Before you report me to the government and reserve a room for me at the mental hospital, let me clarify... Vanessa and I most DEFINITELY do not need more biological children! I'm talking about children in a spiritual sense. I read a passage from Matthew this morning, and 11:25-27 caught my attention. These verses tend to be overshadowed by the following two, which begin, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden..." You can probably finish that passage by memory (or at least get close).
In v25-27, Jesus says, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by the Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."
In the preceding paragraphs, Jesus chides the religious establishment for being so pompous and full of themselves that they totally missed their own Messiah. I imagine he then steps back, looks in the faces of his friends (disciples) and, with all their hard-knock stories in mind, praises his Father for the divine genius, full of irony and grace, that chose to reveal the Kingdom of Heaven to the world's rejected. This reminds me of another passage I read this morning from Isaiah 55, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." (v8f)
Here's the punchline... we are surrounded by people who think they know God but are not experiencing any sort of real, life-changing relationship with him. If we took a poll on a typical Sunday morning and asked the question, "When was the last time you heard God speak to you?", what do you think the response would be? God reveals himself on a daily basis to those who are willing to look and listen for him. Another word from Isaiah 55 - "Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near."
I want to be a child to which God reveals himself. I pray that God would raise up more men and women who are humble, teachable and childlike so he can show himself to the world through them. Who are the unlikely, rejected or timid people around us that God has chosen to give divine boldness as he reveals himself to them... all because they "naively" believe that he will do so?
May God also raise up spiritual parents who will take personal responsibility for nurturing the faith of these children, helping them become spiritually active, personally responsible and intentionally multiplying disciples of Christ.
Showing posts with label intimacy with God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label intimacy with God. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Monday, November 10, 2008
An Open Ear
Psalm 40:6-8
I have been thinking a lot recently about the correlation between hearing God and obeying him. In John 10:3-5, Jesus says that those who belong to him are able to hear his voice and follow him. In Greek, the word for "I hear" is akouw and the word for "I obey" is hupakouw; I plan on doing a study on these two words, but without any research it's apparent from the surface that to obey has a dependency on or at least a relation to being able to hear. When my daughter doesn't obey something I told her to do, it's not unusual for her to say, "I didn't hear you."
In Psalm 40, the psalmist emphasizes that God ultimately doesn't seek religious sacrifices from his followers but obedience. God has given the writer "an open ear," meaning that he is able to hear God's commandments, and in v8 he describes the condition of his heart before God by saying, "I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart."
The disciple's life isn't easy, but it doesn't have to be complicated. That's why I describe it as "the simple life." It's not easy to follow God in obedience - there are times that it may cost us greatly. However, the tools that are necessary to follow Christ in obedience and power are not complicated. One of the most important things a disciple needs is an open ear, the ability to hear God's voice - in his Word, through prayer, in daily circumstances, etc - and then obey. The open ear is part of the "intimacy" side of the discipleship coin (one side is intimacy, the other is influence). When a disciple is unable to hear God's voice, his attempts at obedience revolve around what other people have told him/her that God desires and it all degenerates into lifeless religion. However, as the disciples cultivates the ability to listen to God and obey him, his journey with Christ comes alive and immediately supersedes religious obligations.
Do you have an open ear to hear God? Why are you doing the "Christian" things you do? Has God told you to do them? Is there something God has directed you to do - even a long time ago - that has been left undone? Obey him. How do you cultivate an open ear? It's not easy, but it's not complicated! For beginners, understand the truth (with boldness!) that if you have said "Yes!" to Christ, his Spirit lives in you and, by his direction, you CAN hear his voice. Here's the real question: are you listening? Like my daughter, we often have selective hearing because we're afraid that Christ may ask us to do something we don't want to do. The more we try to ignore the Spirit's voice, the more closed our ear becomes. The more we attempt to hear God, the more open it will be. Amazingly simple!
I have been thinking a lot recently about the correlation between hearing God and obeying him. In John 10:3-5, Jesus says that those who belong to him are able to hear his voice and follow him. In Greek, the word for "I hear" is akouw and the word for "I obey" is hupakouw; I plan on doing a study on these two words, but without any research it's apparent from the surface that to obey has a dependency on or at least a relation to being able to hear. When my daughter doesn't obey something I told her to do, it's not unusual for her to say, "I didn't hear you."
In Psalm 40, the psalmist emphasizes that God ultimately doesn't seek religious sacrifices from his followers but obedience. God has given the writer "an open ear," meaning that he is able to hear God's commandments, and in v8 he describes the condition of his heart before God by saying, "I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart."
The disciple's life isn't easy, but it doesn't have to be complicated. That's why I describe it as "the simple life." It's not easy to follow God in obedience - there are times that it may cost us greatly. However, the tools that are necessary to follow Christ in obedience and power are not complicated. One of the most important things a disciple needs is an open ear, the ability to hear God's voice - in his Word, through prayer, in daily circumstances, etc - and then obey. The open ear is part of the "intimacy" side of the discipleship coin (one side is intimacy, the other is influence). When a disciple is unable to hear God's voice, his attempts at obedience revolve around what other people have told him/her that God desires and it all degenerates into lifeless religion. However, as the disciples cultivates the ability to listen to God and obey him, his journey with Christ comes alive and immediately supersedes religious obligations.
