Plans. The thing that eats at everyone. That fear-inducing word that all high school graduates spend months or years pouring over and that all college graduates fear. "What are your plans after this?" Or, "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" Ha. Five years. Seems like such a long time when you are graduating high school, now, as the 6th year past high school passes, it seems like a blur. Yes, plans.
One of the most quoted verses in all of Scripture is Jeremiah 29:11. "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." Comforting, right? Well, it should be, but not for the reasons you may think. I want to start off this open-ended series talking about this verse because it is THAT important. So, let's dive in...
To correctly understand this verse, and the verses that promise prosperity that follow, we have to know what happened in chapter 28 or Jeremiah. This was after Israel had been defeated and was in exile in Babylon, yet Judah was not yet conquered. Even so, they were in desperate need for some good news. Hannaniah stepped up to the plate in order to give the news they wanted. Jeremiah writes "Hannaniah, the prophet from Gibeon, spoke to me in the house of the Lord, in the presence of the priests and all the people..." Here we see Hannaniah carefully constructing this. He seeks out Jeremiah at the temple in Jerusalem in front of the priests that were there. He was going to make sure as many respectable, honest, trustworthy people heard him as was possible. So, in this setting, Hannaniah speaks. "Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon." Hannaniah then begins to tell Jeremiah that God was going to overthrow Babylon within two years. WOOHOO! God is going to come through for His people again! Except...
Jeremiah does everything but laugh in Hannaniah's face (although, I personally would like to think he did). Jeremiah turns to Hannaniah and tells him, (paraphrase) "Hey, buddy, listen. All those prophets we've studied and all their prophecies have one thing in common. Calamity. Read them. There are wars, sicknesses, plagues, all sorts of things. Never a timetable for peace."
Too late, though. Hannaniah had it in his head that he was right, and because he was confident, the priests believed him. So, as good news usually does, word traveled fast. I'm sure a letter was on the next caravan to Babylon to tell all the Israelites what Hannaniah said. Well, God had other plans. He told Jeremiah to go to Hannaniah and tell him that God called him a false prophet, and because he lied, and used God's name in the lie, he would die within the year. And, yep. In the 7th month of the year, Hannaniah was dead. Way to go Hannaniah.
Now we get to chapter 29. God tells Jeremiah to write a letter to the Israelites in Babylon. Here's what most of it reads like:
"Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I (God) have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams they dream, for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, declares the Lord. For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile."
I know that was a long section (shoot, I typed it), but did you catch what God told the exiles? Build a life in Babylon! Only the youngest might see Israel again, cuz it's going to be 70 of Babylon's years before I bring you back home (Babylon and Israel had different calendars). He tells them not to worry, though. He will bring them back because He knows the plans He has for them. Ah, finally. We have arrived at the key verse.
What are these plans? What prosperity is He promising? What fortunes does He promise in verse 14? Well, since we have the context of not just this book, but the entirety of Scripture, it is easy to see the plans He had for the Israelites was bringing Christ through the line of Judah and crucified in Jerusalem, which would have been impossible if they were still in exile in Babylon. Ok, easy, yes? So, what about this prosperity, hope, future, and fortune?
They are one in the same, honestly. Christ and the redemption He brought to earth. He promises prosperity in the security of His grace, hope in the security of His grace, etc. "I will restore your fortunes." Man used to walk with God in the garden. I believe this entire section of the letter is prophecy of the coming Christ!
So, what does that mean for us? Well, God still knows the plans He has for us. He still plans to give us hope and a future. He still plans to restore our fortunes. And the answer to all of that is still, and will always be, Christ. Christ is for our welfare, our benefit. The plans He has for us is seeded deep within the person of Christ. Am I saying God doesn't know what He wants us to do? Never! In fact, I'll back up the position that He knows exactly what He wants us to do in the next installment. What I am saying, however, is that when you read or hear this verse, remember who our hope is and where our future lies. That is key to understanding this verse.
So, plans. That fear-inducing word. It's lost some of its bite, no? God has given us hope in Christ. We have our welfare in Christ. We have our future in Christ. We have fortune in Christ. I hope to take a little more fear out of the word next time.
With the love and grace of Christ,
John
Friday, June 3, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
Memorial Day
As this Memorial Day draws to a close, thoughts of freedom rise to the front of my mind, along with rememberances of sacrifices, both recent and ancient. It was in this state of being Sunday that I was reminded of Romans 6 and 7, and various other passages throughout Scripture, and I thought I would share those with you.
First, however, I want to call attention to this Memorial Monday. It is a day that is meant to remember those who gave their lives for our freedom (many of you know where I am going to go with this). As we, the nation of the United States, have set aside this day for this specific purpose, it throws our lives into contrast with the rest of the year. What defines America to the rest of the world? We hope that it is freedom, but I fear what we show is hatred, loud talk, egocentrisim, and a state of comfortability that has turned to complacency. I hate to say that those are the qualities I see most from Americans.
