Proverbs 27:17 says, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
Scripture makes it clear that each of us has an important role - to serve as a sharpening agent in the lives of others. In one word - equipping. Just as iron is sharpened for a purpose, our lives are sharpened by each other for a purpose. Sharp iron is not meant to be left on the shelf but to be used for a purpose. But this can only happen once the iron is sharp and that happens through our interactions with each other.
Before we can be sharpened we must be forged. Gordon MacDonald in his book Christ Followers in the Real World talks about his visit to a blacksmith's shop. He talks about the, "dumpy old shack with an open front, bits and pieces of metal stacked or shelved everywhere." When you look at those stacks of metal you cannot help but realize the potential that lies on the shelf. There are so many things the blacksmith can produce from those chunks of metal but first they have to be brought off the shelf, heated intensely and put on the anvil and formed by the blacksmith.
What happens next? What happens when the tool made by the blacksmith becomes used and worn and no longer effectively carries out its purpose? It gets sharpened. It gets retooled and equipped to be used effectively again. We are part of that process for each other. I am sure you could name several people who have served that role in your life. And we are called to pass it on. Iron doesn't sharpen iron without contact. Iron doesn't sharpen iron without some clashes and tension. But in the end both pieces end up sharper than ever before.
Showing posts with label Spiritual Transformation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spiritual Transformation. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Saturday, April 21, 2007
"Old Man Strength"
There is some kind of superhuman strength that men get at the moment they have their first child. I don't exactly understand why but somehow dad's have something I have always thought of as "old man strength." When I was a kid, no matter how fast I got or how many weights I lifted it always seemed like my dad was still slightly faster and slightly stronger. I could have beat him in the bench press or in number of pounds lifted but he just had this practical strength that I never could quite match.
I think I have finally figured out how men acquire this strength. It is called home ownership. Owning a home really gives you a work out. There are so many things to take care of and things that have to get done. So now instead of letting those things stress me out, I see it as developing my "old man strength," so that someday when I have children of my own they will also be able to learn about and appreciate "old man strength" too.
That got me thinking about spiritual strength. There is an expectation that we will exercise our spiritual muscles and grow strong in our faith. 1 Timothy 4:8 - "For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." 1 Cor 16:13-14 - "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. "Do everything in love."
There is also an expectation that we will have a diet that matures as we grow. Peter talks about beginnning our faith like newborn babies, "Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good" 1 Peter 2:1-3. Milk is the perfect food for infants but imagine how unhealthy it would be if that is all you ate your entire life! We eventually grow into other types of food as we mature. The Hebrew writer talks about this in Hebrews 5:13-14 "Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil."
Once we have been Christians for a while there is an expectation that we will mature. Our prayers will no longer be, "now I lay me" or "guide, guard, and direct us." They will change as our relationship with God changes. We don't tell our loved ones the same thing every time we see them and the same is true with God. We will no longer only read our favorite verses. We will start reading more of what God has to say to us and begin digesting more difficult things. We will no longer see people like we used to. Something happens to our eyes as we mature and we begin to see people as Christ sees them (2 Cor 5:16). Christ didn't look down on people so how can we? When we are mature life will be different. We are either maturing or stagnating and the call is pretty clear which one God desires. So let's exercise our spiritual muscles and mature in our faith. Let's develop some "old man strength" in our faith that comes from years of practical use doing things that make a difference.
I think I have finally figured out how men acquire this strength. It is called home ownership. Owning a home really gives you a work out. There are so many things to take care of and things that have to get done. So now instead of letting those things stress me out, I see it as developing my "old man strength," so that someday when I have children of my own they will also be able to learn about and appreciate "old man strength" too.
That got me thinking about spiritual strength. There is an expectation that we will exercise our spiritual muscles and grow strong in our faith. 1 Timothy 4:8 - "For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." 1 Cor 16:13-14 - "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. "Do everything in love."
There is also an expectation that we will have a diet that matures as we grow. Peter talks about beginnning our faith like newborn babies, "Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good" 1 Peter 2:1-3. Milk is the perfect food for infants but imagine how unhealthy it would be if that is all you ate your entire life! We eventually grow into other types of food as we mature. The Hebrew writer talks about this in Hebrews 5:13-14 "Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil."
