The Lord does not call followers to a vague and purposeless life.
Every believer, once the Spirit indwells them upon belief, is infused with a gift used to build up the body of Christ, the Church. Some gifts are even a catalyst to leadership within the Church. Others are tendons and muscles and veins and even cells that unite and serve the body in immensely intricate and eternal ways.
In Pauls short, personal, obscure letter to Philemon, the runaway slave Onesimus may have been hard working, he may have been apathetic in his service to Philemon. Whatever the case, upon realizing his worth at salvation, that Jesus would die for a gentile slave, his awareness of living a life worthy of that Gospel brought about a powerful reconnection with his birth name - Onesimus, which means 'useful.'
The Divine Nature of God intersects with life in refreshing and awesome ways.
You and I do not have vague spiritual lives to live.
As the Spirit indwells us, He also infuses us with meaning and value. Because we are made in His image, we have purpose. There's something about meeting Jesus that awakens our souls to that reality.
...and the gifts of the Spirit are a wild overflow of the Kingdom of Heaven uncarnating us.
You and I are useful. Period.
Read Philemon - Romans 12 - 1 Corinthians 12
11/9/11
11/7/11
Word of Beard
'Sharing your faith' here is much bigger than our Western conception - that is, evangelizing or sharing the Gospel story with another.
This is the holistic living out ones faith; the old fashioned word and deed combo. Philemon was known for physically, spiritual, mentally and emotionally refreshing those in his community. He shared his faith in every action and every word.
The whole Gospel at work.
11/5/11
Good Job
In the OT book of Job, Jobs friends assumed that direct, personal sin was the cause for his troubles: his dead children, his bitter wife, the festering sores over his body, his destroyed vocation and lost wealth...
Job wasn't simply a good man though. Yes his friends were wrong but he wasn't simply a nice guy. He was a man who new the Creator of goodness, justice and righteousness. He was grounded, not in the knowledge of the reason for suffering, but in the Source of Life beyond the suffering.
It will continue to happen, suffering that is. But if you ask someone who has experienced the knowledge of Christ and who has faith that His love conquers all...you'll discover a mysterious response to suffering. Job had the same response.
Read Job - Particularly the Lords response in the final chapters.
Yet Job knew he was blameless. They were wrong in their assumptions, their judgements. Job had honored the Lord in all he did, in fact, this was the very reason God allowed Jobs persecution. Not sin but sanctification.
We struggle through the same issues today right? Pain, loss, evil, assumptions, judgement...
Good people suffer and hurt. Good people also thrive and live peaceful and productive lives.
Bad people suffer and hurt. Bad people also thrive and live peaceful and productive lives.
All good, even the good that bad, deceitful, evil people experience comes from the Lord. Regardless of Gods direct role in the goodness bad people experience at times, everyone on earth has the opportunity to experience goodness simply because God exists. His hand is on the earth and everything in it. He holds all things together and His presence - love, righteousness, purity, humility, goodness - affects all of creation regardless of it's moral conduct or awareness of Him.
The same is true for good people. Because God is, goodness is. Though Scripture speaks of Gods desire to bless those who truly do follow Him and live out His Truth. Absolute blessing will eventually come to those who are 'good' according to His divine nature.
When the day comes that the Lord removes His hand from the earth...then and only then will those alive experience absolute darkness - an eternal void, empty of anything righteous.
When the day comes that the Lord removes His hand from the earth...then and only then will those alive experience absolute darkness - an eternal void, empty of anything righteous.
Job wasn't simply a good man though. Yes his friends were wrong but he wasn't simply a nice guy. He was a man who new the Creator of goodness, justice and righteousness. He was grounded, not in the knowledge of the reason for suffering, but in the Source of Life beyond the suffering.
It will continue to happen, suffering that is. But if you ask someone who has experienced the knowledge of Christ and who has faith that His love conquers all...you'll discover a mysterious response to suffering. Job had the same response.
Read Job - Particularly the Lords response in the final chapters.
10/31/11
Word of Beard
Christ who was man was also God. 100% both. That divine power and life is also in us thanks to Christ. What a crazy mix of fear and joy at the reality of being united with God so intimately.
10/25/11
The Little Warrior Within...
Larry Osborne, at the Sticky Church 2.0 conference, spent some time challenging the notion that a person or a church or an organization needs replicate or reproduce a program, style, culture or quality that a more fruitful person/organization is doing.
He brought up David. Not King David but the young, confident, sheep herding David.
'Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine...', sound familiar? Dude was awesome, 'your servant will go and fight him.' Young and ready to do what he had been training to do - leading sheep, wrestling bears and lions, training. In speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity...set and example even in your youth. Those words from Paul to Timothy totally connect to David and his ability to move in the Lord at such a young age.
We know the Spirit was on David, that God had a plan for him to move into a role of leadership in Israel. We also know that the same Spirit that was in sheep-herding-King David is in us.
At this point David wasn't seeking out what other mighty warriors he could mimic in order to take on Goliath. He knew his strengths and weakness' so when Saul called for him he was ready to respond in a healthy way. When opportunity came he was comfortable with his capacity.