Think about it, in this "land of freedom", people kill over stupid things. In this "land of freedom", people sit idly by and expect others to help them. In this "land of freedom", our primary focus is ourselves. As I watched the History Channel's Gettysburg tonight, I was struck once again with this thought. In 1776, we officially declared our nation free, and we eventually won our independence. In the years to follow, we fleshed out a working governmental system, that is still in place. But, please, think about what our founding fathers would have said about the state of the nation today. I think it would be something like this, "We didn't put our lives at risk, so that you could become complacent. We didn't sacrifice so that you could focus on yourself. We didn't give you freedom so you could kill your neighbor." (This thought was much more streamlined in my head.)
The same can be said about Christians. We hope that people see love and freedom, but I feel that they most likely see hatred, hypocrisy, egocentrism, and contented complacency. We have a couple days a year where we try real hard and remember Christ's sacrifice (Christmas and Easter, our Memorial Day and 4th of July), but what happens, instead, is that our lives are thrown into contrast by those days and we see who we really are.
We have freedom in Christ, but, for most Christians, this leads to a life of comfortability or contented complacency. We think, "Oh, I can do whatever I want, Jesus will forgive me." Even though he will, should we think that way? No!
Paul writes in Romans 6, "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! We died to sin, how can we live in it any longer?" Paul is making it real clear, here. Christ died for our sins so we don't have to, and though his grace will cover our sins, we shouldn't live in sin and do whatever we want. Peter writes in 1 Peter 2, "Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as slaves of God."
It's plain and simple. In Christ, we have the freedom to do whatever we want, but here is the bottom line, that makes a mockery of Christ's sacrifice. When we live our lives focused solely on ourselves, that makes a mockery of His death.
I still cannot separate this truth from the current America. In America, we have the freedom to say what we feel, write what we want, or even carry a gun if we feel like it. When what we say, though, is hateful and sews discord, I think it makes a mockery of the sacrifices that hundreds of thousands of soldiers have made. And when people use that gun they carry to shoot another person, just because they don't agree, or because they live two streets in the wrong direction, or whatever, I know it makes a mockery of solders' deaths.
What does the way you live say about you? First of all, does your life make a mockery of Christ's death? Secondly, does it make a mockery of the reason why our soldiers' fight?
First, however, I want to call attention to this Memorial Monday. It is a day that is meant to remember those who gave their lives for our freedom (many of you know where I am going to go with this). As we, the nation of the United States, have set aside this day for this specific purpose, it throws our lives into contrast with the rest of the year. What defines America to the rest of the world? We hope that it is freedom, but I fear what we show is hatred, loud talk, egocentrisim, and a state of comfortability that has turned to complacency. I hate to say that those are the qualities I see most from Americans.
Think about it, in this "land of freedom", people kill over stupid things. In this "land of freedom", people sit idly by and expect others to help them. In this "land of freedom", our primary focus is ourselves. As I watched the History Channel's Gettysburg tonight, I was struck once again with this thought. In 1776, we officially declared our nation free, and we eventually won our independence. In the years to follow, we fleshed out a working governmental system, that is still in place. But, please, think about what our founding fathers would have said about the state of the nation today. I think it would be something like this, "We didn't put our lives at risk, so that you could become complacent. We didn't sacrifice so that you could focus on yourself. We didn't give you freedom so you could kill your neighbor." (This thought was much more streamlined in my head.)
The same can be said about Christians. We hope that people see love and freedom, but I feel that they most likely see hatred, hypocrisy, egocentrism, and contented complacency. We have a couple days a year where we try real hard and remember Christ's sacrifice (Christmas and Easter, our Memorial Day and 4th of July), but what happens, instead, is that our lives are thrown into contrast by those days and we see who we really are.
We have freedom in Christ, but, for most Christians, this leads to a life of comfortability or contented complacency. We think, "Oh, I can do whatever I want, Jesus will forgive me." Even though he will, should we think that way? No!
Paul writes in Romans 6, "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! We died to sin, how can we live in it any longer?" Paul is making it real clear, here. Christ died for our sins so we don't have to, and though his grace will cover our sins, we shouldn't live in sin and do whatever we want. Peter writes in 1 Peter 2, "Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as slaves of God."
It's plain and simple. In Christ, we have the freedom to do whatever we want, but here is the bottom line, that makes a mockery of Christ's sacrifice. When we live our lives focused solely on ourselves, that makes a mockery of His death.