Do you have an open ear to hear God? Why are you doing the "Christian" things you do? Has God told you to do them? Is there something God has directed you to do - even a long time ago - that has been left undone? Obey him. How do you cultivate an open ear? It's not easy, but it's not complicated! For beginners, understand the truth (with boldness!) that if you have said "Yes!" to Christ, his Spirit lives in you and, by his direction, you CAN hear his voice. Here's the real question: are you listening? Like my daughter, we often have selective hearing because we're afraid that Christ may ask us to do something we don't want to do. The more we try to ignore the Spirit's voice, the more closed our ear becomes. The more we attempt to hear God, the more open it will be. Amazingly simple!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Feeling Unhealthy?
Do you ever feel unhealthy? When you've eaten too much junk food, when you're on your third soda and it's only 11:30AM, when you haven't raised your heart rate past a mild trot in weeks? Unhealthy is not a good feeling - it hints of current shame and impending doom.
I often feel spiritually unhealthy. My heart burns for the devotional life, for spiritual disciplines, for discipleship. How can you be spiritually unhealthy when you love such things? Several reasons:
1) A loss of focus on the Teacher. All the things that make spiritual growth happen can become ends in themselves. The disciple has to remember that his journey is about one person - Jesus. If he works hard, learns a lot and grows immensely but is no closer to Jesus, the journey is in vain. Why am I doing what I'm doing? Why am I a Christian to begin with? I need to get close to Jesus, apart from my official position in ministry.
2) A lack of obedience. As the disciple learns to follow Jesus, the Teacher will ask him to do things that are uncomfortable. He will be stretched beyond the aspects of discipleship toward which he is naturally bent. If he naturally leans toward evangelism, the Lord may ask him to learn to study. If he leans toward private disciplines, the Lord may ask him to evangelize. God will lead toward specific conversations, influences, relationships, etc. It is too easy for the follower to dismiss and forget about the thing the Spirit has shown him to do and pursue other holy discipleship endeavors, sedating his conscience with easier good works. What has God directed me to do that I have left incomplete? When the LORD left his final instructions with his friends, he told them to make disciples and teach them to OBEY his Word. I need to obey.
3) A lessened influence in the world. Christians have a bad habit that is destroying the influence of the Church - the longer we are believers and the more involved we become in our local church, the more removed we become from the unbelieving world around us. This is a tragedy. This trend does not model Jesus' life and ministry at all. The LORD did attend synagogue and have conversations with the religious community, but he was frequently accompanied by the "seeking" unchurched. Seclusion in the Christian ghetto does little for the advancement of the kingdom of God; it encourages an us-verses-them mentality and our hearts no longer bleed for the lost and hurting. The Christian subculture feels safe for the believer but is death to the purposes of God in the earth. Am I having significant, caring conversations with those who are far from God? Do I have friends who are unbelievers? If not, I am convinced that I am not really following Jesus and I am living in disobedience and sin.
If my life is suffering from these diseases, I will live with a sense of current shame and impending spiritual doom & failure. We are called by Christ to live lives of eternal impact - am I having the impact I'm supposed to have? Am I a significant player in the kingdom of heaven, a notable character in God's story of redemption today? I want to be healthy.
I often feel spiritually unhealthy. My heart burns for the devotional life, for spiritual disciplines, for discipleship. How can you be spiritually unhealthy when you love such things? Several reasons:
1) A loss of focus on the Teacher. All the things that make spiritual growth happen can become ends in themselves. The disciple has to remember that his journey is about one person - Jesus. If he works hard, learns a lot and grows immensely but is no closer to Jesus, the journey is in vain. Why am I doing what I'm doing? Why am I a Christian to begin with? I need to get close to Jesus, apart from my official position in ministry.
2) A lack of obedience. As the disciple learns to follow Jesus, the Teacher will ask him to do things that are uncomfortable. He will be stretched beyond the aspects of discipleship toward which he is naturally bent. If he naturally leans toward evangelism, the Lord may ask him to learn to study. If he leans toward private disciplines, the Lord may ask him to evangelize. God will lead toward specific conversations, influences, relationships, etc. It is too easy for the follower to dismiss and forget about the thing the Spirit has shown him to do and pursue other holy discipleship endeavors, sedating his conscience with easier good works. What has God directed me to do that I have left incomplete? When the LORD left his final instructions with his friends, he told them to make disciples and teach them to OBEY his Word. I need to obey.
3) A lessened influence in the world. Christians have a bad habit that is destroying the influence of the Church - the longer we are believers and the more involved we become in our local church, the more removed we become from the unbelieving world around us. This is a tragedy. This trend does not model Jesus' life and ministry at all. The LORD did attend synagogue and have conversations with the religious community, but he was frequently accompanied by the "seeking" unchurched. Seclusion in the Christian ghetto does little for the advancement of the kingdom of God; it encourages an us-verses-them mentality and our hearts no longer bleed for the lost and hurting. The Christian subculture feels safe for the believer but is death to the purposes of God in the earth. Am I having significant, caring conversations with those who are far from God? Do I have friends who are unbelievers? If not, I am convinced that I am not really following Jesus and I am living in disobedience and sin.
