I am again blown away and praise God for a church family that remains consistently and boldly open before God. Sunday, was a significant day in the spiritual journey of 170 brothers and sisters in Christ in our church family. That is the number of people who made a once and for all decision to completely submit their kingdom to God's Kingdom.
On Sunday, I promised to send a follow up letter to encourage those making this decision this week. I have decided the most appropriate way for me to do that is through this weekly blog, which I will also print for anyone who may be among those who do not have internet access. Furthermore, since this is a step that Jesus will lead everyone Follower of Christ to take, I figured it would be an encouragement to all of us no matter where we are on our faith journey.
Submitting my kingdom to God's Kingdom involves the following:
OUR CHOICE:
Central to every step in our journey with Christ is our will. God has made up his mind that he will never violate the human will. To violate the human will would be to rob humanity of love. For without the choice to reject and deny love, one does not have the freedom to truly receive and give love. Thus, every step we take with Jesus shares one common denominator and that is our choice.
This includes submitting our kingdom to His. Jesus imitates the invitation, "Anyone who would come after me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me." In response we have a choice: Will I deny myself--Will I put my will and wishes second to God's will? Will I take up the cross--voluntarily give myself to the work of God's Kingdom on earth?"
A choice is simple and yet challenging. It is as simple as saying yes and as difficult as really meaning it. Nonetheless, the decision 170 people made on Sunday was made by a choice of the will. Let us not underestimate the power of this God-given freedom to choose.
GOD'S GIFT:
Just as every step we take with Jesus involves a choice the choice for every step is the same: In our relationship with Jesus a new step always requires a choice to receive what God gives. Just as we do not earn our salvation, we do not earn the reign of His kingdom in our lives. The choice that was made on Sunday was a choice to receive from God what only God can do. Only he can make his Kingdom of love reign and rule over our hearts and minds. As much as full surrender is a choice, it is even more so a gift from God. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 says, "May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful to do it." Read that last line again. That says it all!
THE PROMISE:
"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me" Galatians 2:20. Many people, including myself at one time, are afraid to make a choice to receive God's full reign in our lives because we believe a lie. We believe to surrender everything to Christ will mean that we will lose out, miss out, not have fun, not achieve our dreams, etc. The point is, we believe that to submit our Kingdom to His, will in some way produce negative results. The opposite is true. In the verse mentioned above, Paul writes the truth about this step of faith...the truth is whenever we die, then we are free to truly come to life. Remember, Jesus promised to give us abundant life now and forever. The decision to submit to God's Kingdom merely puts one in a position to freely and increasingly discover what it means to live in this new life. Jesus says it best in Matthew 16:25, "Whoever tries to save his/her life will lose it, but he/she who looses his/her life for the sake of the Gospel will gain it."
THE PROCESS:
This step in our journey with Christ is by no means the final step. This is merely one more step in a process of steps that will continue until we see Jesus face to face. We never arrive in this life. The journey with Jesus is a continuous and daily following. Therefore, this step of full surrender is a once and for all decision but it is not at all a final decision. It is a once and for all decision with daily implications. Every day in small and big ways for the rest of my life I will be called upon by Jesus to live out my full surrender to him in what I do with my time, talent, money, suffering and so on and so forth. The decision you made on Sunday simply means that from here on out every time Jesus asks for you to deal with something or give something for him the answer has already been settled. To Jesus our answer from here on out will always be, "Not my will, but yours."
THE GOAL:
The goal of every step we take with Jesus can be summed up in one phrase, "Christ-like Love." If you want to know where Jesus is taking you take a look at his life. In Christ we see that God's love is not passive it is active. God's love is not simply for the individual, it is for the entire world. God's goal for every believer, and that is the Church, is well put in the prayer Jesus taught us to pray, "Thy Kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Jesus dares us to pray, believe and live in such a way that our lives usher in his Kingdom into our world!
I am praying for you this week! Please do not hesitate to email or call me with any questions or thoughts on this subject.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Three of the Most Hopeful Words in the Bible
"Where are you?" I think these three words offer some of the most hopeful of all the words in the Bible. The larger context of that question may help you see why I have drawn that conclusion:
Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"
2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' "
4 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. 5 "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"
Adam and Eve have just turned their backs on God. They have broken trust and intimacy by believing a lie over truth. In place of open companionship, they now hide in shame. The separation from one another and God is overpowering. They hear God call out to them. Instead of running to him they remain hidden.
What will the Father do? Will he rant and rave? Will he send down lightning? Will he simply walk away from them as though he never created them? Certainly, something like that is what Adam and Eve expected. Perhaps we expect the same. But God is not limited by our expectations. God, instead, asks, "Where are you?" In that question God shows that he is not only their Creator, but their Pursuer. God did not just give them life, he now offers to restore their lives. God asks that question not because he does not know where they are but so they can see for themselves where their sin has taken them. He offers this question to help them see that the distance they now feel from God is not because he has moved, but because they have. He asks this question to show them that even though they are hiding in shame, he wants them to be found.
