“If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ were not there?”
John Piper God is the Gospel
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Taxi Ride...
This story makes me want to slow down and remember that God is orchestrating circumstances and putting people in my life every day!
I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes I walked to the door and knocked.. 'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.
After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940's movie.
By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.
'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb. She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her. 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated.”
'Oh, you're such a good boy, she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, 'Could you drive through downtown?' "It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly. 'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a Hospice...
I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left,' she continued in a soft voice.. 'The doctor says I don't have very long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter. 'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.
For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl. Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.
As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired.. Let's go now'. We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.
Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her. I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.
'How much do I owe you?' She asked, reaching into her purse. 'Nothing,' I said. 'You have to make a living,' she answered. 'There are other passengers,' I responded.
Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly. 'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said. 'Thank you.' I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light.. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.
I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away? On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.
We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.
PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID, BUT~THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL.
I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes I walked to the door and knocked.. 'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.
After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940's movie.
By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.
'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb. She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her. 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated.”
'Oh, you're such a good boy, she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, 'Could you drive through downtown?' "It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly. 'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a Hospice...
I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left,' she continued in a soft voice.. 'The doctor says I don't have very long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter. 'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.
For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl. Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.
As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired.. Let's go now'. We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.
Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her. I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.
'How much do I owe you?' She asked, reaching into her purse. 'Nothing,' I said. 'You have to make a living,' she answered. 'There are other passengers,' I responded.
Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly. 'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said. 'Thank you.' I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light.. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.
I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away? On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.
We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.
PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID, BUT~THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
My Life is a Mission Trip...
If you’ve ever been on a mission trip, especially one to a third world country, you’ll understand exactly what I mean when I say there’s a wave of emotions that you experience while on the trip. It’s hard to put into words, but every aspect of the trip is encouraging. Even if things go wrong, as they often will, no one seems to worry because everyone understands that God is in control of the trip. We are traveling for His glory and trying to reach people with His gospel and therefore whatever happens, happens. The team spends time praying together and studying the Bible; we encourage each other, we watch out for each other, and in the end most of us come back forever changed. We return with a sense of gratitude mixed with fear, happiness, thankfulness and honor to be serving a holy God on His mission.
Unfortunately the spiritual high, at least for me, seems to be short lived. I get back home, get into my routine, and before long I’m stuck in the grind of everyday life. That bothers me…a lot. Yeah, I completely understand that life is not all about the highs and there will always be times in your life when you’re on a high and times in your life when you’re low. I also understand that even people who are working in full time ministry, like missionaries, experience the same range of emotions.
But I think the reason it bothers me so much is that when I read the Bible, especially the books about the early church, I see a group of people experiencing exactly what I described in the first paragraph. Now I can try and argue with myself all I want that times were different back then and it was easier to live that way, but we both know that’s not true. My life doesn’t look anything like theirs and to make matters worse I rarely experience the radical things they speak of in the New Testament.
But should I really be surprised? Think about it…the early church was completely focused on God's will. Their priority in life was growing the kingdom and reaching other people. So should I be surprised that when I would rather live my life the way I choose instead of being completely focused on God's will that I constantly long for those mission trip experiences.
At the end of the day it’s pretty simple. The reason I don’t experience life and faith and power like the early church did is because I often separate my life into the secular and the sacred. Work is over here, and Jesus is over there. I earn money over here and work as hard as I can on the secular side and then when I’m helping others and trying to reach out to people on the sacred side that’s when Jesus can be involved in everything. I know it sounds weird but most of us live our lives in that exact way. Jesus over there on Sundays and my life over here every other day of the week.
I begin noticing this in my own life a few years ago and have truly made strong strides to make a change. I pray that one day I will fully understand that I am on a 24-7-365 mission trip that does not allow for a secular/sacred divide. Just because I’m in a different country doesn’t mean my focus should shift. My focus should ultimately be the same no matter where I am. Every person I meet and every circumstance I go through is ordained by God and my calling as a Christian is to reach out to the people around me that God has placed in my life.