If my life is suffering from these diseases, I will live with a sense of current shame and impending spiritual doom & failure. We are called by Christ to live lives of eternal impact - am I having the impact I'm supposed to have? Am I a significant player in the kingdom of heaven, a notable character in God's story of redemption today? I want to be healthy.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Kingdom come... in me!
I want to live my life with an awareness of God, listening to his Spirit and in consistent conversation with him throughout the day. I want to be obedient to do the tasks he lays on my heart and spiritually awake, praying as people and situations pass through my thoughts. I want to be easily moved to worship in the context of "normal" life, seeing God at work all around me.
This is what I call "walking in the Spirit." I want it.
I want to move in the gifts of the Spirit that I know I have. I want to learn the gifts of which I am not yet aware that I have. But more than this, I want to exhibit the fruit of the Holy Spirit and live in obedience to God. I want to do the hard things that the LORD asks of me, the things that scare me to my core and seem completely unpleasant, the things that come with no fanfare or emotional gratification. I want to walk the way Jesus walked, operating under the direction of his Spirit, being led by his yoke and pulling it with him at my side.
I don't want ordinary life. I don't want ordinary Christianity. I want Jesus and his kingdom at work in me. "Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
This is what I call "walking in the Spirit." I want it.
I want to move in the gifts of the Spirit that I know I have. I want to learn the gifts of which I am not yet aware that I have. But more than this, I want to exhibit the fruit of the Holy Spirit and live in obedience to God. I want to do the hard things that the LORD asks of me, the things that scare me to my core and seem completely unpleasant, the things that come with no fanfare or emotional gratification. I want to walk the way Jesus walked, operating under the direction of his Spirit, being led by his yoke and pulling it with him at my side.
I don't want ordinary life. I don't want ordinary Christianity. I want Jesus and his kingdom at work in me. "Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
The Ten Virgins - Preparation by Intimacy
I'm reading through Matthew 25 - it and the surrounding chapters give us Jesus' teachings on his impending return. In this chapter I see three sections that teach us how to be prepared for Christ's parousia; the first is preparation by intimacy.
All ten virgins brought lamps to light the way for the coming of the bridegroom. However, five brought oil only for the expected amount of time that it would take for the procession to occur, while the other five realized that the bridegroom could be delayed (this could be a long process) and prepared by bringing extra oil. In the darkness of the delayed return, the foolish five ran out of oil and the wise five had enough.
When we choose to be disciples we do not really know how long, hard and lonely the road may be that Christ calls us to travel. Many followers fall away in the dark hours before they reach some intended destination. Why? Because they did not prepare for those hard times. I want to be like the five wise virgins who went about their duties in the wedding party with careful preparation. How can I be prepared to finish well? How can I be ready to weather the dark nights of this faith journey? I have to build within my life a habit of drawing near to God, learning to hear his voice and being filled by his Spirit. I cannot wait until my lamp runs out in the middle of the night to try and acquire oil; I must learn to stock up on a regular basis, knowing that I can easily run out. I cannot rely on my own strength to take me through the hard times; I must rely on the Holy Spirit, and learning to do so is quite a process!
I do not want to burn only when others are looking and run out when the journey becomes unexpectedly long - Jesus, teach me to gather the oil I need for the long haul!
Matthew 25:1-13
All ten virgins brought lamps to light the way for the coming of the bridegroom. However, five brought oil only for the expected amount of time that it would take for the procession to occur, while the other five realized that the bridegroom could be delayed (this could be a long process) and prepared by bringing extra oil. In the darkness of the delayed return, the foolish five ran out of oil and the wise five had enough.
When we choose to be disciples we do not really know how long, hard and lonely the road may be that Christ calls us to travel. Many followers fall away in the dark hours before they reach some intended destination. Why? Because they did not prepare for those hard times. I want to be like the five wise virgins who went about their duties in the wedding party with careful preparation. How can I be prepared to finish well? How can I be ready to weather the dark nights of this faith journey? I have to build within my life a habit of drawing near to God, learning to hear his voice and being filled by his Spirit. I cannot wait until my lamp runs out in the middle of the night to try and acquire oil; I must learn to stock up on a regular basis, knowing that I can easily run out. I cannot rely on my own strength to take me through the hard times; I must rely on the Holy Spirit, and learning to do so is quite a process!
I do not want to burn only when others are looking and run out when the journey becomes unexpectedly long - Jesus, teach me to gather the oil I need for the long haul!
Matthew 25:1-13
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Graduate Already!
(The Church, the Holy Spirit and the Disciple)
As my understanding of discipleship and the simple life is developing, I feel the leading and providence of the Holy Spirit to certain resources, passages of Scripture and discussions with friends. Over the last week I came across a Messianic Jewish website called RabbiYeshua.com that gives some great insight into first century discipleship. I also came across an article by a fellow named Robert Brow on the role of the Holy Spirit as teacher or rabbi in the life of a Christian disciple. Both of these resources were very insightful, pointing my thoughts down the road of first-century discipleship as a context for understanding our mandate to follow Christ today. (However, I know very little about either of these sources and do not endorse or necessarily recommend them.)
