is that I can't fix things very well. I thought that by getting married again I could get my son the mother he deserved and just pick up where I had left off in pursuit of the American Dream. Oops!

So now I was not in a hurry to fix things, other than myself. I got involved in a church. It happened because I went to hear Tommy Oakes speak. There were several people from a singles group at that meeting, and one of them invited me to attend a meeting. I was very reluctant, but after a few weeks I went. It was amazing. I expected it to be a big "meet market," but it was anything but. Not that there probably weren't people there for that reason, but there was a lot of meat to what was going on. Over 200 people were there, lots of opportunities to get involved in ministries, study groups, etc. It would be through this group that I would make many friendships and grow as a Christian.

A Long Journey (Part 19) Can someone answer the phone?

2011-06-01T16:09:00.000-07:00

So I was getting divorced. I was trying to get things in place, find a permanent (?) place to live, and figure out what was next. I stayed with a friend a few weeks while I looked for an apartment close to work. I saw my son as often as I could. I had not had any contact with my wife. Through the lawyers I was told when I could go to the house and pick-up the rest of my stuff. I did, no one else was home.

She seemed eager to cooperate, as long as it was through the lawyers, and as long as I did not pursue any of her retirement money or equity in the house. I was fine with that, because I believed it was the right thing to do. About a couple of months after we separated, I got a call from the phone company. They said if I did not pay my bill, they would shut off my service. I explained the situation. They stated that since my name was still on the bill, I was responsible. I asked what my options were. They said pay the bill (about $200) and continue service or it would be cut off. I told them I would get back with them after I talked to her.

When I tried to call, service had been cut off. I tried again a few days later, and it was back on, so she must have paid the bill. When she answered, she was friendly at first, but when I asked about the phone bill, she just hung up. So I called the phone company back to get my name off the bill. They told me that if I did, they would have to cut off service again, and any reinstatement would require a deposit equal to the amount that was overdue in addition to new service fees. Yikes! But since she would not talk to me, I felt I had no choice. I cancelled the service that was in my name.

It is a sad thing when people cannot communicate, for any reason. It is even sadder when it is because emotions get charged up and we cannot be reasonable.

I think we tend to do this to God a lot. Things go south, maybe because of something that we did to distance ourselves from Him, or maybe just because of some difficult circumstances we encounter. Sometimes it is a slow drift, sometimes a sudden shift. But it is always our decision to cut communication. God never stops listening. Even when we don't pay the bill.

A Long Journey (Part 18) A message from God?

2011-05-30T16:31:00.000-07:00

One of the struggles that I faced as we divorced was what to do about finalizing everything. Even though we had only been married 3 years, we had bought a home and because her retirement was better than mine, we had put a fair amount of money in her retirement. Altogether, depending on what the house was valued at, we were talking between 20-35K, just for my half. But I also know that she was angry and would not let go of anything easily.

That was when I kept getting this continued message. It was not an audilble one, but non-the-less, it was very clear. The message was "walk away." I struggled with that. How could I walk away with nothing? How could I start all over with nothing but half the credit card debt? I contacted a lawyer, but I pretty much knew my options. Walk away and be done with it, or spend years and probably a good portion of any money I might get fighting. Yet still, it was not an easy decision. But I followed the voice inside me, and I do believe it was what God wanted me to do. Its not that God was saying "get divorced," but I believe he was saying, "If you are going to do this, this is how I want you to do it."

So I did it. And I am thankful that I did. 20K is a small price to pay for 2-3 years of freedom, and that is what I had by not consuming myself with chasing the money. I lived frugally for the next few years, paid off my debts and even managed to save some. I have not seen my second wife since I left that night. I tried to call once because of a bill we needed to discuss, and I got hung up on. Maybe that was a bit of confirmation for me, that I had done hte best thing under the circumstances. Life in a fallen world is not easy.

A Long Journey (Part 17) Deciding What to Do...

2011-05-30T11:53:00.000-07:00

I had previously started blogging about my journey (my life). I stopped doing that about a year ago. I left off where I was struggling in a second marriage. So much to consider. As I read a couple of the posts I had written, it struck me how far God has moved me in the past year. I think about some of the decisions I have made, and wonder if I should have made different ones. But I have to dismiss those thoughts, because this is where I am. Not that I can't learn from them, but I cannot let myself second guess the past and let it slow down my present.

My second marriage ended when my wife refused to return to any more counseling sessions. It was a tough decision, but one that was made easier by my son from my first marriage. I felt that he should not be subjected to abuse by a person who had no desire to face their issues. If I had to choose between a child and an adult who would not face their problems, I would choose the child.

Prior to attending counseling at all, I had made an ultimatum, we continue in counseling or I would have to leave. When she stated that she would no longer attend counseling, joint or otherwise, I had a tough choice to make. But I left that night.

I was in a different place then. I was attending church, but not really involved, being too busy with work and family issues. I wonder if it would have been different if I had been in a better place. Perhaps if I had, I never would have entered into a second marriage. I think now that what I really wanted was to give my son a sense of normalcy, and, well, that did not work out quite the way I had thought it would.

Only God knows how my mistakes echo inside of me. But they have also shaped me. They have taught me. They have drawn me closer to Him, for who else could I cling to?

I recall taking to a friend once. We were discussing our lives, and after I had shared quite a bit of mine, she remarked, "It's a wonder you have any faith left, after all you have been through." But I recall responding, "No. Without a faith in God, I don't know how else I could have gotten through all of it." I view faith not as something to hold on to because God is treating me good, but rather something that binds me to God that takes me through all things good and bad. How do you view faith?

Tanks and bombs and mortars and torpedoes

2011-05-29T12:43:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 6:10-20

¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. ¹¹Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. ¹²For 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. ¹³Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. ¹⁴Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. ¹⁶In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; ¹⁷and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, ¹⁸praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, ¹⁹and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

There is a lot of stuff in these verses, but I want to focus on one major thought. That thought is that the battles that we fight in this world are Spiritual ones. I think Paul is using these words here because of all that he has said prior. It would be so easy to take Paul's words and then just try to go out and do it on our own. Try to be that good Christian. Try to live up to being a good wife or mother or husband or father or child or slave or master. But that is not enough!

When we go to war, whether it be with another, our own sin, or whatever, we must do it in the Lord and in His strength (vs. 10). Look at the weapons we use. Most are defensive, the only offensive one being the sword of the Spirit.

Wouldn't we rather that God had told us to use tanks and bombs and mortars and torpedoes and flame-throwers and so on? Don't we want God to tell us to attack! But what I see mostly here is this, protect yourself. Guard your heart. Make sure that you stand firm.

Perhaps a part of the picture here is God saying, stay close to me. When you go out, make sure I am in the lead. We are only the foot-soldiers, not the general. So when Paul says that he is an ambassador in chains, perhaps he is speaking of the prison chains that bind him. Perhaps he is also speaking of the chains that bind him in service to the Lord.

Keep me close Lord, and help me to follow you always, and never take the lead.

To slave or not to slave?

2011-05-27T21:48:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 6:5-9

⁵Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, ⁶not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, ⁷rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, ⁸ knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free. ⁹Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.

I had a preacher recently tell me that he thought the best way to honor God in his preaching was by preaching the disciplines of the New Testament. So how does that work itself out on a passage like this? How do we discipline ourselves to be mistreated without first understanding the Gospel and loving the Lord who is represents?

Maybe it is a non-issue, since we don’t have any slavery problems in our town. At least not that I am aware of. But look at this passage. It was written for people who were really dealing with this. And look at Paul’s advice, “obey your earthly masters.” Wouldn’t that be a hard message to hear? Doesn’t the concept of slavery go against the principles of Jesus? Shouldn't Paul tell them to seek their freedom?

It all goes back to a heart issue. The changed life because of the gospel issue. Not “do this discipline because by doing this discipline you glorify God and will enter into His kingdom.” But treating your master as if he were Christ himself, so that by the shining of your changed heart, you bring glory to God. Maybe your master will see that change and be changed himself, and maybe he won’t. But you did not do it for that reason, you did if for the Lord and for Him alone. You are not concerned about results or praise from men or winning a soul, you desire is to worship God thorugh your life and shine His light in all that you do.

They were told to do it “as to the Lord and not to man.” Any obedience that we perform must be birthed out of an understanding that mere obedience is meaningless. Without tying our heart into that obedience, it is nothing, a mere filthy rag before God. Without seeing Christ as Lord and Master of our lives, it is nothing.

And there are words for masters too. Not words that tell them to set their slaves free, but words that tell them to “stop threatening.” (No, I do not see this as making any type of slavery acceptable.) Again, it is a heart matter, because now as a master, your desire should be to see that your slaves are won to Christ. Setting them free won't do that, they will probably just end up as someone else's slave.

I don’t think you discipline yourself to submit to a master, nor do you discipline yourself to treat your slaves better. I think that is why Paul did not command them to set the slaves free. Perhaps as a result of a changed life, the Holy Spirit would lead them to that decision if it were appropriate, but it doesn't have to be.

Look back at Deuteronomy 15. There was a choice a slave could make to remain a slave forever. I doubt that the slaves who made this choice were treated badly. Slavery is not a bad thing if the master is good. And God is good.

Devastation

2011-05-24T17:03:00.000-07:00

My son lives about a half-mile from where the tornado touched down in Joplin. I am thankful that he is safe. He volunteered with the clean-up the next day. I cannot imagine the devastation he saw. He said they passed a car that had been in the twister. It had a body in it.

I just listened to Brian Williams report on the tragedy. He stated that "it was not fair." I find that an interesting statement, and wonder what that is based on. Is it not fair that these people suffered, as opposed to others? Or is suffering like this not fair for anyone? If so, what is that based on? Is there a limit to the suffering we should have to endure? If so, what are those limits?

I think this intrigues me because I do not know where he stands in his belief system. If he does not believe in God, this statement makes no sense to me. If there is no God, there is no fairness, everything is random. If there is no God, there is no deserving, because there is no sin or lack of sin. In order to deserve something, don't you have to be able to earn it from someone or something? So no matter how good a person might be, he can't deserve a particular kind of death just based on his morality, especially since without a supreme being, morality at best is subjective.

If he does believe in God, the statement still does not make sense. For the truth of it is that some people do deserve a horrible death. Some people will even get a much more horrible eternity. But we don't like to think about that, unless you are Rob Bell, and then you just make it disappear. So maybe you can tell me, Mr. Bell, if God is so loving that He would not send anyone to hell, why make people suffer like this?

My thoughts go to my son. If he were 4 blocks closer, I would be suffering right now. But that would not change my view of God. God is not my God only when He does not give me pain. Whatever I have to endure in this life, surely I deserve it. And then some. What I don't deserve is His grace and mercy.

