Community: What the...

Are we as the Church challenging, expecting and equipping God's Spirit-filled people to live as cultural missionaries?

OR

Are God's empowered people expecting those without that power to enter the church on their own?

Think of it like this. It's terrifying to radically alter your worldview, culture, mindset, belief system, lifestyle...so why do we expect those outside the Church to do all these things in order to engage with the Word.

Are we expecting more faith and courage from people who haven't interacted with the Creator than we are from those who are indwelt by Him? Who is called to be intentional: those who have been reconciled or those who haven't? Who's called to be an ambassador?

What if we spent our time being Christian community, gathering as believers, mashed together with our locale. There's lots of room to define what that really means without giving up the Gospel - the catch is, if we simply say we're doing this and aren't either experiencing fruit or persecution...we probably really aren't doing it.
Dang.

Read and be: Matthew 28:18-20 - 2 Corinthians 5:11-21

Word of Beard

'As evening approached there came a rich man from Arimathea...Joseph took the body [of Jesus], wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb...' Matthew 27:57-61

Interesting may not be the right word but think about this: He was born into a poor family in the poor part of the region - He worked hard growing up to become a carpenter/mason - upon beginning His ministry he forsook a home, his family, wealth and security, marital pleasures etc. to travel: preaching, teaching and healing.

He noted that even animals have safe places to rest on earth...yet He had none (Matt 8:20). It took His physical death to be honored with the physical riches of man. The freshly cut tomb of a wealthy family. Do we honestly deserve more while on earth?

'Be like Me' Jesus says to all of us (Luke 14:33). How do we really balance that call to that Life with our lives amidst our desires?

To be or Not to be...a disciple

Typically a Rabbi would wait. He would wait for students to prove themselves in knowledge and passion for God. To rise above their fellow students and eventually seek out the Rabbi with a desire to follow.

To become talmid - a student - a disciple.

Their goal was not to be greater than the Rabbi but to be like him. Sound familiar.

Yet Jesus worked in reverse. As a Rabbi He didn't wait - He went. At the right time and in the right place He sought out His first talmidim. He found a handful of fishermen, those living in a tiny village, and called them to be like Him.

What if they were only sort-of like Him? What if they only gave up most of their desires and plans and dreams? What if they held onto their business plans, family comforts, familiar culture? What if they continued to worship God as they understood Him?

But none of those were options were they? 'If I want him to ______, what is that to you? You follow me,' said Jesus to Peter in one of the most personal interactions with Jesus in Scripture.

Follow Me. Don't worry about how others claim to 'follow' me. Don't hold onto your own limited dreams and plans. Don't attempt to worship the 'god' you knew before Me. Be like Me.

Are you and I actual disciples? It's easy to gauge isn't it - is your one goal in life to be like Jesus in your current context or not? Is your hearts desire to worship Him alone and be holy as He is holy, or not? Do you hunger and thirst for righteousness? If so then you're a disciple and that changes everything about your life.

If not...

Word of Beard

'Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.' Romans 12:10

Is this ever irrelevant? Is there any society that would function better without brotherly love, mutual edification, honor, respect, self-sacrifice for the health of others?

What are some of the consequences when this is denied, ignored or attempted with false motives.

The real question is - are you living this out today?

Moving Day

It happens.

And there's nothing that can be done to stop it.

Change. It's such a natural part of life. I've spent my whole life changing, growing, learning, adapting, creating, causing, accepting...and yet as an adult, after many years of changes of all shapes and sizes and in all areas of life, change still surprises.

We're created to change. From the womb to the grave we change. We spend years in formal education in order to change. Through life's experiences we mature, we grow in understanding the deeper mysteries of life.

The Spirit of God regenerates us. The old self, or those parts of us that we're spiritually dead are brought to life, made new. Change happens. It's not always easy or good or enjoyable or ___________...never the less it happens and will continue to do so.

You know what they say - if you can't stop it, learn from it! How can you enjoy the change you're currently experiencing? An how can you grow from it? Pray for wisdom and clarity, seek out the the divine purpose behind all change.

Sellvation 2

I've been thinking about this a little more lately, 'What have I really sold of myself and to what?'

Am I prostituting my spiritual gifts for personal gain, attention, praise, finances.

Prostitution: giving oneself over to something in an unworthy manner - selling oneself (talents, body, gifts) for corrupt purposes.

Am I prostituting my heart for fleeting desires, 'loves', relationships.

Am I prostituting my mind to hatred, idolatry, pornography, happiness.

Am I prostituting my body to the job, to adultery, to perverted and corrupted people.

Am I prostituting my relationship with Christ for false maturity, righteousness, reputation, office in the church, blessing...salvation?

Have I been selling myself in an attempt to buy forgiveness from God. What have I been offering out of a corrupt heart, a false idea of what salvation truly is in order to gain the Lords favor? I really want to weed these corrupt ideas out of the depths of my heart and mind and soul.

Sellvation is a very dangerous notion. It's eternally misleading.

Were told to work out our salvation in fear of Gods awesome beauty and power and holiness. Work out our salvation with a healthy fearful knowledge of hell and separation from the Creator. Work it out trembling with awe.

But salvation requires no gifts on our behalf. We bring nothing to God that could ever purchase our eternal rescue. We accept. We receive.