Ultimately Saul puts his own armor on David to send him in to battle. Seriously? Compared to Saul, David's a curly headed pygmy with a sling and some sheep. He was restricted, confined, unable to move about the way he had trained and knew he was capable of. He was being set up for success according to someone elses plan and purpose.
I absolutely admire what he did next. So simple and yet so bold. David stripped off the armor and left to fight using the skill set, vision and confidence that came from the Lord, not the mighty warrior and king Saul.
As a follower of Christ, empowered and designed by Him, who are you trying to be like that totally doesn't fit who you actually are. Yes, to grow we need to learn from all camps, from many sources beyond our own understanding and worldview...but our character doesn't change, our foundational qualities that are divinely handed down don't need to be thrown out right? Maybe revamped and reformatted but ignoring who you are or what your organization is designed to do in order to copy another 'more successful' can only lead to heart-ache and possibly sin either now or later.
Are you fighting in your strengths or someone elses? What Philistines are you trying to overcome with unnatural tools and style? Every warriors has his own skill set, what's yours?
Taken from 1 Samuel 17 and 1 Timothy 4:12
'Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine...', sound familiar? Dude was awesome, 'your servant will go and fight him.' Young and ready to do what he had been training to do - leading sheep, wrestling bears and lions, training. In speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity...set and example even in your youth. Those words from Paul to Timothy totally connect to David and his ability to move in the Lord at such a young age.
We know the Spirit was on David, that God had a plan for him to move into a role of leadership in Israel. We also know that the same Spirit that was in sheep-herding-King David is in us.
At this point David wasn't seeking out what other mighty warriors he could mimic in order to take on Goliath. He knew his strengths and weakness' so when Saul called for him he was ready to respond in a healthy way. When opportunity came he was comfortable with his capacity.
Ultimately Saul puts his own armor on David to send him in to battle. Seriously? Compared to Saul, David's a curly headed pygmy with a sling and some sheep. He was restricted, confined, unable to move about the way he had trained and knew he was capable of. He was being set up for success according to someone elses plan and purpose.
I absolutely admire what he did next. So simple and yet so bold. David stripped off the armor and left to fight using the skill set, vision and confidence that came from the Lord, not the mighty warrior and king Saul.
As a follower of Christ, empowered and designed by Him, who are you trying to be like that totally doesn't fit who you actually are. Yes, to grow we need to learn from all camps, from many sources beyond our own understanding and worldview...but our character doesn't change, our foundational qualities that are divinely handed down don't need to be thrown out right? Maybe revamped and reformatted but ignoring who you are or what your organization is designed to do in order to copy another 'more successful' can only lead to heart-ache and possibly sin either now or later.
Are you fighting in your strengths or someone elses? What Philistines are you trying to overcome with unnatural tools and style? Every warriors has his own skill set, what's yours?
Taken from 1 Samuel 17 and 1 Timothy 4:12
10/24/11
Word of Beard
Upon returning to Nazareth and throwing down incredibly wise teachings on the Kingdom and life (as a tradesmans son) it makes sense that his childhood elders and peers and even family members would be offended at his presumed 'higher education', right?
Then Jesus coins this phrase that's managed to cross cultural and contextual boundaries for centuries now. If only we understood how severely was His rejection here - the Creator of the universe (John 1) was denied trust, faith, respect...honor in his own house by His own creation.
And we still take offense at Him.
10/19/11
Truth In...Crap Out...
Paul teaches that with every new believer there's a former way of life. An old self that must be annihilated.
He also teaches that the very Truth that opened our hearts and minds to Christ is what shapes our new attitude or mindset. The new self is 'created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.' There is no room for the old self. What has been destroyed...is done.
For some the old crap attempts a mutiny from time to time - but it only mutinies if it's still within us...if it hasn't really been destroyed.
For others the garbage has been taken out and now we have to guard ourselves from the outside world. Our sin nature, not being fed from the inside, begins to seek junk from the outside through our eyes, mouths, hands etc. and all on behalf of Satan.
Isn't this why Paul also tells us to constantly be working out our salvation. To be on guard in prayer and fellowship. To be in and trust in the living and active word...To be sanctified and set apart. Romans 12 - Philippians 2 - Hebrews 4 - Luke 11...sort of stuff.
All believers are called to be imitators of God. This is the Truth that shapes us. This is the reality of Kingdom life.
We're all made in His image right...maybe it's time to fully adopt His attitude as well.
Read Ephesians 4:11-5:1
For some the old crap attempts a mutiny from time to time - but it only mutinies if it's still within us...if it hasn't really been destroyed.
For others the garbage has been taken out and now we have to guard ourselves from the outside world. Our sin nature, not being fed from the inside, begins to seek junk from the outside through our eyes, mouths, hands etc. and all on behalf of Satan.
Isn't this why Paul also tells us to constantly be working out our salvation. To be on guard in prayer and fellowship. To be in and trust in the living and active word...To be sanctified and set apart. Romans 12 - Philippians 2 - Hebrews 4 - Luke 11...sort of stuff.
All believers are called to be imitators of God. This is the Truth that shapes us. This is the reality of Kingdom life.
We're all made in His image right...maybe it's time to fully adopt His attitude as well.
Read Ephesians 4:11-5:1
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