A few days ago I searched for "Celebration of Discipline" on iTunes and found it in audiobook format and also discovered a sermon by its author, Richard Foster, given at a chapel service at Seattle Pacific University in the late 70s shortly after the book was written. The message was INCREDIBLE (I do highly recommend getting it - it's under the podcast section of the iTunes store). I began to search the digital library of SPU chapel services and found a message by Rob Wall entitled "Scripture and Jesus," given recently. In this message, Rob teaches from John 13 & 14 and gives great insight into the disciples' struggle to understand Jesus' impending departure and the gift of the Holy Spirit as an indwelling teacher (or rabbi).
I wrote all of that to give the back-story to my current thoughts and to assign credit where it is due. Now on to my thoughts...
What is the role of the church and the Holy Spirit in the life of a modern-day disciple? Rob Wall painted a gripping picture of the anxiety that Jesus' disciples must have felt when he announced his leaving; they were to become disciples without a rabbi, learners without a teacher. They had given their whole lives to follow one man, sacrificing their reputations and laying aside the normal responsibilities of life to align themselves with this radical teacher. What were they to do without him? Who would be the rabbi for this group of orphaned students?
Jesus had a plan! "I will not leave you as orphans..." Our Savior needed to leave so that the next stage of their discipleship could begin. Until this time, they followed a physical person in attempts to garner wisdom from him and live life as much like him as possible. Their three years of following Jesus were riddled with frustrating moments for their rabbi; often he would say things like, "How much longer do I have to put up with you?" or "How long have I been with you and you still do not know me?" The disciples were trying their best to follow Christ but had not developed "eyes to see and ears to hear" what God was doing in his kingdom. Rarely one of them would have moments of revelation; when Peter identified Jesus as the Son of God, the Savior replied "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven!" Jesus was eager to initiate his disciples into their next stage of learning because they would receive a new, much needed type of instruction - learning from a teacher within. Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit who would remind them of all he said and lead them into all truth. This teacher would take them to places they had yet to go (and would not be able to go) following an earthly rabbi. This was the beginning of the best...
Believers today long for the opportunity to follow Christ as the disciples did. "If I could spend three years with Jesus I would really get things right!" There is a stage of discipleship that requires a season of following an earthly teacher and, in Jesus' absence, the Body of Christ fills that role. Christians rightly look to the church (local and universal) to lead them in learning about God and all things spiritual. However, we make a grave mistake when we see the church as our primary source of spiritual learning. Jesus intended for the twelve to graduate to a new level of discipleship and he intends the same for us today. There comes a time when we must wean ourselves off of the church as our substitute rabbi and lean primarily on the indwelling Teacher that Christ died to provide.
This concept can be frightening for both the disciple and the church leader. What might happen? Will people stop attending services? Will error creep in as people seek to find truth "on their own"? Yes, these things will happen to some (hopefully slight) degree. However, the power of Spirit-led discipleship is explosive! Imagine an army of Christ-followers who are united as a body but dependent primarily on the Holy Spirit (not the pastor) to lead them into truth! Imagine the impact as we follow Christ in pursuit of the lost, listening to his Spirit and living by his Word!
What role does the church play in helping disciples graduate to the next level? That's another post...
John 13:36-14:31
A few days ago I searched for "Celebration of Discipline" on iTunes and found it in audiobook format and also discovered a sermon by its author, Richard Foster, given at a chapel service at Seattle Pacific University in the late 70s shortly after the book was written. The message was INCREDIBLE (I do highly recommend getting it - it's under the podcast section of the iTunes store). I began to search the digital library of SPU chapel services and found a message by Rob Wall entitled "Scripture and Jesus," given recently. In this message, Rob teaches from John 13 & 14 and gives great insight into the disciples' struggle to understand Jesus' impending departure and the gift of the Holy Spirit as an indwelling teacher (or rabbi).
I wrote all of that to give the back-story to my current thoughts and to assign credit where it is due. Now on to my thoughts...
What is the role of the church and the Holy Spirit in the life of a modern-day disciple? Rob Wall painted a gripping picture of the anxiety that Jesus' disciples must have felt when he announced his leaving; they were to become disciples without a rabbi, learners without a teacher. They had given their whole lives to follow one man, sacrificing their reputations and laying aside the normal responsibilities of life to align themselves with this radical teacher. What were they to do without him? Who would be the rabbi for this group of orphaned students?
Jesus had a plan! "I will not leave you as orphans..." Our Savior needed to leave so that the next stage of their discipleship could begin. Until this time, they followed a physical person in attempts to garner wisdom from him and live life as much like him as possible. Their three years of following Jesus were riddled with frustrating moments for their rabbi; often he would say things like, "How much longer do I have to put up with you?" or "How long have I been with you and you still do not know me?" The disciples were trying their best to follow Christ but had not developed "eyes to see and ears to hear" what God was doing in his kingdom. Rarely one of them would have moments of revelation; when Peter identified Jesus as the Son of God, the Savior replied "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven!" Jesus was eager to initiate his disciples into their next stage of learning because they would receive a new, much needed type of instruction - learning from a teacher within. Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit who would remind them of all he said and lead them into all truth. This teacher would take them to places they had yet to go (and would not be able to go) following an earthly rabbi. This was the beginning of the best...
Believers today long for the opportunity to follow Christ as the disciples did. "If I could spend three years with Jesus I would really get things right!" There is a stage of discipleship that requires a season of following an earthly teacher and, in Jesus' absence, the Body of Christ fills that role. Christians rightly look to the church (local and universal) to lead them in learning about God and all things spiritual. However, we make a grave mistake when we see the church as our primary source of spiritual learning. Jesus intended for the twelve to graduate to a new level of discipleship and he intends the same for us today. There comes a time when we must wean ourselves off of the church as our substitute rabbi and lean primarily on the indwelling Teacher that Christ died to provide.
