Real Time Benefits...in Christ

Peace. Grace. Hope. I sat down to process these truths from Romans 5 when for the umpteenth time my son called out from his bedroom. We have a rule that once teeth are brushed, stories told, prayer's said and light's turned then demands are disallowed. Once he's down it's my time to read, pack (we're moving) and relax. I want it. I need it.

After a stern word of clarification regarding the bedtime operation and tears from a sensitive little boy in the middle of transition, I realize that peace, grace and hope were not the overriding tones in my response. I don't know what's more frustrating, his neediness or my selfishness.

'Therefore since we have been justified through faith [in Christ]...'

Four things follow Paul's remark here regarding the justified - those who believe and trust in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. What a stinkin' awesome series of benefits we gain in Christ:

1) Peace with God. Christ's victory over sin and death came at the expense of Him taking the full weight of God's wrath reserved for sinners. He took it on our (my) behalf, covering us and cleansing us. The very same peace that Christ bought for us we're called to model here and now...even with my son well past his bedtime.

2) Stand in Grace. Our faith in this Christ brings about the wild opportunity to live in grace. That is, to live a life connected to the God of the Universe, outside of condemnation and within eternal glory. How convicting it is to receive this grace in the midst of my own graceless confrontation with my little boy.

3) Rejoice in Hope. Hope for what? My fulfilled dreams - The perfect job, family, retirement fund - Long life and health and comfort? No. Hope in God's glory. Glory that's in and about those who have faith in Him. His eternal glory within our now justified souls. While I may fail in any given moment with my son, I rejoice in the hope that my Lord has His hand upon my little dude.

4) Rejoice in Suffering. Why? Because it sanctifies the disciple of Christ. Because through suffering we see that 'God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.' The Spirit, through suffering and struggle, conforms us to the Christ's image. Thank God.

My selfishness is unacceptable. How frustrating it is to succumb to my own selfish desires, even at the end of a long day in a crazy season. Yes, my son should obey his parents, and yes, it's my job and my honor to train him up to do so...yet with grace and joy and appropriate discipline in His love.

My son's neediness for me is only a reflection of my own neediness for my Savior. I pray I remember this truth in the morning.

Peace to you. I pray you too stand in His grace. Always rejoice. Again, I will say it again...rejoice.

Read Romans 5:1-11 (4:1-6:23) for a deeper appreciation for our righteousness in Christ through justification.

The Malady Mill

According to Dictionary.com, 'malady' may be defined as an undesirable or desperate condition even socially and spiritually.

So I was listening to a song the other day entitled Grist for the Malady Mill. How appropriate a description for some seasons of life. I have experienced two incredibly different ends of the spiritual spectrum in the previous month, experiences that are yet currently spilling over into my heart and soul and mind and effectively shaping my attitude to varying degrees.

I have felt the unexplainable prompting of the Spirit to move in extreme ways causing me to move on from my ministry position, my home, community, friends/family etc. for a new version of everything in a new town with no immediate promise of reward.

I have also experienced, directly related to the move of the Spirit above, that sinking feeling of desperation in dramatic change and loss of all control and concrete plan. A sadness from leaving what I've come to love and a pride in wishing I had more to show for what has burdened my heart in this season.

From prison Paul challenged the Philippians through his immediately personal story. He claimed that 'I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.' This said in the midst of the Malady Mill. His imprisonment itself providing enough grist to cause even the best of us to lose heart. Yet this same grist carrying Paul into the Malady Mill was never void of his faith. A faith founded in Christ who alone gives strength in desperately challenging seasons lacking personal ability to overcome.

What Mill are you tossed about in? What have you come through or foresee in the future? What's your source of Strength in the midst?

Malady. I'm not sure I could put my finger on the social, mental, spiritual malady consuming much of my journey in this season, however, while I look around and see the inner workings of the Malady Mill about me, I also confidently and humbly see the Spirit at work amidst the grist. I am not despondent by any stretch of the imagination. And while I'm not kicking my heels together in excitement I am confident He is at work.

Even I can do anything through Him alone, who provides all I need for life and breath and reason.

Read Philippians - a an encouraging letter written from a prisoner on behalf of Christ. Listen to mewithoutYou's Grist for the Malady Mill.

Word of Beard

'"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways," declares the Lord.' Isaiah 55:8

Thus...my assumptions never quite line up with His actualizations. 'For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength' (1 Cor. 1:25).

Yet His promises, which are revealed, can be clung to.

Word of Beard

'He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.' John 1:10

Imagine if your family didn't recognize you in the morning. If you had to demonstrate your love for them in very explicit ways again, a deep love that only a deeply connected father/husband figure can display for his family.

Imagine pointing out the elements of you that were inside each of them. The characteristics of yourself in and through them. While speaking against those character traits that you hadn't planned for them.

Modeling, not forcing.

Function Junction

The game is happening. Realistically the 'play' button never ceases to be in use. But the most important may be the 'function' key.

Each of us has malware within causing us to malfunction on some level. Addictions, poisonous relationships, sub-par family baggage, abuse, self-deception, disease, dysfunction...malware. And each virus perverts the perfect functionality we all have access to in and through Christ. He incarnated a new code, a new list of options.

