How can I match my plans to God’s plans?
First, Paul’s vision matched God’s Vision for the world. . . . that all would come to know God, His Grace and His Love and voluntarily choose to live under Christ’s Lordship.
Is God’s vision your vision, regardless of what your profession or job is?
Second, Paul did make his plans as he felt the Lord led him, but he always held them lightly in the event that the Lord wanted to redirect him.
Are you flexible enough to be redirected by the Lord against all earthy desires?
Third, Paul was not about his own comfort. His focus was on Loving God and Loving others. The Corinthians were important to him as people, not just “notches on his belt”.
Can you be fully where you are, attentive to the Lord and others? Or are you at any
moment looking ahead to what’s next, thereby missing the fullness and significance of
“being where you are”?
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
August 30, 2009
The fundamental Christian teaching about giving is that we give our first and our best back to God. Why? Because He gave his first and best to us. Giving therefore is fundamentally an act of gratitude and worship of the One who loved us first. God loves us. We love him back.
Generosity is the word used in this passage. When the apostle Paul speaks of generosity to the Corinthian and Macedonian churches (see 2 Cor 8, 9) he knows that to be generous means to give beyond what one feels one is able to give. I love how author CS Lewis put it. “I’m afraid that the only safe amount of money to give to the Lord is always to give a little bit more than you can afford”.
When I give with this principle in mind I know that I am being stretched, I must make a decision between earthly expenditures and giving to God, I must trust God to make up the gap, I come face to face with my materialism, my giving cannot remain mindless, rather God is kept prominent in my mind with every check I write.
Does your giving reflect generosity defined in this way? If not can you change your definition and therefore your giving? If not, why not? Good questions like these are a tool of God to spur your spiritual growth as a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ.
Generosity is the word used in this passage. When the apostle Paul speaks of generosity to the Corinthian and Macedonian churches (see 2 Cor 8, 9) he knows that to be generous means to give beyond what one feels one is able to give. I love how author CS Lewis put it. “I’m afraid that the only safe amount of money to give to the Lord is always to give a little bit more than you can afford”.
When I give with this principle in mind I know that I am being stretched, I must make a decision between earthly expenditures and giving to God, I must trust God to make up the gap, I come face to face with my materialism, my giving cannot remain mindless, rather God is kept prominent in my mind with every check I write.
Does your giving reflect generosity defined in this way? If not can you change your definition and therefore your giving? If not, why not? Good questions like these are a tool of God to spur your spiritual growth as a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
August 29, 2009
“Nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort.” 1 Corinthians 15:58 (MSG)
Nothing that I do for the sake of God and his kingdom has a shelf life. What is done for the Lord is eternal. This means that it shows up in the New Creation. Each time I say a kind word, create a work of art or beauty, lay a brick, or teach a class . . . . . if it was done out of a heart given over to the Lordship of Christ, then that very act will appear in the New Creation, in resurrected life on the New Earth.
Each action done for God in this life will become, speaking metaphorically, a foundational or decorative “stone” in the architecture of life in God’s final Kingdom on earth.
This means that what I do because of the Lord in my life is not only not wasted, it’s eternal and foundational to all of future reality.
“Stand your ground, don’t hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the master”. Nothing else is as fulfilling and about nothing else can you be as confident that you’re investing your life wisely.
Can you tell the difference between time and effort that, in an eternal sense, is wasted, and time and effort which is eternal because it is of God?
Nothing that I do for the sake of God and his kingdom has a shelf life. What is done for the Lord is eternal. This means that it shows up in the New Creation. Each time I say a kind word, create a work of art or beauty, lay a brick, or teach a class . . . . . if it was done out of a heart given over to the Lordship of Christ, then that very act will appear in the New Creation, in resurrected life on the New Earth.
Each action done for God in this life will become, speaking metaphorically, a foundational or decorative “stone” in the architecture of life in God’s final Kingdom on earth.
This means that what I do because of the Lord in my life is not only not wasted, it’s eternal and foundational to all of future reality.
“Stand your ground, don’t hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the master”. Nothing else is as fulfilling and about nothing else can you be as confident that you’re investing your life wisely.
Can you tell the difference between time and effort that, in an eternal sense, is wasted, and time and effort which is eternal because it is of God?
Friday, August 28, 2009
August 28, 2009
“The mortal will be replaced by the immortal.” 1 Corinthians 15:53 (MSG)
Here’s a word picture that may help you. It’s kind of a mind twister, and not quite accurate but I find it somewhat accurate and helpful as a way to understand a believer’s life stages on his or her way to resurrection.
“At death God will download my software from my hardware and load my software into his hardward until the time comes when God will take my software and upload it onto new hardware where it will function perfectly.”
Let’s try this again:
“At death God will download my software (the “me” whom God created) from my hardware (my physical body) and load my software (my “me”) into his hardware (into God Himself, during a period of time that we call heaven or paradise, a time of temporary rest and refreshment) until the time comes when God will take my software (my “me”) and upload it onto new hardware (my new resurrected body which I will inhabit on the resurrected earth) where it (I and my new body unified into one) will function perfectly.”
So who gets the last word on human life? God! What happens to death? Swallowed up by resurrection!