I pray for you, Joplin. And even as I write this, there is news of more killer tornadoes in Kansas and Oklahoma. That is a part of the broken world that we live in. Along with war, hurricanes, flooding, earthquakes, etc. And through it all, God is God. He is sovereign, and worthy of our praise and worship. But you won't hear that on the news tonight.

Why is it?

2011-05-14T13:36:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 6:1-4

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and mother" (this is the first commandment with a promise), "that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land." Fathers' do not provoke your children to ander, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Why is it that my parents only quoted the first part of this to me, and never the last? I find that exasperating.

So Paul has first laid out a gospel message, and is now getting into what that looks like. We have already discussed husbands and wives, so now to the kids. Obey your parents. I wonder what age group Paul was targeting with this. Was it pre-teens? Teens? Twenty-somethings? Any age that has parents? Because in Jewish culture, you were always to show respect to your parents.

But I love that he adds the piece about Fathers. Because how easy would it be, once someone has achieved Fatherhood, to glory in that role. And Paul basically says, don't do it! Don't let it go to your head. Bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Thanks, Dad, I think you got it right. I miss you.

In hindsight

2011-05-08T15:58:00.000-07:00

The last post hurt to write.

The reason is simple, it is written in hindsight. When I grew up, Mom was Catholic and Dad was Lutheran. Church was a non-issue, although we did attend Mass until I was in 4th grade. That was the year of my confirmation. It was also the year my grandmother died. She was planning to come from Germany for the confirmation in May. She had a stroke in January of that year, so neither happened.

In 7th grade I got involved in a typical evangelical church. I was baptized probably as a sophomore. I went to youth group and on youth trips. A year out of high school, I attended Bible College. My intention was to go for a year and then get a real job. I ended up going 4 years, getting married, and going into youth ministry.

Church life was tough. Bible College does little to prepare you for the realities of ministry. A strong personal faith is assumed. I poured myself into what I thought I should be doing. Everyone always had different opinions. So I worked harder. We both were going with the flow of life. I was doing what I was taught. I was using the right techniques. Our group was growing. Life was good.

Things started to change. My wife was unhappy. She started pulling away. I was too busy to deal with it. Too many God things to do. She was a preacher's kid, so I figured she knew what she got herself into. I think she did, but in our evangelical, God wants me to be happy way of thinking, she had had enough. She filed for divorce. I was stunned. Not much you can do about it these days. No fault divorce doesn't mean no one is at fault. It just means the state doesn't care and will let the divorce go through as long as one party wants out.

In hindsight, I now see that I didn't really know that much at all. I knew facts and programs and methods. And perhaps God used that as I went along the way. But I thank HIm that He also cared for me as a person, and was willing to take all of that away from me so I could see Him.

I wish I could say that was the turning point in my life. I was, I just didn't make a 180 degree turn all at once.

So I look at passages like Ephesians 5:22-33 differently now. It is not a formula or a plan. It is a way of doing things for those who are sold out to God. My current wife and I have been married over 10 years now. It is not always smooth sailing because we are both human. But we both know where we stand in Christ. Our commitment to Him is what enables us to go to bed each night with a kiss and "I love you" because nothing is stronger than our bond of 3 cords.

So it hurts to write things like the last post, because in it I see my failures. But in it I also see the grace of God. Giving me a change to experience His love in new ways. Seeing His forgiveness. Growing.

It is all part of my journey. One I would never have imagined, but one that I am more thankful for each day.

Mirror, mirror

2011-05-07T19:35:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 5:22-33

²²Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. ²³For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. ²⁴Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

What is this picture all about? Is it about being the submissive wife, or is it about modeling God's grace? I have to go with the latter.

I know that people like to pick this verse apart, and then add, "What if the husband is abusive?" To which I think Paul would say, "Use your heads here, folks!" Or perhaps he would pull out the line, "To live is Christ, to die is gain."

Setting aside the extreme situations, lets just look at "the norm." By the norm, I just mean where one side is unhappy with the other. The marriage has grown lackluster. If you are in Christ, it is not about your happiness, it is about your joy. Not the joy you get from your mate, but the joy you get from honoring and serving God. If you don't have that joy, perhaps that is a problem surfacing in your lack of joy in your marriage.

²⁵Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, ²⁶that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, ²⁷so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. ²⁸In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, ³⁰because we are members of his body. ³¹ "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." ³²This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. ³³However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Notice how many more verses we get, men? But the message is still the same. Love your wives as a mirror of your love for Christ. Perhaps that is a problem in our society today. We all want to be saved and so we wear the name Christian, but do we really love God and His Son?

Paul is not saying this is what you must do, he is saying, this is what real Christianity looks like. Real Christians, who love the Lord, honor one another even when there are differences. Real Christians live up to their covenants, even when their partner is not a believer.

2011-05-06T21:27:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 5:15

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,

Paul has just finished telling us to not partner with those who walk in darkness. We are to walk in the light, for the light exposes the darkness.

But we live in a world of darkness. Sometimes the darkness is think all around us, even in our churches. So this verse becomes important, because it reminds us to beware of how we walk. Don't get caught up in the games of those around you, but stay grounded in the light of God's word. Verse 16 goes on to say,

making the best use of time, because the days are evil.

I think it is easy to get caught up in the ways of those around us. Their avoidance, paranoia, fear, etc. We live in an evil age. No, not just the 21st century, but the age of mankind since the fall.

The Bible's message is clear, I am a sinner in need of a Savior. There are those who do not like this, don't think it will sell well, and who will water it down or even change it. Sometimes they do it out of fear, other times out of selfish motives. Either way, it is a part of the evil days we live in. Verse 17 continues,

Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Stay grounded. Stay in the word. Live the gospel. God's will is not that I save anyone, and that is a good thing, because I can't save anyone, only God can do that. Understand what God's will is. Understand that His will is for me to love Him, and to serve Him out of that love. If I can focus on that, I will be doing well.

I am going to suggest that you leave now...

2011-05-05T18:16:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 5:6-10

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as chidren of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.

I listen to so many sermons, and hear so many empty words. Words that depend on me and my works, words that make God sound desperate for my soul. Why would God want my dark and dirty soul? Only because He loves me, not because He is desperate. God is not interested in numbers. And because of these words, the wrath of God will come.

I struggle even at the church I attend. God is so dishonored through some of the things that are taught and said, and yet I cannot exist apart from the church. Truly there are weeds among us. And their fruit exposes them to the discerning, but not to their own blind eyes. They run, they hide, they shiver in their insecurity. They do not address or discuss.

So I must struggle with the phrase that says, "do not become partners with them." And my answer is to not partner with their hypocrisy, but to stand firm in what I believe.

They haven't thrown me out yet! (Although it has been suggested that I might be more comfortable somewhere else.) Since when did Jesus promise us comfort? If he wanted us to be comfortable, he would not let the weeds among us, would he?

Who Said This?

2011-04-27T19:00:00.000-07:00

"We think that by living gracious lives (instead of grace-filled lives) it makes us attractive to God. In reality, it only makes us more attractive to one another."

ANSWER:

I did, after reading Michael Spenser's book, "Mere Churchianity"

Aw, Dad, do I have to?

2011-04-26T18:24:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 5:3-5

³But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. ⁴Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking,which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. ⁵For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Why is Paul saying this? He has just stated that we must walk in imitation of God, so why the specifics?

I think it has something to do with the fact that new converts (and old too) come from all walks of life. They need to be shown what it means to walk like Jesus walked. It might be easy for some to justify such behavior, either in ignorance, or in stubbornness of heart. Either way, Paul is making it clear that these behaviors are out of bounds for the lover of God.

Those last words are strong! What about grace? Grace is all over Paul's writings. But so is the idea that walking in Christ is not merely "accepting Him into your heart" one time, nor is it the idea of get baptized and walk however you wish. Those kinds of responses are idolotrous, and are not for those of God's kingdom.

Ouch! (But if taken to heart, that is a very good ouch.)

Like Father, Like Son

2011-04-25T16:38:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 5:1-2

¹Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. ²And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Paul has just finished giving a list of behaviors that we should follow. Now he is talking about imitating God. While some might see this as a bouncing between legalism and faith, this actually makes sense if you view Paul's list of behaviors as a vision of what being a Christian is all about. Here is what it looks like to imitate God, as His beloved children. And when we look at a picture of something, we know that we are only seeing in 2 dimensions what actually exists in 3 dimensions.

I have a 9 year old son. I love to joke around, and so does he. I like the Chicago Bears, and so does he (even though we live near Indy, and the Colts train in our town). The Colts are our second favorite team. At this age, he is not ashamed to imitate me, and I don't mind it either.

Is he a perfect imitation of me? No. Sometimes he carries things too far. Other times he just takes off on his own. But he loves me and I love him. I see that as a picture of our relationship with God. If we love Him, are in awe of Him, and want to be like Him, we will strive to imitate Him. Paul has spent some time trying to help those in the faith develop what that should look like. Then he goes into these verses to make sure we are not getting the wrong idea and trying to work our way to salvation.

He calls our redemption through Christ an offering, a sacrifice. It is not an obligation. God did not force Christ to suffer wrath for our sin. Our response, if an imitation of the original, should be the same: not forced obedience, but sincere imitation from the heart of a child who truly desires to be like his Father.

Jesus said it simpler, "I desire mercy, not sacrifice."

Vote for your favorite!

2011-04-22T15:41:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 4:28-32

²⁸Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. ²⁹Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. ³⁰And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. ³²Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

For a guy who preached a lot against legalistic Jews, Paul sure seems to have a lot of rules. Then again, so did Jesus. So how does one understand all of this?

I see it this way, Paul (and Jesus for that matter) was not telling us what to do as much as he was showing us what it should look like. How many times did Jesus say, "The kingdom of God is like..." Showing us, not telling us. Saying, in the kingdom of God, you don't steal, you share with those in need. In the kingdom of God, bitterness and anger do not rule. In the kingdom of God, tenderness and forgiveness reign.

I think of the parable of the servant, who was forgiven a large debt by the king, and then had a man who owed him money put in jail. So some people went and told the king, and the king was angered and had the man whose debt he had forgiven thrown in jail. Why? I see two possible answers.

Number one: We make this an exact model of the kingdom of God. Therefore, when the king says that because I forgave you, you should have forgiven others. File this under legalism. The king is being petty, because there was no tit-for-tat response. If we base our interpretation of this passage only on the facts presented here, couldn't we carry it farther? Couldn't we also say that those who are not forgiven are those who have others tattle-tale on them? For the man who owed the king would not have been called back before the king unless someone had told the king. So God needs tattle-tales.

