It's been a busy month, and in some ways I feel bad about my inactivity on this blog. But at the same time so much of my reading and study is going towards the masculine journey which is the subject of the new blog. When you add up the two of them the total is average of what I used to do on here. In the future when I am able to get back into a Church setting full time I'm hoping to be able to blog equally on both, but for now my heart is really in the place of the new one and it will get the majority of my time.
But sometimes something hits me from that blog that though along similar lines doesn't fit with where the post line is going. Such is the case with this one. On Man of God... I'm in chapter 10 of Wild at Heart which is titled "A Beauty to Rescue". It's an essential aspect of a man's life, because in some ways it's what his life has been created for and preparing for. To be clear, life is about more than marriage and finding the person you're supposed to spend your life with. But keep in mind that in a God centered marriage we have the chance to see the full image of God displayed to creation. Both haves of the image, the strong and powerful side brought by the man, and the beautiful, nurturing side brought by the woman, come together as one.
The masculine journey is about a man reclaiming his heart. It is about coming to know and reveal the image of God that he has been created in. And as he learns about and learns to use his strength, it is his calling to use that strength to rescue the beauty. The feminine heart has been assaulted by the Enemy in an attempt to keep the two halves from joining to together. A man must recover his strength if he is ever to going to rescue the beauty and join his half to hers.
As I read and wrote last night my mind went I came across a quote in the text that really hit me, "I wanted to look like the knight, but I didn't want to bleed like one." At that moment I thought of my wedding ring. I picked this one out because of the grooves cut into it, they reminded me of the stripes that Christ received before He was crucified. The point of the ring was to be a constant reminder that I am to love my wife as Christ loves the Church. Christ bled for the Church.
And as I realized this my mind went to Ephesians 5.25, the verse that is the reason for my ring, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her". This is the part of the letter that is mine to read. I had a professor in college who told me that it isn't his job to point out verse 22 to his wife and command her to follow it, it is his job to learn and live verse 25. That is my job as a husband. But in this post I'm going to talk about verse 22 as well, not to my wife, but to the women of the Church with the hope that we might begin to understand our roles and see our lives in the midst of the battle that we are in.
Men and women are clearly different. As soon as I said the world battle at the end of the last paragraph I bet I lost the attention of, or at least didn't hit the heart, of the women who read this. Men were made for the battlefield. We are naturally aggressive, dangerous, and love to test our strength, or at least we were created to be that way. And while our strength is for the service of God, part of that service is rescuing the princess. God said in Genesis 2, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him." But ever since Genesis 3 the woman has been under attack, as has the man.
The Enemy works to take our the image of God we bear. That is his only objective. With men he goes after our strength. He works to emasculate us and, honestly, feminize us. If we become passive and spineless, God's strength ins't seen. And without our strength we cannot rescue the beauty, we cannot offer it to her, and we cannot use it to create new life. The strength of men has been given to them so that they may spend it serving others. And sometimes that means using it in life threatening situations. Sometimes that means being willing to give everything just so that others might be free.
Without our strength, the strength of God, it is impossible for a husband to love his wife as Christ loves the Church. It is impossible for a man to bleed like a knight if he doesn't have the strength to suit up and take on the dragon.
Women are different, they are gentle, nurturing, and beautiful, that is the part of the image of God they are created in. Now I am not saying that women are not powerful, and strong, just do something to any of my mother-in-laws children and you'll see how dangerous a woman can be. But the primary nature of a mother is to nurture and care for her children. She is the one they run to crying after they fall. She is the one that kisses the boo-boos, and comforts the hurt feelings. Not that dad's don't, there are times when he is compassionate and gentle, but over all dad is the protector, mom is the comforter.
And so we have this verse in Ephesians 5 that says, "Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord." It's a verse that I think many women don't like, today especially. When my wife and I were in Israel there was a girl in the class who never said it directly, but you could tell by the other things she said that the idea of submission wasn't in her plans. She had some issues with some of the shop owners because in the middle east men are superior to women, and this can be seen even in how they do business. A man can get a better deal haggling than a woman can. She didn't like this and I recall one night she said in class, "I'm as good as a man."
I believe that this is another tactic of the enemy. If he's trying to emasculate and feminize men, then he's probably working to effeminate and masculinize women. He does whatever he can to attack their beauty and purity to make them feel ugly and dirty. I think he uses anger and pride which makes the idea of submission insulting. And today we have a society made up of guys and girls in opposite roles.