I really want everyone reading this to understand that the Christian life is not this lame, boring existence filled with rules and legalism. I know it often appears that way and unfortunately that's because even people in the church sometimes just don't get it. But please know this, the Christian life when lived as God has designed it, is an adventure, orchestrated by a wonderful loving God whose desire is for you to be on mission with him.
Unfortunately the spiritual high, at least for me, seems to be short lived. I get back home, get into my routine, and before long I’m stuck in the grind of everyday life. That bothers me…a lot. Yeah, I completely understand that life is not all about the highs and there will always be times in your life when you’re on a high and times in your life when you’re low. I also understand that even people who are working in full time ministry, like missionaries, experience the same range of emotions.
But I think the reason it bothers me so much is that when I read the Bible, especially the books about the early church, I see a group of people experiencing exactly what I described in the first paragraph. Now I can try and argue with myself all I want that times were different back then and it was easier to live that way, but we both know that’s not true. My life doesn’t look anything like theirs and to make matters worse I rarely experience the radical things they speak of in the New Testament.
But should I really be surprised? Think about it…the early church was completely focused on God's will. Their priority in life was growing the kingdom and reaching other people. So should I be surprised that when I would rather live my life the way I choose instead of being completely focused on God's will that I constantly long for those mission trip experiences.
At the end of the day it’s pretty simple. The reason I don’t experience life and faith and power like the early church did is because I often separate my life into the secular and the sacred. Work is over here, and Jesus is over there. I earn money over here and work as hard as I can on the secular side and then when I’m helping others and trying to reach out to people on the sacred side that’s when Jesus can be involved in everything. I know it sounds weird but most of us live our lives in that exact way. Jesus over there on Sundays and my life over here every other day of the week.
I begin noticing this in my own life a few years ago and have truly made strong strides to make a change. I pray that one day I will fully understand that I am on a 24-7-365 mission trip that does not allow for a secular/sacred divide. Just because I’m in a different country doesn’t mean my focus should shift. My focus should ultimately be the same no matter where I am. Every person I meet and every circumstance I go through is ordained by God and my calling as a Christian is to reach out to the people around me that God has placed in my life.
I really want everyone reading this to understand that the Christian life is not this lame, boring existence filled with rules and legalism. I know it often appears that way and unfortunately that's because even people in the church sometimes just don't get it. But please know this, the Christian life when lived as God has designed it, is an adventure, orchestrated by a wonderful loving God whose desire is for you to be on mission with him.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Decisions That Define Us...
Excerpt from the book Decisions that Define Us by David Crone...
We have decided that teaching the Gospel without demonstrating the gospel is not enough. Good preaching, good doctrine, and being good people is not enough. We have decided that having a good church club is not enough, good fellowship is not enough, and just being a member of that club is not enough. We have decided that having good Bible studies is good, but not good enough, that just making it to heaven is not our goal, and that knowing about God without truly knowing and experiencing God is meaningless. We have decided that having good programs is not enough; that change without transformation is intolerable, and that staying the same is not an option. We have decided that gifting without character is futile. We have decided that singing songs without worshiping is hallow and having meetings without God showing up is pointless. We have decided that having faith without works is not enough and having works without love is not acceptable - that our function comes out of our relationship first with the Father and second with each other.