Number two: Jesus is sharing a kingdom principle here. And that principal is not that we forgive just because we have been forgiven. It is because we serve a gracious king. I don't think the king was angry because the man did not forgive his fellow man as much as it is because the man insulted the king by not responding to the king's grace. It was not the legalistic lack of forgiveness that bothered the king, but the fact that having been forgiven such a large debt, the man's life was unchanged. How could you come into the presence of the king, your very life in his hands, be set free when you deserve imprisonment or even death, and not be changed? Is that not the wickedness that angered the king?

And so it is with Paul. Either one, he is giving us a bunch of requirements that if we meet them, God will give us grace. Or two, he is showing us, all of us, who live in sin and have sinful hearts that tend to focus on ourselves that this is what the grace you are now living in should look like.

In light of what I have already read through in the book of Ephesians, I vote for number two. I vote for the grace that I can only attain as I continue to walk in Christ, and not the grace that God gives me as a result of what I do.

Yeah I'm angry, so what?

2011-04-17T15:58:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 4:25-27

²⁵Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. ²⁶Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, ²⁷and give no opportunity to the devil.

Therefore, refers to previous verses that talk about no longer thinking in our old, futile ways. We have been renewed, so keep growoing in it! As a result of being renewed, we do not lie to one another, but we speak the truth!

Here is a bell-ringer: Sometimes when you speak the truth, people get angry! The truth can be a hard, bitter pill to swallow. And it is okay to get angry, just don't let your emotion of anger get the best of you and lead you into sin! Resolve your issues of anger, do not dwell on them, do not ignore them, do not let them fester. To dwell on it, to live in it, to not resolve it is to give the devil a foothold in your life.

I don't think anyone who truly walks in Christ wants that, do they?

Grow up!

Now Hear This!

2011-04-16T07:47:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 4:17-24

¹⁷Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. ¹⁸They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. ¹⁹They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. ²⁰But that is not the way you learned Christ!— ²¹assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, ²²to put off your old self,^[ which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, ²³and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, ²⁴and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

There is a lot of weighty stuff in these verses. But the one theme that seems to permeate them is the idea of change. When one becomes a Christian, it involves a change. So we are no longer walking in darkness, no longer alienated from God because our our hard hearts. When we come to Christ, we put off the old self, and are renewed in hte spirit of our minds.

I just wonder, how does that match up with what Christianity looks like today? We hear that we can go to heaven, but do we even understand that a change must take place? Do we understand that without Christ, we are corrupt and have hard hearts? Or do we just believe that we can say a prayer or come forward to be baptized and all is well? Do we even encourage people to read their Bibles and seek these things out?

Yeah, this is kind of a rant today. But I believe it is an important rant, one that people need to hear. One that, unfortunately, many won't.

One

2011-04-12T15:19:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 4:4-6

⁴There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— ⁵one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶⁽ one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

I read this and I find myself asking, "Why all the focus on the oneness of everything? I know the importance of unity, but what is he getting at?

So I go back a few verses. Paul considers himself a prisoner of God, a bond servant. My thoughts wander, maybe he is attacking something cultural. Back then, people would grab onto just about anything when it comes to faith. (Things haven't really changed much, have they?) So perhaps Paul is clarifying the unchanging nature of God and of Paul himself.

First, God. There is one God, one hope, one faith, one baptism, etc. But we like options. If I don't like your God, I can find one that suits me. If there is only one God, that severely limits my options.

Second, Paul. He is committed. He has sold out to the one God, and is not going to change his message when things don't go the way he wants them to.

There is one God. Am I willing to serve Him on His terms? There is one me. Or is there?

Jesus and the I-Phone Gospel

2011-04-10T18:32:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 4:2-3

²with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, ³eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Paul considered himself a servant of Christ. He felt that in light of what God has done for Him, he had no option. He urges us to do the same. When he “urges” us in verse one, I believe that he is calling us to walk along side of him.

I also believe that Paul, although using language that sounds like it is a legalistic list of behaviors, is really just showing us what it looks like to walk in Christ.

Consider this, when you buy the latest techno gadget, you can approach your possession in many ways. Some will buy an i-phone just to say they own one. They will get it and then just use it for phone calls. Others will take it out of the box and use it for calls, and play with it as they have time, getting more out of their purchase, but still not realizing its full potential. Still others with take it out of the box along with the owner’s manual. They will play some and read some as they have time and are able to understand. Still others will take it out of the box, read the owner’s manual, and maybe take a class or get some advice from others with more experience. These will most likely get the most out of their phone.

Paul is the ultimate expert. The guru of what it means to walk in Christ. In these verses he is painting a picture of what it looks like to get the most out of life as a follower of Jesus. What does it really look like walk in a manner worthy of Christ? Humble, with a deep sense of our own lowliness. How can we look at others and love them unless we first see His love for us, a love that came undeserved. Humility sees that we are all sinners in need of God’s grace. As I keep my eyes focused on the cross, how can I see anything else? Gentleness. I think of handling a baby here. We all understand the need to be gentle, yet we also understand the need to hold firmly. I don’t think gentleness means timidly, but rather a manner that is under control, not done in anger or spite, but as one who walks along side of Christ. In patience. Not wanting things done on our own timeframe, but waiting on God’s timing. Not expecting that all are at our level of maturity, but letting grace flow through us that others can grow as we have grown. Bearing with one another, because in spite of best intentions, we are still human and wrestle with the flesh.

And last, he talks about our unity in the Spirit. Not just our unity, but our unity in the Spirit. Without the Spirit, we are no different than a country club, Rotary club or any other “helpful” organization. But it is the Spirit that counsels us and leads us to all truth.

Want to get the most out of your relationship with Christ? Then you have to make Him more than a show-piece to get the attention of others. You have to do more than just make Him a play thing that you learn about as it is convenient. You have to take Him to heart, learn from Him and His word. I that asking too much? I guess maybe that depends on what you expect when you take Him out of the box.

Daddy!

2011-04-09T11:08:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 4:1

¹I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of⁽ the calling to which you have been called,

I want to do longer sections of Scripture, but it just seems that Paul packs so much into each verse!

Therefore, whenever I see that word, I want to look back and see what it refers to. In chapter 3, Paul has impressed on the reader the importance of understanding the scope of God’s love and how that needs to impact our lives. It certainly has impacted his, as he calls himself a “prisoner” of the Lord. Paul is compelled to surrender himself to God because of his knowledge of God’s love for him.

It’s like when I am sitting on the lazy boy, and my son crawls in my lap. I ask him what he wants, and he says, “Nothing, I just want you.” He knows I love him, and he willingly places himself in what could be a very dangerous place if it were with someone who did not love him. To become like a child, to crawl up in His lap and just whisper, “Abba, Father, I just want you.” To know that He loves, to know that He protects, and to know that ONLY He has the power to do so.

Paul realized this. And he desires us to realize it to. And if we do, we will walk in worthy manner. That’s not called earning our salvation through works, it is called growing in grace, progressive sanctification.

So, that is my goal for today, to see myself as His prisoner. As a prisoner I have no rights, but I know the one I have entrusted myself to will also see me through it. Sure, it might hurt a little. This is not about my comfort, it is about His love.

Your serve...

2011-04-08T16:27:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 3:20-21

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Paul has just stated that we need to know and understand the not-completely-understandable. We need to comprehend the scope of the love of God, but in reality, that is beyond our understanding. In striving to do so, as we grow in this understanding, we grow in our walk with God. So to close this section with the statement that He is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think makes sense. This God of Paul’s is beyond understanding, yet we can understand that He loves us and works for us.

It is that next phrase that puzzles me, “according to the power at work within us.” Certainly we do not limit God’s ability to work for us, do we? Then I look back at the first half of the sentence again. Where does it say that God is doing anything just for me alone? Perhaps the idea that God is able to do more than we can comprehend has more to do with the salvation of many, rather than Him just helping me out of a jam or two.

To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever.

Why is it that whenever I read the Bible, I see it as being all about me? God is amazing not just for what He has done in my life, but for what He has done in all things. And I am such a small piece of that. I think Paul recognized this. Paul seldom if ever spoke about what God had done for him in a personal sense. Rather, he spoke about how his weaknesses magnified God. How in spite of his failings, God was sovereign and in control.

That is a God worth serving.

Matt Chandler and Suffering

2011-04-07T17:01:00.000-07:00

Matt is a favorite preacher of mine. He speaks in a way that challenges my heart. Here he speaks of a topic that he is very familiar with, suffering. Matt's battle with cancer is on-going, and the prognosis in the long-run is not good. So he speaks in a way that deals with the idea of "sometimes God blesses by healing and sometimes God blesses through suffering." Anyway, if you have about 40 minutes, it is worth listening to.

We are here to pump you up!

2011-04-07T16:28:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 3:17b-19
that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

I touched on this idea yesterday, but since Paul thinks it okay to mention strength twice, I will too.

Have you ever had one of those days when you just didn’t want to get out of bed? Maybe it was because of a test, a job responsibility, a household responsibility, or something even bigger. You knew that what lay before you was a large task, and up to it or not, the bed seemed like a nice, safe place to be.

Not only was the task daunting, but even the mere thought of it was enough to make you unsure of yourself. Sometimes I think that is how the love of God should make us feel. Not that we can’t live in his love and enjoy it, I definitely think that is appropriate. But it should be more than just that for us. There is that whole “pick up your cross” thing Jesus spoke of. Unless we know the breadth and length and height and depth of His love, how in the world are we going to be able to pick up our cross, and why would we want to?

There is a benefit to seeing the full scope of His love. It is that we might be filled with the fullness of God. I think Paul alludes to the impossibility of this happening to perfection on this earth because he states that Christ’s love surpasses knowledge. But what a soul-strengthening goal, to know Him, to seek to understand Him, to trust Him more and more that we might see the fullness of His love for us.

I want that.

Can anyone loan me a few bucks?

2011-04-06T13:30:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 3:16-17

¹⁶that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

Just how rich is God’s glory? How can we comprehend limitless riches and glory? Even with all his wealth, Bill Gates cannot but the world, let alone the universe.

Scene one: A man, let’s call him Joe, comes before the king. He owes the king billions of dollars, so the king sends him and his family to prison. Now the king will never recover his debt from this person, but justice demands imprisonment. The man pleads and the king relents.

Scene two: Joe runs into someone, let’s call him Stan, who owes him $50, and has him thrown in jail until the debt is paid. Perhaps Joe feels that Stan is a part of the reason he almost went to jail. Rather than be overcome by goodness that he (Joe) has been set free, he is overcome by anger.

Scene three: Friends of Stan report Joe’s actions to the king. The king is angry because his mercy was not shared by Joe. Back Joe goes to prison, and I would not be surprised if the king did not give Stan the $50 to get out.

To be strengthened in our inner being means to see not only the depth of the riches of the king, but also the depth of our debt and his mercy to us. Faith means not just receiving God’s grace, but living in it, sharing it.

How did Joe get into that mess in the first place? I don’t know. Or do I?