Women lead and men submit. Because of this I think men can struggle to really love their wives. A submissive man can't rescue the beauty and a woman who is leading doesn't want, or even feel the need, to be rescued. Neither can play their part, and so the image of God is undisplayed.
So what is to be done? Honestly, I've just been typing and these sentences have been coming out. My initial thought was that a man bleeds as he is injured using his strength to rescue the beauty, and afterwards the woman tends to his injuries, nurturing him allowing him to delight in her beauty. Delight in, not use for his own pleasure there is a big difference. When a man uses a woman he violates her selfishly taking and giving nothing. But when he delights in her, they come together both willing, both vulnerable, and it is one of the most beautiful things in all of creation, and I'm not talking simply of sex. It is at this moment when the two halves come together as one that the full image of God is revealed and displayed to creation.
Men, we must love our wives as Christ loves the Church. We must recover our strength, and then use it to rescue her. Women, you must submit to your husband. Allow him to rescue you, and when he has, tend to his wounds. This is the way God intended for it to be. Because this is when the two complete halves can come together and reveal what He had in mind all along.
"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Is God the Father Humble?
That question was recently posted on Facebook by a guy I graduated high school with. Usually I just keep my mouth shut because things like this tend to get ugly, but I really couldn't resist getting into this one. It's an interesting thought, and probably one that really hasn't been thought about much. In nearly twenty-seven years this is the first time that question has ever been presented to me. And while I'm hearing and seeing what people who have the opposite opinion of me are saying, I don't think this is a characteristic we can attribute to God the Father.
The question was posted after a small group discussion on Philippians 2, the chapter which gives us what is perhaps the best explanation of both what Christ did, and how we should live and respond, in Scripture. Those who were saying that yes, the Father is humble point to the humility displayed in the life of Jesus, and how Jesus, who is God, reflects and displays the character and nature of the Father to the world. And while that is the case, I don't believe humility is an aspect of divinity.
Philippians 2.5-8 says, "Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."
We see that Jesus humbled Himself, and became a man, who was obedient to death on the cross. But for some Jesus' statement in John 10.30, "I and the Father are one" posses an issue if we say that the Father is not humble. For this let's look at what humility is. In the English dictionary humble is defined, "1. not proud or arrogant; modest 2. having a feeling of insignificance, inferiority, subservience, etc. 3. low in rank, importance, status, quality, etc. 4. courteously respectful 5. low in height, level, etc."
"Not proud or arrogant; modest," read the end of Job and show me this about God the Father. It isn't a pride thing, but more a statement and declaration of His greatness. "Having a feeling of insignificance, inferiority, subservience," this could never be said of God. Psalms tells us that "The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands." God's very being demands worship, simply because of His holiness, and if we fail to praise Him the rocks will cry out (Luke 19). "Low in rank, importance, status, quality," The Ten Commandments tell us, "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me." (Exodus 20.2-3). "Courteously respectful" He is loving but He is also holy and perfect and cannot overlook wrong doing or tolerate sin. "Low in height, level," God is above all, there is no one higher than Him. Simply based on an present day English definition we cannot say that the Father is humble. But we also must look at the original text so see what the Biblical author thought.
In Philippians 2, Paul uses the word tapeinao (ta-pie-na-oh) which means "to make low; bring low". It can refer to leveling something to a plain topographically, but in the case of Jesus means, "to bring into a humble condition, reduce to meaner circumstances: 1) to assign a lower rank or place to 2) to abase 3) to be ranked below others who are honored or rewarded 4) to humble or abase myself by humble living".
This is what we see in Jesus. He humbles Himself, He gives Himself a lower rank as a man, a peasant, a working class carpenter. He sets aside aspects of His divinity, immortality, omnipresence, glory, and possibly some omniscience, and walks the earth as a man. He is still God. He is still Holy, Righteous, perfect, all powerful, and possessing all command and authority, but He is also fully man, which demands certain aspects of divinity to be set aside. And so Jesus humbled Himself, and walked in humility through Israel.