Happy endings are not naïve fantasy, instead they are reflect the one concrete reality that permeates all of existence. I hope to the depths of my being that you are able to take this Good News into yourself and let it permeate all your waking, sleeping, thinking, feeling, working, walking around, interaction with others, life.
I love how one man put it. “I am neither an optimist nor a pessimist; Jesus Christ is risen from the dead.”
Here’s a word picture that may help you. It’s kind of a mind twister, and not quite accurate but I find it somewhat accurate and helpful as a way to understand a believer’s life stages on his or her way to resurrection.
“At death God will download my software from my hardware and load my software into his hardward until the time comes when God will take my software and upload it onto new hardware where it will function perfectly.”
Let’s try this again:
“At death God will download my software (the “me” whom God created) from my hardware (my physical body) and load my software (my “me”) into his hardware (into God Himself, during a period of time that we call heaven or paradise, a time of temporary rest and refreshment) until the time comes when God will take my software (my “me”) and upload it onto new hardware (my new resurrected body which I will inhabit on the resurrected earth) where it (I and my new body unified into one) will function perfectly.”
So who gets the last word on human life? God! What happens to death? Swallowed up by resurrection!
Happy endings are not naïve fantasy, instead they are reflect the one concrete reality that permeates all of existence. I hope to the depths of my being that you are able to take this Good News into yourself and let it permeate all your waking, sleeping, thinking, feeling, working, walking around, interaction with others, life.
I love how one man put it. “I am neither an optimist nor a pessimist; Jesus Christ is risen from the dead.”
Thursday, August 27, 2009
August 27, 2009
“I need to emphasize, friends, that our natural, earthy lives don't in themselves lead us by their very nature into the kingdom of God. Their very "nature" is to die, so how could they "naturally" end up in the Life kingdom?" 1 Corinthians 15:50
I cannot enter heaven or experience the resurrection on my own . . . . Even if I’m Mother Teresa. It requires surrender to the supernatural intervention of God who alone can bring life to the dead.
But if I surrender my life to God in Jesus Christ, then one day the troubles of “Good Friday” will be over and the magnificent resurrection of (Easter) Sunday will have arrived . . . and we all shall be raised.
The trumpet is probably not a literal trumpet, rather it pictures Moses on the mountain, the most magnificent picture of the presence of God that any Jew could imagine. And then Ezekiel 37 is pictured where the dry bones come to life in a brilliant and glorious display of a superlative life that only God can give.
This HAS TO HAPPEN! IT CANNOT NOT HAPPEN! But forget not: You are not automatically “in”. Have you set out on the eternal path of surrender to God, without whom no creature has a future?
I cannot enter heaven or experience the resurrection on my own . . . . Even if I’m Mother Teresa. It requires surrender to the supernatural intervention of God who alone can bring life to the dead.
But if I surrender my life to God in Jesus Christ, then one day the troubles of “Good Friday” will be over and the magnificent resurrection of (Easter) Sunday will have arrived . . . and we all shall be raised.
The trumpet is probably not a literal trumpet, rather it pictures Moses on the mountain, the most magnificent picture of the presence of God that any Jew could imagine. And then Ezekiel 37 is pictured where the dry bones come to life in a brilliant and glorious display of a superlative life that only God can give.
This HAS TO HAPPEN! IT CANNOT NOT HAPPEN! But forget not: You are not automatically “in”. Have you set out on the eternal path of surrender to God, without whom no creature has a future?
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
August 26, 2009
“In the same way that we've worked from our earthy origins, let's embrace our heavenly ends." 1 Corinthians 15:49 (MSG)
(NOTE: “the last Adam, the life-giving Spirit “ to which the apostle Paul refers is Jesus)
Here’s the pattern. Adam was formed out of the earth and humanity grew from Adam. (even the most recent secular research appears to confirm common ancestry) Then, 2000 years ago, God became a man . . . this is the Grande Miracle which we call the incarnation. People who believe in and follow this God/man Jesus receive His Spirit and are thereby put onto the path of being transformed into the character of God.
At death, the “you”, which has been in the process of being transformed into the image of Christ, enters into a state of rest and refreshment in the temporary intermediate “heaven” of which the Bible speaks. This state, it must be emphasized is not the end state, not the goal, not our final destiny.
The Bible does not end with believers going to heaven when they die and then staying there.
When Jesus, the current ruler of the cosmos, comes to complete the task of defeating evil and restoring the universe, including planet earth and its inhabitants, (we call this the “second coming”), then believers will receive a new body and be relocated onto the resurrected earth with joys and responsibilities of living together in joy and harmony as they join God in the ongoing creation of the cosmos.
(NOTE: “the last Adam, the life-giving Spirit “ to which the apostle Paul refers is Jesus)
Here’s the pattern. Adam was formed out of the earth and humanity grew from Adam. (even the most recent secular research appears to confirm common ancestry) Then, 2000 years ago, God became a man . . . this is the Grande Miracle which we call the incarnation. People who believe in and follow this God/man Jesus receive His Spirit and are thereby put onto the path of being transformed into the character of God.
At death, the “you”, which has been in the process of being transformed into the image of Christ, enters into a state of rest and refreshment in the temporary intermediate “heaven” of which the Bible speaks. This state, it must be emphasized is not the end state, not the goal, not our final destiny.
The Bible does not end with believers going to heaven when they die and then staying there.
