The Church

by

A TRANSFORMED MIND

One of the difficulties followers of Jesus face in our current society is avoiding the consumer mentality.  “Let’s go shopping” is the call.  We get to buy things and spend money.  There is never an end to what we can buy, but unfortunately there is an end to the money we have to spend.  Running out of money is a definite downer.  We are then driven to figure out how we can get more money.  Living the consumer life never brings us satisfaction.

I have been reading through Matthew chapters 5-7, and as I read it occurred to me that Jesus is redirecting his disciples’ way of thinking.  Jesus taught his disciples to think differently.  He wanted them to put aside self-concerns and focus on the Kingdom of God.  Paul restates Jesus’ teaching in Romans 12:1-2,

            So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life – your sleeping, eating, going to work, and walking around life – and place it before God as an offering.  Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.  Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking.  Instead, fix your attention on God.  You’ll be changed from the inside out.  Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it.  Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you (The Message).

If we allow him, Jesus will change our way of thinking.  He will transform our minds.  Let me recap what Paul is saying.  We should take everything about our lives and place it before God as an offering.  Then we should humbly accept what he has done for us.   Our way of thinking is not about what we can do for him, but what he has done for us.  So with a heart of gratitude, we fix our attention on him, and receive the new way of thinking that he works  into us.  This allows us to do what he sets before us without distraction.  The result, “God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”

by

WWJD

The WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?) movement was to encourage Christian to look to Jesus in our decision making.  I always felt that since Jesus is God, I was going to fall very short of what he would do.   In Matthew chapter 6, Jesus gives his disciples clear directions as to what they should do.  It is quite a challenge for us mere mortals.

Let’s take a look at verse 25, “If you decide for God, living a life of God worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether clothes in your closet are in fashion.  There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body (The Message).”  I find this quite challenging.  Living in materialistic America, these words cut to the quick.   The quick being where life happens.  But this is not a concern just for Americans.  Evidently, those in ancient Israel needed to hear these words.

In this whole section, from verse 19-24, Jesus is giving his disciples a new view of their life.  He wants them to refocus.  As followers of Jesus, we need to look at life differently; step outside of the social norms, and focus on what God is doing.  Jesus doesn’t want us to worry about the things of this world; he wants us to trust our Father in Heaven with them.  Jesus came to set us free.  This refocusing is a part of that freedom.

This sounds great doesn’t it?  So how are you doing with this?  I’m struggling.  My struggle is within and against my sinful nature.  That’s why WWJD bothered me.  I knew I couldn’t do what Jesus would do.  The Apostle Paul gives quite a dissertation on this struggle in Romans 7:14-25.

I am battling to refocus my life, but I am always relying on God’s grace and mercy.  Grace is not an excuse for sin, but it is God’s answer to our failings.  Jesus is in the battle with us every day.  He is our strength in times of weakness.  We are not alone in our struggles.

by

RECEIVING HIS LOVE

Last week in my blog “The Greatest Force” I quoted this scripture from Matthew 22:37-39, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.”  Can anybody do this?  I’m going to take the liberty of answering for all of us and say “no” because in verse 40 of this passage Jesus continues, “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”  The scriptures make it very clear that none of us have been able to keep the whole Law.

Houston, we have a problem!

Unfortunately, neither Houston nor I have the solution, but God does.  For God so loved …, that he sent Jesus (see John 3:16).  I believe that our ability to love God and others is rooted in our ability to receive God’s love.  Truly believing that we are loved changes us.  There is a peace that comes over us that counters our need to perform.  It takes away our need to earn love.  Living in the peace of God’s love supports us and opens the way for us to give love.

To genuinely receive God’s love is difficult.  We have to lay down our self-sufficiency.  “I can do it myself.”  Self-sufficiency is a part of our sinful nature.  Have you ever observed a toddler saying “I do it?”  It’s inherent.  God’s love given freely puts us in a humble place.  We don’t have to do anything to earn it.  God did it all.  It’s simply a matter of surrendering the pride of self-sufficiency.

Pride separates us from God, and allows us to do all kinds of unloving things.  Think of bigotry and abuse.  Aren’t these sourced in pride?  The pride that says I’m better than or more important than another.  Can a humble heart, that is truly receiving love from God, commit these acts against their neighbor?

I fall short in loving God and my neighbor every day.  Therefore, every day I have the potential to be ungodly.    I need to do something about this.  No, I need to humbly receive God’s love for me.  Loving God and others will flow from that.

by

THE GREATEST FORCE

Love is the greatest force in the universe.  The Bible tells us that God, the creator, is love (1 John 4:16).   The world and all that is in it was created in love.  It was love demonstrated by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross that brought us salvation.  The redemption of mankind was accomplished by His great act of love.  In love then there is sacrifice.  As Jesus exhibited, love requires the laying down of personal wants and desires for others, or maybe just redirecting our personal wants and desires to others.  Jesus told us in Matthew 22:37-39, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.”