Once we have been Christians for a while there is an expectation that we will mature. Our prayers will no longer be, "now I lay me" or "guide, guard, and direct us." They will change as our relationship with God changes. We don't tell our loved ones the same thing every time we see them and the same is true with God. We will no longer only read our favorite verses. We will start reading more of what God has to say to us and begin digesting more difficult things. We will no longer see people like we used to. Something happens to our eyes as we mature and we begin to see people as Christ sees them (2 Cor 5:16). Christ didn't look down on people so how can we? When we are mature life will be different. We are either maturing or stagnating and the call is pretty clear which one God desires. So let's exercise our spiritual muscles and mature in our faith. Let's develop some "old man strength" in our faith that comes from years of practical use doing things that make a difference.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
The Potter...the pots
Jeremiah 18:1-6 - "This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD : "Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message." So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the word of the LORD came to me:"O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?" declares the LORD. "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel."
Soverignty of God:
I love this passage because it declares the soverignty of God to do with us what he will. God has plans. God has purposes. God is at working forming and shaping people. Even though we are marred, he is willing to shape us "into another pot...as seemed best to him." It all starts with God. The pots don't come about on their own. The pots don't choose what they are made of or how they will look. Only the potter can do that.
How God Shapes Us:
How does God go about shaping people and forming us into who he wants us to be? The rest of Jeremiah 18 focuses on discipline from God. 1 Peter 1:6-7 sheds more light on how God forms us through discipline, "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."
What does the potter do with the pot when it is formed? He puts it under intense heat in order to solidify it into the form that he desires. Why? So that our faith may be proved genuine and result in praise, glory, and honor. What would happen if God didn't do that? Wouldn't it be easier on us to not have to undergo any kind of trials or hardship? How would the pots turn out if they did not undergo these hardening trials? What if the pots resisted or jumped out of the refining fire? It would still carry its impurities. It would not harden. It would not be what the potter made it to be. It would not be what it was desinged to be and it would be unable to carry out its purpose as a pot. Refining is just as much a part of human existence as birth just as refining fire is just as much a part of pot making as molding the clay.
What Kind of Pots?
What kind of vessel does God want us to be? What "seems best"? In 2 Corinthians 4 Paul says we are earthen vessels. Now isn't that humbling! We are frail. We are weak. We often have cracks and holes and imperfections. Paul says, "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." We may be weak but by the grace of God we are going to make it. It reminds us that this is not of our own power but by His.
What Kind of Treasure?
We may be weak containers but our contents are priceless. Paul calls it a treasure. What kind of treasure? Paul says that this treasure is "the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ (2 Cor 4:4)." What is the result of that treasure? The ultimate transformation of these earthen vessels into imperishable ones, "because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence (2 Cor 4:14)."
We may be weak little pots but that is not all that we ever will be. We have the potter on our side and he knows how to form us. He knows how to shape us as seems best to him. He is the one who puts his treasure in us. Doesn't it look a little silly to put treasure in earthen vessels? We would much rather be gold vessels or silver vessels but we are earthen vessels. That is because we don't have any value apart from God and the treasure he has placed inside of us. If we remove the treasure, the value is gone because the pot itself is useless without the treasure.
Let us submit to the potter but not just to his molding and shaping. If that is all we do we still won't really be pots. Let us submit to the full process of becoming the pot he wants us to be and that involves trials of all kinds. Let us realize that we are full of treasure that has been placed there by God and because of that we have value. Let us remember there is more to the story, that the treasure inside us is only the beginning...
Soverignty of God:
I love this passage because it declares the soverignty of God to do with us what he will. God has plans. God has purposes. God is at working forming and shaping people. Even though we are marred, he is willing to shape us "into another pot...as seemed best to him." It all starts with God. The pots don't come about on their own. The pots don't choose what they are made of or how they will look. Only the potter can do that.
How God Shapes Us:
How does God go about shaping people and forming us into who he wants us to be? The rest of Jeremiah 18 focuses on discipline from God. 1 Peter 1:6-7 sheds more light on how God forms us through discipline, "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."
What does the potter do with the pot when it is formed? He puts it under intense heat in order to solidify it into the form that he desires. Why? So that our faith may be proved genuine and result in praise, glory, and honor. What would happen if God didn't do that? Wouldn't it be easier on us to not have to undergo any kind of trials or hardship? How would the pots turn out if they did not undergo these hardening trials? What if the pots resisted or jumped out of the refining fire? It would still carry its impurities. It would not harden. It would not be what the potter made it to be. It would not be what it was desinged to be and it would be unable to carry out its purpose as a pot. Refining is just as much a part of human existence as birth just as refining fire is just as much a part of pot making as molding the clay.