This concept can be frightening for both the disciple and the church leader. What might happen? Will people stop attending services? Will error creep in as people seek to find truth "on their own"? Yes, these things will happen to some (hopefully slight) degree. However, the power of Spirit-led discipleship is explosive! Imagine an army of Christ-followers who are united as a body but dependent primarily on the Holy Spirit (not the pastor) to lead them into truth! Imagine the impact as we follow Christ in pursuit of the lost, listening to his Spirit and living by his Word!
What role does the church play in helping disciples graduate to the next level? That's another post...
John 13:36-14:31
Sunday, January 20, 2008
What is a disciple? (The Simple Life)
Tonight my family had a discussion during Bible study about discipleship. I asked Lexie, "What is a disciple?" I absolutely loved her answer! She replied, "A disciple is someone who loves God. Jesus teaches a disciple to live like him."
In The Great Commission, Jesus presents us with a clear responsibility to go and make disciples. This process has two parts; 1) baptize them in the name of the Trinity and 2) teach them to obey his teachings. In other words, we are to help others cross the line from darkness to light, from death to life and then to help them learn to walk with Christ in daily life.
How am I a disciple? How am I following Christ? Am I learning from Jesus to live like him? Am I teaching others to do the same? I love Jesus, but I want to learn more from him about following in his steps. I want to learn to grow in faith and engage the world the way that he does. I definitely want to learn to live like Jesus. I want to be a disciple.
In The Great Commission, Jesus presents us with a clear responsibility to go and make disciples. This process has two parts; 1) baptize them in the name of the Trinity and 2) teach them to obey his teachings. In other words, we are to help others cross the line from darkness to light, from death to life and then to help them learn to walk with Christ in daily life.
How am I a disciple? How am I following Christ? Am I learning from Jesus to live like him? Am I teaching others to do the same? I love Jesus, but I want to learn more from him about following in his steps. I want to learn to grow in faith and engage the world the way that he does. I definitely want to learn to live like Jesus. I want to be a disciple.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Eyes to See (Matthew 18)
As we read through scripture our minds break the passages into bite-sized chunks and remember them by particularly poignant or colorful content. However, God has arranged his Word with incredible wisdom to teach us through over-arching themes and lessons. Matthew 16 contains one such lesson.
This chapter contains four sections that all point toward the same idea: we need eyes to see what God is doing in his kingdom. The Pharisees and Sadducees have aligned themselves to eliminate Jesus and approach him with a request for a miraculous sign. Jesus responds, "You don't have eyes to see who I am!" Jesus asks his disciples how others identify him, following with a pointed question; "Do you have eyes to see who I am?" When Jesus outlines the events of his death, Peter rebukes him and the Lord responds, "You don't have eyes to see what the Father is doing in his kingdom!" And finally, Jesus challenges his disciples, saying "If you want to follow me, you cannot see things with an earthly perspective. You need eyes to see what it takes to make it in the Kingdom of Heaven!"
My heart is drawn to Jesus' warning to avoid the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. These two Jewish sects held vehemently to opposed views on particulars of their faith. Each group had become so sternly focused on non-essential tenants of Judaism that they were completely unaware that Yahweh was standing in flesh before them. I'm sure their obsession with their favorite religious details started innocently enough. However, the leaven of the non-essentials grew in each sect to the point that their members' identities were built on these distinctives.
In the same way, the Church and we as individual Christians need to be very careful to avoid the leaven of the non-essentials. Sadly, it seems that we may have already become victim to it on a corporate level. By nature, denominations are what they are because of non-essential differences. Why do I describe them as non-essentials? Because the only true essentials in Christianity do not allow for any variance. If you don't hold to the essentials, you're not practicing true Christianity! The essentials are a precious few beliefs (i.e. salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone), whereas there exists a myriad of non-essentials from which Christians choose their favorites to align by (i.e. "once saved, always saved" or speaking in tongues). As a Church, we have divided ourselves and become so focused on non-essentials that we often completely miss what God is doing in his kingdom. This is an ailment that the Body of Christ desperately needs to see healed by the Holy Spirit in order to regain her health, intimacy with God and "saltiness" in the earth.
Jesus, give us wisdom to distinguish between essentials and non-essentials. Help us have eyes to see what you are doing in your kingdom, unobstructed by things that don't matter!
"Unity in essentials. Liberty in non-essentials. In all things charity."
Matthew 16
This chapter contains four sections that all point toward the same idea: we need eyes to see what God is doing in his kingdom. The Pharisees and Sadducees have aligned themselves to eliminate Jesus and approach him with a request for a miraculous sign. Jesus responds, "You don't have eyes to see who I am!" Jesus asks his disciples how others identify him, following with a pointed question; "Do you have eyes to see who I am?" When Jesus outlines the events of his death, Peter rebukes him and the Lord responds, "You don't have eyes to see what the Father is doing in his kingdom!" And finally, Jesus challenges his disciples, saying "If you want to follow me, you cannot see things with an earthly perspective. You need eyes to see what it takes to make it in the Kingdom of Heaven!"