I still cannot separate this truth from the current America. In America, we have the freedom to say what we feel, write what we want, or even carry a gun if we feel like it. When what we say, though, is hateful and sews discord, I think it makes a mockery of the sacrifices that hundreds of thousands of soldiers have made. And when people use that gun they carry to shoot another person, just because they don't agree, or because they live two streets in the wrong direction, or whatever, I know it makes a mockery of solders' deaths.
What does the way you live say about you? First of all, does your life make a mockery of Christ's death? Secondly, does it make a mockery of the reason why our soldiers' fight?
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Please Forgive Me
The title of this entry is the title of song written by Gerald Crabb and sung most famously by his son, Jason. Please listen to it here or at least look up the lyrics.
This is a song I find myself singing a lot, and as I lay on my bed tonight, a million things going through my mind, I came to a realization: this is the appropriate reaction!
Imagine with me for a minute a woman walking down the street with her husband. It is a warm, sunny, early autumn day. The leaves are just beginning to change colors. The scenery is positively gorgeous, but the woman cannot enjoy it. She cannot bask in the warmth of the sun. She cannot even enjoy the time with her husband, for, at the end of the street they are walking down, comes a man with whom she had an affair. She is gripped with panic and shame. She hopes and prays that the man turns around, but he sees her and walks towards them. Her heart begins to stammer and she begins to sweat, though she is frozen. Here she is faced with both her husband and her lover. Her husband addresses the man with disgust and hate, for he knows that this the one she had an affair with, though the woman said nothing about it. This woman now has two choices as they turn to her. She could stay with her husband, whom she loves, or she could leave with her lover, whom she also loves.
Now imagine: The stress becomes too much, and she breaks down on the sidewalk. She cries and grabs for her husband. "Please, forgive me!" she cries. "You are all I have! It is your decision to make, but, please, forgive me!"
Does this sound far-fetched? Does this sound like an impossible scenario? You may ask, "How did the husband know?" I tell you, this is a scenario that happens all too often. We face it.
For we are Christ's bride and when we give in to sin, we betray our love for Him and seek what we want more, like the woman did. So, when we, who claim to love God, are brought face to face with our sin, God is right there with us. This is when we show who we love most: ourselves or God. We can either continue to live in our sin, or we can fall to our knees and cry out, "Please forgive me! I need your grace to make it through! All I have is you, I'm at your mercy!"
It is through God's power that he gives to us (grace) that we can make it through each day. And it is His mercy that we, who are sinful, are allowed to live. When we cannot sleep because our sin weighs on our minds, or when our hearts have no joy, how can we not fall to our knees and cry out to Him?
Yes, this song is powerful. And it is, truly, the appropriate response to God in the face of our sin. And remember, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).
This is a song I find myself singing a lot, and as I lay on my bed tonight, a million things going through my mind, I came to a realization: this is the appropriate reaction!
Imagine with me for a minute a woman walking down the street with her husband. It is a warm, sunny, early autumn day. The leaves are just beginning to change colors. The scenery is positively gorgeous, but the woman cannot enjoy it. She cannot bask in the warmth of the sun. She cannot even enjoy the time with her husband, for, at the end of the street they are walking down, comes a man with whom she had an affair. She is gripped with panic and shame. She hopes and prays that the man turns around, but he sees her and walks towards them. Her heart begins to stammer and she begins to sweat, though she is frozen. Here she is faced with both her husband and her lover. Her husband addresses the man with disgust and hate, for he knows that this the one she had an affair with, though the woman said nothing about it. This woman now has two choices as they turn to her. She could stay with her husband, whom she loves, or she could leave with her lover, whom she also loves.
Now imagine: The stress becomes too much, and she breaks down on the sidewalk. She cries and grabs for her husband. "Please, forgive me!" she cries. "You are all I have! It is your decision to make, but, please, forgive me!"
Does this sound far-fetched? Does this sound like an impossible scenario? You may ask, "How did the husband know?" I tell you, this is a scenario that happens all too often. We face it.
For we are Christ's bride and when we give in to sin, we betray our love for Him and seek what we want more, like the woman did. So, when we, who claim to love God, are brought face to face with our sin, God is right there with us. This is when we show who we love most: ourselves or God. We can either continue to live in our sin, or we can fall to our knees and cry out, "Please forgive me! I need your grace to make it through! All I have is you, I'm at your mercy!"
It is through God's power that he gives to us (grace) that we can make it through each day. And it is His mercy that we, who are sinful, are allowed to live. When we cannot sleep because our sin weighs on our minds, or when our hearts have no joy, how can we not fall to our knees and cry out to Him?
Yes, this song is powerful. And it is, truly, the appropriate response to God in the face of our sin. And remember, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).
Monday, January 10, 2011
It's like taking a death sentence away from a murderer...