Christ paid for us with a blood infinitely greater than any animal sacrifice...even my own.

He sold Himself. He paid. He bought. We simply accept and enter into: relationship, kingdom, perfection, eternity, salvation.

Sanctification on the other hand is the continuous giving over of ourselves out of obedience and devotion and love for God. He is worthy. He is whole. He is holy. We do this AFTER salvation.

Are you prostituting yourself for unworthy causes? To what or whom?

OR are you being sanctified, letting the Spirit guide you, the Lord love you and God draw you - there is nothing else worthy of our eternal affections.

Word of Beard

'This is how we know what love is...' (1 John 3:16)

What follows is two-fold:
1) A simple definition of Supreme Love in action.
2) An appropriate response to this Love.

This incredibly simplified definition of love is actually a holistic culmination of every other in Scripture.

Finish reading the passage and you'll see this surpasses any distorted-confused-puppy-fluff 'love' and quite possibly in our culture re-aligns the biblical definition of love with our subsequent language and action.

Moving Though Less Groving...

My wife has it down.

In fact, many of the boxes we're using are labeled from the last move only a year and a half ago. Up to this point she has done 95% of the packing. Late nights after long days. My schedule in this season is particularly brutal. Long days on top of short nights. I've not been much help.

We're moving for the sixth time in our six years of marriage. Once upon a time moving was full of excitement about the future and the new and the wonder of things to come. Now we pack up, unpack, set up, tear down, pack up and so on. With two kids. And more stuff.

Moving is exhausting: mentally, emotionally, physically and because of this we become spiritually tested and tempted and tired. Simply exhausted.

There's something deeply spiritual about moving. It's symbolic of the Christian life - on the one hand we're partaking already in the eternal kingdom...yet on the other hand we haven't experienced it in full.

The Israelites sought out the promised land and while they never fully moved into the entirety of that land it was only a temporary gathering place for His people anyhow.

Paul calls our bodies tents. Temporary structures awaiting an eternal home.

Jesus didn't claim a home here either. His home was in heaven and while on earth he travelled and moved.

My family is moving. We aren't going home. We're resettling temporarily in order live in our world more effectively. Though it's stressful and exhausting at times moving has been a healthy reminder of what's worth clinging to: Christ/comfort. His Kingdom/my kingdom. Mine is incredibly fleeting and nomadic. His is eternal and static.

'I saw the Holy City...coming down out of heaven from God...Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.' Revelation 21:1-4)

We are moving...though not to the perfect domain. While the Kingdom of Heaven is a here and now/then and there reality...I'm really looking forward to the then and there. No more boxes.

Easy as Love...

What an absolutely awesome topic...

Most of hold an incomplete view of love. We think of marriage or butterflies in the stomach. We think of passion and sex. Parenting and obedience. We think of long suffering or settling. We think of perversions and abuses, pains and heartaches. Some of even think of the Cross.

We tend to think of love as something that strikes our souls out of thin air. Or that it's easy and bubbly and always happy and always there when it's true.

Love is mixed in with all of these things but it is not fully any of them and some of them not at all. True Love has marital, sexual, parental, relational, mental, emotional, physical, verbal, spiritual boundaries that define it as love. Without a definition love is...confused at best.

Love is actually quite simple. That doesn't mean it's easy and it doesn't mean we won't have to meditate and pray and practice and search the infinite number of examples and imperatives to love in the Scriptures on a regular basis.

Two ancient but absolutely original thoughts:

1) 'This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for others.' 1 John 3:16

2) 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind...Love your neighbor as yourself.' Matthew 22:37-40

When you have the choice to love another in place of hating or even disliking them...choose love. Mentally think of them as equals in His creation. Emotionally control your initial reactions. Physically serve them. Spiritually mirror the attitude of Christ who did the same to you.

There are universal experiences of love and perversions of it. It is very real, and very intentionally shaped by YHVH. Love.

The Static Bearer: Electrifyingly Connected

When did you lose that electrified connection between what you know to be true spiritually and what is physically being lived out in your life?

Like at one point after being made aware of your true human nature, and a transformed life in light of Christ's holiness, you desperately wanted to align yourself with His righteousness, His standard of living, His gracious love...no matter the personal cost.

'Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you,' Peter said to Jesus. All the other disciples said the same. I believe they genuinely meant this. (Matthew 26:35)

They were living alongside their Messiah. They had experiential knowledge of the Christ and became frustrated at the news that they would turn their back on their Teacher. They would never break away from Him and wanted to reassure Him of their zeal.

And yet soon enough they scatter - they deny - they run and hide - they disown - they become confused and depressed - they become the jokes of their neighbors...they lose that electrified connection that at one point in time was so strong and powerful and divine.

You've run. You've scattered. You've disconnected from the Divine that so powerfully redeemed you. Reconnect. Continue shedding the old and taking on the new:
Like in salvation - dying to self.
Like in baptism - along with Christ.
Like in sacrifice - loving others more than self.
Regeneration - from the old to the new.

Are you willing to live deeply, electrifyingly connected to Christ? His static-bearer.

Read Romans 6 - dead to sin, alive in Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5 - wisdom of God over mans. Jeremiah 17:7-8.