Function. Change your settings, the script - something only the Holy Spirit can do: the Counselor, the Guide, the heart and mind Renewer. Once the Spirit begins that work in you...He never ceases.

The Spirit gives us the unction to find the malfunction junction in our lives...have you?

Read: Philippians 1:3-11, 2:1-13 / John 14:25-27, 16:5-11 / 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Spacesaver...

Spaces.

All of us live within a wild matrix of relational spaces. While there are four key spaces that all of us ramble about in, most of us only utilize a couple within our regular rhythm of life. And of those two-three spaces we only intentionally develop healthy relationships within one or two.

Public - 100 or more people/ work, concerts, community events, church services
Social - 25-75 people / parties, family gatherings, large classes, clubs
Personal - 5-15 people / immediate family, small groups, gangs
Intimate - 1-3 people / mentors, accountability, coffee groups, card nights, discipleship

The numbers may vary, that's not the important piece. What is important is a healthy use of space and defined relationships.

Who knows everything about you? Yes, it's awesome that your spouse does, but guys need other guys who know their strengths and weakness' etc. We need these intimate relationships that meet the deep 'one-anothers' in Scripture.

What small group are you part of? Who are you regularly sharing meals with, enjoying family time with? Who do your kids regularly get to hang out with and see you model life alongside?

What social gatherings are impacting your life and are you giving yourself to? Do you know your neighbors and hold bbq's? Is your small group a part of a larger community of 35 or so? In other words, do you have a good size spiritual family you don't get lost in.

What about the public sphere. Why is this important? To belong. Belonging to something bigger than ourselves and our spheres of influence is vital to remaining teachable and humble. The greater church is good for this: worship service, corporate teaching, greater vision, huge mission and simply the physical display of the body of Christ at large!

Spaces. We need each of them. In the last post I noted how Jesus displayed them with the ultimate goal of making disciples...the eternal use of space in action.

Weirdly Normal...

Graffiti art at one time was simply vandalism. Then it became artistic vandalism. Then it turned into a form of artistic expression, only some of which was purely vandalism. Now it's a full blown artform where money is made and graffiti is commissioned worldwide...and in some cases still vandalism.
Most things that seem weird to us at first are simply another persons normal. Normal doesn't make something right and quite honestly some peoples definition of normal is pretty stinkin' weird. Weird doesn't make something wrong though it does warrant healthy questioning.

Jesus was weird.

Even today, the average church leader if witnessing it first hand here and now, would disagree with his methodology (blanket statement not supported with factual evidence). We would wonder at his miraculous works, question his passion and doubt his teachings. Even as we hold his Word in our hands and hearts I doubt we would legitimize his ministry.

However, my desire isn't tear down the modern church, I'm a part of it and wouldn't consider abandoning his bride. My desire is to see the same ethos of Jesus' ministry play out in our own. The same mindset he had while on earth carry us through our days. The same philosophy of ministry shape our own. The same practical elements he displayed in building the church be lived out here and now.

His Personal Style:
He personally stayed close to at least 3 men whom he trained and shared life with, almost all of life for several years. Close enough that at least one was willing to speak up against the Lord...only to be put back in his place!

He built a solid team of 12 with whom he trained and sent. These he spent only a little less time than the 3 above.

He interacted regularly with at least 70-120 other followers he would call disciples. And he taught regularly to crowds in the hundreds and thousands.

He even spent massive amounts of time during his public ministry healing, eating with and talking with the masses between Caphernaum and Jerusalem.

To Jesus this was normal ministry. To others only some of this was normal for a Rabbi. For others yet this was blasphemous living.

His New Normal:
As the rock-star of his day - the miraculous healer, fantastic teacher, homegrown prophet and 'possible' messiah - Jesus did not pull away from the crowds outside of his teaching to create space. He spent more time with them.

Jesus didn't spend all his time alone with his 3 closest friends/disciples. He spent much time with them and balanced it with the masses.

Jesus managed to raise up leaders, lead a small group of men passionately willing to follow him anywhere, and regularly share his life with the world around him...all the while mapping out and equipping his disciples for the greatest missional movement ever set in motion in the history of mankind.

And he even managed to spend quality time with the Father amid his sacrificial mission.

His weirdness created a new normal.

He was obedient to his authority. He was humble in action. He was confident in theology and mission. He was gracious in confusion. He was direct in opposition. He was firm in condemnation. He was solid in clarification. He was passionate about reconciliation. He was committed to salvation.

Can we as leaders of the church: pastors, evangelists, teachers, prophets, preachers, apostles, administrators...disciples - both lay and vocational - can we really create a better system for unfolding the kingdom here and now? While Jesus never said, 'only do church the way I have done it' - out of all the models he could have implemented during his short time with his people he chose intimate, life-sharing discipleship with a few and large community teachings with the many...and intertwined the two beautifully under his watchful eye.

Let's disciple a few for a season of time. Then repeat.

Let's enter into smaller Christian communities and do life together.

Let's meet the masses, meet their needs and be and share the word.

Let's gather and worship with great teaching regularly.

I'm not sure the church is truly using Jesus' life and ministry as the model for how we do life and ministry today. We've got some things down. Others, maybe the more important things, not so much. Let's rethink the weird and the normal in life, ministry and Scripture...and keep transforming until our disciples look like Jesus'.