When Jesus, the current ruler of the cosmos, comes to complete the task of defeating evil and restoring the universe, including planet earth and its inhabitants, (we call this the “second coming”), then believers will receive a new body and be relocated onto the resurrected earth with joys and responsibilities of living together in joy and harmony as they join God in the ongoing creation of the cosmos.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
August 25, 2009
"The corpse that's planted is no beauty, but when it's raised, it's glorious. Put in the ground weak, it comes up powerful. The seed sown is natural; the seed grown is supernatural—same seed, same body, but what a difference from when it goes down in physical mortality to when it is raised up in spiritual immortality!" 1 Corinthians 15:43-44 (MSG)
Author CS Lewis wrote ( I am paraphrasing from memory) that each person you ever meet is destined by God either to be such a glorious creature that, were you to see him now as he one day will be, you would be tempted to worship him. . . . . or to be such a horror that, were you to see him now as he one day will be, you would shrink from him in utter revulsion.
Such is the destiny of every human depending on whether the offer of God’s Grace is accepted or rejected.
Each of us is destined to be someone so magnificent and glorious that our minds cannot imagine it. Yet if any exercises his freedom to reject this intended future, then the picture of the future is something like the life of the subhuman creatures remaining on earth in the Will Smith movie, I Am Legend.
The destiny of every believer is to live in an eternal future, in an eternally resurrected body, on an eternally restored and renewed earth for the purpose of living in exquisite joy in wonderful relationship with others and God and in partnership with God in the ongoing creativity of the universe.
As a believer this destiny, your destiny is secure and how you handle your life today determines to what degree you will experience the joys and privileges of the next.
And, as a believer, your responsibility now is to lead others toward the destiny which God has for them and away from the destiny that awaits them if they choose to reject the offer of God’s Grace.
Author CS Lewis wrote ( I am paraphrasing from memory) that each person you ever meet is destined by God either to be such a glorious creature that, were you to see him now as he one day will be, you would be tempted to worship him. . . . . or to be such a horror that, were you to see him now as he one day will be, you would shrink from him in utter revulsion.
Such is the destiny of every human depending on whether the offer of God’s Grace is accepted or rejected.
Each of us is destined to be someone so magnificent and glorious that our minds cannot imagine it. Yet if any exercises his freedom to reject this intended future, then the picture of the future is something like the life of the subhuman creatures remaining on earth in the Will Smith movie, I Am Legend.
The destiny of every believer is to live in an eternal future, in an eternally resurrected body, on an eternally restored and renewed earth for the purpose of living in exquisite joy in wonderful relationship with others and God and in partnership with God in the ongoing creativity of the universe.
As a believer this destiny, your destiny is secure and how you handle your life today determines to what degree you will experience the joys and privileges of the next.
And, as a believer, your responsibility now is to lead others toward the destiny which God has for them and away from the destiny that awaits them if they choose to reject the offer of God’s Grace.
Monday, August 24, 2009
August 24, 2009
"If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men."
1 Corinthians 15:19 (NIV)
Jesus’ life is not only the picture of what it looks like to be fully human and fully alive, Jesus’ resurrection is also the picture of what will happen to us after death.
Actually, the truth is that you and I are being physically renewed day by day. Every seven to ten years every single cell in your body is replaced. You are literally not the same physical person you were ten years ago. The old died and fell away. The new came. Rather than a static physical being, each of us is more like the crest of a waterfall. Always looks roughly the same, but new water is continually replacing the old.
Each of us is something like that. There is a “you” which exists beyond your immediate physical body, yet your physical body is intertwined with, part and parcel of, inseparable from “you”. There is “a waterfall” despite it’s water begin continually replaced.
It is the “you” which is immediately “relocated” into “heaven”, which is an intermediate state of rest and refreshment and beauty and joy , all of which is more wonderful than our imaginations can handle. But that’s only the beginning. At the appointed time each of us will received a new body, of which our earthly body will have been the seed. Our new bodies will be the seed having sprouted into something mature and astounding, something, were you to see it now, you would be tempted to worship. And then you will be fully human and fully alive, just as Jesus was the consummate human (God in Christ), fully human and fully alive. And our domain will be God’s Kingdom on a resurrected, renewed, restored earth.
All of this is to say that God’s plan, from Genesis 12 through Revelation 22 is to restore all of creation including you. It CANNOT NOT HAPPEN. You and I find ourselves in a much bigger story than our little day to day worlds may lead us to think.
This life is analogous to kindergarten, or primary school, or boot camp or basic training. This life is not all there is. This life is not our ultimate destiny. And 1 Corinthians 15 captures the tragedy of believing that it is.
1 Corinthians 15:19 (NIV)
Jesus’ life is not only the picture of what it looks like to be fully human and fully alive, Jesus’ resurrection is also the picture of what will happen to us after death.
Actually, the truth is that you and I are being physically renewed day by day. Every seven to ten years every single cell in your body is replaced. You are literally not the same physical person you were ten years ago. The old died and fell away. The new came. Rather than a static physical being, each of us is more like the crest of a waterfall. Always looks roughly the same, but new water is continually replacing the old.
Each of us is something like that. There is a “you” which exists beyond your immediate physical body, yet your physical body is intertwined with, part and parcel of, inseparable from “you”. There is “a waterfall” despite it’s water begin continually replaced.