We see Him as a man, totally dependent upon God. He is constantly in prayer, alone seeking the Father. He says, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner" (John 5.19b). As a man He is humble, a servant of God and man. But His humility comes to an end. Philippians 2.9-11, "For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Jesus is restored to His place at the right hand of the Father. Every knee bows before Him and every tongue declares Him as Lord. His humility is at an end and He is now exalted on high. And so we come back to the question "Is God the Father Humble?" We clearly see that Jesus, while on earth, was the example of humility. And because Jesus while on earth showed us what God is like, there might be a natural tendency to attribute humility to God. But I think it is a characteristic that has now place in the Heavenly realm.
Humility is an attribute of a worshiper and a servant, thus why we see it in Jesus, the ultimate servant who showed us how to truly worship the Father. It is the response of creation towards it's Creator. But it is not something that God the Father possesses. He is the object of worship. Everything is done so that He may be glorified. All of creation declares His praise, and even with Jesus, every knee bows and every tongue confesses to the glory of God the Father.
I think the issue arises, partly, because humility is such an admirable human quality; it is only natural to attribute it to God the Father. We see it in Jesus because we see God living life as a man, showing how God would live life as a human. We see God as the servant of all, humbled and then highly exalted. We see how God desires for all of us to live life. "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others" (Philippians 2.3-4).
Humility exists as a human quality, but I don't believe God has any reason to be humble. He is to be worshiped, praised and glorified. Everything is to be done for His glory. Jesus the Son, humbled Himself in order to save us, and model for us how we are to live. And once the mission was accomplished He is restored to His place of honor, the place the Father always maintained. So I am willing to say that God the Father has no need for humility.
"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
The question was posted after a small group discussion on Philippians 2, the chapter which gives us what is perhaps the best explanation of both what Christ did, and how we should live and respond, in Scripture. Those who were saying that yes, the Father is humble point to the humility displayed in the life of Jesus, and how Jesus, who is God, reflects and displays the character and nature of the Father to the world. And while that is the case, I don't believe humility is an aspect of divinity.
Philippians 2.5-8 says, "Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."
We see that Jesus humbled Himself, and became a man, who was obedient to death on the cross. But for some Jesus' statement in John 10.30, "I and the Father are one" posses an issue if we say that the Father is not humble. For this let's look at what humility is. In the English dictionary humble is defined, "1. not proud or arrogant; modest 2. having a feeling of insignificance, inferiority, subservience, etc. 3. low in rank, importance, status, quality, etc. 4. courteously respectful 5. low in height, level, etc."
"Not proud or arrogant; modest," read the end of Job and show me this about God the Father. It isn't a pride thing, but more a statement and declaration of His greatness. "Having a feeling of insignificance, inferiority, subservience," this could never be said of God. Psalms tells us that "The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands." God's very being demands worship, simply because of His holiness, and if we fail to praise Him the rocks will cry out (Luke 19). "Low in rank, importance, status, quality," The Ten Commandments tell us, "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me." (Exodus 20.2-3). "Courteously respectful" He is loving but He is also holy and perfect and cannot overlook wrong doing or tolerate sin. "Low in height, level," God is above all, there is no one higher than Him. Simply based on an present day English definition we cannot say that the Father is humble. But we also must look at the original text so see what the Biblical author thought.
In Philippians 2, Paul uses the word tapeinao (ta-pie-na-oh) which means "to make low; bring low". It can refer to leveling something to a plain topographically, but in the case of Jesus means, "to bring into a humble condition, reduce to meaner circumstances: 1) to assign a lower rank or place to 2) to abase 3) to be ranked below others who are honored or rewarded 4) to humble or abase myself by humble living".
This is what we see in Jesus. He humbles Himself, He gives Himself a lower rank as a man, a peasant, a working class carpenter. He sets aside aspects of His divinity, immortality, omnipresence, glory, and possibly some omniscience, and walks the earth as a man. He is still God. He is still Holy, Righteous, perfect, all powerful, and possessing all command and authority, but He is also fully man, which demands certain aspects of divinity to be set aside. And so Jesus humbled Himself, and walked in humility through Israel.
We see Him as a man, totally dependent upon God. He is constantly in prayer, alone seeking the Father. He says, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner" (John 5.19b). As a man He is humble, a servant of God and man. But His humility comes to an end. Philippians 2.9-11, "For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Jesus is restored to His place at the right hand of the Father. Every knee bows before Him and every tongue declares Him as Lord. His humility is at an end and He is now exalted on high. And so we come back to the question "Is God the Father Humble?" We clearly see that Jesus, while on earth, was the example of humility. And because Jesus while on earth showed us what God is like, there might be a natural tendency to attribute humility to God. But I think it is a characteristic that has now place in the Heavenly realm.