This started with my pastor using a couple of verses from chapter 5 of 2 Corinthians and grew into a thought-provoking study and examination of previously read words. As I look through my Bible, I find that I have spent much time in 2 Corinthians, yet I feel as though I don't know this book. I have underlined important verses, yet I don't remember why. I have studied Paul's reasonings for writing this letter, and, luckily, still remember that much. However, as I continued on in 2 Corinthians 5 during the sermon (sorry Pastor), I began to remember some of what I figured out the last time I read this letter.
For my reader's sakes, I will abridge the first four chapters (seeing as these are HIGHLY important to the context of chapter 5), and begin with quoting in chapter 4:16 after.
In this letter, Paul begins a defense of his and Timothy's ministry. The church at Corinth accuses them of stealing, lying, and being in it for themselves (among other things). They boast, in clean conscience, of living in God's grace alone despite the circumstances they faced during imprisonment. They defend and defend and defend. They begin to tell of how, through themselves, God is moving and how more and more people receive God's message of grace. And, so, because God's grace is being shown to more and more people, even through their suffering, they write:
"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, out inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened - not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we makie it our aim to please Him. For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known to your conscience. We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. Working together for Him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For He says, 'In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.' Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation." 2 Corinthians 4:16-6:2.
So, what does this say? I hope you are still with me, cuz this is excellent stuff. Let's start at the top.
Paul is saying that because God's grace is reaching more and more people, they don't lose heart when faced with trials or imprisonment. Instead, they understand that while they are alive, God's grace is preached, but when they die, they are home with Him. It is a struggle for Paul, as he mentions it many other times in his letters, but one that he is ok with having.
I absolutely love verse 13 of chapter 5 "For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you." What Paul says here is this: "When we appear crazy, we are crazy for God's glory, and when we appear sane, it is for you to know God." How incredible is that!? I just listened to an interview/discussion with Mark Driscoll, Francis Chan, and Joshua Harris. In it, Harris and Driscoll seemed dumbfounded at Francis' decision to leave Simi Valley and give away his money, spend time with the needy and homeless, and, possibly, move to a third world country. This idea seemed preposterous, especially to Driscoll judging from his questions. However, Francis always brought it back to Scripture and said, "This is what I understand is to be done from the New Testament." He is motivated by love for people and for God, as Paul and Timothy were, and wants to see God move.
Following that are the great words: "For the love of Christ controls us..." We are to be CONTROLLED by Christ's love. Not just His love for us, but His love for other people. Check it out. "We have concluded this: that one died for all, therefore, all have died." So, we can no longer sit on the sidelines and watch. We must be active. We must be living for Him because His love for us and for everyone else He died for controls us and compels to act. Paul then preaches the gospel in short form. He tells of the wonderous gift of grace and being regarded according to Christ and not the flesh (works). Oh, how beautiful! We are new, if we are in Christ. Christ is calling us back to Himself, and using those who have come back to Him to bring others back. That is what Paul means by "All this is from God, who through Christ...gave us the ministry of reconciliation."
The RA's verse is next. "Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ." We represent Him. We fly His flag, so to speak, just as our ambassador in another country flies the American flag. When people see Christians, they see Christ. That makes me scared of what people think of Christ when they see my life. This is a call to mission and holiness. Ambassadors are active, always working for the good of the country/person they represent. If they didn't, they wouldn't be a good ambassador.
Then, the most beautiful thing ever is said: "For our sake, He (God) made Him (Christ) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him (Christ) we might be the righteousness of God." WOW! I know I've heard it before, but it never gets old to me. Christ became my sin so that I could have perfect standing in God's eyes. That is humbling! It's like saying that someone walks into the courtroom on the day of sentencing for the man who is given a death sentence and says, "I'll take on his punishment so that this man can go free." Yeah. That's true insanity. That's true love. Love is insane. Love makes no sense.
And God did this for us all. Please, listen to the words that Paul wrote in chapter 6: "we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain...Behold, now is the day of salvation."
I pray this opens your eyes to God's goodness and Christ's love. I pray that His love controls you. I pray that one person who needs to hear this, does so, and understands just exactly what Christ did for him/her.
For my reader's sakes, I will abridge the first four chapters (seeing as these are HIGHLY important to the context of chapter 5), and begin with quoting in chapter 4:16 after.
In this letter, Paul begins a defense of his and Timothy's ministry. The church at Corinth accuses them of stealing, lying, and being in it for themselves (among other things). They boast, in clean conscience, of living in God's grace alone despite the circumstances they faced during imprisonment. They defend and defend and defend. They begin to tell of how, through themselves, God is moving and how more and more people receive God's message of grace. And, so, because God's grace is being shown to more and more people, even through their suffering, they write:
"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, out inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened - not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we makie it our aim to please Him. For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known to your conscience. We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. Working together for Him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For He says, 'In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.' Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation." 2 Corinthians 4:16-6:2.
So, what does this say? I hope you are still with me, cuz this is excellent stuff. Let's start at the top.