It is the “you” which is immediately “relocated” into “heaven”, which is an intermediate state of rest and refreshment and beauty and joy , all of which is more wonderful than our imaginations can handle. But that’s only the beginning. At the appointed time each of us will received a new body, of which our earthly body will have been the seed. Our new bodies will be the seed having sprouted into something mature and astounding, something, were you to see it now, you would be tempted to worship. And then you will be fully human and fully alive, just as Jesus was the consummate human (God in Christ), fully human and fully alive. And our domain will be God’s Kingdom on a resurrected, renewed, restored earth.
All of this is to say that God’s plan, from Genesis 12 through Revelation 22 is to restore all of creation including you. It CANNOT NOT HAPPEN. You and I find ourselves in a much bigger story than our little day to day worlds may lead us to think.
This life is analogous to kindergarten, or primary school, or boot camp or basic training. This life is not all there is. This life is not our ultimate destiny. And 1 Corinthians 15 captures the tragedy of believing that it is.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
August 23, 2009
“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance.” 1 Corinthians 15:3
The above passage and what follows is among the earliest statements of what early Christianity believed. This statement circulated certainly no later than a few years after Jesus’ death. It is so simple . . the cross and the resurrection. And Paul proceeds to mention the hundreds who saw Jesus alive after his death. Paul, writing in 56, 20+ years after the crucifixion, even says that many of those who saw him alive are still living.
I find the resurrection of Jesus, the “picture” of restoration, resurrection, renewal of all things, including me and my family, to be the most encouraging thing in my life. Resurrection for believers CAN’T NOT HAPPEN! There is absolutely no reason to be gloomy about the future. Also the story of your life is really about what God is doing. All of my failures, missteps and sins cannot stand in the face of God’s determination to set my life right. Resurrection and renewal are the final word. Resurrection wins against sin, failure and death. Your future could not be brighter as a Christ follower.
I love how one scholar put it, “I am neither an optimist nor a pessimist. Jesus Christ is risen from the dead.”
The above passage and what follows is among the earliest statements of what early Christianity believed. This statement circulated certainly no later than a few years after Jesus’ death. It is so simple . . the cross and the resurrection. And Paul proceeds to mention the hundreds who saw Jesus alive after his death. Paul, writing in 56, 20+ years after the crucifixion, even says that many of those who saw him alive are still living.
I find the resurrection of Jesus, the “picture” of restoration, resurrection, renewal of all things, including me and my family, to be the most encouraging thing in my life. Resurrection for believers CAN’T NOT HAPPEN! There is absolutely no reason to be gloomy about the future. Also the story of your life is really about what God is doing. All of my failures, missteps and sins cannot stand in the face of God’s determination to set my life right. Resurrection and renewal are the final word. Resurrection wins against sin, failure and death. Your future could not be brighter as a Christ follower.
I love how one scholar put it, “I am neither an optimist nor a pessimist. Jesus Christ is risen from the dead.”
Saturday, August 22, 2009
August 22, 2009
I can give no better an explanation of this passage than the one found in the Life Application Bible Commentary. I hope you take time to read this because it will be of great benefit to you as you read other difficult to apply passages in your Bible.
“Does this mean that women should not speak in church services today? It is clear from 11:5 that women often prayed and prophesied in public worship. It is also clear in chapters 12–14 that women are given spiritual gifts and are encouraged to exercise them in the body of Christ. So what did Paul mean? It would be helpful to understand the context and the use of the word "silent."
In the Greek culture, women were discouraged from saying anything in public, and they were certainly not allowed to confront or question men
publicly. Apparently, some of the women who had become Christians thought that their Christian freedom gave them the right to question the men in public worship. This was causing division in the church. In addition, women of that day did not receive formal religious education as did the men.
The Greek word for "silent" used here is also used in 14:28, referring to the silence commanded on the one who desired to speak in tongues but without an interpreter present. Obviously, that did not mean that this person was never to speak in the church, only to remain silent when certain conditions were not met so that the church service would not be disrupted. The same Greek word is also used in 14:30 for the prophet who is asked to stop speaking ("be silent" in the Greek) when another has been given a revelation. Again, this obviously does not mean that the prophet was never to speak. This would negate his or her gift. Because women as well as men were gifted with tongues, interpretation, or prophecy, they would need to speak in order to exercise their gifts.
The "speaking" to which Paul referred was the inappropriate asking of questions that would disrupt the worship service or take it on a tangent. Therefore, the women should be silent during the church meetings, not because they were never to speak, but because they were not to speak out with questions that would be ineffective in edifying the entire church. If they have any questions, says Paul, let them ask their husbands at home. That they should be submissive compares with Paul's words in 11:7-12—to keep the believers in obedience with God's commanded lines of authority (just as the law says). There is no clear reference to an Old Testament passage. Paul may have been referring to a generally accepted interpretation of Genesis 3:16. Apparently, the women believers in Corinth, newly freed in Christ to be able to learn and take part in worship, had been raising questions that could have been answered at home without disrupting the services. In this entire chapter, Paul had been dealing with various forms of disorder and confusion taking place in the Corinthian church in particular. His words are corrective. In this instance, Paul was asking the Corinthian women not to flaunt their Christian freedom during worship. The purpose of Paul's words was to promote unity, not to teach about the role of women in the church.