We have decided that reading about the book of Acts without living the book of Acts is unthinkable. We have decided that confident faith is good and bold faith is better. We have decided that hearing about the Holy Spirit without experiencing Him is silly, that believing in His presence without seeing it manifested in signs and wonders is hypocrisy, that believing in healing without seeing people healed is absurd, and that believing in deliverance without people being delivered is absolutely ridiculous. We have decided to be Holy Spirit filled, Holy Spirit led, and Holy Spirit empowered - anything less doesn’t work for us. We have decided to be the ones telling the stories of God’s power - not the ones hearing about them. We have decided that living saved, but not supernatural is living below our privilege and short of what Christ died for. We have decided that we are a battle ship not a cruise ship, an army, not an audience; Special forces not spectators, missionaries not club members. We have decided to value both pioneers and settlers - pioneers to expand our territory and settlers to build on those territories - but we are not squatters - people who take up space others have fought for without improving it. We have decided to be infectious instead of innocuous, contagious instead of quarantined, deadly instead of benign. We have decided to be radical lovers and outrageous givers. We have decided that we are a mission station and not a museum
THEREFORE:
We honor the past - we don’t live in it. We live in the present with our eyes on the future. We see past events - successes and failures - as stepping-stones not stop signs. We pursue learning in order to be transformed, not learning in order to know. We are people of engagement not observation. We focus on what could be, not on what is or has been. We are not limited to the four walls of this building. Our influence is not restricted by location - not even the nations are out of bounds. We raise up world changers - not tour guides. We train commandos, not committees. We are a people of our destiny, not of our history. We have decided that it is better to fail while reaching for the impossible that God has planned for us than succeed settling for less. We have decided that nothing short of His Kingdom come, His will be done in our world as it is in Heaven will satisfy. We have decided that we will not be satisfied until our world freaks out and cries out “Those who have turned the world upside down have come here too.”
These are some of the decisions that define who we are as a community and how we live our lives. These decisions are not destinations - but rather journeys - journeys along an ancient path - we have not found some new way - but rather rediscovered the path as old as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The same path followed by Moses, Joshua and Caleb - Paul, John, Peter. The path followed by the first century church - a church that revolutionized the culture of the first century and beyond. It is a path that will impact the world we live in today. It is a path of Bold Faith - believing that what God says is really true and acting on it; Outrageous Generosity - giving our life away in order to demonstrate His Kingdom; Radical Love - loving God with everything in us and our neighbor as ourselves.
It is a path of liberty, freedom, and healing. On this path you find significance, purpose, and destiny. This is a path less traveled – however - it is not a path only available to a select few - but to whosoever will - may come. It is for people of every nation, tribe and tongue -for those in any occupation or vocation. No matter where you are in your life journey - there is room on this path for you.
We have decided that teaching the Gospel without demonstrating the gospel is not enough. Good preaching, good doctrine, and being good people is not enough. We have decided that having a good church club is not enough, good fellowship is not enough, and just being a member of that club is not enough. We have decided that having good Bible studies is good, but not good enough, that just making it to heaven is not our goal, and that knowing about God without truly knowing and experiencing God is meaningless. We have decided that having good programs is not enough; that change without transformation is intolerable, and that staying the same is not an option. We have decided that gifting without character is futile. We have decided that singing songs without worshiping is hallow and having meetings without God showing up is pointless. We have decided that having faith without works is not enough and having works without love is not acceptable - that our function comes out of our relationship first with the Father and second with each other.
We have decided that reading about the book of Acts without living the book of Acts is unthinkable. We have decided that confident faith is good and bold faith is better. We have decided that hearing about the Holy Spirit without experiencing Him is silly, that believing in His presence without seeing it manifested in signs and wonders is hypocrisy, that believing in healing without seeing people healed is absurd, and that believing in deliverance without people being delivered is absolutely ridiculous. We have decided to be Holy Spirit filled, Holy Spirit led, and Holy Spirit empowered - anything less doesn’t work for us. We have decided to be the ones telling the stories of God’s power - not the ones hearing about them. We have decided that living saved, but not supernatural is living below our privilege and short of what Christ died for. We have decided that we are a battle ship not a cruise ship, an army, not an audience; Special forces not spectators, missionaries not club members. We have decided to value both pioneers and settlers - pioneers to expand our territory and settlers to build on those territories - but we are not squatters - people who take up space others have fought for without improving it. We have decided to be infectious instead of innocuous, contagious instead of quarantined, deadly instead of benign. We have decided to be radical lovers and outrageous givers. We have decided that we are a mission station and not a museum
THEREFORE:
We honor the past - we don’t live in it. We live in the present with our eyes on the future. We see past events - successes and failures - as stepping-stones not stop signs. We pursue learning in order to be transformed, not learning in order to know. We are people of engagement not observation. We focus on what could be, not on what is or has been. We are not limited to the four walls of this building. Our influence is not restricted by location - not even the nations are out of bounds. We raise up world changers - not tour guides. We train commandos, not committees. We are a people of our destiny, not of our history. We have decided that it is better to fail while reaching for the impossible that God has planned for us than succeed settling for less. We have decided that nothing short of His Kingdom come, His will be done in our world as it is in Heaven will satisfy. We have decided that we will not be satisfied until our world freaks out and cries out “Those who have turned the world upside down have come here too.”