We obviously have the right to use love, and we are commanded to use it.  First we are to love our God, and second to love our neighbor.  Our neighbor being anyone we encounter.

We have access to the greatest power in the universe!  How amazing is that?  Why aren’t we using this great power?  Oh, it requires sacrificing our own wants and desires.  Bingo!  The whole world could be changed by this great force that we have access to, but it requires sacrifice.

Taking a broader look, I find that there is little use of this greatest force in our world.   I’m not seeing a wide use of love.  Knowing that God is love, we can say there’s a lot of ungodliness being exhibited.  For those who like to blame this on God, perhaps a look in the mirror might clear their perspective.  I’m looking in the mirror, and I find much room for improvement.

by

THE INDIVIDUAL IN THE MASSES

I am a member of a small congregation.  I have attended this church for seven years.  Each week we gather together to share in worshipping the Lord, hearing the Word, and fellowshipping.  When one of our members is not present on a Sunday morning, they are missed.  Fortunately, there is no condemnation or judgement when someone is missing.  Actually, we all probable know why they’re not at church.  We are close.

Last Sunday during our worship time, the Lord led me through a review of the individuals in our congregation.  He showed me how everyone has a special and unique place in my heart.  I know them, and they know me.  They are not a mass of people, because I know each individual personally.   I am blessed to have a group of people I know so well.  They make my life fuller and increase my joy.  When tragedy strikes we are there to comfort one another. 

Every day we hear of great tragedies around the world.  The devastation of the masses sickens my heart, but I can’t relate to their suffering like I can when someone I’m close to suffers.  I feel deeply the suffering of those I know well.    I don’t know the individuals in the masses personal, so my compassion and understanding are inadequate.  I try to project what it would be like if I were in their place, but I am limited.

God however knows every single soul that traverses this earth, personally.  God feels deeply the tragedies of every human life.  I’m sure to God, the individual is not blurred by the masses.  When I pray for those in distant lands, I am sure that God knows those I pray for.  He is there and available for each one.  I am limited in my ability to see the individual in the masses, but I can partner with my God who is not limited.  When I pray for the masses, God ministers to the individuals.

by

A SOLID FOUNDATION

Throughout my diverse teaching career the subject I most commonly taught was U.S. History.  Having spent my early years on the east coast, much of what I taught was set in places that were familiar to me. The inscriptions that I often read in those places were filled with Christian words and ideals.  It was obvious to me that our country had a Christian foundation.  Aren’t those inscriptions still there?  Aren’t our founding documents full of Biblical references?

What would be the purpose of denying this foundational connection to the Christian Religion?  Perhaps there are those who would go another way, to change the foundation.  Can you change the foundation without destroying the building?  If the foundation is faulty, don’t you have to build a new building?  What would be the foundation for this new building?

I will close with this excerpt from George Washington’s Farewell Address from 1796:

Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens. The mere politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them. A volume could not trace all their connections with private and public felicity. Let it simply be asked: Where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice? And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.

[This is a repost from last August.  I thought it worth revisiting in light of the current political circus.]

by

THE BODY OF CHRIST

I would like to offer this morning that we are created not to contend with each other but to complement each other.    Can you imagine a society built on the idea of coming along side of one another?  Each person would be working toward a common goal, not trying to overcome but supporting others.  This is certainly contrary to our societal norms of “beat the competition”, “climb the corporate ladder”, and “don’t let others get ahead of you”.  Yet wouldn’t it be great if we could put aside our self-indulgent ways and be the body of Christ?

In Romans chapter 12 the Apostle Paul encourages Christians, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God –this is your spiritual act of worship.  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”  How do we get our minds renewed?

As a member of the Body of Christ, I find in myself a desire to put aside contending with my fellow members.  I believe this desire is rooted in the love God has put in my heart.  Of course, this love wars against my sinful nature which often causes me to be contentious.  Romans 12:9-10 gives me guidance by stating, “Love must be sincere.  Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.  Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.  Honor one another above yourselves.”  Love is perhaps the key to being transformed.