“Does this mean that women should not speak in church services today? It is clear from 11:5 that women often prayed and prophesied in public worship. It is also clear in chapters 12–14 that women are given spiritual gifts and are encouraged to exercise them in the body of Christ. So what did Paul mean? It would be helpful to understand the context and the use of the word "silent."
In the Greek culture, women were discouraged from saying anything in public, and they were certainly not allowed to confront or question men
publicly. Apparently, some of the women who had become Christians thought that their Christian freedom gave them the right to question the men in public worship. This was causing division in the church. In addition, women of that day did not receive formal religious education as did the men.
The Greek word for "silent" used here is also used in 14:28, referring to the silence commanded on the one who desired to speak in tongues but without an interpreter present. Obviously, that did not mean that this person was never to speak in the church, only to remain silent when certain conditions were not met so that the church service would not be disrupted. The same Greek word is also used in 14:30 for the prophet who is asked to stop speaking ("be silent" in the Greek) when another has been given a revelation. Again, this obviously does not mean that the prophet was never to speak. This would negate his or her gift. Because women as well as men were gifted with tongues, interpretation, or prophecy, they would need to speak in order to exercise their gifts.
The "speaking" to which Paul referred was the inappropriate asking of questions that would disrupt the worship service or take it on a tangent. Therefore, the women should be silent during the church meetings, not because they were never to speak, but because they were not to speak out with questions that would be ineffective in edifying the entire church. If they have any questions, says Paul, let them ask their husbands at home. That they should be submissive compares with Paul's words in 11:7-12—to keep the believers in obedience with God's commanded lines of authority (just as the law says). There is no clear reference to an Old Testament passage. Paul may have been referring to a generally accepted interpretation of Genesis 3:16. Apparently, the women believers in Corinth, newly freed in Christ to be able to learn and take part in worship, had been raising questions that could have been answered at home without disrupting the services. In this entire chapter, Paul had been dealing with various forms of disorder and confusion taking place in the Corinthian church in particular. His words are corrective. In this instance, Paul was asking the Corinthian women not to flaunt their Christian freedom during worship. The purpose of Paul's words was to promote unity, not to teach about the role of women in the church.
Friday, August 21, 2009
August 21, 2009
“For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.” 1 Corinthians 14:33 (NLT)
Should all worship services in all churches look the same, following a preset pattern and structure? Is the pattern in 1 Corinthians 14:26-33 meant to be followed to the letter? Is it a structure for all Christian worship at all times for all Christians?
The answer is no. Rather, the timeless principle behind the structure that existed in the Corinthian Church is that of making worship make sense to everyone, ensuring that it is intelligible to all. It’s the idea that no one gets left out. It’s the passionate desire that the Gospel gets clearly communicated to everyone.
Structure that reflects a local body of believers will necessarily vary. Did you know that the most popular music genre in the United States is country western? Therefore a number of growing churches in the southwest have country western oriented Christian music.
One of the most powerful and growing and influential churches full of young people in the nation is in Manhattan and uses organ and liturgy and is Presbyterian, of all things! There’s no one correct worship style. But there is one worship principle behind style: the heart to communicate the Gospel uncompromisingly but also intelligibly, in a way that the local context and culture can apprehend. And a structure (one that doesn’t become calcified) lends itself to that end.
Should all worship services in all churches look the same, following a preset pattern and structure? Is the pattern in 1 Corinthians 14:26-33 meant to be followed to the letter? Is it a structure for all Christian worship at all times for all Christians?
The answer is no. Rather, the timeless principle behind the structure that existed in the Corinthian Church is that of making worship make sense to everyone, ensuring that it is intelligible to all. It’s the idea that no one gets left out. It’s the passionate desire that the Gospel gets clearly communicated to everyone.
Structure that reflects a local body of believers will necessarily vary. Did you know that the most popular music genre in the United States is country western? Therefore a number of growing churches in the southwest have country western oriented Christian music.
One of the most powerful and growing and influential churches full of young people in the nation is in Manhattan and uses organ and liturgy and is Presbyterian, of all things! There’s no one correct worship style. But there is one worship principle behind style: the heart to communicate the Gospel uncompromisingly but also intelligibly, in a way that the local context and culture can apprehend. And a structure (one that doesn’t become calcified) lends itself to that end.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
August 20, 2009
One of the things that amazes and gratifies me the most is when someone says that the sermon “spoke” directly to them. . . . . as if I knew exactly what was going on in their life. And virtually every time I hear that I can honestly say that I had no idea, which means, of course, that God’s words were being spoken to that person. . . . . . which brings me to an important point. God does speak personally through messages, not just to the rational, left brain, detached intellect, rather and especially to the intimate, personal, real life aspect of who you are. God knows you, speaks to you, and cares deeply about your life and your heart. Therefore every time you suspect some aspect of a Sunday is “for you”, it probably is. Listen, take it to heart, and say to God, “Here I am Lord, I’m listening, give me the ability to obey.”
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
August 19, 2009
My heart is for those who do not know Christ to come to know him and the Good News he offers. Therefore I take it as my job to make Christianity as intelligible as I can. At all costs, I think every Christian should do his best never to speak church language. We need to do our best to eliminate whatever could create a sense of insiders and outsiders.