Paul is saying that because God's grace is reaching more and more people, they don't lose heart when faced with trials or imprisonment. Instead, they understand that while they are alive, God's grace is preached, but when they die, they are home with Him. It is a struggle for Paul, as he mentions it many other times in his letters, but one that he is ok with having.
I absolutely love verse 13 of chapter 5 "For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you." What Paul says here is this: "When we appear crazy, we are crazy for God's glory, and when we appear sane, it is for you to know God." How incredible is that!? I just listened to an interview/discussion with Mark Driscoll, Francis Chan, and Joshua Harris. In it, Harris and Driscoll seemed dumbfounded at Francis' decision to leave Simi Valley and give away his money, spend time with the needy and homeless, and, possibly, move to a third world country. This idea seemed preposterous, especially to Driscoll judging from his questions. However, Francis always brought it back to Scripture and said, "This is what I understand is to be done from the New Testament." He is motivated by love for people and for God, as Paul and Timothy were, and wants to see God move.
Following that are the great words: "For the love of Christ controls us..." We are to be CONTROLLED by Christ's love. Not just His love for us, but His love for other people. Check it out. "We have concluded this: that one died for all, therefore, all have died." So, we can no longer sit on the sidelines and watch. We must be active. We must be living for Him because His love for us and for everyone else He died for controls us and compels to act. Paul then preaches the gospel in short form. He tells of the wonderous gift of grace and being regarded according to Christ and not the flesh (works). Oh, how beautiful! We are new, if we are in Christ. Christ is calling us back to Himself, and using those who have come back to Him to bring others back. That is what Paul means by "All this is from God, who through Christ...gave us the ministry of reconciliation."
The RA's verse is next. "Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ." We represent Him. We fly His flag, so to speak, just as our ambassador in another country flies the American flag. When people see Christians, they see Christ. That makes me scared of what people think of Christ when they see my life. This is a call to mission and holiness. Ambassadors are active, always working for the good of the country/person they represent. If they didn't, they wouldn't be a good ambassador.
Then, the most beautiful thing ever is said: "For our sake, He (God) made Him (Christ) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him (Christ) we might be the righteousness of God." WOW! I know I've heard it before, but it never gets old to me. Christ became my sin so that I could have perfect standing in God's eyes. That is humbling! It's like saying that someone walks into the courtroom on the day of sentencing for the man who is given a death sentence and says, "I'll take on his punishment so that this man can go free." Yeah. That's true insanity. That's true love. Love is insane. Love makes no sense.
And God did this for us all. Please, listen to the words that Paul wrote in chapter 6: "we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain...Behold, now is the day of salvation."
I pray this opens your eyes to God's goodness and Christ's love. I pray that His love controls you. I pray that one person who needs to hear this, does so, and understands just exactly what Christ did for him/her.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Fellowship and Submission
There are two things that I cannot stand or fathom within the church it is discord within the fellowship and not following the shepherd that God put over the church body. This has reared its head at me before, and it irked me then.
There is a fellowship that God has placed in His church that cannot and MUST not be broken. The writer of Hebrews says "Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no fails to obtain the grace of God; that no 'root of bitterness' springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled." (Heb 12:14-15).
Can you sense what the writer is saying? We are to desire PEACE not discord. In Ephesians, Paul writes: "Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ." (Ephesians 5:17-21)
That is true fellowship! We submit to each other! We do not think of ourselves and what we want first, but others. We give up our desires in order to put others first. That is what fellowship looks like. Paul writes in the next chapter of Ephesians Paul, while discussing the Armor of God, writes that our struggle "is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." (Eph. 6:12)
So, now, we see that we are not to fight against each other, but we are to take a stand against the forces of evil that come against us. One of those is discord, enmity, and a "root of bitterness." I don't understand why we Christians must fight and backbite each other! It drives me crazy!
But, what is even worse is when we do not follow the leaders God has placed in our lives! God leads men and women into leadership positions for a reason. Their job is to listen to God and lead HIS sheep in the way He wants them to go. We are to submit to their leadership because God has put them in leadership over us. If we rebel against our pastor, we are in direct rebellion against God! Have you ever thought about it in those terms?
If we live in rebellion, than that is on our heads. If we, however, live in submission to the leadership that God has placed over us, and the leader does not lead us in the way God desires for us to go, that is on the leader. He or she will have to answer heavily for leading the flock of God the wrong way. So, in essence, the only thing that keeps us from following God's desire for us is ourselves! It's our lack of faith and our own selfish desires that keep us from submitting to God's appointed leadership.
There is a fellowship that God has placed in His church that cannot and MUST not be broken. The writer of Hebrews says "Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no fails to obtain the grace of God; that no 'root of bitterness' springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled." (Heb 12:14-15).