These are some of the decisions that define who we are as a community and how we live our lives. These decisions are not destinations - but rather journeys - journeys along an ancient path - we have not found some new way - but rather rediscovered the path as old as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The same path followed by Moses, Joshua and Caleb - Paul, John, Peter. The path followed by the first century church - a church that revolutionized the culture of the first century and beyond. It is a path that will impact the world we live in today. It is a path of Bold Faith - believing that what God says is really true and acting on it; Outrageous Generosity - giving our life away in order to demonstrate His Kingdom; Radical Love - loving God with everything in us and our neighbor as ourselves.
It is a path of liberty, freedom, and healing. On this path you find significance, purpose, and destiny. This is a path less traveled – however - it is not a path only available to a select few - but to whosoever will - may come. It is for people of every nation, tribe and tongue -for those in any occupation or vocation. No matter where you are in your life journey - there is room on this path for you.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Disciples of Jesus...
I’m often troubled by the thought that if the disciples were alive today my life would look nothing like theirs.
Now I'm fully aware that my goal as a Christian is to model my life after Jesus Christ and Him alone, but the life of the disciples after Jesus ascended into Heaven has always blown me away. Here are these normal everyday people who lived normal everyday lives until they came face to face with Jesus and then everything changed. Sure it took a little while and there were bumps and bruises along the way but when Jesus ascended into Heaven and they received the power of the Holy Spirit it was a supernatural transformation. From that point forward they lived passionately, sold out, and they never looked back. These men gave everything they had including their lives for the sake of the gospel.
The book of Acts tells just a few of these stories and it often makes me wonder, even if only for a second, what the disciples would be doing if they lived in Tampa, Florida in the year 2010. Where would they spend their time? What would they do every day? Who would they reach out to? Would they be street preachers? Or would they go around from church to church and preach to people who already believe? Would they go to church 3 times a week? Would they even go to church as we know it or would they have "church" throughout the week and then spend their Sundays out in the community preaching the gospel?
The questions are endless and to be honest their answers aren't even that important. But I do know this, the disciples I read about in scripture would never spend their entire lives in one area ministering to one people who have already heard the name of Jesus. And that’s what troubles me, because that’s what I do.
Romans 10:14-15
How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!"
Now I'm fully aware that my goal as a Christian is to model my life after Jesus Christ and Him alone, but the life of the disciples after Jesus ascended into Heaven has always blown me away. Here are these normal everyday people who lived normal everyday lives until they came face to face with Jesus and then everything changed. Sure it took a little while and there were bumps and bruises along the way but when Jesus ascended into Heaven and they received the power of the Holy Spirit it was a supernatural transformation. From that point forward they lived passionately, sold out, and they never looked back. These men gave everything they had including their lives for the sake of the gospel.
The book of Acts tells just a few of these stories and it often makes me wonder, even if only for a second, what the disciples would be doing if they lived in Tampa, Florida in the year 2010. Where would they spend their time? What would they do every day? Who would they reach out to? Would they be street preachers? Or would they go around from church to church and preach to people who already believe? Would they go to church 3 times a week? Would they even go to church as we know it or would they have "church" throughout the week and then spend their Sundays out in the community preaching the gospel?
The questions are endless and to be honest their answers aren't even that important. But I do know this, the disciples I read about in scripture would never spend their entire lives in one area ministering to one people who have already heard the name of Jesus. And that’s what troubles me, because that’s what I do.