My heart is drawn to Jesus' warning to avoid the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. These two Jewish sects held vehemently to opposed views on particulars of their faith. Each group had become so sternly focused on non-essential tenants of Judaism that they were completely unaware that Yahweh was standing in flesh before them. I'm sure their obsession with their favorite religious details started innocently enough. However, the leaven of the non-essentials grew in each sect to the point that their members' identities were built on these distinctives.
In the same way, the Church and we as individual Christians need to be very careful to avoid the leaven of the non-essentials. Sadly, it seems that we may have already become victim to it on a corporate level. By nature, denominations are what they are because of non-essential differences. Why do I describe them as non-essentials? Because the only true essentials in Christianity do not allow for any variance. If you don't hold to the essentials, you're not practicing true Christianity! The essentials are a precious few beliefs (i.e. salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone), whereas there exists a myriad of non-essentials from which Christians choose their favorites to align by (i.e. "once saved, always saved" or speaking in tongues). As a Church, we have divided ourselves and become so focused on non-essentials that we often completely miss what God is doing in his kingdom. This is an ailment that the Body of Christ desperately needs to see healed by the Holy Spirit in order to regain her health, intimacy with God and "saltiness" in the earth.
Jesus, give us wisdom to distinguish between essentials and non-essentials. Help us have eyes to see what you are doing in your kingdom, unobstructed by things that don't matter!
"Unity in essentials. Liberty in non-essentials. In all things charity."
Matthew 16
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Relentless Pursuit
(12/04/03 journal entry)
It is impossible to have clean hands and pure hearts unless we are actively involved in seeking the face of God. The only way to worship is to worship every day - if we become slack or hit-and-miss with our pursuit of God, we become soiled by the dirt of everyday living and it becomes difficult to enter into the presence of God. The natural pull of depravity draws us away from God and his holiness into the mud of "normal" life. The Christian life that seeks God has to fight to do so. I want to have the character of the company of God's people that seek him - not that of those who just know him. There is so much more and I want it.
Psalm 24:3-6
It is impossible to have clean hands and pure hearts unless we are actively involved in seeking the face of God. The only way to worship is to worship every day - if we become slack or hit-and-miss with our pursuit of God, we become soiled by the dirt of everyday living and it becomes difficult to enter into the presence of God. The natural pull of depravity draws us away from God and his holiness into the mud of "normal" life. The Christian life that seeks God has to fight to do so. I want to have the character of the company of God's people that seek him - not that of those who just know him. There is so much more and I want it.
Psalm 24:3-6
Saturday, October 13, 2007
The Sweet Leaning
(02/01/03 journal entry)
The right relationship between myself and Jesus requires that I rest in his sufficiency. It's not a requirement in the sense of duty - it's a requirement that comes from my own deficiency; if I don't lean on Jesus, there's no other way.
The right relationship that places me leaning on him for my life, my wisdom, my righteousness, my sanctification, my redemption, my everything is a love relationship of the sweetest and most intimate kind. Apart from this "leaning," my Christian life becomes dry drudgery, completely devoid of any real life. The joy and grace of the experience of walking with God starts and continues to the end with "trusting him alone."
1 Corinthians 1:30-31
The right relationship between myself and Jesus requires that I rest in his sufficiency. It's not a requirement in the sense of duty - it's a requirement that comes from my own deficiency; if I don't lean on Jesus, there's no other way.
The right relationship that places me leaning on him for my life, my wisdom, my righteousness, my sanctification, my redemption, my everything is a love relationship of the sweetest and most intimate kind. Apart from this "leaning," my Christian life becomes dry drudgery, completely devoid of any real life. The joy and grace of the experience of walking with God starts and continues to the end with "trusting him alone."
1 Corinthians 1:30-31
A Deficiency of Grace and Joy
(01/28/03 journal entry)
My Christian walk has been a very serious journey since its first days, but I'm afraid somewhere along the way I've either convinced myself or allowed the devil to convince me that to take Jesus seriously means that I have to strive for perfection.
Striving for perfection has done a great job of robbing my life of two very important Christian prizes - grace and joy. I don't give myself any slack - how can God? Surely he holds me to a higher standard that I hold for myself. Constant striving for perfection coupled with a deficiency of grace has made my life worrisome; my burdens are not light because I won't let them be and the weight of them kills my joy.
Lord Jesus, allow me to listen to your Spirit - stop striving for perfection and start striving for you. Not striving to make myself who you are because that is impossible; simply striving to know you, to love you, to be with you. Let my Christian walk stop being focused on the Christian and start being focused on Christ.
My Christian walk has been a very serious journey since its first days, but I'm afraid somewhere along the way I've either convinced myself or allowed the devil to convince me that to take Jesus seriously means that I have to strive for perfection.
Striving for perfection has done a great job of robbing my life of two very important Christian prizes - grace and joy. I don't give myself any slack - how can God? Surely he holds me to a higher standard that I hold for myself. Constant striving for perfection coupled with a deficiency of grace has made my life worrisome; my burdens are not light because I won't let them be and the weight of them kills my joy.
Lord Jesus, allow me to listen to your Spirit - stop striving for perfection and start striving for you. Not striving to make myself who you are because that is impossible; simply striving to know you, to love you, to be with you. Let my Christian walk stop being focused on the Christian and start being focused on Christ.