Humility is an attribute of a worshiper and a servant, thus why we see it in Jesus, the ultimate servant who showed us how to truly worship the Father. It is the response of creation towards it's Creator. But it is not something that God the Father possesses. He is the object of worship. Everything is done so that He may be glorified. All of creation declares His praise, and even with Jesus, every knee bows and every tongue confesses to the glory of God the Father.
I think the issue arises, partly, because humility is such an admirable human quality; it is only natural to attribute it to God the Father. We see it in Jesus because we see God living life as a man, showing how God would live life as a human. We see God as the servant of all, humbled and then highly exalted. We see how God desires for all of us to live life. "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others" (Philippians 2.3-4).
Humility exists as a human quality, but I don't believe God has any reason to be humble. He is to be worshiped, praised and glorified. Everything is to be done for His glory. Jesus the Son, humbled Himself in order to save us, and model for us how we are to live. And once the mission was accomplished He is restored to His place of honor, the place the Father always maintained. So I am willing to say that God the Father has no need for humility.
"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
The Return of Christ
I've heard a lot on this subject in recent years. I worked at a church were I heard the pastor say almost weekly, "Another sign of the soon return of Christ." I've read Facebook posts on it a lot from other pastors, and as many of us will all recall the recent prediction for May 21 and then October 21, 2011. But my most recent encounter with this idea has come from a job I didn't apply for.
I've been looking for a ministry position for almost a year now, and this past week I found a posting that was pretty much exactly what I have been searching for. But after doing some praying and researching of the Church I felt God leading away from it. But one of the biggest things that hit me was their state belief on the return of Christ.
The Bible tells us that no one knows the day or the hour except for the Father (Matthew 24.36). We are told that Jesus will return in the same way He went up to Heaven (Acts 1.11), and that He will come on the clouds and every eye will see Him (Revelation 1.7). Also we are told that it will be soon (Revelation 22.7) and it will be a time we do not expect (Luke 12.40). Note that these are not all of the Biblical references on this topic, simply a few that hit the major things we are told about it.
We are never told when it will happen, other than soon, and it has been soon for about 2,000 years. When the Holy Spirit came in Acts 2 it began the "Last Days". We have been living in them since the day of Pentecost. So yes, we are in the last days, and yes Jesus is returning soon, because it has been soon for the last 2,000ish years, and we are closer to it now than they were then. But that is the only thing we can say with any certainty.
And so it leads me to wonder why people make concrete statements about when Jesus is coming back? Who do we think we are to be able to say with certainty that Jesus will return on this day, or at this point in the future? Billy Graham once said, "Live everyday like Jesus will return today, but live everyday like we have to plan for the next thousand years." I shared that with the pastor mentioned above when he asked me my thoughts on the second coming, and he threw it back in my face saying, "That's just a man's opinion." Yes Billy Graham is just a man, but I think he makes a really good point.
We do not know when Jesus is coming back, all we know is that He is. And so we need to live life like that. We live ready, because Jesus could come back today. He could come back before I finish typing this sentence (obviously He didn't). But at the same time we need to live like He isn't coming back for a while. After all, it's been soon for almost 2,000 years.
I think when it comes to this subject people fall in one of two extremes. The first is those who emphasis the soon part. They are almost obsessed with it, and point to all of the bad stuff that is taking place in the world as evidence that Jesus is coming back any minute. What about the bad stuff that has happened before today? What about the Holocaust? What about the Crusades? What about the early century persecutions? What about the wiping out of the Native Americans, or the Aztecs? Bad things have been happening for thousands of years, but somehow what is happening now is worse than all of that in the eyes of this group.
And then there is the other side, the group that ignores all of this. They live as if they have all the time in the world (Talking about Christian's here). The second coming is something they blow off, possibly because of all the attention it gets from the other group, and things like the Left Behind series. This group, usually the younger generation because there have been times when I have thought this way, almost doesn't take it seriously. It's something that is going to happen some day, but not for a long time from now, certainly not until after we're dead. Let some future generation worry about it.
I think the answer, as with many things, lies in the middle. Living with the realization that every day that passes brings us one day closer, but that it still could be years away. We live ready for it, as the Bible says, "loving His appearing" (2 Timothy 4) but fighting the good fight, finishing the course, and keeping the faith (2 Timothy 4) in the event that it is still a long way off. We live sharing the Gospel in all that we say and do so that others see Christ in us, and we prepare the generation after us to do the same. We live every day like Jesus will return today, but at the same time live like He isn't coming back for a thousand years.