Romans 10:14-15
How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!"
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Behavior Modification?
I’m realizing that my blog is simply a forum to explain my tweets. Twitter has the unfortunate ability to give someone a 140 character momentary glimpse into my thought process. In most cases that’s a bad thing because you don’t have the luxury of being in my brain the entire journey, just the final thought. Which usually sounds harsh, direct, arrogant or even condescending and that’s definitely not my intention. The Lord just has this way of convicting me throughout the day regarding my attitude, my actions, my thoughts, etc and 9 times out of 10 what I post on twitter is meant for me just as much as it is for everyone else. So that said, the phrase below is one of those tweets and the blog that follows will give you a glimpse into my thought process.
Behavior modification is not spiritual transformation. Some of us have modified behaviors and think we've been spiritually transformed?
Let me say it a different way.
Anyone can modify a behavior, but not everyone has been transformed by the Holy Spirit. If you walk up to the average person that claims to be a Christian and ask them how they know they’ve been spiritually transformed, most of your answers will have to do with a modification or change in behavior. I quit doing this or I stopped doing that. I don’t gossip as much as I used to or I no longer cheat on my wife. Now clearly these are good changes and are definitely a part of the process in which we grow in Christ, but they don’t necessarily mean you’ve been transformed by the Holy Spirit. My buddy Paul, who’s a self proclaimed atheist, can modify any behavior he wants but that doesn’t mean he’s given his life to Jesus Christ. The problem with pointing to a change in behavior as confirmation of spiritual transformation is that as long as we’re on this earth we will constantly sin. Saved or not, we’re sinners and as soon as we point to a behavior we’ve “modified” as assurance of salvation Satan will attack us from another angle and he will try and exploit us in a new and different way.
True spiritual transformation brings with it a supernatural outpouring of your life into those God brings into your path. It’s the ability to care for those that no one else cares for and the willingness to love someone even when everyone else has stopped loving them. To put it simply, when the Holy Spirit enters your heart you can’t help but look at your life through a different set of lenses, and your actions will be unexplainable. Slowly the Lord will chip away at the behaviors not in line with His word and you will be spiritually transformed into the vessel He wants you to be. This process will certainly include a change in behavior, but it’s not the only indication that you’ve been transformed. A true sign of spiritual transformation and a clear indicator that you are walking with Christ is a heart of ongoing repentance when you do screw up and a life full of bearing fruit and loving others.
Far too often we gauge our walk with Christ based on how well we've modified an old behavior or how well we abstain from doing certain things and we pay little or no attention to what the Bible says it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ.
"My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.
John 15:8
Behavior modification is not spiritual transformation. Some of us have modified behaviors and think we've been spiritually transformed?
Let me say it a different way.
Anyone can modify a behavior, but not everyone has been transformed by the Holy Spirit. If you walk up to the average person that claims to be a Christian and ask them how they know they’ve been spiritually transformed, most of your answers will have to do with a modification or change in behavior. I quit doing this or I stopped doing that. I don’t gossip as much as I used to or I no longer cheat on my wife. Now clearly these are good changes and are definitely a part of the process in which we grow in Christ, but they don’t necessarily mean you’ve been transformed by the Holy Spirit. My buddy Paul, who’s a self proclaimed atheist, can modify any behavior he wants but that doesn’t mean he’s given his life to Jesus Christ. The problem with pointing to a change in behavior as confirmation of spiritual transformation is that as long as we’re on this earth we will constantly sin. Saved or not, we’re sinners and as soon as we point to a behavior we’ve “modified” as assurance of salvation Satan will attack us from another angle and he will try and exploit us in a new and different way.
True spiritual transformation brings with it a supernatural outpouring of your life into those God brings into your path. It’s the ability to care for those that no one else cares for and the willingness to love someone even when everyone else has stopped loving them. To put it simply, when the Holy Spirit enters your heart you can’t help but look at your life through a different set of lenses, and your actions will be unexplainable. Slowly the Lord will chip away at the behaviors not in line with His word and you will be spiritually transformed into the vessel He wants you to be. This process will certainly include a change in behavior, but it’s not the only indication that you’ve been transformed. A true sign of spiritual transformation and a clear indicator that you are walking with Christ is a heart of ongoing repentance when you do screw up and a life full of bearing fruit and loving others.
