Thy Kingdom Come

I know it has been a while, well, a long while and for anyone who reads or cares, I'm sorry. It's amazing how quickly your schedule can fill up and eventually own you but I think I'm finally starting to get control of it, well at least a little.

Currently I am working through a study of the kingdom of God as I spend time reading Kingdom, Church, and World by Howard A. Snyder. One of the points that he makes throughout the book that I have really grown to like is that God's kingdom can be experienced now, of course not in its fullest but we can still catch glimpses of it. I think the reason I like this idea so much is because it means that you and I as Christians can and should be actively bringing about the kingdom of God today! There are things that we can do as followers of Christ to reveal the life transforming love, grace, mercy and forgiveness of God's kingdom to the people we interact with each and every day. This brings a whole new sense of purpose and meaning to the prayer "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done..."

And so it has to be asked of you and I, are we living as kingdom people today or are we coasting by waiting for this far-off kingdom to show up eventually?

Si Se Puede

I just recently got back from my 5th visit to the beautiful country of Ecuador. There is something about that place that brings me back over and over again. It really has some of the most impressive displays of nature I have ever seen but even more than that the people of Ecuador are a beautiful people. Some of the most generous people I have ever encountered but they are also a people that are very passionate about their country and their land.


I had the honor of leading a great group of 9 high school students along with 3 great leaders on a trip that challenged our worldview and what it means to be a member of God's Kingdom, which is actually MUCH larger than the U.S.


This trip gave us the opportunity to experience Ecuadorian culture as well as work alongside Ecuadorians to better their community through the rehab and painting of a community center as well as a pre-school.



I have no doubt that this trip reminded each of us that the world is a pretty big place but God is bigger still.

James vs. Paul

I've begun to study the book of James. I have never studied this book very intently before. I've sort of been scared of it a little, I guess. There is a lot of talk in it about "faith without works is dead", "you see that a person is justified by works and not faith alone."

Statements like that make me, and many Christians shudder. This doesn't match up with what Paul talks about, most heavily, in Romans and Galatians. Paul says that "we are justified by faith alone apart from works."

SO...

What do we do with this apparent disagreement on something so central to the gospel message?

Here's something that I found helpful while studying the book of James.

We have to take into account the context of each author's letter.

James

* He had a view point that was primarily pastoral (meaning meant to teach, rebuke, and encourage Christians)

* He saw faith and works in light of what God requires of those who have already become Christians.

* He saw "works" as acts of ministry, mercy, love and justice done in obedience to the demands of God's indwelling Spirit.

Conclusion

James is calling out (rebuking) the Jewish Christians in this particular church for having an empty faith. A faith that isn't apparent by the way they live their lives. For example, he talks at lenght about how they show favoritism to rich people, how the rich are treating the poor like crap, how their tongues (how and what they talk about) are not in check. He is basically saying that our outward expressions and activities should mirror our inward affections.

Paul

* He had a view point that was primarily missionary.

* He saw faith and works in light of what God requires for a person to become a Christian.

* He saw "works" as acts performed legalistically in obedience to the letter of the law in order to earn salvation.

Conclusion
Paul is calling out (rebuking) the Jewish religous leaders who are not fully accepting the idea of faith in Christ alone for salvation. He is arguing against those who stand opposed to the basic Christian belief that faith alone in Christ is enough to bring us to God.

I think 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 can help give a little insight into how "works" are measured for a Christian.

11For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. 14If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

What Paul seems to be saying here is that a day is coming when God will look at what we've done with our lives. He will judge our works and our motives for our works. This judgement is not for unbelievers, it is for Christians. If what we have done with our lives (our works) are burned up, then we will not be burned up, but we will escape as one escaping through flames.

Strong words.

Is that meant to motive us to do good works? I don't think so, but it does speak truth about what will happen one day.

We should be motivated to do good works by love, the love that dwells within us by the Spirit of God.

On Matthew 5:27-30

Jesus is obviously talking about lust in this short passage and He uses some harsh words to talk about this particular sin. For right now, I'm not going to comment on the lust part of this passage partly because I think Jesus makes the point pretty clear but mostly because I want to focus on verses 29 & 30. Now, if you are like me, the first time I read this I was thinking how unfortunate it would be to gouge out my eye or cut off my hand. We have to be careful not to take things we read in Scripture literally that aren't meant to be taken literally. Jesus is talking figuratively but using very strong images to convey the ugliness of sin and in this particular case, lust.