Can you sense what the writer is saying? We are to desire PEACE not discord. In Ephesians, Paul writes: "Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ." (Ephesians 5:17-21)
That is true fellowship! We submit to each other! We do not think of ourselves and what we want first, but others. We give up our desires in order to put others first. That is what fellowship looks like. Paul writes in the next chapter of Ephesians Paul, while discussing the Armor of God, writes that our struggle "is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." (Eph. 6:12)
So, now, we see that we are not to fight against each other, but we are to take a stand against the forces of evil that come against us. One of those is discord, enmity, and a "root of bitterness." I don't understand why we Christians must fight and backbite each other! It drives me crazy!
But, what is even worse is when we do not follow the leaders God has placed in our lives! God leads men and women into leadership positions for a reason. Their job is to listen to God and lead HIS sheep in the way He wants them to go. We are to submit to their leadership because God has put them in leadership over us. If we rebel against our pastor, we are in direct rebellion against God! Have you ever thought about it in those terms?
If we live in rebellion, than that is on our heads. If we, however, live in submission to the leadership that God has placed over us, and the leader does not lead us in the way God desires for us to go, that is on the leader. He or she will have to answer heavily for leading the flock of God the wrong way. So, in essence, the only thing that keeps us from following God's desire for us is ourselves! It's our lack of faith and our own selfish desires that keep us from submitting to God's appointed leadership.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
The Perfect Relationship
Do you want to know when you have the "perfect" relationship? (I use "perfect" carefully, for, as fallen humans, we will not know perfection apart from the person of Christ until Heaven.) As I told a couple of my students tonight, our relationship with God is shown beautifully in a married couple who has Christ at the center of their relationship. They, in their dating relationship, asked me, "What do we do if we are fighting about who gives?" They sited their first dating (and other subsequent dates) where the conversation went something like:
Boy: "Where do you want to eat, tonight?"
Girl: "I don't care. Wherever you want to eat?"
Boy: "No, I'm taking you out, you choose."
Girl: "I don't care."
Boy: "What about Wings N More?"
Girl: "No...not there."
Boy: "What about Red Lobster."
Girl: "Wherever is fine with me."
That pattern proceeded for many more restaraunts, until he finally just went to Wings N More since she wouldn't decide. She told me it was because she wanted him to be able to get something he wanted, whereas he wanted to serve her. In essence, they were both trying to give, but neither was willing to take.
You have probably heard that a relationship is "give-and-take." Well, that's true, but I think it is better stated as a giving cycle. Part of giving in a relationship is taking. You must be humble enough to take at times.
Guys, treat your girlfriend/fiance/wife as a princess.
Girls, do not act like a princess.
Contradictory? Not at all. A man is to serve his wife (ergo girlfriend and fiance prior to marriage), but as a wife, a woman should not play the part of princess and ask him to do every little thing for her. What do I mean? Let's take the above mentioned high school couple for example again.
He said to me while talking about serving, "I serve her. I take her tray sometimes at lunch.
She counters, "But not when I ask you to take it."
He responds, "That's because you ask me in front of my friends, and they tell me I'm whipped."
Obviously, that isn't the only way he serves her, but it worked well for a teaching moment. I told him that she shouldn't have to ask, he should just do it out of love and service to her, but at the same time, she has to realize that it is out of love and service he takes her tray. It is not an opening for her to get him to do whatever she wants. I gave them an illustration, "If she called you at 3 in the morning and asked you to get her some Taco Bell or tylenol or something and you are asleep..."
He interrupted me and said, "I would get it for her."
I said, "I know, but she shouldn't ask you to if she is in her house, which has a medicine cabinent, and parents there also, at 3 in the morning. It's not a question of you serving or giving to her, its a question of her playing the part of a princess."
Hopefully, something clicked with you, as well as them. This leads to the giving cycle. It is out of love that he gives, so because he gives to her, she, in turn, gives back to him in some way out of love. That is what biblical submission looks like.
These are the first two aspects of the "perfect" relationship. Humility (the other person is first, but when they try to give to me, I have to take) and the giving cycle (out of love he gives. In turn, she gives back out of love).
The final aspect is intimacy. Intimacy is not a sexual term. It is a term that is grossly misrepresented. Initmacy is opening your life to someone else, showing that person all your faults and past failures and wanting to know everything, even the ugly, about that person, too.
This leads to a committed, settled, passionate relationship. Committed in that when you reach the point of marriage, you say "I am joining myself to this person, no matter what." Settled in that you say "I am making my home here, where I'm supposed to be with this person." This is completely different than settling, which is "I can't quite make to that point, so I'll just stop here and be ok." Passionate says "Here I am, all of me, to serve you. You are so much more important than I am."