Far too often we gauge our walk with Christ based on how well we've modified an old behavior or how well we abstain from doing certain things and we pay little or no attention to what the Bible says it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ.
"My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.
John 15:8
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Friday, April 9, 2010
The Fear of Man
A friend of mine was in Applebees not too long ago and got this feeling that God wanted him to stand on his chair and tell the entire restaurant that Jesus loved them, so he did. He started off by apologizing for the interruption, but he felt like there was someone within earshot of his voice that needed to know that Jesus loved them. He briefly told everyone what Jesus had done in his life and how He could do the same for them and then he sat down.
Now I want you to picture the scene. You and a couple of friends are out for dinner on a Friday night. You’re talking and laughing, people are making jokes and all of a sudden one of the guys at your table stands on his chair and in an extremely loud voice asks the entire restaurant if he can have their attention. Everyone and everything comes to a screeching halt, all you can hear are the TVs in the bar, and now the entire place is staring at your table. Your friend then proceeds to tell everyone that he is a Christian and he really felt like God wanted him to tell everyone how much Jesus loves them. He speaks for a total of two minutes and then sits back down and looks at you. Now stop…freeze that image and think about what would be going though your head at that moment. What would you do? What would you say? Would you be embarrassed? Scared? Are you mad at him? What are the first words that come out of your mouth?
If I was honest with myself I’d have to say that every one of those questions would have crossed my mind and I probably would have been really embarrassed, but why? Why is it that I care so much what people think of me, especially in a restaurant full of people that I don’t know? I’m not even the one telling them about Jesus, but I would probably be looking at the floor or better yet motioning for the check. It’s hard to admit but at certain moments of my life what other people think of me is more important then what God thinks of me, and I hate it. I want to be so in tune with the Holy Spirit and so ready to serve the Lord that no matter what He asks of me I am willing to do it.
The Apostle John writes about this problem in the Gospel of John. He is talking about a group of people that believe in Jesus, but don’t confess Him because of their need to be liked by their peers.
John 12:42-43
Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.
In Biblical times the life of a Jewish person heavily revolved around the synagogue, and to be put out of the synagogue meant that you would be ostracized by everyone. A professing faith in Jesus meant not being part of the "in" crowd. It meant people would talk about you behind your back, and you probably wouldn't be invited to all the popular parties or social events. And that scared people because that was the life they knew and the life they enjoyed. Sound familiar? Does that sound like the fear you would be feeling if your friend stood up and shared the gospel at Applebees? Now I know standing on a chair may be a little extreme and to be honest the Lord will probably never ask you to do anything like that. But it doesn't change the fact that this guy sensed the Lord leading and he responded regardless of how it made him look, and that my friend is where most of us have the biggest problem. We don't share our faith because we are scared of what other people will think of us.
So let me finish by asking you this. Would you be willing to stand on your chair if you felt the Lord was asking you to? What if you knew that God was speaking to someone in that restaurant and your words would help bring them closer to Jesus? Would you do it? What if the Lord didn't want you to stand on a chair, but He wanted you to talk to your server? Maybe He wants you to talk to the people you work with, or contact old friends from high school or college. Would you do it? Why not?
Because deep down most of us love the approval of men rather then the approval of God. We don’t want to rock the boat, or get people upset. So instead we live our lives silently. Trying our best not to offend the people we pass, in hopes that we can live at peace with a world crying out for a Savior. And in the end we'll realize that we have successfully gained the approval of men, but tip toed our way into an eternally glorious kingdom, alone. Having left our friends and coworkers behind, all because we were too scared to share our faith with a culture that spends their entire lives searching for the peace that surpasses all understanding.