A great exercise for every believer is to put yourself into the shoes of someone who comes to a worship service as an adult for the first time in their life. Where else in the world would this person experience something similar? Therefore how can we ease the transition, accommodating to their culture in a way that compromises nothing of the Gospel message. Remember Paul’s words in 1 Cor 9:22, “I will be all things to all people so that by all possible means I can reach some” . Of the one language that everyone understands is sacrificial love and service. Each of us can become fluent in that.
A great exercise for every believer is to put yourself into the shoes of someone who comes to a worship service as an adult for the first time in their life. Where else in the world would this person experience something similar? Therefore how can we ease the transition, accommodating to their culture in a way that compromises nothing of the Gospel message. Remember Paul’s words in 1 Cor 9:22, “I will be all things to all people so that by all possible means I can reach some” . Of the one language that everyone understands is sacrificial love and service. Each of us can become fluent in that.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
August 18, 2009
” if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle?” 1 Corinthians 14:8 (NIV)
The definition of leadership is influence. Everyone influences others which means that in some way, shape or form, you are leading someone either toward God or away from God depending your influence on them.
This is the principle behind today’s scripture reading.
There are two things that Christians should strive for in communicating their relationship with God to others. . . . . clarity and God’s power at work within and through them.
This is why I am very conscious never to speak “churchese” or to use to seminary level theological vocabulary. A great goal for every Christian is to be able to communicate the great things of God and of Jesus with clarity in everyday language. A second great goal is to be able to articulate how you see God at work in and through you beyond your own power to accomplish things.
I really thing many are hungry for both of these. In fact I would go so far as to say that in today’s world we need to find ways to say that we are Christians without using the word “Christian”. Why? It’s been slandered so much in the public media, that the world itself may shut off the ability to hear the great news of the Gospel. I think that is absolutely true of the word “evangelical’.
The definition of leadership is influence. Everyone influences others which means that in some way, shape or form, you are leading someone either toward God or away from God depending your influence on them.
This is the principle behind today’s scripture reading.
There are two things that Christians should strive for in communicating their relationship with God to others. . . . . clarity and God’s power at work within and through them.
This is why I am very conscious never to speak “churchese” or to use to seminary level theological vocabulary. A great goal for every Christian is to be able to communicate the great things of God and of Jesus with clarity in everyday language. A second great goal is to be able to articulate how you see God at work in and through you beyond your own power to accomplish things.
I really thing many are hungry for both of these. In fact I would go so far as to say that in today’s world we need to find ways to say that we are Christians without using the word “Christian”. Why? It’s been slandered so much in the public media, that the world itself may shut off the ability to hear the great news of the Gospel. I think that is absolutely true of the word “evangelical’.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
August 16, 2009
"If you have the ability to speak in tongues, you will be talking only to God. . . . . . . You will be speaking by the power of the Spirit, but it will all be mysterious. . . . . . A person who speaks in tongues is strengthened personally, . . . . . . I wish you could all speak in tongues, but even more I wish you could all prophesy." 1 Corinthians 14:1-5 (NLT)
"Speaking in tongues" is a practice and belief that has enlivened believers, split churches, been used to evaluate the eternal destiny of Christ followers, and has drawn believers into deep personal relationship with Jesus. In short, the practice has resulted in some of the best and worst in Christianity.
"Tongues" is a gift of the Holy Spirit. It comes to some believers either at the moment of conversion or subsequent to conversion. It is typically a way to pray in a language that is supernaturally given by God so that the words one prays are no longer under his or her control, rather being controlled by God. Thus praying in tongues is a "pure" way to pray which gives God control over the speech center of your brain.
It has been wisely (and in my view with 90% acuracy) said that tongues are "available to all, required of none, of benefit to many".
Those who speak in tongues do not have more of the Holy Spirit than those who do not. Nor do those who speak in tongues necessarily have a better relationship with God (it's obedience that matters). Nor does "tongue speaking" create first and second class Christians. It is a gift of the Spirit, and contrary to certain groups of 21st century believers, I do believe it is gift which did not cease after the first century.
Can you seek the gift of tongues? Yes. Are you guaranteed to receive this gift? No. . . . .
"It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have." 1 Corinthians 12:11 (NLT)
Finally, the Bible tells us that more important than speaking in tongues, desireable as that gift may be, is the gift of prophecy, which is the gift of being able to make intelligible the things of God to others. This gift is a gift of communicating God's Word so that it edifies others. Tongues is for the edification of oneself.
"Speaking in tongues" is a practice and belief that has enlivened believers, split churches, been used to evaluate the eternal destiny of Christ followers, and has drawn believers into deep personal relationship with Jesus. In short, the practice has resulted in some of the best and worst in Christianity.
"Tongues" is a gift of the Holy Spirit. It comes to some believers either at the moment of conversion or subsequent to conversion. It is typically a way to pray in a language that is supernaturally given by God so that the words one prays are no longer under his or her control, rather being controlled by God. Thus praying in tongues is a "pure" way to pray which gives God control over the speech center of your brain.
It has been wisely (and in my view with 90% acuracy) said that tongues are "available to all, required of none, of benefit to many".
Those who speak in tongues do not have more of the Holy Spirit than those who do not. Nor do those who speak in tongues necessarily have a better relationship with God (it's obedience that matters). Nor does "tongue speaking" create first and second class Christians. It is a gift of the Spirit, and contrary to certain groups of 21st century believers, I do believe it is gift which did not cease after the first century.