We do not know the day or the hour. It will happen suddenly and unannounced, like a thief in the night. The event will take place, and that is what matters. The when is not important, but what does matter is that it will happen. Jesus is coming back, how are you living?
"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
I've been looking for a ministry position for almost a year now, and this past week I found a posting that was pretty much exactly what I have been searching for. But after doing some praying and researching of the Church I felt God leading away from it. But one of the biggest things that hit me was their state belief on the return of Christ.
The Bible tells us that no one knows the day or the hour except for the Father (Matthew 24.36). We are told that Jesus will return in the same way He went up to Heaven (Acts 1.11), and that He will come on the clouds and every eye will see Him (Revelation 1.7). Also we are told that it will be soon (Revelation 22.7) and it will be a time we do not expect (Luke 12.40). Note that these are not all of the Biblical references on this topic, simply a few that hit the major things we are told about it.
We are never told when it will happen, other than soon, and it has been soon for about 2,000 years. When the Holy Spirit came in Acts 2 it began the "Last Days". We have been living in them since the day of Pentecost. So yes, we are in the last days, and yes Jesus is returning soon, because it has been soon for the last 2,000ish years, and we are closer to it now than they were then. But that is the only thing we can say with any certainty.
And so it leads me to wonder why people make concrete statements about when Jesus is coming back? Who do we think we are to be able to say with certainty that Jesus will return on this day, or at this point in the future? Billy Graham once said, "Live everyday like Jesus will return today, but live everyday like we have to plan for the next thousand years." I shared that with the pastor mentioned above when he asked me my thoughts on the second coming, and he threw it back in my face saying, "That's just a man's opinion." Yes Billy Graham is just a man, but I think he makes a really good point.
We do not know when Jesus is coming back, all we know is that He is. And so we need to live life like that. We live ready, because Jesus could come back today. He could come back before I finish typing this sentence (obviously He didn't). But at the same time we need to live like He isn't coming back for a while. After all, it's been soon for almost 2,000 years.
I think when it comes to this subject people fall in one of two extremes. The first is those who emphasis the soon part. They are almost obsessed with it, and point to all of the bad stuff that is taking place in the world as evidence that Jesus is coming back any minute. What about the bad stuff that has happened before today? What about the Holocaust? What about the Crusades? What about the early century persecutions? What about the wiping out of the Native Americans, or the Aztecs? Bad things have been happening for thousands of years, but somehow what is happening now is worse than all of that in the eyes of this group.
And then there is the other side, the group that ignores all of this. They live as if they have all the time in the world (Talking about Christian's here). The second coming is something they blow off, possibly because of all the attention it gets from the other group, and things like the Left Behind series. This group, usually the younger generation because there have been times when I have thought this way, almost doesn't take it seriously. It's something that is going to happen some day, but not for a long time from now, certainly not until after we're dead. Let some future generation worry about it.
I think the answer, as with many things, lies in the middle. Living with the realization that every day that passes brings us one day closer, but that it still could be years away. We live ready for it, as the Bible says, "loving His appearing" (2 Timothy 4) but fighting the good fight, finishing the course, and keeping the faith (2 Timothy 4) in the event that it is still a long way off. We live sharing the Gospel in all that we say and do so that others see Christ in us, and we prepare the generation after us to do the same. We live every day like Jesus will return today, but at the same time live like He isn't coming back for a thousand years.
We do not know the day or the hour. It will happen suddenly and unannounced, like a thief in the night. The event will take place, and that is what matters. The when is not important, but what does matter is that it will happen. Jesus is coming back, how are you living?
"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Saturday, May 11, 2013
The Prayer Room
This morning I was back reading through some of the notes I wrote on Facebook back in college before the blog. Today it was one called "Will you keep running?"
Back during the second half of my college career I got involved with a prayer group. We would meet Sunday nights in an on campus apartment for a few hours and seek God together. Once a year during J-term we would do weeks of 24/7 prayer in our on campus prayer room. People would sign up to take an hour at a time and for that hour go to the on campus prayer room and spend the time connecting with God, crying out to him for their own life, the campus, community, country and world. For weeks there was constant prayer being offered to God.