If you are having questions about how this can be the perfect relationship, let's look at God's relationship with man. Humility? He came here, from His throne, as a man, to serve us and take all the sin and shame of forever past, present, and future upon Himself for us. Giving cycle? He gave Himself to us, not to mention life in general, just because He wanted us to have it. When we give back out of love, He gives even more! Intimacy? He has opened Himself up to us in His Word for us to get to know Him. He wants to know us, too. Completely. He already does, but He wants us to open up to Him in the same way He opened Himself up to us. He wants us to reveal EVERYTHING to Him.
That kind of love can only lead to a committed, settled, passionate relationship with Him, where we say, "God, here I am. All of me. I'm ready to serve you. I am making my home here, with you, no matter what happens."
See? It's the recipe for the perfect relationship. And no, it's not just for the husband-wife relationship. This recipe works for every friend you have. Obviously, I'm not saying marry everyone, but you can have a committed, settled, passionate relationship with anyone. You simply say, "I am your friend, no matter what. This is where I'm supposed to be, so here I am, ready to serve you."
That is love. Pure, simple, unconditional, agape love.
Boy: "Where do you want to eat, tonight?"
Girl: "I don't care. Wherever you want to eat?"
Boy: "No, I'm taking you out, you choose."
Girl: "I don't care."
Boy: "What about Wings N More?"
Girl: "No...not there."
Boy: "What about Red Lobster."
Girl: "Wherever is fine with me."
That pattern proceeded for many more restaraunts, until he finally just went to Wings N More since she wouldn't decide. She told me it was because she wanted him to be able to get something he wanted, whereas he wanted to serve her. In essence, they were both trying to give, but neither was willing to take.
You have probably heard that a relationship is "give-and-take." Well, that's true, but I think it is better stated as a giving cycle. Part of giving in a relationship is taking. You must be humble enough to take at times.
Guys, treat your girlfriend/fiance/wife as a princess.
Girls, do not act like a princess.
Contradictory? Not at all. A man is to serve his wife (ergo girlfriend and fiance prior to marriage), but as a wife, a woman should not play the part of princess and ask him to do every little thing for her. What do I mean? Let's take the above mentioned high school couple for example again.
He said to me while talking about serving, "I serve her. I take her tray sometimes at lunch.
She counters, "But not when I ask you to take it."
He responds, "That's because you ask me in front of my friends, and they tell me I'm whipped."
Obviously, that isn't the only way he serves her, but it worked well for a teaching moment. I told him that she shouldn't have to ask, he should just do it out of love and service to her, but at the same time, she has to realize that it is out of love and service he takes her tray. It is not an opening for her to get him to do whatever she wants. I gave them an illustration, "If she called you at 3 in the morning and asked you to get her some Taco Bell or tylenol or something and you are asleep..."
He interrupted me and said, "I would get it for her."
I said, "I know, but she shouldn't ask you to if she is in her house, which has a medicine cabinent, and parents there also, at 3 in the morning. It's not a question of you serving or giving to her, its a question of her playing the part of a princess."
Hopefully, something clicked with you, as well as them. This leads to the giving cycle. It is out of love that he gives, so because he gives to her, she, in turn, gives back to him in some way out of love. That is what biblical submission looks like.
These are the first two aspects of the "perfect" relationship. Humility (the other person is first, but when they try to give to me, I have to take) and the giving cycle (out of love he gives. In turn, she gives back out of love).
The final aspect is intimacy. Intimacy is not a sexual term. It is a term that is grossly misrepresented. Initmacy is opening your life to someone else, showing that person all your faults and past failures and wanting to know everything, even the ugly, about that person, too.
This leads to a committed, settled, passionate relationship. Committed in that when you reach the point of marriage, you say "I am joining myself to this person, no matter what." Settled in that you say "I am making my home here, where I'm supposed to be with this person." This is completely different than settling, which is "I can't quite make to that point, so I'll just stop here and be ok." Passionate says "Here I am, all of me, to serve you. You are so much more important than I am."
If you are having questions about how this can be the perfect relationship, let's look at God's relationship with man. Humility? He came here, from His throne, as a man, to serve us and take all the sin and shame of forever past, present, and future upon Himself for us. Giving cycle? He gave Himself to us, not to mention life in general, just because He wanted us to have it. When we give back out of love, He gives even more! Intimacy? He has opened Himself up to us in His Word for us to get to know Him. He wants to know us, too. Completely. He already does, but He wants us to open up to Him in the same way He opened Himself up to us. He wants us to reveal EVERYTHING to Him.
That kind of love can only lead to a committed, settled, passionate relationship with Him, where we say, "God, here I am. All of me. I'm ready to serve you. I am making my home here, with you, no matter what happens."