So before you go and gouge your eyes out or cut off your hands, think about this... 1) Jesus is making the point that we need to cut ourselves off from things that cause us to sin, even if it hurts at first. I think a great example of this could be a relationship we find ourselves in that causes us to sin in some way. Not necessarily lust but maybe this friend or whoever is causing you or pressuring you to drink, do drugs, lie, cheat, steal, etc etc. This would be where we need to "cut" ourselves off even though it may hurt at first. The point Jesus is trying to make is that nothing is worth falling into sin which then leads to death, not even our "eye" or "hand". What is it in your life that you need to cut yourself away from in order to avoid a particular sin? 2) If this was to be taken literally, we would all be running around bloodied and blind, which wouldn't get us much of anywhere at all. And the last reason why I don't think Jesus is talking literally here is 3) Blind people can still lust.

Solo

I want to talk for a second about "a personal relationship with Christ" if I may. Too often people think that being a Christian has nothing to do with anyone else and is solely based upon the individual's own journey of faith. It focuses on what eternity has in store for me with little to no consideration of others because really, "that is a personal decision that they will have to make because I certainly can't make it for them."

Now I don't disagree that each individual needs to make a personal decision whether or not to follow Jesus but to turn Christianity into a religion that focuses and is based on the individual is, in my opinion, going against the very foundation of what Christianity is all about. In order to truly be a disciple of Jesus, you and I need community. We need people! How can you be a Christian solo? Jesus doesn't tell us to love ourselves as our self...NO, He tells us to "love your neighbor as yourself" (Lk 10:27) because He assumes that we already have a sense of love for ourselves. Who are you to be the salt and light to if your relationship with Christ only matters to you? Paul says that we are part of a body and that we need each other, we can't do it alone.

The whole point of Jesus' ministry (and ours with Him) is to bring the Good News of His love, forgiveness and grace to the world. One's relationship with Christ starts inwardly but is made evident outwardly; it may begin individually but has to become communal or it is not the Christianity of Jesus. I think it is exciting to see how the individual and the community go hand-in-hand. The growth of the one can't happen without the growth of the other. The moment we privatize Christianity is the moment it ceases to be Christianity at all.

Boasting only in the Cross

Galatians 6:14 Paul says that we are to boast only in the cross. Boast meaning, rejoice, exult, or glory in the cross of Christ. Think about how strange that is. We are called to rejoice in and exult in, the horrific murder of the completely innocent Son of God. Boast only in the cross?

Paul actually boasts in other things in the New Testament. He boasts in the glory of God, he boasts in his suffering, he boasts in his weaknesses, he boasts in the people he led to Christ. So then how can he say boast ONLY in the cross?

Here's why I think he can say that.

Because every good thing, and every bad thing that God turns to good is experienced because of what Jesus did on the cross 2,000 years ago. People, you and me, deserve nothing but God's judgment for our sin. He is the creator, we are the creation, we have no rights before Him, we are entitled to nothing, he owes us nothing, but on the cross Jesus took the punishment we deserved and now those who trust in him receive all of God's love and goodness.

So, a boasting in the glory of God is a boasting in the cross, a boasting in suffering, is a boasting in the cross, a boasting in weakness is a boasting in the cross, and a boasting in new believers is a boasting in the cross, a boasting in friendships is a boasting in the cross, a boasting in sports is a boasting in the cross, a boasting in life is a boasting in the cross.

I wanted to say this because I fear there is a different view of the cross creeping into Christianity. A cross that's simply symbolic, or a cross that merely points to an example of great love, or a cross that shows how weakness and submission can defeat evil.

Boast only in the cross, because in the cross the wrath of God against His sinful, rebellious creation was satisfied for once and for all. Through the cross the bridge over the great expanse has been built with the blood and body of Christ. Now, because of the cross, we can experience the relentless grace, the endless forgiveness, the perfect love, of our Creator.

Rejoice in that, exult in that, boast in that.

Yeah, that was pretty heavy for my first one. Sorry.

Gone Fishin'?

Jesus had no concept of line fishing, the way most of us grew up being taught how to fish. You know, where you take a pole, a line, and some bait in order to catch a particular kind of fish. This idea of fishing would make no sense to the fishermen of Jesus' day. Why? Because they used nets and any fish that happened to jump into the net was exactly the kind of fish they were fishing for. Doesn't this give Jesus' words more weight when he says, "I will make you fishers of men"...using nets, not poles! Too often those of us in church "fish" with a particular kind of person in mind, we use a certain kind of "bait" and if we don't catch the right kind of person for our church, we throw them back. That is not the kind of "fishermen" Jesus intended you and I to be, not even close! He desires for us to cast our nets out into the world and bring into the boat anyone that is willing to come, even if they are different than us. Jesus never threw anyone back. So what type of "fishermen" or maybe better said, disciple, are you? Are you casting your net of love, hope and forgiveness into a world that desperately needs to be found in its grasp willing to keep whoever you might find in it? See the great thing about it; Jesus tells us to catch the fish, He doesn't say we have to clean them because He will take care of the mess...