This is one of the things I miss most about college. That place of prayer, that place devoted to prayer. It was a room that freed you from distractions and helped you to focus on God and connect with Him in a variety of ways, art, writing, music. As I read the note I wrote a little over five years ago it hit me just how big of a part of my life that room was during my last two years of college. There was one week I spent more time in prayer than I did doing anything else, including sleep.
As I read what I had written and the comments people had made I began to remember just how incredible those moments were. There were times very early in the morning, that I would be there just in a time of worship to God. There is something about a place like that, a place that has been soaked with prayer, that almost makes it easy to talk to God. And that is what I miss most.
I don't have a place like that anymore. I haven't had it for a while, basically four years. It's not that I haven't prayed in that time, but at times it's been hard. There is something about a place that is devoted to prayer. There is something about going somewhere intentionally to communicate with God.
In Jerusalem, the Temple was that place. In January I began to grasp just how big this place was. It was one of those things that didn't hit me until round two when I got to walk under the streets along the length of the Western Wall. But that's not important. The point was not the size and grandeur of it all, but the fact that it was where God would meet the people.
2 Chronicles 7.12-16 shares of the account when the Temple was dedicated, and the words God spoke to Solomon, "Then the Lord appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, 'I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place. For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that My name may be there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.'"
It is not saying that God only heard prayers offered in the Temple. You do not need to be in a sanctuary or prayer room for God to listen to you, but there is something to be said about having a place dedicated to prayer. In a house there are rooms dedicated to cooking and eating, to living and laundry, to sleep and recreation. What about prayer? In an office building there are rooms set aside for work, breaks, and meetings. What about prayer? Do we have specific places that we have set aside to meet with God?
In college we had a room set aside for prayer, and I miss that. I think the world needs more prayer rooms, and people committed to filling them with heartfelt cries to God and attentive ears to hear from Him.
"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Back during the second half of my college career I got involved with a prayer group. We would meet Sunday nights in an on campus apartment for a few hours and seek God together. Once a year during J-term we would do weeks of 24/7 prayer in our on campus prayer room. People would sign up to take an hour at a time and for that hour go to the on campus prayer room and spend the time connecting with God, crying out to him for their own life, the campus, community, country and world. For weeks there was constant prayer being offered to God.
This is one of the things I miss most about college. That place of prayer, that place devoted to prayer. It was a room that freed you from distractions and helped you to focus on God and connect with Him in a variety of ways, art, writing, music. As I read the note I wrote a little over five years ago it hit me just how big of a part of my life that room was during my last two years of college. There was one week I spent more time in prayer than I did doing anything else, including sleep.
As I read what I had written and the comments people had made I began to remember just how incredible those moments were. There were times very early in the morning, that I would be there just in a time of worship to God. There is something about a place like that, a place that has been soaked with prayer, that almost makes it easy to talk to God. And that is what I miss most.
I don't have a place like that anymore. I haven't had it for a while, basically four years. It's not that I haven't prayed in that time, but at times it's been hard. There is something about a place that is devoted to prayer. There is something about going somewhere intentionally to communicate with God.
In Jerusalem, the Temple was that place. In January I began to grasp just how big this place was. It was one of those things that didn't hit me until round two when I got to walk under the streets along the length of the Western Wall. But that's not important. The point was not the size and grandeur of it all, but the fact that it was where God would meet the people.
2 Chronicles 7.12-16 shares of the account when the Temple was dedicated, and the words God spoke to Solomon, "Then the Lord appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, 'I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place. For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that My name may be there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.'"
It is not saying that God only heard prayers offered in the Temple. You do not need to be in a sanctuary or prayer room for God to listen to you, but there is something to be said about having a place dedicated to prayer. In a house there are rooms dedicated to cooking and eating, to living and laundry, to sleep and recreation. What about prayer? In an office building there are rooms set aside for work, breaks, and meetings. What about prayer? Do we have specific places that we have set aside to meet with God?
In college we had a room set aside for prayer, and I miss that. I think the world needs more prayer rooms, and people committed to filling them with heartfelt cries to God and attentive ears to hear from Him.
"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
I Am Not a Sinner Saved by Grace
A few years ago I really began to dive into the book of Philippians and found some incredible revelations about God's intention for His Church and those who make it up. I began a sermon series out of the book focused on genuine Christianity. Over the course of about a year I wrote three of the sermons.