A Person, Not a Cause
(01/24/03 journal entry)
I am praying to experience the dynamic Christian life that I know is available. I want to live the adventure of faith, I want to become inseparable from Jesus. I want the power of his Spirit moving daily in my life. I want to experience joy and peace that passes all understanding. I want to live with power to be a witness. I want to know Jesus in the most personal, intimate way. I want to be proactive and aggressive in my pursuit after Jesus. I want to pray for hours early in the morning and for hours late into the night. I want to live a life that is constantly sowing the Word of God because I am always talking about him. I want Jesus to be the consuming thought in my mind, the driving force in my life.
I am convinced more and more that the key to the abandoned, fulfilled, dynamic Christian life lies in devotion to the person of Jesus. Oswald Chambers says, "It is not enough to give mental assent to the fact that God has redeemed the world, nor even to know that the Holy Spirit can make all that Jesus did a reality in my life. I must have the foundation of a personal relationship with him... there would be nothing [in Paul's life] without a personal relationship. Paul was devoted to a Person, not a cause."
It is imperative that I live in devotion to the person of Jesus, not just a cause. It is imperative that I keep calling my youth to devotion to the person of Jesus, not just his cause.
I am praying to experience the dynamic Christian life that I know is available. I want to live the adventure of faith, I want to become inseparable from Jesus. I want the power of his Spirit moving daily in my life. I want to experience joy and peace that passes all understanding. I want to live with power to be a witness. I want to know Jesus in the most personal, intimate way. I want to be proactive and aggressive in my pursuit after Jesus. I want to pray for hours early in the morning and for hours late into the night. I want to live a life that is constantly sowing the Word of God because I am always talking about him. I want Jesus to be the consuming thought in my mind, the driving force in my life.
I am convinced more and more that the key to the abandoned, fulfilled, dynamic Christian life lies in devotion to the person of Jesus. Oswald Chambers says, "It is not enough to give mental assent to the fact that God has redeemed the world, nor even to know that the Holy Spirit can make all that Jesus did a reality in my life. I must have the foundation of a personal relationship with him... there would be nothing [in Paul's life] without a personal relationship. Paul was devoted to a Person, not a cause."
It is imperative that I live in devotion to the person of Jesus, not just a cause. It is imperative that I keep calling my youth to devotion to the person of Jesus, not just his cause.
The Walk of True Faith
(01/21/03 journal entry)
We tend to begin the walk of faith with lots of excitement, intimacy and expectation. God leads us through all kinds of amazing things - often very hard things - and we follow with zeal and pledge dedication with our mouths and hearts because the sensation of his amazing work is so fresh, not realizing the path we are choosing to follow.
After the hard days have passed and God allows us to settle for a time in a place he has promised us, a place of blessing, the sensation of blessing is more overwhelming than the remembered sensation of God's hand and we quickly begin to start carving new idols in our lives. It is then that the zeal that we called faith is shown to be what it is - a reaction to a sensation, when true faith is actually a commitment to believe in the absence of sensation.
Lord Jesus, it is true that we become like the things we worship. May we become steadfast and faithful by worshiping you instead of worthless by focusing our lives on worthless things.
Jeremiah 2:2,5
We tend to begin the walk of faith with lots of excitement, intimacy and expectation. God leads us through all kinds of amazing things - often very hard things - and we follow with zeal and pledge dedication with our mouths and hearts because the sensation of his amazing work is so fresh, not realizing the path we are choosing to follow.
After the hard days have passed and God allows us to settle for a time in a place he has promised us, a place of blessing, the sensation of blessing is more overwhelming than the remembered sensation of God's hand and we quickly begin to start carving new idols in our lives. It is then that the zeal that we called faith is shown to be what it is - a reaction to a sensation, when true faith is actually a commitment to believe in the absence of sensation.
Lord Jesus, it is true that we become like the things we worship. May we become steadfast and faithful by worshiping you instead of worthless by focusing our lives on worthless things.
Jeremiah 2:2,5
Guiding Nudges
(12/15/02 journal entry)
It is a tricky thing to determine where God is leading when. I am beginning to think that God directs us in our thoughts and prayers toward certain people or activities, gives us an inspired nudge by the Holy Spirit and in many ways leaves us to choose to believe what he has said and act on it accordingly. He may remind us of what he has said - he usually lets these guiding thoughts pass our minds several times and this repetition is a sign that he is in it. But in the middle of daily life it's easy to let his nudging get shifted beneath a "to-do" list and we forget in what areas he has pointed. It would be good for us to keep a running list of God's guiding nudges to refer to often so we can stay on track.
It is a tricky thing to determine where God is leading when. I am beginning to think that God directs us in our thoughts and prayers toward certain people or activities, gives us an inspired nudge by the Holy Spirit and in many ways leaves us to choose to believe what he has said and act on it accordingly. He may remind us of what he has said - he usually lets these guiding thoughts pass our minds several times and this repetition is a sign that he is in it. But in the middle of daily life it's easy to let his nudging get shifted beneath a "to-do" list and we forget in what areas he has pointed. It would be good for us to keep a running list of God's guiding nudges to refer to often so we can stay on track.