See? It's the recipe for the perfect relationship. And no, it's not just for the husband-wife relationship. This recipe works for every friend you have. Obviously, I'm not saying marry everyone, but you can have a committed, settled, passionate relationship with anyone. You simply say, "I am your friend, no matter what. This is where I'm supposed to be, so here I am, ready to serve you."
That is love. Pure, simple, unconditional, agape love.
Monday, October 11, 2010
"All, Like sheep, have gone astray..."
How many times have you heard something similar to that? How many times have you been told something like, "Don't be a dumb sheep that follows every one else."?
I recently (as in 5 minutes ago) came across a blog that told us, as Christians, to avoid a sheep's mentality. My question is, how can we do that? How can we allow ourselves to devoid our lives of something that Christ said? Yes. Jesus Christ called us all sheep.
In John 10:10-16 Jesus says, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd."
I understand what the writer of that blog was trying to say. He wants us to use the wisdom of God to discern who we should listen to. However, we should not abandon the "sheep mentality." I'm not speaking of being unintelligent. I am simply re-stating what Christ says. Farther down in chapter 10, Jesus says "My sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they follow me."
Here is a little tidbit about sheep, THEY KNOW THEIR MASTER'S VOICE!!! If a sheep listens and hears the voice of his master, he will run to him, if it is not his master, he will run away. This attribute is ESSENTIAL to the Christian life! We listen for the Master's voice and when we hear it, we respond.
It is up to YOU to know the Master's voice. The only way to know it is by spending time in His Word and soaking Him up. If you do not do this, then you will be led astray by the wrong master until the voice of your true Master calls you clearly. So, by all means, keep your sheep-like mentality! It is essential in determing who is from the Master and who is not.
Another wonderful thing about sheep is their complete and total faith, dependence, and trust in their master. That is exactly what God desires of us. Read the above section of John 10 again and tell me that isn't what God desires. Remember Psalm 23? "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside still waters, he restores my soul." Life is good as a sheep when Christ is your Master!
Look at David. As a shepherd, he killed a lion and a bear to protect his flock! The very shepherd's hook is an example of Christ!! With it, the shepherd drives away the enemy that comes, he pulls the sheep up out of danger, and helps the sheep up a climb they cannot make alone. I could go on and on. No, friends, we cannot and must not lose our sheep like mentality. Some may calls us dumb or ignorant, but that isn't it at all. We are trusting in our Master to guide us correctly.
We also have under-shepherds. These are our pastors and church leaders. It is their job to lead us, physically, to the place where the Good Shepherd wants us. If the under-shepherd fails the flock, it is not on the flock. No, it is on the under-shepherd. It is our job to know the Master's voice and call. That is how we know who is from the Good Shepherd and who is from the Butcher.
I recently (as in 5 minutes ago) came across a blog that told us, as Christians, to avoid a sheep's mentality. My question is, how can we do that? How can we allow ourselves to devoid our lives of something that Christ said? Yes. Jesus Christ called us all sheep.
In John 10:10-16 Jesus says, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd."
I understand what the writer of that blog was trying to say. He wants us to use the wisdom of God to discern who we should listen to. However, we should not abandon the "sheep mentality." I'm not speaking of being unintelligent. I am simply re-stating what Christ says. Farther down in chapter 10, Jesus says "My sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they follow me."
Here is a little tidbit about sheep, THEY KNOW THEIR MASTER'S VOICE!!! If a sheep listens and hears the voice of his master, he will run to him, if it is not his master, he will run away. This attribute is ESSENTIAL to the Christian life! We listen for the Master's voice and when we hear it, we respond.
It is up to YOU to know the Master's voice. The only way to know it is by spending time in His Word and soaking Him up. If you do not do this, then you will be led astray by the wrong master until the voice of your true Master calls you clearly. So, by all means, keep your sheep-like mentality! It is essential in determing who is from the Master and who is not.
Another wonderful thing about sheep is their complete and total faith, dependence, and trust in their master. That is exactly what God desires of us. Read the above section of John 10 again and tell me that isn't what God desires. Remember Psalm 23? "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside still waters, he restores my soul." Life is good as a sheep when Christ is your Master!
Look at David. As a shepherd, he killed a lion and a bear to protect his flock! The very shepherd's hook is an example of Christ!! With it, the shepherd drives away the enemy that comes, he pulls the sheep up out of danger, and helps the sheep up a climb they cannot make alone. I could go on and on. No, friends, we cannot and must not lose our sheep like mentality. Some may calls us dumb or ignorant, but that isn't it at all. We are trusting in our Master to guide us correctly.
We also have under-shepherds. These are our pastors and church leaders. It is their job to lead us, physically, to the place where the Good Shepherd wants us. If the under-shepherd fails the flock, it is not on the flock. No, it is on the under-shepherd. It is our job to know the Master's voice and call. That is how we know who is from the Good Shepherd and who is from the Butcher.
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