What Kind of Pots?
What kind of vessel does God want us to be? What "seems best"? In 2 Corinthians 4 Paul says we are earthen vessels. Now isn't that humbling! We are frail. We are weak. We often have cracks and holes and imperfections. Paul says, "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." We may be weak but by the grace of God we are going to make it. It reminds us that this is not of our own power but by His.
What Kind of Treasure?
We may be weak containers but our contents are priceless. Paul calls it a treasure. What kind of treasure? Paul says that this treasure is "the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ (2 Cor 4:4)." What is the result of that treasure? The ultimate transformation of these earthen vessels into imperishable ones, "because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence (2 Cor 4:14)."
We may be weak little pots but that is not all that we ever will be. We have the potter on our side and he knows how to form us. He knows how to shape us as seems best to him. He is the one who puts his treasure in us. Doesn't it look a little silly to put treasure in earthen vessels? We would much rather be gold vessels or silver vessels but we are earthen vessels. That is because we don't have any value apart from God and the treasure he has placed inside of us. If we remove the treasure, the value is gone because the pot itself is useless without the treasure.
Let us submit to the potter but not just to his molding and shaping. If that is all we do we still won't really be pots. Let us submit to the full process of becoming the pot he wants us to be and that involves trials of all kinds. Let us realize that we are full of treasure that has been placed there by God and because of that we have value. Let us remember there is more to the story, that the treasure inside us is only the beginning...
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Standing Among Giants
I decided to play on the church softball team this season. We are the Northwest Mules and we have a really talented team. I won't mention our record because as soon as I do things will go in the tank. I am not a very skilled softball player. If it tells you anything, I have filled in for right field and alternate with the catcher. The other 75% of the time I am on the bench. I often get the feeling that I am standing among giants. Not because I am 5'6" but because our team is really good and makes some amazing plays on a regular basis. They really don't have a whole lot of use for me except that they get to feel better about their skills as they teach me some of the fundamentals that I should have known a long time ago.
Another time I felt like I was standing among giants was on a trip to Honduras. I have made a couple of trips to Honduras. The first few were to Trujillo and the last one was to the Baxter Institute in Tegulcigapa. The trips to Trujillo were with the Harding football and track teams. Believe it or not I used to run track at Harding. In Honduras, 5'6" is actually pretty tall but that is not why I felt like I was standing on the shoulders of giants. It was because as we walked through some places that may not have been the safest places on earth I felt really safe because the people who were with me were bigger and stronger than any opposition we could have faced. It was the feeling of being Little Spike in the Tom and Jerry cartoons. Little Spike is not tough in an of himself. He only gets to win because Big Spike is standing right behind him. He just doesn't know it.
In 2 Kings 16:6, Israel was at war with Aram. The king of Aram surrounded Elisha and his servant with a powerful army. "When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. "Oh, my lord, what shall we do?" the servant asked. "Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha." (1 Kings 6:15-17). They were standing on the shoulders of giants. They weren't able but God was.
Through Jesus we are standing on the shoulders of giants. He has disarmed and defeated all the principalities and powers of this world. He has conquered death. He has set us free. Ephesians 2:6 says "And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus." Because of Christ we are seated in heavenly realms. Notice that this is not some future event or some "not yet." In Paul's language this is an "already." We view life from a higher persepctive because we are seated with Christ in heavenly realms. We are standing on the shoulders of giants. It is critical to realize that we haven't done this on our own.
That is temptation. The temptation is to think that we are standing that tall on our own. Like Elisha's servants, we often get our vision clouded and fail to see God at work in our victories. We get filled with pride and begin to think that we can do this on our own. We win battles that we never could have won on our own and instead of giving God glory, we try to claim it for ourserlves. We are defeated because we don't turn to God for help and fail to realize whose shoulders we are resting on. When you see life from the shoulders of giants, it is really easy to lose sight of how got you there. It is really easy to think that the power is all yours. In Revelation the church in Ephesus was told, "consider how far you have fallen!" Jesus said, "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 18:14). You get to be on the shoulders of giants because God put you there and not because you deserve it.