Can we slow down the pace of this day long enough to hear that question for ourselves?
"Where are you?"
"Where are you?"
Hear the love in that question...hear the hope...hear the promise...Hear the voice of God initiating relationship with you.
Now, allow his question to do what questions are designed to do...they are asked to evoke a response. What is your response to God's question, "Where are you?" Does your answer surprise you? Does your answer convict you? Does your answer put you to shame? He asks that question not to condemn you, but to redeem you. Will you keep hiding or will you walk out into the open and let the one searching for you, find you?
Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"
2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' "
4 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. 5 "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"
Adam and Eve have just turned their backs on God. They have broken trust and intimacy by believing a lie over truth. In place of open companionship, they now hide in shame. The separation from one another and God is overpowering. They hear God call out to them. Instead of running to him they remain hidden.
What will the Father do? Will he rant and rave? Will he send down lightning? Will he simply walk away from them as though he never created them? Certainly, something like that is what Adam and Eve expected. Perhaps we expect the same. But God is not limited by our expectations. God, instead, asks, "Where are you?" In that question God shows that he is not only their Creator, but their Pursuer. God did not just give them life, he now offers to restore their lives. God asks that question not because he does not know where they are but so they can see for themselves where their sin has taken them. He offers this question to help them see that the distance they now feel from God is not because he has moved, but because they have. He asks this question to show them that even though they are hiding in shame, he wants them to be found.
Can we slow down the pace of this day long enough to hear that question for ourselves?
"Where are you?"
"Where are you?"
Hear the love in that question...hear the hope...hear the promise...Hear the voice of God initiating relationship with you.
Now, allow his question to do what questions are designed to do...they are asked to evoke a response. What is your response to God's question, "Where are you?" Does your answer surprise you? Does your answer convict you? Does your answer put you to shame? He asks that question not to condemn you, but to redeem you. Will you keep hiding or will you walk out into the open and let the one searching for you, find you?
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
"The Jar"
For the past several Sundays we have been praying together over a jar in our worship area full of relationships. Each week the jar has been added to and each week God has been answering our prayers. Here are a few true, jar stories:
• Two friends have been reconciled after 6 months of not speaking.
• A marriage had a major breakthrough and God is resurrecting what was all but
dead.
• A mother and daughter are finding that fresh starts can happen.
• A man has begun to identify his destructive role as an enabler in a
relationship.
• Two brothers are now beginning to act like brothers again.
• Two people have discovered a personal relationship with God through Christ.
Today, I am writing to ask you to write the “Random Thoughts” for this week. What can you add to my bullet point list above? It would mean a great deal to hear what God is doing with the “jar” relationships for which you have been praying. Let’s give God credit! Send me an email.
As you consider your response, please keep on remembering this: Jesus said, “Wherever two or three are gathered in my name there I am with them and whatever they ask will be given to them.” The context of this promise is nothing more and nothing less than relationships. The sooner we accept that the sooner life with all its joys and tragedies will begin to make sense….the point God wants us to get is all that matters in life and death are relationships…relationship with God and with one another. Nothing else matters compared to that. And until nothing else matters compared to our relationship with God and one another, then we will continue to miss out, live for less, be confused, chase after futility and perhaps reach our last breath realizing we completely missed the point. But as we continue to make this faith journey about one we are to make together rather than solo, by God’s grace, we can throw off the lies of the urgently unimportant and live and die for what is most important.
So, again, I ask, how has God been working in you and your relationships with God and/or others these past several weeks? Thank you for being a church family that remains real and receptive!
• Two friends have been reconciled after 6 months of not speaking.
• A marriage had a major breakthrough and God is resurrecting what was all but
dead.
• A mother and daughter are finding that fresh starts can happen.
• A man has begun to identify his destructive role as an enabler in a
relationship.
• Two brothers are now beginning to act like brothers again.
• Two people have discovered a personal relationship with God through Christ.
Today, I am writing to ask you to write the “Random Thoughts” for this week. What can you add to my bullet point list above? It would mean a great deal to hear what God is doing with the “jar” relationships for which you have been praying. Let’s give God credit! Send me an email.
As you consider your response, please keep on remembering this: Jesus said, “Wherever two or three are gathered in my name there I am with them and whatever they ask will be given to them.” The context of this promise is nothing more and nothing less than relationships. The sooner we accept that the sooner life with all its joys and tragedies will begin to make sense….the point God wants us to get is all that matters in life and death are relationships…relationship with God and with one another. Nothing else matters compared to that. And until nothing else matters compared to our relationship with God and one another, then we will continue to miss out, live for less, be confused, chase after futility and perhaps reach our last breath realizing we completely missed the point. But as we continue to make this faith journey about one we are to make together rather than solo, by God’s grace, we can throw off the lies of the urgently unimportant and live and die for what is most important.
So, again, I ask, how has God been working in you and your relationships with God and/or others these past several weeks? Thank you for being a church family that remains real and receptive!
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