Out of Philippians 3.1-14, "Religious or Relational?" Asking the question of what is the point of our faith? From Philippians 1.27-2.11, "Savior or Lord?" Focusing on who is Jesus to you, just a Savior or the Lord of your life? Then from Philippians 4.4-13, "Hand or Face?" Exploring what we seek from God, His blessings or Him?
In January of 2011 I had the chance to travel to Greece and Turkey, visiting the ruins of many of the cities where Paul visited and wrote letters to the Churches there. One of them was Philippi, and as part of the class I had to write an exegesis and sermon on part of the book. I choose a section I hadn't done much work with up to that point, and ended up with the closing message of the series out of Philippians 2.12-18, which focused on bringing it all together and showing what the life of a true follower of Christ, and a God focused Church really looks like.
The one difficulty with that sermon was I had to reference things in a sermon I hadn't written yet, and I still have not written. One of the things that has really stood out to me in chapter 1 of Philippians is the idea of being a Child of God, not simply a sinner who has been saved by grace. But along with this is the difficulty of pulling out the exact verses that capture this concept. And at the same time I haven't had the time, space, or drive to give this sermon the focus that it deserves and needs. But never the less it has been on my mind a lot.
Recently on my other blog I shared from Wild at Heart, how perhaps the biggest lie the Church has spread is that we are nothing more than sinners who have been saved by grace. I don't know how many times I've heard this line, sometimes I think it's from people trying to sound holy and humble, but each time I've heard it I'm like, "NO! You are missing the point. You are so much more than that."
If we are relational people who have surrendered to Jesus as Lord, and seek the face of God, then we are NOT sinners who have been saved by grace. We are so much more than that. We are children of God. I was a sinner, the grace of God saved me, and because of His grace, I am no longer a sinner and have become His child. I am not a sinner saved by grace, I am a child of God. And the same is true for you. You are not a sinner saved by grace, you are a child of God.
Think about what both statements really say. If your claim is that you are nothing more than a sinner saved by grace, what does that say about grace? What does it say about God? To me it says that grace is weak. That all grace can do is save. It doesn't say it can cleanse. It doesn't say it can transform. It doesn't say that God recreates or makes new. It says that in spite of grace, I'm still nothing more than a sinner.
Romans 6.5-7 says, "For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin."
The title "sinner" is an identification. By saying "I'm just a sinner saved by grace" says I have not died to sin, I have not been resurrected with Christ. By saying "I'm just a sinner saved by grace" it says I am still a slave to sin because I am just a sinner. But we are more than that. Romans says that we have been united with Christ in His death and His resurrection. It tells us that our old self, our sinful self has been crucified so that our body of sin might be done away with. We are freed from sin, and therefore, no longer sinners.
Romans 8.14-17 tells us, "For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, 'Abba! Father!' The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him."
We have received a spirit of adoption as sons. We cry out "Abba! Daddy!" We are children of God. The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit says we are not sinners saved by grace, but children of God. And so why do we feel we can call our selves anything less then what we are? Is it an attempt at holy humility? Is it a failed realization of the power of God's grace in our lives? Or is it a cop out for when we fail to live up to Christlikeness?
Philippians 1.3-11, "I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me. For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God."
He who began a good work in you will perfect it. Children grow and learn, guided by their parents. God began this work, we have been adopted as His children, and He is at work to mold us into Christlikeness. We are partakers of grace in the fact that we have been saved from sin by God, but more than that we have been reborn and given new life as children of God. And as we grow we approve what is excellent so that we can be sincere and blameless, not sinners, but sincere and blameless Christ followers. And on top of all of this, we have been filled with the fruit of righteousness through Christ so that our lives may give glory and praise to God. Sin does none of that, and sinners are incapable of any of that. But children of God embody this because of His grace and the power and resurrection that it brings.
And so I am not a sinner saved by grace. I am a child of God. I have been crucified with Christ. I have died to sin and I have been raised to new life as God's son. Because of God's grace, I am no longer a sinner but His beloved child. My life is filled with the Spirit and empowered to live above sin, displaying the fruit of righteousness. Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control are the characteristics opposite of sin (Galatians 5.16-24), and are not evident in the life of a sinner.
We are not saved to be sinners, but children. We are not filled with sinful desires because we have crucified them and been raise to a new life that is filled with the fruit of righteousness. Let's start claiming it, and let's start living like it. We are children of God.