Remember who you are and whose you are. Remember that it is not by your own power and might that your life is the way it is. Remember that you are standing on the shoulders of One who is more powerful than yourself. He is the one who is doing it and not us. What have you accomplished without God's help? What can you claim to be your own without His assistance? It is all because of Him. Those who are with us are greater than those who are with any opposition we can ever face. So stand tall, you are standing on the shoulder's of giants.
Another time I felt like I was standing among giants was on a trip to Honduras. I have made a couple of trips to Honduras. The first few were to Trujillo and the last one was to the Baxter Institute in Tegulcigapa. The trips to Trujillo were with the Harding football and track teams. Believe it or not I used to run track at Harding. In Honduras, 5'6" is actually pretty tall but that is not why I felt like I was standing on the shoulders of giants. It was because as we walked through some places that may not have been the safest places on earth I felt really safe because the people who were with me were bigger and stronger than any opposition we could have faced. It was the feeling of being Little Spike in the Tom and Jerry cartoons. Little Spike is not tough in an of himself. He only gets to win because Big Spike is standing right behind him. He just doesn't know it.
In 2 Kings 16:6, Israel was at war with Aram. The king of Aram surrounded Elisha and his servant with a powerful army. "When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. "Oh, my lord, what shall we do?" the servant asked. "Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha." (1 Kings 6:15-17). They were standing on the shoulders of giants. They weren't able but God was.
Through Jesus we are standing on the shoulders of giants. He has disarmed and defeated all the principalities and powers of this world. He has conquered death. He has set us free. Ephesians 2:6 says "And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus." Because of Christ we are seated in heavenly realms. Notice that this is not some future event or some "not yet." In Paul's language this is an "already." We view life from a higher persepctive because we are seated with Christ in heavenly realms. We are standing on the shoulders of giants. It is critical to realize that we haven't done this on our own.
That is temptation. The temptation is to think that we are standing that tall on our own. Like Elisha's servants, we often get our vision clouded and fail to see God at work in our victories. We get filled with pride and begin to think that we can do this on our own. We win battles that we never could have won on our own and instead of giving God glory, we try to claim it for ourserlves. We are defeated because we don't turn to God for help and fail to realize whose shoulders we are resting on. When you see life from the shoulders of giants, it is really easy to lose sight of how got you there. It is really easy to think that the power is all yours. In Revelation the church in Ephesus was told, "consider how far you have fallen!" Jesus said, "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 18:14). You get to be on the shoulders of giants because God put you there and not because you deserve it.
Remember who you are and whose you are. Remember that it is not by your own power and might that your life is the way it is. Remember that you are standing on the shoulders of One who is more powerful than yourself. He is the one who is doing it and not us. What have you accomplished without God's help? What can you claim to be your own without His assistance? It is all because of Him. Those who are with us are greater than those who are with any opposition we can ever face. So stand tall, you are standing on the shoulder's of giants.
Friday, April 06, 2007
Living Between Good Friday and Easter Sunday
We recognize "Good Friday" and Easter but what about the day in between? Do you ever wonder what life was like for the disciples the day after the crucifixion? During Jesus' earthly ministry they never quite understood his prophesies concerning his death and resurrection. Even when he rose from the dead they were a little slow to understand. I wonder if they were hopeless that day. It would seem their hope in Jesus had been dashed to pieces by his crucifixion by the Romans and now they are potential targets as well.
Do you think many people today live in the day between Good Friday and Easter? I mean, do you think that many people live in light of shame and agony of death without any hope or recognition of the Good News brought that Easter morning? It is a lot like the Japenese soldier they found on an island in the pacific decades after the end of WWII who thought they were still at war. He had never heard how the story ended. The hope that we have springs from the resurrection of Christ. Without that our lives are meaningless. Unfortunately, many live in the day between with no hope beyond the grave and no understanding of the rest of the story for their lives.
Let us be people who share with others the rest of the story about the hope that is found in Jesus Christ and how God calls them to their own empty tomb as death will no longer have a hold on them. Let us get people past Friday and Saturday and show them the glory of Sunday and abundant life. We often take hope for granted but many people live every day with no hope. They are living on the day between Good Friday and Easter, never having heard that there is more to the story of life than death and degradation. There is a story that will change their lives forever. Let's share our hope with others by telling the Easter story over and over again. Have a great Easter!