Because of the wonderful things He does...(God, not the Wizard of Oz)

2011-04-05T08:40:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 3:14-15

¹⁴For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, ¹⁵from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,

For this reason...so we have to go back a few verses and see what the reason is...

In the previous verses Paul is writing about the grace given him. And what Paul considers grace is not necessarily what we consider grace. When we think of grace, we likely tend to think of grace in regard to the gift of salvation. But Paul extends that even farther. Everything about our lives is God’s grace being extended to us. Paul’s ministry, his sufferings, all things. Paul had the uncanny frame of mind to look at whatever circumstance he was in, and see how that connected to God revealing Himself to those Paul met in life.

In Lydia, the seller of purple cloth, a woman of means who probably made Paul’s life a bit more tolerable. And the Philippian Jailer, who tortured Paul in chains. That’s the one that blows my mind. Paul and Silas in jail, singing praise to God because they knew that God had a purpose in this. Something good was going to happen. They likely did not know what, and it might include their death, but God had something good in store. Then the chains fall off, the doors open. How cool is that, freedom! But Paul, I believe through the Holy Spirit, knew this was not about their freedom. The jailer was about to kill himself, and Paul saves him from himself by crying out, “We are all here.” Then the grand purpose is revealed, as Paul preached the Gospel and this man and his family are saved.

For this reason...because Paul understood that everything is in God’s hands, and He was a part of everything. So no matter what, God’s grace was flowing in all things. For this reason Paul bowed his knees before the Father. Bowing does not just signify worship, but it signifies submission. Paul was willingly placing himself in the hands of the Father. The one from whom everyone on earth is named.

Now maybe that is not significant to us, taking our name from God. But in those days, names meant something. Remember Jacob, so named because he grasped the heel of Esau at birth, but that name also meant Deceiver? And what a fitting name it was! And it was God who later changed his name to Israel, One Who Wrestles with God. So this is not talking about God giving us the name of Johnson or Smith, or even Jimmy or Steve. It is talking about God who is in control of all.

So, two choices: One, bow down before Him. Not to gain favor or get an easier lot in life, but because He is God and He gives grace in all circumstance. Second choice? Resist Him, complain, whine and beg for more. Don’t bow down before Him, but expect Him to bow to you and give you all that you desire. Belittle Him. Which do you think the Creator God of the Universe demands?

Starting right

2011-04-02T11:49:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 3:11-13

11This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. 13So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.

This (the mystery of the Gospel being revealed) was done according to eternal purposes. So often we just look at things from the perspective of "what is going on now," or even worse, "what's in it for me." But there are purposes that are so much bigger we cannot begin to wrap our minds around them.

All things are created by Him and for Him. So if we even want to begin to try and understand something, that is where we start, Jesus Christ. Not ourselves. So now, we can approach an issue with confidence. Not because we will have all the answers, but because we know the starting point, the point by which all things are referenced.

If you build a building, and start in one corner, and that corner is off, the entire rest of the building is off, no matter how meticulous you are from then on. If our life is not built on the Rock, no matter how well we build, everything else is off. But if we know we have the correct starting point, we can continue in boldness and confidence.

Paul tells them not to lose confidence because he is suffering. In a sense, he is saying it is okay, everything is going according to plan, and in the end, I will be victorious. I say this so that you can be strengthened by what you see in me. Praise God.

A few comments about Paul...

2011-04-01T07:51:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 3:8-10

⁸To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, ⁹and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, ¹⁰so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

Just a few comments:

I love that Paul, even though he has written most of the New Testament, considers himself "the very least of all the saints." More of us need to take that position.

I love that he considers his role in God kingdom a "grace [that] was given." His role as an apostle and all of the suffering that went along with it was an unmerited favor bestowed on him by God. More of us need to take that position.

I love that Paul's goal is to make God's plan known in all he does to everyone he can. Even though he is the least of all saints, he does not consider it intimidating to bring the gospel message, the wisdom of God, to rulers and authorities. More of us need to take that position.

A gift of grace

2011-03-31T05:00:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 3:7

⁷Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power.

Paul is such a humble God-worshipper. Everything in his life centered around the gospel. The good news. Somehow, Paul seemed to understand with certainty the message of hope like no one else. His ministry was never considered a burden. He viewed it as a blessing. Perhaps today's ministers might feel that way, in a parsonage or given a housing allowance, a salary which in some cases is generous and others maybe not so much, in a country where they are granted the freedom to boldly (if they choose) speak the Word. Paul did not have it quite so good. Yet he still considered it a gift. A gift in which God worked His power. A power so great that Paul could heal others, but not himself.

Even though I am not a minister, this passage speaks to me. For I too, am what I am by the gift of God's grace. And while I may not be able to heal others of their sicknesses, I can share the gospel and offer a healing for sin. Not through my works, but through the working of His power.

Lord, show us your power and glory. Amen.

This grace is not for me

2011-03-30T05:51:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 3:1-6

¹For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— ²assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, ³ how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. ⁴ When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, ⁵which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. ⁶This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Why is Paul a prisoner for the Gentiles? Because of the Gospel of God's grace! It is not just enough to know of God's grace, one must experience it to receive the full benefit. Paul was given a huge experience of God's grace. One who was once a murderous opponent now a zealous apostle. Why? Not for Paul's sake, but it was "given to me for you." In other words, it was given to Paul that God's grace might be known to the Gentiles.

Paul speaks of the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to other generations. Not a mystical knowledge, but the mystery of how God's love would work itself out on a cross. No one, even the most learned Jewish scholar at that time saw that one coming. And even in his current generation, it is revealed to his apostles and prophets. But not for their sake. Grace is never given for the sake of the one receiving it, it is given that God's grace might be known to others.

So what about the grace God gives you and me? If God did not give it to us for our own sake, and He did not, what are we doing to share it with others that they might see it. This light was not meant to be hidden under a basket.

To those near and far...

2011-03-29T10:04:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 2:17-22

¹⁷And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. ¹⁸For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. ¹⁹So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, ²⁰built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, ²¹in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. ²²In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Jesus came and preached peace to those who were near (the Pharisees, those who understood and obeyed the law, the Jew who earnestly practiced their faith, those who cited the fact that we should love God with our heart, mind and soul) and those who were far (the tax-collectors, prostitutes, gentiles). I believe that peace is the gospel message of peace and reconciliation to God through faith. And a large part of that message was the loving of those God created (as illustrated in the parable of the Good Samaritan, for one). That faith includes giving of yourself not only for God, but for your neighbor, whom you are told to love as you love yourself.

So we are no longer strangers, aliens, enemies even, but we are connected together through God himself. We are part of a holy temple. Imagine building a building where the components of that building to not work together. What if the mortar, which is different from the bricks, refused to bind together with the bricks? What if the shingles of a buildng refused to let themselves be seen with the tar paper that is laid beneath them? So we must embrace our differences because they are needed in order for the building to perform its function. I am not saying that we accept destructive forces that would tear the building down. You don't observe a mold and continue to let it grow in the building, that would destroy the building.

Jesus came to reconcile man to God. In the process, he reconciled men with one another, because how can the body be reconciled to God and yet at war with its members?

No Harmful Side-Effects!

2011-03-28T10:43:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 2:14-16

¹⁴For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility ¹⁵by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, ¹⁶and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.

Caution: May cause drowsiness.

Many medications come with warnings about possible side-effects. While the main purpose of a drug might be to relieve a headache or some other problem, in some people it also has other effects. Sometimes these are positive but usually negative.

Jesus is our peace. He has made us both one. Who is the both, and how are we one? I believe the both are the circumcised (Jews) and the uncircumcised (Gentiles). The dividing wall of hostility was the law. The Jews had it, the Gentiles didn't. Because of the law, the Jews could not even associate with the Gentiles. They were unclean. Christ's death on the cross did away with the law.

If the law could have given us righteousness, it would have remained in effect, and there would have been no need for Jesus to die on the cross. But the purpose of the law was to show us our unrighteousness. So we needed a remedy, which Jesus provided on the cross. His main purpose, I believe, was to glorify God by providing the perfect sacrifice for our sins. But there were also side-effects. As a result of His death, the law was done away with, the dividing wall of hostility between Jew and Gentile destroyed. (Gal 3:28)

I imagine this was a tough one for the Jews. It required a radical shift in their thoughts. But to embrace this was to embrace the world. It was as if God had opened for them a door that had been shut for centuries. Maybe that was a scary door to open. But Jesus did it. He got rid of the reason for the hostility.

I think this is one that we need to apply more broadly today. As we look at others in our world who are different. Could be drug-addicts, Muslims, racial or gender issues, but Christ has broken down the dividing wall an calls us to reach out to all. What are the side-effects the cross has had on you?

Good News!

2011-03-26T16:59:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 2:11-13

¹¹Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called "the uncircumcision" by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— ¹²remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. ¹³But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Paul was the Apostle to the Gentiles. Though being brought up as a Jew in the strictest sense, God sent him to the Gentiles, the non-Jews. The Gentiles were called the uncircumcision, or the unclean, by that which were clean according to the law. As unclean they were separated not only from Christ, but not even a Jew would have anything to do with them. As my kids my say, the Gentiles had a bad case of cooties. They were outside of God, outside of the family of believers, outside the promise of redemption. So they were without hope, key word being were.

But now in Christ Jesus, all who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. It reminds me of many of the healings that Christ performed. He took those who were unclean. The lepers, paralytics, dropsy, etc., and he healed them. Many times he touched them, which would have been so wrong for a Jew to do. But Jesus did it, he healed them and made them who were previously unclean to be clean. Again, the outsiders able to come in. Good news!

Grace and its aftermath

2011-03-26T06:49:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 2:8-10

⁸For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

It is grace that saves us. Grace is unmerited favor, and Paul goes on to make sure that this is very clear. It is not our own doing, it is a gift, not the result of works. So no boasting! In fact, our reaction should be just the opposite, humility. Dare I even say, intense humility, brokenness, awe.

We are His workmanship. As a craftsman puts together a fine piece of furniture, God has made us as we are. And just as a craftsman's work has a purpose, so does God's work. We are created to do good labor, in order that we might reflect His glory. Notice that our doing good works comes after our grace. Good works does not give us grace, but it is the result of grace. That is why, if we want to be changed, we must look to God and see His glory and grace.

Goodness, kindness, patience, gentleness, self-control, joy, peace, love, faithfulness. All of these were made ahead of time, that we should walk in them. These are the things we see if we honestly look at God. These are how we should walk in appreciation of and to be a reflection of His grace.

The gospel in 10 verses. Our sin to God's grace to our response. An incredible journey of faith and love.

God's Grace

2011-03-25T14:50:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 2:6-7

and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

God displays His kindness and mercy through His grace, and lest we think that is a small thing, Paul gives us a peek at what that means...