Intimacy & Influence
(11/30/02 journal entry)
The will of God for the life of any believer is summed up in two words - intimacy and influence. Jesus said the primary call of God in our lives is the one to personal intimacy with him. God passionately seeks us and invites us to experience him deeply. The secondary call is that to influence other people for the Kingdom of Christ. Though we need to be deliberate in our attempts to influence others, our focus should always be first on loving the Lord our God with everything we are - then loving our neighbor as ourselves will come naturally.
The will of God for the life of any believer is summed up in two words - intimacy and influence. Jesus said the primary call of God in our lives is the one to personal intimacy with him. God passionately seeks us and invites us to experience him deeply. The secondary call is that to influence other people for the Kingdom of Christ. Though we need to be deliberate in our attempts to influence others, our focus should always be first on loving the Lord our God with everything we are - then loving our neighbor as ourselves will come naturally.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
still amazed by "first love"
i read a book recently entitled "in the name of jesus" by henri nouwen. in this book he refers to God's unconditional love for us, his love that seeks us before we are concerned with him as God's "first love."
everywhere i turn i'm reading things that remind me of God's incredible love for us as we are. this is not a sloppy love that gives credence to half-hearted christianity, but rather a burning love for us that, when encountered, sets our hearts ablaze, also. you cannot know the truth of God's "first love" and not immediately desire to know this God more. i believe anyone who hears the message of God's love and says to himself, "yeah, i know - 'jesus loves me.' nothing new here..." hasn't really heard the message of "first love."
here are some quotes that apply:
from "secrets of the secret place" by bob sorge... "[God] doesn't enjoy you any less because you struggle. he knows your weakness. he sees your failures, but yet he owns you as his child and enjoys you even when you fall! he loves it when you pick yourself up and keep stepping forward again into his arms. how comforting to know we can bring the entire package of our inadequacies and shortcomings into his presence and know that he lovingly embraces us and delights in us! he enjoys us at every stage of the maturity process."
psalm 8:4-5 NLT "what are mortals that you should think of us, mere humans that you should care for us? for you made us only a little lower than God and you crowned us with glory and honor."
everywhere i turn i'm reading things that remind me of God's incredible love for us as we are. this is not a sloppy love that gives credence to half-hearted christianity, but rather a burning love for us that, when encountered, sets our hearts ablaze, also. you cannot know the truth of God's "first love" and not immediately desire to know this God more. i believe anyone who hears the message of God's love and says to himself, "yeah, i know - 'jesus loves me.' nothing new here..." hasn't really heard the message of "first love."
here are some quotes that apply:
from "secrets of the secret place" by bob sorge... "[God] doesn't enjoy you any less because you struggle. he knows your weakness. he sees your failures, but yet he owns you as his child and enjoys you even when you fall! he loves it when you pick yourself up and keep stepping forward again into his arms. how comforting to know we can bring the entire package of our inadequacies and shortcomings into his presence and know that he lovingly embraces us and delights in us! he enjoys us at every stage of the maturity process."
psalm 8:4-5 NLT "what are mortals that you should think of us, mere humans that you should care for us? for you made us only a little lower than God and you crowned us with glory and honor."
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
enlargment of the heart
no... not the medical condition... the spiritual one! God is really doing a lot in me right now... he's giving me so much clarity regarding my personal purpose in life. everywhere i turn i hear God speaking the same message - "i called you to love you first and for you to serve me second! seek me, not ministry!" it sounds so simple... it's just the great commandment and great commission in their proper order, but Jesus is drawing me to such a deeper place of purposeful intimacy and it is revolutionary for me. i'm amazed at what God is doing.
i'm mentoring a couple of high school guys right now... jesse underwood and adam eubanks. jesse is in 9th grade and is a guitarist/singer/songwriter. adam is in 10th grade and he is a bassist. both of the guys are in a worship band called "crossing 47"... which is INCREDIBLE. jesse and adam have such phenomenal hearts for God; they love to pray and worship and are becoming passionate in their pursuit of Jesus. i'm supposed to be mentoring them but they really encourage me! i meet once a week individually with each of them; we also attend our tuesday morning "youth prayer" meeting at 6:30AM in the youth worship center at our church and the monthly "school of prayer" that happens on the last monday evening of the month.
my request of Jesus is this - "show me your heart. i want to really know what's in your heart toward me." i know academically that God loves me, but i want to walk in his passion every day of my life because i know that i cannot love him unless i am experiencing his love for me... and i desparately want to love Jesus more.
i'm mentoring a couple of high school guys right now... jesse underwood and adam eubanks. jesse is in 9th grade and is a guitarist/singer/songwriter. adam is in 10th grade and he is a bassist. both of the guys are in a worship band called "crossing 47"... which is INCREDIBLE. jesse and adam have such phenomenal hearts for God; they love to pray and worship and are becoming passionate in their pursuit of Jesus. i'm supposed to be mentoring them but they really encourage me! i meet once a week individually with each of them; we also attend our tuesday morning "youth prayer" meeting at 6:30AM in the youth worship center at our church and the monthly "school of prayer" that happens on the last monday evening of the month.
my request of Jesus is this - "show me your heart. i want to really know what's in your heart toward me." i know academically that God loves me, but i want to walk in his passion every day of my life because i know that i cannot love him unless i am experiencing his love for me... and i desparately want to love Jesus more.
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