Do you think many people today live in the day between Good Friday and Easter? I mean, do you think that many people live in light of shame and agony of death without any hope or recognition of the Good News brought that Easter morning? It is a lot like the Japenese soldier they found on an island in the pacific decades after the end of WWII who thought they were still at war. He had never heard how the story ended. The hope that we have springs from the resurrection of Christ. Without that our lives are meaningless. Unfortunately, many live in the day between with no hope beyond the grave and no understanding of the rest of the story for their lives.
Let us be people who share with others the rest of the story about the hope that is found in Jesus Christ and how God calls them to their own empty tomb as death will no longer have a hold on them. Let us get people past Friday and Saturday and show them the glory of Sunday and abundant life. We often take hope for granted but many people live every day with no hope. They are living on the day between Good Friday and Easter, never having heard that there is more to the story of life than death and degradation. There is a story that will change their lives forever. Let's share our hope with others by telling the Easter story over and over again. Have a great Easter!
Thursday, April 05, 2007
The Perfect Answer - Two Seconds Late
Have you ever thought of the perfect answer for someone just a moment too late? I answered the phone today and someone wanted to know if we needed information on health benefits for the church staff. We had a good conversation and right when I hung up I realized what I should have asked him.
"Does your employer offer you any spiritual benefits? I mean, you specialize in health benefits and we specialize in spiritual benefits. Is there anything we could assist you with today?"
I wonder how that conversation would have gone.
"Does your employer offer you any spiritual benefits? I mean, you specialize in health benefits and we specialize in spiritual benefits. Is there anything we could assist you with today?"
I wonder how that conversation would have gone.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
What Are You Doing That Will Last Forever?
There was a point in my life that I realized that the 80 hours/week I was putting in to chasing my dream was really all about me. I realized that when I died there would be nothing to show for it. No matter how many books I wrote or articles I published or people who knew who I was it really wouldn't matter 100 years from now and despite my best efforts the fruit of all my labor and toil would end up not making a lasting difference. I had to ask myself, "What am I doing here that will last forever?" It opened my eyes to how much I had rationalized the wrong priorities and how self-centered my life had been.
I tell our college students that one of the main goals for their lives should be to live such a life that heaven will never be the same again. Once you reach a lost person and bring them to Jesus heaven will never look the same because they will be there. They can plant and water and watch God make it grow. This means that our lives will fly in the face of conventional wisdom. This means that we will resist the temptation to believe that this life is really all about us. This means that we can live life as it was meant to be, being a part of God's kingdom and being his instruments here on earth to reach a lost and dying world.
How can we better teach our children spiritual priorities? We must live it out ourselves. How can we align our priorities with the priorities of God? Be familiar with the Bible and be willing to live out what you find there. What will you do this week that will last forever?
I tell our college students that one of the main goals for their lives should be to live such a life that heaven will never be the same again. Once you reach a lost person and bring them to Jesus heaven will never look the same because they will be there. They can plant and water and watch God make it grow. This means that our lives will fly in the face of conventional wisdom. This means that we will resist the temptation to believe that this life is really all about us. This means that we can live life as it was meant to be, being a part of God's kingdom and being his instruments here on earth to reach a lost and dying world.
How can we better teach our children spiritual priorities? We must live it out ourselves. How can we align our priorities with the priorities of God? Be familiar with the Bible and be willing to live out what you find there. What will you do this week that will last forever?
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Invisible People
Just over a year ago Missy and I started attending a new church while finishing up graduate school. While within just a few weeks we fell in love with this congregation, the first Sunday there was very strange for us. Any church we had ever been to was a place we had connections and relationships with. The first Sunday here we walked through the hallways jammed full of 1000+ people an no one said a word to us. We walked into the auditorium and weren't welcomed by anyone. After the closing prayer we weren't greeted and didn't have a single conversation before leaving.
It was a very odd experience. But in many ways it was one of the most important church experiences I have ever had. It reminded me how many people first feel when they are at a new church. It put me in the shoes of many that I had thought I could relate with but realized that my everyday church experiences and theirs are totally different. How many invisible people do we have in our churches? How many come once or twice and never return?
When you look at the ministry of Jesus he spent lots of his time with the invisibles. The Gospel of Luke is a prime place to experience the side of Jesus that was a sucker for the underdog and was most fulfilled with people we would be least fulfilled with. There is such a BIG challenge for us to make church a place that is comfortable for everyone and not just assume that just because we are comfortable they are comfortable. Jesus did many miracles in his day but one of the greatest was the opposite of making people disappear. He took the invisible people of his day and made them highly visible and showed them how much God really loves them! Let's go and do likewise!