Now I want you to picture the scene. You and a couple of friends are out for dinner on a Friday night. You’re talking and laughing, people are making jokes and all of a sudden one of the guys at your table stands on his chair and in an extremely loud voice asks the entire restaurant if he can have their attention. Everyone and everything comes to a screeching halt, all you can hear are the TVs in the bar, and now the entire place is staring at your table. Your friend then proceeds to tell everyone that he is a Christian and he really felt like God wanted him to tell everyone how much Jesus loves them. He speaks for a total of two minutes and then sits back down and looks at you. Now stop…freeze that image and think about what would be going though your head at that moment. What would you do? What would you say? Would you be embarrassed? Scared? Are you mad at him? What are the first words that come out of your mouth?
If I was honest with myself I’d have to say that every one of those questions would have crossed my mind and I probably would have been really embarrassed, but why? Why is it that I care so much what people think of me, especially in a restaurant full of people that I don’t know? I’m not even the one telling them about Jesus, but I would probably be looking at the floor or better yet motioning for the check. It’s hard to admit but at certain moments of my life what other people think of me is more important then what God thinks of me, and I hate it. I want to be so in tune with the Holy Spirit and so ready to serve the Lord that no matter what He asks of me I am willing to do it.
The Apostle John writes about this problem in the Gospel of John. He is talking about a group of people that believe in Jesus, but don’t confess Him because of their need to be liked by their peers.
John 12:42-43
Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.
In Biblical times the life of a Jewish person heavily revolved around the synagogue, and to be put out of the synagogue meant that you would be ostracized by everyone. A professing faith in Jesus meant not being part of the "in" crowd. It meant people would talk about you behind your back, and you probably wouldn't be invited to all the popular parties or social events. And that scared people because that was the life they knew and the life they enjoyed. Sound familiar? Does that sound like the fear you would be feeling if your friend stood up and shared the gospel at Applebees? Now I know standing on a chair may be a little extreme and to be honest the Lord will probably never ask you to do anything like that. But it doesn't change the fact that this guy sensed the Lord leading and he responded regardless of how it made him look, and that my friend is where most of us have the biggest problem. We don't share our faith because we are scared of what other people will think of us.
So let me finish by asking you this. Would you be willing to stand on your chair if you felt the Lord was asking you to? What if you knew that God was speaking to someone in that restaurant and your words would help bring them closer to Jesus? Would you do it? What if the Lord didn't want you to stand on a chair, but He wanted you to talk to your server? Maybe He wants you to talk to the people you work with, or contact old friends from high school or college. Would you do it? Why not?
Because deep down most of us love the approval of men rather then the approval of God. We don’t want to rock the boat, or get people upset. So instead we live our lives silently. Trying our best not to offend the people we pass, in hopes that we can live at peace with a world crying out for a Savior. And in the end we'll realize that we have successfully gained the approval of men, but tip toed our way into an eternally glorious kingdom, alone. Having left our friends and coworkers behind, all because we were too scared to share our faith with a culture that spends their entire lives searching for the peace that surpasses all understanding.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Disunity in the Church?
I pick up bread for our homeless ministry two mornings a week and yesterday while I was there I had a really interesting conversation with one of the volunteers. He was probably in his 70s and was having a hard time loading all the bread in his truck so I suggested that he get a few of the young guys from his church to come out and help him. He said he would but the high school/college age students were to busy playing their video games and texting to come out and help. I asked him what he thought about that and he said there is a huge gap between the old and the young and technology is to blame, etc etc. I’m not going to blame it on technology, but I couldn’t agree with him more. This generational gap is huge and it’s causing disunity in the church.
I know everyone believes there needs to be unity among the generations, especially in the area of mentoring, but I’m not so sure everyone believes it’s vital for spiritual growth. Unfortunately, I don’t know that I have ever seen or read about a bigger disconnect between the generations as we are currently experiencing right now in the American church. Today’s youth and today’s adults are a world apart and the sad thing is I don’t hear anyone in the Christian community voicing a whole lot of concern over it. Besides the very few individual discipling relationships our old men do not hang out with our young men and the trend is getting worse.