Can you seek the gift of tongues? Yes. Are you guaranteed to receive this gift? No. . . . .
"It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have." 1 Corinthians 12:11 (NLT)
Finally, the Bible tells us that more important than speaking in tongues, desireable as that gift may be, is the gift of prophecy, which is the gift of being able to make intelligible the things of God to others. This gift is a gift of communicating God's Word so that it edifies others. Tongues is for the edification of oneself.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
August 15, 2009
"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV)
"When I meet someone, this is the kind of person I hope to discover: someone who is patient, kind, does not envy, does not boast, is not proud, is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs, does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth, always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perserveres." 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NIV)
I am easily impressed by the wonderful qualities of other people, so much so that I become overly deferential and even small in their presence. But when I walk away from an encounter with another, even when in awe at his or her status or abilities, if I have not left with a sense of their kindness and humility, I will have left with a hole in my encounter with them.
On the other hand, when I meet someone who is kind and humble I am always impressed, regardless of status or accomplishments.
Faith to move mountains amazes me. Unshakeable hope is wonderful. Both are huge. But for me, it's so true. . . .love expressed in all the little ways of verses 4-7 is the best of all. In fact without it, faith and hope are. . . . . . . .well, let the Bible speak for itself:
"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing." 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (NIV)
Lord, prevent me from being a clanging cymbal, or worse, nothing.
1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV)
"When I meet someone, this is the kind of person I hope to discover: someone who is patient, kind, does not envy, does not boast, is not proud, is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs, does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth, always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perserveres." 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NIV)
I am easily impressed by the wonderful qualities of other people, so much so that I become overly deferential and even small in their presence. But when I walk away from an encounter with another, even when in awe at his or her status or abilities, if I have not left with a sense of their kindness and humility, I will have left with a hole in my encounter with them.
On the other hand, when I meet someone who is kind and humble I am always impressed, regardless of status or accomplishments.
Faith to move mountains amazes me. Unshakeable hope is wonderful. Both are huge. But for me, it's so true. . . .love expressed in all the little ways of verses 4-7 is the best of all. In fact without it, faith and hope are. . . . . . . .well, let the Bible speak for itself:
"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing." 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (NIV)
Lord, prevent me from being a clanging cymbal, or worse, nothing.
Friday, August 14, 2009
August 14, 2009
I love big words. Epistemology is one of those words. It is the science of knowing. It is the study of how we can know what we know. It therefore studies reason, scientific method, intuition, "evolutionary memory", instinct and much more. In verse 12 Paul alludes to love as the most powerful way to know. We can call this an "epistemology of love". Love is a kind of knowing that includes, yet transcends, the rational. We think of knowledge as something to be "gained" and of course there is a very real sense in which it is. Yet love is self emptying. It gives itself away to another. And in the process it comes to know. In verse 12, I learn that I am know. How? By being loved, an "agape" love in the shape of a cross.
How then can I know another? By loving them, by carrying out the action, placing their welfare above mine, but investing my heart, ears, efforts, thoughts, sacrificially into the well-being of the other. In doing so I come to know them.
I wonder if any knowledge apart from love can be anything but data? Can anything be truly known without love?
How then can I know another? By loving them, by carrying out the action, placing their welfare above mine, but investing my heart, ears, efforts, thoughts, sacrificially into the well-being of the other. In doing so I come to know them.
I wonder if any knowledge apart from love can be anything but data? Can anything be truly known without love?
Thursday, August 13, 2009
August 13, 2009
As I sit here at my computer reflecting on these verses, I realize that I spend a lot of time trying to learn new things and then implement what I've learned in effective ways. But, in the end, says verse 8, knowledge will pass away.
How much I learn holds almost no interest for my family members. They don't ask me what I learned today. I suspect what they really want to know is whether or not my heart is turned toward them. That can morph into selfishness, of course. However that's what I want to know from my family members too. Deep down, I want to know if their hearts are turned towards me, if they love me. Am I loved?
Is there something deep and perhaps buried in each of us that yearns to hear, "I love you"? I suspect that, for some, this yearning is so deeply buried that it appears to not exist at all.
Kathy quoted a statement to me yesterday that I've been thinking about fairly constantly. It's from author Brennan Manning who's writings are penetrating. He said that he is absolutely convinced that God will ask one question of us, and one question only, when we meet him face to face. That question is "Did you know that I love you?". In that question and answer lies ultimately all of life. Maybe it is the difference between life and death.
How much I learn holds almost no interest for my family members. They don't ask me what I learned today. I suspect what they really want to know is whether or not my heart is turned toward them. That can morph into selfishness, of course. However that's what I want to know from my family members too. Deep down, I want to know if their hearts are turned towards me, if they love me. Am I loved?
Is there something deep and perhaps buried in each of us that yearns to hear, "I love you"? I suspect that, for some, this yearning is so deeply buried that it appears to not exist at all.
Kathy quoted a statement to me yesterday that I've been thinking about fairly constantly. It's from author Brennan Manning who's writings are penetrating. He said that he is absolutely convinced that God will ask one question of us, and one question only, when we meet him face to face. That question is "Did you know that I love you?". In that question and answer lies ultimately all of life. Maybe it is the difference between life and death.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
August 12, 2009
I don't like all those "always's". But the big thing is that those "always's" describe God and how God "always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres". But Christ is alive in me and He is relentlessly working his character into me.