God raised (past tense, so does this mean that it is a done deal and we cannot lose His grace? Let the debating begin!) us up and seated us with Him in heavenly places. That is what grace does for us. It puts us in an incredible place. Grace is not just about forgiveness, it is about the glory of God. What will I do when I realize the fullness of His grace, because as it stands now, I only see a part of it? I have to believe I will praise Him for His greatness. Even though I cannot understand the fullness of this grace, I can already praise Him for it. In fact, I should be doing this. Why else would Paul take the time to share this vision?

But poor old me, I too often get caught up in that which is "by sight." That is where His word inspires me. That is where the word of a good preacher can lift me up. (Note: I said "good preacher," because I have heard some who definitely bring me down.)

So that in the coming ages I might see His "immeasurable" grace. Are you kidding me? Immeasurable? So that no matter how long I spend in heaven, even if it is eternity, I will still not get to see the full size of His grace? I want that. I want the giver of that grace. No wonder Paul said, "to live is Christ, to die is gain."

Batman and the Gospel

2011-03-25T09:39:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 2:4-5

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved -

It feels like a Batman episode (I know, I am showing my age), when we left off yesterday we were in deep trouble labeled as "children of wrath." And not just anyone's wrath, God's wrath. It was a hopeless situation, as there is nothing we can do or anything we can give to get out of this mess. There is only one solution, and that is for God to free us. Now tell me, would the Riddler put Batman and Robin over a boiling pot of acid only to come back and free them himself? Of course not. Neither would the Penguin, Mr. Freeze, the Joker and so on.

But there is a differences between those guys and God. First, God did not put us in this situation, we did. We did it when we chose to sin. And second, those guys don't love their enemies, but God loves us. Third, those guys are not merciful, but God is full of mercy.

That is the beginning of the good news, who God is. It is what brings Him to do what He did, which is bring life to us even while we were dead in our trespasses. Holy forgiveness, Batman! And that is exactly what it is, a most holy forgiveness. A forgiveness that came at great price, which God paid in full through His Son Jesus. A forgiveness from a situation that we could never have escaped from on our own ability. A forgiveness, when understood, that should bring us to our knees.

The real me

2011-03-24T04:50:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 2:3

among whom we all once live in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and we were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

I have heard Matt Chandler call Ephesians 2:1-10 "The gospel in 10 verses." I agree, as I think Paul is continually presenting the gospel in his writings in many ways and places. But this verse I think is one that we would rather not hear. And probably don't, in most churches.

For many, the thought that we were once sinners is something we don't hear a lot. Yet it is all over Paul's gospel. And if we are going to be honest, we struggle with sin still. I like that Paul states we have both desires of the body and the mind. We have urges that were put into our bodies by God, but that still does not mean we have to act on them at every turn. It is easy to justify things we do, but this is not a valid justification. And then there are the urges of the mind. Greed, anger, hate, etc., we used to live according to these too. Everyone. And we start young.

Because of this we were children of wrath. Like the time my son spilled water on my laptop as we were leaving to go somewhere. He knew he did it, yet just walked out the door with the rest of us, saying nothing and not bothering to clean it up. After several hours soaking in water, the laptop was fried. Had it been picked up and moved, or quickly dried up, perhaps a different outcome. I believe I had reason to be upset upon returning home and finding the mess. Children of wrath.

My son did not have $1,000 to replace the laptop. That was a problem. I don't have enough to pay my debt to God either. Thank God for verses 4-10, which I will discus in future posts!

They keep going and going and going...

2011-03-23T17:16:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 1:1-2

¹ And you were dead in the trespasses and sins ² in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—

Paul is talking to the Ephesians, to Christians, to you. Okay, to me too. We were dead in our shortcomings, in our sins, those things that we used to live in back when we followed the original sinner, Satan.

Notice that he says, "in which you once walked." That means that we do not walk in them any longer. It is not that we do not struggle in our flesh, but we have a means of conquering our struggles, and that is to walk in the Spirit. The alternative of not following the Spirit of God is that we are following the spirit of Satan. The spirit of selfishness.

The word "work" is the Greek word "energeo" which sounds a lot like our word "energy." So this raises the question, where do we get our energy? Those who get their energy from the Spirit of God will have the power to overcome. But those who walk in their own power, or the power of this age or of Satan will continue to struggle with their disobedience.

There is an axiom that if you don't change what you are doing, you shouldn't expect different results. If we want to see change in our lives, we need to make a more conscious effort to walk in the Spirit.

Head over heels

2011-03-23T08:57:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 1:19b-23

That power is the same as the mighty strength ²⁰ he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, ²¹ far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. ²² And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, ²³ which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

God is all-powerful. So in a sense, it is strange to hear God using "mighty strength" and "exerting" Himself. Job Chapter 26 touches on some of the strength of God, and then concludes by saying "And these are but the outer fringe of his works; how faint the whisper we hear of him! Who then can understand the thunder of his power?”

I like the words of the ESV, which translate it as the "immeasurable greatness of his power toward us." Now, instead of seeing God exerting Himself, I just stand back in awe as I witness His strength in raising Christ and placing Him as supreme over all things.

Christ is not just above, He is far above all things, past, present, and future. He is ruler in this age and the age to come. I love the idea that all things are under His feet (as in they can be stamped out when He sees fit), but He rules over the church with His head.

I need to keep His greatness before me. I need to see His glory and let that keep me focused, for I am far too easily swayed to sin. I also need to see His strength and justice, and remember that it is much better to be ruled over by His head than to be under His feet.

Sign me up?

2011-03-22T13:06:00.000-07:00

There is a story about a church in Ohio that is giving away $1,000 to encourage people to come to church.

Apparently, this is the second year for this offer. Last year's event doubled their regular Sunday attendance for the Easter Sunday Service.

So many thoughts are running through my head, I know I will lose a few before I finish typing:

What were the long-term results of this? Did the church grow? Were people brought to Christ?
How about the offering that Sunday? Did the extra people give to offset or even overcome the $1,000 cost?
What is the message we are sending?
I know that Jesus fed followers, but didn't he later also say that they were only following to fill their stomachs?
If one of the goals is to help in the stuggling economy, what if someone "wins" who is not in need?
Do you put envelopes under the seat of the winners, or draw names?
What other things is this church doing to help those who are struggling right now?
Does the winner have to claim this on their taxes?
Wow!

Turn it around, silly people

2011-03-22T09:36:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 1:15-19a

¹⁵ For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, ¹⁶ I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. ¹⁷ I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. ¹⁸ I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, ¹⁹ and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

Can't you just see the humility of Paul here? How humbled he is in what God has done in Ephesus? He is not patting anyone, including himself, on the back for the faith and love of these people. He knows that there is only one who gets the praise, and that is God. Knowing that all things come from God he first gives thanks. Thanks to the one who is responsible for all good gifts. And beyond that, he prays for them, praying to God that the faith that he has heard about will continue to grow. Praying that the Spirit will be unleashed in their lives. Why? That they might know Him better. Because as they come to know Him better, their faith will increase, their love for one another will grow even greater.

Doesn't this stand in stark contrast to most of Christianity today? We see the church is growing, and we smile and pat one another on the back. We send an offering to Haiti or Japan, and of course we print the amount of the check in hte bulletin and newsletter, because we want to know just how awesome we are. Go God, You sure know how to use us awesome Christians. We often offer up a prayer too. But is it constant? Does it echo the humility of Paul and of Christ?

What we need to understand is, it is knowing Him that brings us to our knees. It is seeing His grace and glory that creates life change in us. We don't respond to get closer by works that seek to impress God or others. Those who do have already "received their reward in full." (Matt 6:2)

God somehow does it all

2011-03-21T07:49:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 1:11-14

¹¹ In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, ¹² in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. ¹³ And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴ who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

Did Paul just go all Calvinist here? (Or did Calvin later go all Pauline for you chicken/egg types.) There is just something comforting about knowing that under every circumstance God is sovereign.

I read and re-read these verses, and I do not know the answer to all of life's questions. But I know that there is someone who does. In these verses I see a God who is in absolute control, a God who is worthy of all praise, a God who cannot be defeated. Whatever the path, He works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will. And He does it for His glory. I am okay with that, because I certainly do not expect He would do it for my glory, me being a sinner and all. And that goes for humanity as a whole as well, seeing that we have all sinned and fall short of His glory.

To be God's possession is an amazing thought. Most humans do not desire to be the possession of someone else. Under slavery, people risked their lives in order to no longer be the possession of another. Yet there were those, who out or fear or loyalty gave up freedom to remain with their masters.

I think this goes back to Jesus thought that we cannot serve two masters. I notice that Jesus did not give a third option. Such as, "Option 3: You can not serve either one, but you can have absolute freedom!" Jesus knew in our sinful state that such an option did not exist. And to be honest, being God's possession does not exist without Jesus.

That is what I want to dwell on today, being God's possession. Just being able, through Christ, to not be thrown away as worthless, but to be clean and presentable before Him. God, the one who wonderfully controls it all. Now that is priceless.

That's Bigger Than I Thought!

2011-03-18T09:59:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 1:7-10

Redemption is found in the blood of Christ. This is given through the grace of God. Every time I see or hear that word "grace," I need to remind myself, I don't desreve it. This is God's wonderful mercy to me. And grace wasn't merely handed to us, it was lavished on us. As if God, in His love, just couldn't give us enough grace. God doesn't supply redemption stingily or begrudgingly, but He pours it out.

God had a plan, and that plan was fulfilled in Christ. In Christ, redemption of everything would be accomplished. Creation would once again be able to be united.

As I read through the first 10 verses of Ephesians, I could not help but see how Paul exalts the glory of God. Ironically, it is somewhat subtle. I say that because the way that Paul speaks has become a sort of expected Christian language. But such a language did not exist in Paul's time. We use words like "blessed" and "grace" and so on without a thought to their true meaning. I wonder what Paul would think if someone sneezed and he heard another person respond, "Bless you." That is what I need to see in my life, the Gospel, the glorious grace of God, how truly blessed He is. And the depth of what He has lavished on me through His grace.

Wow.

A Glorious God

2011-03-17T15:42:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 1:6

to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

What is to His glory? Salvation. Verses 4 and 5 tell us this, that He chose us to be holy and blameless before Him, and that He predestined us for adoption through Christ. But what strikes me is that this was all done to the praise of His glory. He saved us so that He might have glory. This is so contrary to what we often hear preached, and even to what we by nature want to believe.

C.S. Lewis likened God to an old woman begging for praise prior to his conversion. Obviously, Paul does not see it this way, nor is he think it wrong that God should seek His own glory.

But let me ask this question, if God does not seek his own glory, whose glory should he seek? Ours? Tell me what glory I should receive because God saves me? If someone risks his life to save another, the one who saves or the one who is saved? Of course it is the one who does the saving.