I believe the ability to complement rather than contend with our brothers and sisters first requires a full understanding of God’s love for us.  We, the members of the Body of Christ, are loved in the deepest sense.  No one is a junior member.  We have all been given full rights as sons and daughters.  God will love us eternally.  When we understand that he loves us, we are transformed from who we were in the world into children of the living God.  Our mind is renewed; we view things differently.  The love that God has poured out on us naturally flows through us and joins us to one another.  Don’t let the lie that you’re not loved make you a contentious member of the Body of Christ.

by

TWO THINGS YOU WILL FIND IN HEAVEN

For those of us who trust in Jesus, heaven is our final destination.  I often think of heaven and what it might be like; however, some time ago I came to the conclusion that I really can’t comprehend a place without sin.  A place with no greed, selfishness, rude and obnoxious behavior is unthinkable.  My only experience is in a world darkened by sin, so I’m unable to comprehend a place without it.  I have no reference point.  So what will be in heaven?

As I was contemplating this question the other day, I came to two things that I am sure will be in heaven.  I could come up with others, but these two helped me put a foundation to my projection of what will be in heaven.  The Bible gives enough information to assure us that heaven will be the most wonderful place, but these two generalities fascinate my imagination and delight my soul.

The first is beauty.  Here on the earth, even after sins devastation, I find extraordinary beauty.  God has put so much beauty in his creation.  I’m sure heaven will be filled with unimaginable beauty.  The throne room in heaven, as described in Revelations chapter 4, is awe inspiring.  The four beasts sound terrifying, yet I question whether they are not beautiful.  From what I understand of God through his creation, beauty is always present, even in the most frightening things like a volcano.  Therefore, I’m sure as I walk the streets of heaven, I will find beauty beyond what I can imagine.

The second thing that I know I will find in heaven is love.  God is love (1 John 4:16).  So his heaven will surely be filled with love.  This is counter to the sin filled world I live in.    Love as described in 1 Corinthians chapter 13 states all the qualities that I desire in myself and others.  In my sinful nature I fall short of these qualities, but in heaven I will live in an atmosphere of love that will permeate my existence.  I can’t really comprehend this, yet I am convinced that love is the eternal attribute that will reign in heaven.

by

THE SOURCE OF LOVE

On Sunday we celebrated Valentine’s Day, the holiday of love.  The word love stimulates a flurry of images, but what is love?  When I first encountered love, I was willing to put aside all other things and become single focused.  Love was about receiving.  Now I know that love is giving as well as receiving.  I have learned that love is caring for and giving to someone else.  Love inspired me to step beyond self-concern and focus on the needs of another.  Love is about relationship.  Yet I wonder how love got into my heart.  Where did it come from?

This whole topic has been stirred by reading 1 John chapter 4, and I think it provides answers for the above questions.  The apostle John first tells us that Love comes from God (verse 7).  In verses 8 and 16 he states that God is love.  I conclude that the reason I have love in my heart is that God put it there.  In verse 19 John says, “We love because he first loved us.”  When I love someone, it is because God loves me.  I am, though imperfectly, a reflection of his love.

The Apostle Paul clarifies for us what love is in 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8, “Love is patient, Love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails.”  Since God is love, these verses highlight his character.  God loves us with these attributes.

Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)  God made the eternal declaration of his love for us via the cross.  The Bible tells us of his love, but on the cross he demonstrated his love.  The great source of love has given his love to us in an irrefutable act.  God loved us in this sacrificial way in order to restore our relationship with him.  His command to us, love one another.  May his great act of love grow and flourish in our hearts.

by

UNDEFEATABLE POWER II

The other morning, during our morning coffee, my wife read to me from the book of Acts chapter 12.  As she read the story of the disciples James and Peter in the hands of King Herod, I was reminded of God’s undefeatable power.  James the brother of John was arrested and then executed by Herod.  When Herod saw that the Jews were pleased by this he arrested Peter.  The story of what happened to these two disciples is another display of God’s ability to bring about his plan.

The death of James meant that his work was done.  God called him home.  Herod thought he had shown his great power by executing him, but when he tried the same with Peter, whom God was not ready to bring home, he experienced a different result.  Peter was arrested and placed in jail under the guard of four men.  Two of these men were chained to Peter and the other two stood guard.  Herod was not going to lose this prisoner.  The night before Peter’s trial an angel came into his cell and woke him.  As Peter awoke the chains fell off him, and the angel led him out of the prison.  God had intervened. 

God has a plan that cannot be thwarted by man.  We don’t see clearly what God has planned, but if we get in the way, God will take action.  Herod could not stop God’s church.  This little group of disciples had no worldly power, but they were in the will of God, and he has undefeatable power. 

In our limited understanding, we often judge God by asking why did he let this or that happen.  We don’t know, but he does.  Since we don’t have the big picture, we just have to trust him who does.  In my little tiny part of his plan, I trust him to direct me and keep me on track.  I know that all the power is in his hands.