But this is where I need a big switch to take place. "Lord, help me to stop focusing on all my failures to protect, trust, hope and persevere and help to celebrate those times, brief as they may be, when the life of Christ, the character of God, shows up in me in simple ways that are not "the old me". Thank you Lord, for those moments when I can actually see, with rock solid biblical hope, beyond "the veil" beyond the immediate to what you are working to bring about. Thank you Jesus.
But this is where I need a big switch to take place. "Lord, help me to stop focusing on all my failures to protect, trust, hope and persevere and help to celebrate those times, brief as they may be, when the life of Christ, the character of God, shows up in me in simple ways that are not "the old me". Thank you Lord, for those moments when I can actually see, with rock solid biblical hope, beyond "the veil" beyond the immediate to what you are working to bring about. Thank you Jesus.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
August 11, 2009
Lord, why is it that when my feathers are ruffled that I can become rude to those who love me most, yet suppress my irritability around those I hardly know. Lord, please remove rudeness from me, even if it requires radical surgery. No one deserves that, not even my enemies.
Wouldn't it be cool if Kathy and I could forget all the times we've wronged each other? Slate wiped clean? "Offense amnesia". Maybe I should pray for that.
When we got back from our cruise, it was amazing how quickly the romantic glow disappeared. We faced life demands which for us were daunting. And I began to think, why isn't Kathy as warm and fuzzy as she was just 24 hours ago? Well, believe it or not Kathy faced the same challenges that I did! Amazing! There he is again.......self-seeking Jeff!
Wouldn't it be cool if Kathy and I could forget all the times we've wronged each other? Slate wiped clean? "Offense amnesia". Maybe I should pray for that.
When we got back from our cruise, it was amazing how quickly the romantic glow disappeared. We faced life demands which for us were daunting. And I began to think, why isn't Kathy as warm and fuzzy as she was just 24 hours ago? Well, believe it or not Kathy faced the same challenges that I did! Amazing! There he is again.......self-seeking Jeff!
Monday, August 10, 2009
Welcome to Pastor Jeff's Daily Blog - August 10, 2009
August 9
A few weeks ago Kathy and I took a cruise to Bermuda with one of my prayer partners and his wife. It was awesome. They renewed their vows under a moongate and Kathy and I were re-inspired to rekindle our romance. And I was reminded for the zillionth time that Kathy is very unimpressed by whatever knowledge I have, whatever spiritual insights I provide others and whatever faith I have that God will do great things in the church. She is, however, inspired when I love her well. When I don't love her well,. . . . .let's just say that she doesn't relate well to clanging cymbals, and a husband who makes great sacrifices for others at the expense of those closest to him.
August 10 - Patience?
My daughter says I don't completely stop at stop signs. I'll make her pay when I teach her to drive. But I also don't stop very well for people. They are more important that stop signs (at least when I'm not driving). For them I need to stop, look and listen. I get so impatient when I feel interrupted when I'm in the middle of something. God, help me to just stop, "be all there" to the person in front of me, and listen to him or her, no thinking ahead to what's next on my agenda, no looking at my watch, no looking past the person and thinking about something. Lord, help me to stop, look and listen.
God, please keep flooding me with gratitude to you so that envy is kept at bay, and help me to keep my mind off my prideful self.
School begins soon and I'm always interested in the most important thing my children say about a teacher they like when they come home after the first day. It's always something like "the teacher's nice". I almost never hear "he/she sure knows a lot, or has great experiences or is 'hot' (hope I never hear that one). The important word seems to be nice. This is a good reminder to me of the significance of being "kind" to other people.
A few weeks ago Kathy and I took a cruise to Bermuda with one of my prayer partners and his wife. It was awesome. They renewed their vows under a moongate and Kathy and I were re-inspired to rekindle our romance. And I was reminded for the zillionth time that Kathy is very unimpressed by whatever knowledge I have, whatever spiritual insights I provide others and whatever faith I have that God will do great things in the church. She is, however, inspired when I love her well. When I don't love her well,. . . . .let's just say that she doesn't relate well to clanging cymbals, and a husband who makes great sacrifices for others at the expense of those closest to him.
August 10 - Patience?
My daughter says I don't completely stop at stop signs. I'll make her pay when I teach her to drive. But I also don't stop very well for people. They are more important that stop signs (at least when I'm not driving). For them I need to stop, look and listen. I get so impatient when I feel interrupted when I'm in the middle of something. God, help me to just stop, "be all there" to the person in front of me, and listen to him or her, no thinking ahead to what's next on my agenda, no looking at my watch, no looking past the person and thinking about something. Lord, help me to stop, look and listen.
God, please keep flooding me with gratitude to you so that envy is kept at bay, and help me to keep my mind off my prideful self.
School begins soon and I'm always interested in the most important thing my children say about a teacher they like when they come home after the first day. It's always something like "the teacher's nice". I almost never hear "he/she sure knows a lot, or has great experiences or is 'hot' (hope I never hear that one). The important word seems to be nice. This is a good reminder to me of the significance of being "kind" to other people.
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