But what about humility? That is a non-issue. When God saves us, He deserves the glory, He is not seeking it. He saves us because of His great love for us. If a mother risks her life to save her children, she does not do it to gain glory, even though she likely will. She does it out of love for her children. Should we expect any less from God?

And it is through His glorious grace that we are blessed in Christ, His Beloved. The word grace is "charis," and can also be translated "joy." That it is to His great joy that He has saved us. This makes me think of what the writer of Hebrews states about Christ's vision of the cross, "who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."

I think this is a difficult concept for some, that of joy. Often we equate joy with happiness. The cross was not a happy day. But joy is different. It is not a temporary feeling. It is a mindset. It was the joy set before Him that Jesus focused on. Most women long to have children, but I can't think of many who would go through labor just to experience pain. No, they do it for the joy that comes after the labor. (An interesting footnote, when the writer of Hebrews writes of "the joy set before him," he uses the word "chara" which is a feminine noun for "the joy received from you.")

Paul is painting a picture of a very loving Father. A Father who is worthy of our praise. A Father who takes joy in providing for His children. A Father we cannot help but worship, if we understand Him in the light of truth.

God wants us to be joyful. Some would have us to think that this means He wants us to be happy all the time. But I see it as more of a mindset. The mindset of Christ. The mindset Paul had. Not a super-natural mind, but a mind that sees the goodness and grace of God. A mind that is more than just gracious (nice), but a mind that is grace-filled, a mind that is flat out blown away but the goodness of God. A mind that focuses on what can we do in this circumstance, rather than one that sees what is happening to us in this circumstance.

Having it all

2011-03-17T10:18:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 1:3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.

THOUGHT 1:
Paul begins by saying "Blessed be God." God is worthy of our worship, because He is adorable, worthy, good, etc. I believe that this is the beginning of the gospel. God is good, and is worthy of our praise no matter what. Paul expounds more on the greatness of God in other places, one of my favorites being Romans 11:33-36. Not only does Paul say this, but he lives it. It was this thought, I believe, that carried him through the many torturous events in his life. Prison, stoning, shipwrecks, murderous threats and so on. It seems that nothing ever got Paul down. It was this thought that also got Paul through the good times, through times when he might otherwise have been tempted to rely on the things of this world rather than on God. Paul always understood that God is in control, and that God loved him very much.

I think this thought is echoed in the Lord's prayer, where Jesus beings, "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name." God is holy (hallowed). Can there be any greater acknowledgment of God's worth than to call him holy? This is pinnacle to us worshipping Him. We need to see Him as holy, perfect, sinless, all-good. If not, why would we worship Him? If so, we are crazy not to worship Him.

THOUGHT 2:
God's goodness overflows to us. He has "blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places." A few things to note about His blessings to us. First, we are blessed in Christ. I think this is a primary reason that many in the world can be satisfied with little, while many with much would not be satisfied with even more. God's blessings overflow through Christ. As Paul said, "I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need." (Phil 1:12) The secret is to understand God's goodness and how it flows to us in all circumstance. That is why the next verse in Philippians is "I can do all things through him who strengthens me."

To continue with this thought, Paul states that we have every spiritual blessing. If we have every one of them, then we have no lack. This does not mean the we have every spiritual gift, but we have every spiritual blessing. We have all that we need, in Christ, to deal with whatever the world throws our way.

What is this spiritual blessing? I believe it is faith. Jesus said, "[I]f you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you." (Matthew 17:20) So even the smallest faith is enough blessing to accomplish a great task. If we have faith, we have all that we need. If we see God as beautiful, hallowed, wonderful, then we know that we have all that we need in this life.

Gracious Christians

2011-03-15T14:12:00.000-07:00

I attended a men's meeting at our church last night. It left me feeling puzzled.

We spent 3 hours at the church. About 45 minutes in dinner, with the obligatory opening prayer, and a devotion up front. After dinner, about 65 minutes in small group. We read Scripture, prayed, and talked and had more than a few moments of awkward silence.

Then we gathered for the last hour or so to go over the book of the month. This month, we were discussing the first 6 chapters of "Growing Churches, Growing Leaders" by David Faust. In the first 6 chapters, he focuses on growing churches and the role that grace plays in the church.

As I left, something was gnawing at me. I heard about grace. Many times arms were nearly broken trying to pat ourselves on the back as it was mentioned how graceful our church is. We send our High School kids on missions trips, we are friendly. We welcome those who are different. We prayed for Japan last Sunday. We spent 3 hours meeting together, and there are so many other opportunities for fellowship and learning throughout the week. We love and hug and there are no problems at our church. We are a graceful church.

Or are we?

A thought occured to me. Are we a graceful church or are we a gracious church? Here is what I mean...

Gracious people are nice. They smile a lot. They are friendly. They help other people out when it is comfortable. Sometimes even when it is a little uncomfortable. A little. Gracious people like to see nice things happen to others. The world is full of gracious people, and gracious people can attract a crowd around them. Usually, it will attract a crowd of more gracious people. So soon, you have a bunch of people who are growing. It could be a church, or it could be a Rotary Club.

Grace is different. The devotional speaker defined grace as "getting what we don't deserve, or not getting what we do deserve." So I began to ask, "Am I a grace-filled Christian?" and "Are we a grace-filled church?" So, here are some perceived differences.

Gracious Christians welcome people when they come to church. They are friendly, they smile, they maybe even go out of their way to hug or embrace newcomers.
Grace-Filled Christians are welcoming people where ever they encounter them. They are just as grace-filled getting pulled over or waiting in line at the grocery store. They don't just invite others to church, they introduce them to Jesus.

Gracious Christians pray for the needs of others.
Grace-Filled Christians pray for the needs of others and will go the extra mile to sacrificially seek to meet those needs. They do it because they recognize the grace that has been given to them, not just in the meeting of their material needs, but the grace of God flooding into their lives through Christ.

Gracious Christians read the Bible. They know and follow the Bible to the best of their ability.
Grace-Filled Christians read and live the Bible. They know and follow the Bible above and even beyond their ability, according to the level of faith God has given them. They trust God to provide when they are weak. They see God's Word as a lamp to their feet and a light to their path.

Gracious Christians will ask God to bless you.
Grace-Filled Christians seek to be a blessing to you. They are not just hearers of the word, but doers. They are foot-washers when the opportunity arises.

Gracious Christians run from conflict in an effort to maintain a sense of unity with one another.
Grace-Filled Christiams embrace conflict as an opportunity to grow, seeking to maintain the unity of the Spirit.

Gracious Christians go to church on Sunday. And maybe even on one or more other days as well.
Grace-Filled Christians walk with Jesus every day. Every moment of every day. They know Him.

Gracious Christians a good people.
Grace-Filled Christians are sinners who understand they are broken and they need for a Savior.

Gracious Christians love their church. They go to small-group meetings. They meet one another's needs.
Grace-Filled Christians love their church as Jesus loved the church, and are willing to give themselves for her. They don't limit their understanding of their church to a specific group or location. Their neighbor is anyone who is in need, just like the Good Samaritan.

Gracious people do the work of the church.
Grace-Filled people follow Jesus. And for Jesus, a lot of that work takes place outside of the doors of the physical building that we call church.

Gracious Christians are worried about the outside of the cup. They want everything to be in place so people will look at them and tell them how beautiful their cups are, and how they wish their cups were as beautiful.
Grace-Filled Christians cups are clean too, but on the inside. The outside might now look as nice, maybe because they were caring for others needs when the lawn needed to be mowed, but the inside is clean.

To be a gracious Christian is to live out my faith in a comfortable way. The problem is, Jesus calls me to carry my cross and follow him. I can only do that if I am grace-filled.

I cannot help but think of Matthew 7:21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."

I like being around gracious people. They make me feel good. Sometimes, grace-filled people make me uncomfortable. Like Jesus. He probably made the Pharisees feel a bit uncomfortable sometimes. And I am sure that the Rich Ruler felt a bit put out when he told him to sell everything. A gracious person would not do that.

So I have a task before me...a task to be a grace-filled Christian. A task to be uncomfortable sometimes. A task to be like Jesus.

Simple Answers???

2011-03-13T14:49:00.000-07:00

During prayer time today, our preacher asked for prayer for those in Japan affected by the earthquake. Which I think would be just about everyone in Japan, in some way or another. During this time, he confidently stated that God did not cause this to happen.

???

Does he know something that I don't know? No, I am not saying that God is laying a judgment on the people of Japan for something they did or did not do, but can someone confidently and reasonably state that God did not cause this to happen? Again, I am not saying God did, or that He liked it, but can anyone say that God did not do it?

Judges 9:23    And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem, and the leaders of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech, (Who sent that evil Spirit?)

2 Kings 15:5   And the LORD touched the king, so that he was a leper to the day of his death, and he lived in a separate house. And Jotham the king’s son was over the household, governing the people of the land. (Who touched the King?)

Job 2:10   But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips. (Good question! Perhaps one that we do not ask enough!)

Job 42:11   Then came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and ate bread with him in his house. And they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him. And each of them gave him a piece of money and a ring of gold  (All the evil that who brought on Job?)

Isaiah 45:7   I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the LORD, who does all these things. (Who creates calamity?)

Amos 3:6   Is a trumpet blown in a city, and the people are not afraid? Does disaster come to a city, unless the LORD has done it? (Unless who has done it?)

I am not saying God directly caused this, although that is plausible. But I cannot say that he didn't. I cannot pretend to know the mind of God. Nope, not me. And not any other human either. And even if God did not directly cause the calamity in this case, is He not the designer of the earth that rests on plates so that earthquakes happen?

I guess what frustrates me in all of this is putting God in a little box that we make. What if God came down and revealed "Yup, it was Me, I caused the earthquake." Would that really shake your world? Because for me, if I didn't know He was in charge, working all things for good, that is what would shake my world.

I'm Sorry too...

2011-03-03T15:21:00.000-08:00

95 Reasons from Highland Christian Church on Vimeo.

Which ones strike you?

Input and Output

2011-03-02T08:37:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I post daily or even more. Other times I don't. That is for a variety of reasons. Here lately, at a time when I thought I would post a lot (due to the fact that I am recovering from an injury and have a lot of time and nowhere to go), I find posting difficult.

Some of this is probably just trying to force it. I have started posts only to never finish them. Some of it is just not wanting to sit here and whine about things that I have no control over. But a lot of it has been this has been a great time for input, rather than output. I have been reading blogs, books, articles. And it feels great. Great to catch up on what is going on in several places, great to spend quiet time with God (especially while the kids are in school), and great to just learn.

So maybe when I get around to posting some more, as I am sure will happen again, I will be able to speak with a greater sense of wisdom because it will not just be my own. I am thankful for a season of "reloading."