Pillar of Faith

I'm at a large church staff conference this week down in AL and found myself thinking about my Grandma Maureen. Now I know that I don't think of her nearly enough or talk to her as much as I should but there are 2 reasons she has been on my mind the past day and a half: 1) she had a successful hip replacement surgery yesterday and 2) throughout our worship times today we sang a couple classic hymns that I can vividly remember her singing when I was much younger. A couple of the hymns that instantly time-warp me back to being in kindergarten and 1st grade are "He Lives", "How Great Thou Art", "And Can It Be that I Should Gain", and especially "Victory in Jesus". It's almost as if I can hear her singing them right now as she stands in her kitchen cooking goulash or doing dishes as I sit here in my hotel room. As we sang these hymns today in our worship time, I found myself almost moved to tears thinking about the impact my Grandma has made on my life and most importantly on my relationship with Christ. If it was not for her love, persistence and constant singing I'm not sure I would have ever come to walk with Jesus as close as I walk with Him today. She has always been and continues to be a pillar of faith in my life. And like the pillar of cloud and fire that went before the Israelites as God brought them out of slavery in Egypt, I think God puts people in our lives to be pillars of faith for us, giving us strong shoulders of prayer to lean on in times of confusion, doubt, fear and uncertainty. It is through my Grandma being a pillar of faith that she helps me see that there is an even stronger pillar on which I can lean, the pillar of Jesus Christ! And through the example she leads of a life dedicated to Christ, I know the truth in the words of the great hymn I can hear her singing even now, "He walks with me and talks with me along life's narrow ways...you ask me how I know He lives, He lives within my heart"

Unexpected Solitude

Now this might sound weird but I've been trying to practice the spiritual discipline of solitude. I just started trying to make a point of doing this in the last week and the place so far that I've found it easiest is, as you would never guess, in the airport. As I write this I'm sitting in the Pittsburg airport on my way to South Carolina to check out a mission trip site. I don't know if you've ever flown before but airports are one of those places where there are a ton of people walking around but no one interacts with each other. It's this very reason that makes it really easy for me to practice solitude by being by myself and yet having the opportunity to people-watch, not in a creepy sort of way but simply observing those around me. When I found myself watching people and having an attitude of solitude, I could sense myself being more sensitive to possible joys or struggles individuals might be experiencing in their lives at the moment.

It's really a pretty cool experiment to try…people-watching with an attitude of solitude allowed me to quit thinking about me, become more sensitive to the issues those around me might be dealing with and even spend some time praying for the complete strangers that happen to be my fellow travelers today.

Christ & culture II

often times we think that Christ and culture are polar opposites and that they have no relationship to each other, that an individual can't be culture savvy and still be a devout follower of Christ. what if being a devout follower of Christ means that one has to be culture savvy? it would make sense to me to think that if i want to know how to most effectively impact someone with and through the love of Christ i need to know the culture in which they live. there is a certain amount of responsibility on me to know and understand the culture in which i am trying to follow Christ in.

i think it's more than just knowing culture but actually engaging culture as well. engaging culture can take a number of different forms: talking with a neighbor over the fence, going to the movies, staying aware of current events, going out on a Friday night, joining the league at the 'Y', etc. Christians engage culture when we take Christ with us outside of the sanctuary on Sunday mornings and into our places of work, our homes, schools, cars, etc.

now please understand that i'm not saying we should be standing on the street corners "preaching" at passerbys but i'm also not saying we should just blend into the background of the cultural landscape. engaging culture means we have to give culture a reason to engage us, if we are exactly like culture then there is no point of engagement. something about Christians is different than culture and that's the way it should be. the very lives that we lead should cause people to stop and ask questions like; "You really think this, why?" or "There's something different about you, what is it?" it's in questions likes these that Christ and culture meet, depending on our response. Jesus said, "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden...In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

Christ & culture

so i've been reading some different things for a couple of my classes and have started thinking about the relationship between Christ and culture. and of course i'm asking myself all sorts of questions like: what does that relationship look like? should a relationship even exist? what role do Christians play in that relationship? does our culture care about Christ? (sidenote-when i say culture, i am referring to the culture in which i live, Western or American culture, in case you were wondering.)

i think there are a lot of implications that go with the relationship between Christ and culture and i also believe that as a follower of Christ, one has the ability to impact culture without being completely lost in it. as Christians we hear all the time, "be in the world, not of the world" but what it seems like is happening more and more is not only are we not going to be of the world but we're going to take ourselves out of it as well. what i mean by that is Christians are secluding themselves from culture and then we talk about how bad our culture has become or is becoming. i mean look at Jesus, this guy was immersed in the culture of his day but never lost sight of his focus. he didn't run around telling his disciples to stay out of the temple or not to talk to people on the streets or in the markets. Jesus met people where they were, in their culture and showed them what it meant to truly know God. if we as Christians are afraid of culture and retreat into our own camps, when we do this we not only take ourselves out of culture but we take Christ out of a culture that is looking for something with lasting meaning.

more to come on this topic....