"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Out of Philippians 3.1-14, "Religious or Relational?" Asking the question of what is the point of our faith? From Philippians 1.27-2.11, "Savior or Lord?" Focusing on who is Jesus to you, just a Savior or the Lord of your life? Then from Philippians 4.4-13, "Hand or Face?" Exploring what we seek from God, His blessings or Him?
In January of 2011 I had the chance to travel to Greece and Turkey, visiting the ruins of many of the cities where Paul visited and wrote letters to the Churches there. One of them was Philippi, and as part of the class I had to write an exegesis and sermon on part of the book. I choose a section I hadn't done much work with up to that point, and ended up with the closing message of the series out of Philippians 2.12-18, which focused on bringing it all together and showing what the life of a true follower of Christ, and a God focused Church really looks like.
The one difficulty with that sermon was I had to reference things in a sermon I hadn't written yet, and I still have not written. One of the things that has really stood out to me in chapter 1 of Philippians is the idea of being a Child of God, not simply a sinner who has been saved by grace. But along with this is the difficulty of pulling out the exact verses that capture this concept. And at the same time I haven't had the time, space, or drive to give this sermon the focus that it deserves and needs. But never the less it has been on my mind a lot.
Recently on my other blog I shared from Wild at Heart, how perhaps the biggest lie the Church has spread is that we are nothing more than sinners who have been saved by grace. I don't know how many times I've heard this line, sometimes I think it's from people trying to sound holy and humble, but each time I've heard it I'm like, "NO! You are missing the point. You are so much more than that."
If we are relational people who have surrendered to Jesus as Lord, and seek the face of God, then we are NOT sinners who have been saved by grace. We are so much more than that. We are children of God. I was a sinner, the grace of God saved me, and because of His grace, I am no longer a sinner and have become His child. I am not a sinner saved by grace, I am a child of God. And the same is true for you. You are not a sinner saved by grace, you are a child of God.
Think about what both statements really say. If your claim is that you are nothing more than a sinner saved by grace, what does that say about grace? What does it say about God? To me it says that grace is weak. That all grace can do is save. It doesn't say it can cleanse. It doesn't say it can transform. It doesn't say that God recreates or makes new. It says that in spite of grace, I'm still nothing more than a sinner.
Romans 6.5-7 says, "For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin."
The title "sinner" is an identification. By saying "I'm just a sinner saved by grace" says I have not died to sin, I have not been resurrected with Christ. By saying "I'm just a sinner saved by grace" it says I am still a slave to sin because I am just a sinner. But we are more than that. Romans says that we have been united with Christ in His death and His resurrection. It tells us that our old self, our sinful self has been crucified so that our body of sin might be done away with. We are freed from sin, and therefore, no longer sinners.
Romans 8.14-17 tells us, "For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, 'Abba! Father!' The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him."
We have received a spirit of adoption as sons. We cry out "Abba! Daddy!" We are children of God. The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit says we are not sinners saved by grace, but children of God. And so why do we feel we can call our selves anything less then what we are? Is it an attempt at holy humility? Is it a failed realization of the power of God's grace in our lives? Or is it a cop out for when we fail to live up to Christlikeness?
Philippians 1.3-11, "I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me. For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God."
He who began a good work in you will perfect it. Children grow and learn, guided by their parents. God began this work, we have been adopted as His children, and He is at work to mold us into Christlikeness. We are partakers of grace in the fact that we have been saved from sin by God, but more than that we have been reborn and given new life as children of God. And as we grow we approve what is excellent so that we can be sincere and blameless, not sinners, but sincere and blameless Christ followers. And on top of all of this, we have been filled with the fruit of righteousness through Christ so that our lives may give glory and praise to God. Sin does none of that, and sinners are incapable of any of that. But children of God embody this because of His grace and the power and resurrection that it brings.
And so I am not a sinner saved by grace. I am a child of God. I have been crucified with Christ. I have died to sin and I have been raised to new life as God's son. Because of God's grace, I am no longer a sinner but His beloved child. My life is filled with the Spirit and empowered to live above sin, displaying the fruit of righteousness. Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control are the characteristics opposite of sin (Galatians 5.16-24), and are not evident in the life of a sinner.
We are not saved to be sinners, but children. We are not filled with sinful desires because we have crucified them and been raise to a new life that is filled with the fruit of righteousness. Let's start claiming it, and let's start living like it. We are children of God.
"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
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