Think about it. In the old days you lived in the same town as your parents and your grandparents so you went to the same church as the adults you’d grown up with. If a young person got out of line or needed someone to talk to, he had his dad and his dad’s friends who could whip him back into shape or sit him down and talk things through. If that didn’t work he had his grandfather and his grandfather’s friends who he’d also known for years and he could sit down with them as well. For thousands of years and maybe even since the beginning of time people primarily lived in the same town they grew up in, but not any more. Technology, travel, and education have taken kids away from their parents and most young adults and college students don’t live in the same community they grew up in; the norm is now to leave home. As a result our young people barely even know anyone over the age of 40. Obviously, I’m probably not telling you anything you haven’t already heard, but I share all that to urgently say that without the intervention, discernment, and wisdom from senior adults it’s only going to get worse.
Scripture talks over and over and over about unity among believers, and in almost every instance it talks about the old mentoring the young. If the church of Jesus Christ is going to carry out the Great Commission something needs to change. The young people need the senior adults and the senior adults need the young people. Young people have vision and passion and they tend to go at life full speed ahead. At the same time senior adults have experience and discernment, and have been down some of these same roads before. We need each other. We should encourage churches to facilitate events strictly aimed at bringing unity. Eat meals together regularly, cancel Sunday nights every now and then and have a potluck dinner. Shake up your Sunday School hour every so often and merge an old and a young class with the intention of bringing unity. When the two groups genuinely love each other they will invest in each other and prayerfully in turn love a community. If we can’t love each other should it be any surprise why we can’t love a community searching for Jesus?
John 17:22-23
"The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.
I know everyone believes there needs to be unity among the generations, especially in the area of mentoring, but I’m not so sure everyone believes it’s vital for spiritual growth. Unfortunately, I don’t know that I have ever seen or read about a bigger disconnect between the generations as we are currently experiencing right now in the American church. Today’s youth and today’s adults are a world apart and the sad thing is I don’t hear anyone in the Christian community voicing a whole lot of concern over it. Besides the very few individual discipling relationships our old men do not hang out with our young men and the trend is getting worse.
Think about it. In the old days you lived in the same town as your parents and your grandparents so you went to the same church as the adults you’d grown up with. If a young person got out of line or needed someone to talk to, he had his dad and his dad’s friends who could whip him back into shape or sit him down and talk things through. If that didn’t work he had his grandfather and his grandfather’s friends who he’d also known for years and he could sit down with them as well. For thousands of years and maybe even since the beginning of time people primarily lived in the same town they grew up in, but not any more. Technology, travel, and education have taken kids away from their parents and most young adults and college students don’t live in the same community they grew up in; the norm is now to leave home. As a result our young people barely even know anyone over the age of 40. Obviously, I’m probably not telling you anything you haven’t already heard, but I share all that to urgently say that without the intervention, discernment, and wisdom from senior adults it’s only going to get worse.
Scripture talks over and over and over about unity among believers, and in almost every instance it talks about the old mentoring the young. If the church of Jesus Christ is going to carry out the Great Commission something needs to change. The young people need the senior adults and the senior adults need the young people. Young people have vision and passion and they tend to go at life full speed ahead. At the same time senior adults have experience and discernment, and have been down some of these same roads before. We need each other. We should encourage churches to facilitate events strictly aimed at bringing unity. Eat meals together regularly, cancel Sunday nights every now and then and have a potluck dinner. Shake up your Sunday School hour every so often and merge an old and a young class with the intention of bringing unity. When the two groups genuinely love each other they will invest in each other and prayerfully in turn love a community. If we can’t love each other should it be any surprise why we can’t love a community searching for Jesus?
John 17:22-23
"The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Port-au-Prince Orphans
My mom and sister are in Haiti right now helping FL Baptist Children's Home at an orphanage. There are about 75 kids in the home from Port-au-Prince many of which have just been orphaned due to the earthquake. My mom just sent me this video of the kids. She said they were already in their dorm room for the night when they all started singing! Pretty powerful!
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