If you are interested, here are some of the things I am reading...

Radical by David Platt - thumbs up
Growing Churches, Growing Leaders by David Faust - Jury is still out on this one
Redeemed, by Mike Wilkerson - thumbs up
Rid of My Disgrace by Justin and Lindsey Holcomb - thumbs up

I have about 4 others that I have not started yet. Maybe some fodder to future posts. Until next time...

Can you be righter than right?

2011-02-23T12:27:00.000-08:00

Matthew 5:20

For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Let's begin by forgetting what we know of the scribes and Pharisees for a moment, and think about what the hearers of this might have thought.

Scribes and Pharisees were the religious cream of the crop. These were people who had devoted thier lives to the reading, understanding, and practice of the Torah. They not only knew the rules, they interpreted and enforced them too. Think of it as congress, the Supreme Court, and the President all rolled into one. Their religion was constantly on display, from the clothes they wore and the accessories on those clothes to the places they went to the people they associated with. Scribes and Pharisees were righteous dudes, all the way. They were able to devote all of their time to their pursuit of God. And Jesus just said, unless you can do it better, you won't even get into the kingdom.

So I see two options here. The first is that I have to be better, to spend more time than they spend, and to make my efforts greater than theirs. That does not sound possible, so option two: consider the fact that perhaps the scribes and the Pharisees were not as righteous as they seemed. But even that option does not seem to make a lot of sense. How could these men not be righteous?

Suddenly, option three comes into play. Maybe Jesus was talking about a different righteousness. Or a righteousness that comes from somewhere else. Or both. Philippians 3:9 sheds some light on this idea. "and being found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith." So it is not about the show. It is not about what I can do. It is all about Jesus, just trusting in Him to do what I cannot do no matter how much effort I put in. This is not an excuse for laziness, but it shows that whatever is lacking in me, Christ can provide as I trust in him to do so. So I don't so much worry about pursing my righteousness as I do pursuing Christ himself.

To salt or not to salt...

2011-02-22T12:44:00.000-08:00

Matthew 5:13

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.

The job of salt is to be salty. Kind of makes sense, doesn't it. Now we could get into all of the properties and characteristics of salt if we like. It flavors, it preserves, it melts ice and snow. But we could just sum it up and say, salt has a job to do, and that is to be salt-like. If salt is not salty, if it doesn't do its job, then it is not good for anything. You may as well just poor sand on your food. And for salt that is not doing its job, there is no hope. Assuming that it was salty at one point, if it has lost its saltiness, it will not get it back again.

Nice lesson on salt, right? Obviously not. Jesus was trying to convey a truth here in a way that the disciples might understand. He called them salt. They had a job to do. Salt brings the flavor out in food. His disciples were to salt the world with God. They were to show God to a world that either did not have him or misunderstood him.

Ever eat something with salt? Blah. With salt? Um, just right. Too much salt? Yuk! I'm just saying...

Question: What is the difference between the church and the Rotary Club? Well, if you don't know, maybe your church isn't being salty enough. Maybe it has lost its saltiness. Blah! I think of the social gospel here. Now I am all for reaching the lost, I believe that is a responsibility of the church. But we must do that as a seasoning, and not as a responsibility. If we are salt, we want to reach out, and not just to other parts of the world, but to our own world as well. To our neighbors and co-workers.

And that will not happen without the why. How many sermons have been preached over this text? People leaving the building being told they must be salt. Maybe even being handed out little packets of salt on their way out. But now what?

For salt to be effective, it must be salty. It must function in its fundamental purpose. Salt with saltiness on the right food just naturally does its job. So it should be with Christians. It is not being told to go out and be salt that makes us salty, it is naturally possessing the qualities of salt. It is knowing God, and loving Him because we understand and attach his greatness to everything.

I could put some sand in a salt shaker, but that wouldn't make it salt. I could tell it to do the job of salt, but that would not enable it to do the job of salt. As Christians, our responsibility is not to keep the world free from sin, or ask people to come to church. It is to glorify God in our lives. It is to know God and attach that knowledge to all that we do. It is to honor God when all is well with the world. It is to honor him when all is not well too.

Steak, even prime rib, misses something if not seasoned. So does the church and the Christian. Unless we are salty with God, full of an understanding of what His grace means to us, somethings is seriously missing.

Religiousity #2

2011-02-22T07:19:00.000-08:00

Lamentations 2:14

Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions;
they have not exposed your iniquity to restore your fortunes,
but have seen for you oracles that are false and misleading.

Is this true today? Have not our prophets (preachers) seen false and deceptive visions? Haven't many of them seen a gospel that is different from the one proclaimed by Christ? Do they not preach a gospel that puts us at the center of God's desires instead of putting Him at the center of ours? Some even taking this to the extreme of saying that if we just trust in Him, He will bless us materially beyond our imagination. But it does not have to be taken to such an extreme to be a false gospel.

And what charge is laid against these preachers? "They have not exposed our iniquities to restore our fortunes." They have not exposed our sins, in order that our former state of being may be returned to us. They may have exposed sin, but not in such a way that in impacts the hearer other than the hearer to nod in agreement and say, "Yes, when others do that it is wrong." The ESV uses the word fortunes, which we might interpret wealth. But the idea in the original language carries is more of the thought of restoing us to God's original intent, such as how things should have been in the garden. The NIV states that section this way, "they did not expose you sin to ward off your captivity." Either way, the preachers did not preach about us as sinners. They sugar-coated their message so that it would taste better. "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death." (Prov. 14:12) The death that Proverbs speaks of here is eternal death, separation from God. Captivity. Cast out of the garden forever.

There is a big difference between preaching about sin and preaching about us as sinners. ONe places a burden of law on the hearer while the other brings glory to God for what He does as a result. Preaching about sin can lead to modification of actions. Don't go to R rated movies, don't drink or cuss, go to church, tithe, etc. And the neat thing about this kind of thinking is that we can do these things without repenting. Just do it, as the old Nike commercial says. But does that really work for anyone?

If we want life change, we must talk about the truth of life. We must present the gospel, which says that we are sinners in need of a Savior. This does not lead to mere modification of action, but to repentance. And true repentance will bring the type of modification of action that will last.

2 Cor. 7:10 states, "For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death." Godly grief breaks our hearts. It happens when we see that our actions have hurt the God that we worship and love. Godly grief brings regret for our actions to the point of repentance, because we do not want to continue such despicable behavior. Godly grief is when we see the full consequence of our action and are motivated by love to change.

My dad had been a smoker most of his life. He had tried to quit on several occsions, but these attempts never brought success. He retired at age 62, and shortly after his retirement, he had a heart attack. He knew that a large part of the reason behind his heart attack was smoking. And it was in that stay in the hospital that he found godly grief. No longer was smoking an action that might have some bad consequences, but now it was the thing that was going to take him from his wife, retirement, children, future grandchildren, and so on. I think his greatest motivation of all was the love he had for his wife of 40+ years, and his not being ready to leave her because of his selfishness. He said that once he entered the hospital, and from that day forward, he never even desired another cigarette.

I am not sure where I heard this, but I like the idea. A small boy was asked to define repentance. He said, "Repentance is to be so sorry for doing something that you wouldn't do it again, even if you knew you wouldn't get caught. That is what I want, that is what I need. That is why I need to understand the Holiness of God, and the sinfulness of me.

Religiousity #1

2011-02-22T04:35:00.000-08:00

Job 4:6 "Is not your fear of God your confidence, and the integrity of your ways your hope?"

These words were spoken by Eliphaz, one of Job's friends, after 7 days of silence. Do they sound like words of comfort to you? I think to some they might, I think to some people this would be a compliment. But are they? I would hope that no one would think such things about me.

Now I think that the fear of God is a good thing. Proverbs 1:7 tells us that "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge." And I would hope that people who know me can see and understand that I do fear the Lord. But my fear of God is not my confidence. My confidence is in God and His attributes alone.

If my confidence is in my fear of God, then my confidence will waiver. I don't always fear God. Now that might sound like a strange statement, but I believe it is true. I believe in God. Always. But what about when I sin. Any sin. I could be a sin of disobedience, such as anything from speeding to murder. When I sin, I am not in fear of God. It could be a sin of omission. Perhaps someone gave me too much change, and I walk away and stick it in my pocket. Or I walk by someone in need, and do nothing. At these moments, do I fear God?

You see, I think Job's friend is saying here that Job's confidence is in his own righteousness. And I never want someone to tell me that my confidence is in my own righteousness. No matter how good I am or how good I might appear to be to others, I know that I am a sinner. I fall short. It is not just that I have fallen short, I continue to do so. If my confidence is in my fear of God, then I miss what God has for me.

The second part of that statement basically says the same thing. I would hope that no one would think that the integrity of my ways my hope. I am not 100% righteous. And isn't anything less then 100% failure? Now maybe not at school. At school we have a grading scale. 92% and above is still an A. But God's grading scale is not like that. It is pass or fail, it is 100% or nothing. If my hope is in my integrity, I am doomed to fail.

So what is my confidence in? God. Whatever I am, whatever I have, whatever happens, I put my confidence in God. It must be God who saves me, for I cannot save myself. There is no good thing that I can do to earn the favor of a God who can create and maintain such a universe as the one we live in.

Unfortunately, there are many in the church who don't get this. I think largely because we have stopped preaching about God, and have made religion about us again, much like the Israelites did over and over, all the way to the Pharisees and teachers of the law in Jesus time. There are those who, in the name of religion, teach that it is my behavior, my effort, my everything that determines my salvation.

Even at my church, where the current sermon series is "I'm All In" (with reference to Texas Hold-em poker, yes, really). I have to choose the right attitude, I have to go all in (as if that is even possible), I can't criticize, complain, or think of myself. Ironically, if I have this belief system, all I am really doing is thinking of myself.

Yes, Jesus told us to carry our cross daily. So in a sense, he calls us to go all in. But his was not a catch-phrase. It was a statement of the reality of following God. It was told to combat the idea of religiousity, not promote it. It was told to the disciples after Jesus had just told them he must suffer and die. On one occasion, Peter rebukes Jesus for saying he must die. Jesus instructs him rather harshly.

First, by calling him Satan.

I don't believe that Jesus was calling Peter names. I think at that moment, Jesus was literally addressing Satan, who was using Peter to tempt him. Satan wanted Jesus to agree, to say that such a thing should never happen to him, to the Messiah. He was appealing to Jesus' humanity, but his diety saw through it immediately.

Second, by explaining to Peter that carrying a cross is not a bad thing. Sure, the cross is an instrument of pain and suffering. But that is the price if you desire to save your soul. It is about obedience to whatever God lays out for you, and not about what you think He should lay out for you. Which do you prefer, Peter? To save your life but in the end to lose it, or to surrender your life in order to keep it.

It is not about me, my righteousness, my integrity, my anything. It is about God and Him alone. It is about me pushing into Him, not me pushing myself on Him. My confidence is Him.

Wrapping things up.

2011-02-18T13:23:00.000-08:00

Radical, Chapters 8-9, by David Platt

I have finished the last 2 chapters. All I can say is that his teaching is so different from what we are used to hearing from most pulpits. His appeals more as a message of truth. Theirs is a message of comfort.

Why doesn't the world hate us? That is what Jesus said, isn't it? That if the world hated Him, we should expect it to hate us. And while we might take some comfort in that America as a nation is hated, and say that is the answer, I think that we are more hated because of our arrogance and hoarding of the earth's resources than it is that we are a Christian nation. Although one of the sad things about this is that sometimes our arrogance and gluttony is seen as a result of our being a Christian nation.

Dr. Platt states that the world likes it when we pursue what they pursue, when we look like them instead of Jesus. That is harsh. Does the church in America look more like America than Jesus? Let me get my mirror...

The American church has lots of fancy buildings, programs, presentations, etc. Mirror says that Americans pursue large homes, big screen TV's, and entertainment. Jesus had no place to rest his head.

The American church is budget driven, thinks nothing of spending money it does not have yet, and is concerned with growth, both financially and numerically. Americans may not be budget driven, but we do think nothing of spending money we don't have, and at least have the desire to see our incomes and bank accounts grow. Jesus had no budget that we are aware of, totally trusting in God to provide for his needs. He didn't go into debt that we know of (although having the ability to find coins is fish to pay taxes probably helped in that area). And He was not afraid to say things that would cause people to walk away.

The American church speaks of comfort and convenince. Our call to commitment is one from a God who loves us and calls us to go to church, give of our excess, and be good people. Amercians love comfort, from our blue jeans to our couches. Our towns are full of convenience stores. Our trash cnas are a great example of our excess, as each week we give away ridiculous amounts of goods to that large truck that collects them, and of course, Amercians overall think of themselves as good people. Jesus spoke and lived a life of suffering, including his sacrificial death on the cross. The only excess that Jesus gave was the excess of Himself and His love for us. And when the rich young ruler called Him good, Jesus responded by saying the God alone is good.

Which all leads me to one conclusion. I gotta get a new mirrior.

A no-brainer???

2011-02-17T08:55:00.000-08:00

Chapter 7, Radical, by David Platt

It this chapter, Platt answers the question, "What happens to those who do not hear of or accept Christ?" The Bible's answer seems clear, but is unpopular. Without Christ, they suffer eternal damnation.

Is that a narrow-minded view? Yes, at least from a human perspective. But narrow-minded or not, what matters is, is it true? If you believe the Bible, you should accept it as truth.

As a result of that truth, the church has an obligation to declare Christ to the world. It should be a priority. More than having a nice building, or having the greatest speaker. Our passion should be to glorify God before the world as a result of the love that we have for Him. Somehow, showing up for a couple of hours on Sunday morning does not fit the bill.

Does your church have a passion for the lost? Do you? How it that passion expressed?

Objects in the mirror may be closer...

2011-02-16T12:09:00.000-08:00

Radical, Chapter 6 (by David Platt)

Chapter 6 begins with a discussion of seeing our blindspots. The trouble with blindspots is that we generally can't see them, hence the name blindspots. The focus of this chapter is materialism, and is it a blindspot for the American Christian, especially are we turning a blind eye to the rest of the world.

I hate it when people are right.

The guilt of this falls both on the church and the individual. Jesus spoke to the Rich Young Ruler. He told him to sell all he had and give it to the poor. When he walked away sad, the Scripture says "Jesus looked at him and loved him." Jesus loves us, but I have to believe that our selfishness makes him sad.

He loved him enough to tell him the truth. He loved him enough to confront him. He loved him enough to let him walk away.

Why has God given us more than we need? Is it to use the excess to have a more comfortable life, or is it to use that excess to honor God? I think we already know the answer to that question. Now the next question, what are we going to do about it?

Welcome to the show...

2011-02-15T14:34:00.000-08:00

Radical, Chapter 5 (by David Platt)

God blesses us so that His glory may be known in all nations. God does it for Himself. He loves us, and He knows that this is the best way to spread His renoun. He blesses us so that we will shine His light to others, knowing that we will not always do this. That is love.

Today the Gospel isn't spread, it is marketed. Marketed so that we can grow. Marketed so that we can attract large numbers of people to impressive buildings and programs. Marketed. Is that how Jesus worked?

For Jesus, spreading the Gospel centered around investing Himself in a few men, while preaching God's message to the masses. Contrary to today's marketing plans, He shunned titles and popularity. He was the Christ, yet told His disciples not to tell this to others. How is that for shunning titles? When the crowds got too large, He often would introduce a new, difficult teaching, causing many ot leave.

In today's performance driven ministry, individuals are often left out of the picture. Instead of making disciples, we have a model of ministry where the many watch the few minister. A model where the masses are receivers rather than reproducers. A model where we attempt to attract people into the church rather than teach people to "go into all the world to make disciples."

Now there is risk involved in turning the the reins of disciple-making over to the masses. But if Jesus was willing to take that risk, why don't we?

Partial Credit???

2011-02-14T19:13:00.000-08:00

Radical, by David Platt, Chapter 4

Does God give partial credit? If we get a part of the answer but not the whole idea, does it really matter? Do we really want to take that chance?

Here is the question: What is the message of the Gospel? If your answer is, "God loves us," you only get partial credit according to Dr. Platt. Answering "Why does God love you?" is also a crucial part of the answer to grasp the entire meaning of the Gospel. I would agree.

So why does God love us? Because it is to His glory to love us. The difference is subtle, but significant. If the gospel's whole message is that "God loves us," then we are the center of the gospel, and it terminates on us. If it terminates on me, then my obligation ends with my acceptance of the gospel, and anything I do beyond that should please God. If He does it because it is to HIS glory, then He becomes the center, and my response is incomplete unless I continue to make Him the center, by loving Him and sharing His glory to others.

The greatest commandments, to love God and to love others, show us that this love should not terminate on us. The great commission tells us of our obligation to share His glory not only with others, but throughout the world. In fact, I believe that every command given in the Bible needs to be interpreted in the light of this. If we are the center,

Giving your all

2011-02-14T10:58:00.000-08:00

Radical, by David Platt, Chapter 3, Parts 3 and 4

I appreciate the author's honesty. He said that at one time, he thought about all that his church could accomplish with all of the resources they had at their fingertips. Then he rethought that, and realized that without the power of the Holy Spirit.

Isn't that the message of the Bible? Seldom does God choose those who have it together to get his jobs done. More often he chooses those who need to rely on him. It is not our strengths that show God's glory (even though those strengths ultimately come from him in the first place), it is our weaknesses. God is most glorified when we get a task done that on our own we could not have ever accomplished.

Why was the widow's mite such an incredible gift? Others gave much more, out of their abundance. Their gifts did not glorify God like hers did because their gifts did not depend on God's power and might. I am not talking about in the lives of those who would receive the gifts, but in the life of the one who gave it! I don't think the widow was thinking about what her gift would accomplish when she gave it. Perhaps she was thinking about where her next meal might come from. But her primary thought must have been that in this act she was worshipping God.

The author gives the example of George Muller, who started an orphanage for children. But his goal was not to feed children, it was to honor God. God has the resources, he does not need ours.

Which would impress you more, a from-the-free-throw-line dunk by Michael Jordan, or the giving of a mite by a widow? One requires God-given talent, the other requires absolute dependence on God. One requires grace on the court, the other requires the grace of God. One has little consequence for failure, the other is like a high wire act without a net. One is flashy and gathers ohs and ahs, the other is hardly noticeable. Which one impresses you most? Now ask, which one impresses God.

Yeah, this is a problem.

2011-02-10T17:24:00.000-08:00

Chapter 3, Part 1 and 2

NOTE: The following thoughts are not in the book, but are on my heart after hearing this section of the book.

I am an American. First generation. My parents came over from Germany in 1956 to give their children a "better life." They are gone now, and things were good when they left. One son was a boilermaker, married, and had a nice house near theirs. Another son was a machinist, and lived about an hour away in a place on the river. A third son lived about 3 hours away, and was a teacher married to a teacher, with 3 children.

That picture is different now. The first son is divorced. The second committed suicide. One of the children of the third had a few run-ins with the law, but is thankfully now on a better track. The American dream...or is it the price we pay to live in America? And let's not even talk about all the unsettlement with the economy these days. Is the dream becoming a nightmare? If it is, perhaps that is God's grace, reminding us that He is in charge, and that this world does not hold the answers we should be chasing. Yet we still do. Hope of the economic rebound grow. The market is up. Maybe I can still retire...

And what of the church? 9/11 provided a wave of people seeking God. Many went to church, only to find that instead of God, patriotism was preached. I have no problem with being patriotic, but somewhere along the way patriotism became confused with self-sufficiency. God became a spectator and we became the instruments of success.

Church became a spectator sport as well. Some tired to the show, but others soon filled their empty seats. Those who left, often just traded one theater for another. No discipleship. No power of the Holy Spirit. No dependence on God, as budgets were met without a problem. And when budgets started to shrink, luckily we had all those missionaries on budget. We quickly and easily cut their funds, because after all, the show must go on.

Where is the desperation for God? Where is the yearning for His presence? Where is the power of His Holy Spirit? To quote Bono, "I still haven't found what I'm looking for!" But by his grace, I will.

A response

2011-02-07T18:42:00.000-08:00

Chapter 2, Part 3

This section begins with a very loaded question, "How do we respond to Christ?"

Typically, a prayer, a moment of agreement, perhaps baptism. All ways of saying that we accept Him. But isn't that backwards? Isn't it all about Him accepting us? Have people been led down a "religious road that makes grandiose promises at minimal cost?"

We are saved to know God. And to know His is to love Him. A full, no holes barred, abandon all else love that experiences the Sovereign God of the Universe. Somehow, just praying a prayer or taking a bath just doesn't seem enough.

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe! (Nyuk nyuk)

2011-02-06T12:45:00.000-08:00

Chapter 2, Part 2

A basic idea in math and/or science states that if your beginning theory is off, all subsequent theories based on that idea stand a high likelyhood of being off as well. To illustrate, if you were hitting a golf ball, and had all of the mechanics of a proper swing down pat, you still are not ensured of keeping the ball in the fairway if you do not aim in the right direction!

This section challenges much of what many evangelical churches hold dearly to, that God loves us, wants good things for us, and if we just follow some simple steps we are saved. But, the author says, the Biblical view is that we are an enemy of God, we are dead in our sins, and we are dependent on God to save us.

These are 2 very different perspectives. Both can preach, but can both save?