It was a very odd experience. But in many ways it was one of the most important church experiences I have ever had. It reminded me how many people first feel when they are at a new church. It put me in the shoes of many that I had thought I could relate with but realized that my everyday church experiences and theirs are totally different. How many invisible people do we have in our churches? How many come once or twice and never return?
When you look at the ministry of Jesus he spent lots of his time with the invisibles. The Gospel of Luke is a prime place to experience the side of Jesus that was a sucker for the underdog and was most fulfilled with people we would be least fulfilled with. There is such a BIG challenge for us to make church a place that is comfortable for everyone and not just assume that just because we are comfortable they are comfortable. Jesus did many miracles in his day but one of the greatest was the opposite of making people disappear. He took the invisible people of his day and made them highly visible and showed them how much God really loves them! Let's go and do likewise!
Monday, March 12, 2007
Practicing Confession
There is a pretty clear mandate in scripture that we are to be a confessing people. In the Old Testament, God links confession and repentance with his covenant loyalty toward his people (Lev 26:40). In many other passages the people's confession is a prerequisite to having an intimate connection with God. The New Testament is no different.
James 5:3-16 - "Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."
We have known all along that singing is important and we have outlets for that. We have known that prayer is important and we have outlets for people to do that. We have known that confession is important but I do wonder if we are lacking effective ways for people to carry that out?
1 John 1:8-10- "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives."
We live such private lives. We don't know our neighbors. It is very difficult for people to open up on a deeper level. How do we move from, "Hi, how are you?" "Fine." to confessing our sins and becoming vulnerable to each other? We all sin and need outlets for confession yet the invitation is only used for that a few times during the year rather than hundreds. I think we could use a more effective outlet for confession. LIFE groups/small groups are a pretty good outlet for confession if people will take advantage of it. It is less intimidating and you are not confessing before 500 people. It can be done in confidentiality with the group if people finally get comfortable with each other and learn that we have to be vulnerable with God and others if we want to grow closer to both.
What has worked for you? Where do you feel safe confessing? How could we do better in helping people with an area that is essential for their spiritual growth? One thing I would suggest - being ready to accept people once we learn their struggles. If they confess and hear snickers or gasps, it is likely that will be the last time they will try that. And we must remember that at times we will be the one confessing and we don't want people doing that to us. Confessing needs to be safe and safe comes from a supporting environment.
Here is a link to our small group lesson on confessing in prayer.
James 5:3-16 - "Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."
We have known all along that singing is important and we have outlets for that. We have known that prayer is important and we have outlets for people to do that. We have known that confession is important but I do wonder if we are lacking effective ways for people to carry that out?
1 John 1:8-10- "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives."
We live such private lives. We don't know our neighbors. It is very difficult for people to open up on a deeper level. How do we move from, "Hi, how are you?" "Fine." to confessing our sins and becoming vulnerable to each other? We all sin and need outlets for confession yet the invitation is only used for that a few times during the year rather than hundreds. I think we could use a more effective outlet for confession. LIFE groups/small groups are a pretty good outlet for confession if people will take advantage of it. It is less intimidating and you are not confessing before 500 people. It can be done in confidentiality with the group if people finally get comfortable with each other and learn that we have to be vulnerable with God and others if we want to grow closer to both.
What has worked for you? Where do you feel safe confessing? How could we do better in helping people with an area that is essential for their spiritual growth? One thing I would suggest - being ready to accept people once we learn their struggles. If they confess and hear snickers or gasps, it is likely that will be the last time they will try that. And we must remember that at times we will be the one confessing and we don't want people doing that to us. Confessing needs to be safe and safe comes from a supporting environment.
Here is a link to our small group lesson on confessing in prayer.
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Transformational Ministry of Christ #6
Christ intends for his ministry to transform people. Not just people thousands of years ago but also people today. I hesitate to post something like this because it is autobiographical in nature. I just post this because through these two stories I have seen God's transformation at work. Two days in a row people have asked if Missy and I are Christians. The first one happened yesterday. I was walking through the breezeway at our apartment. A man we have seen in our complex a dozen times walked right up to me and asked if I went to the church nearby. He said he could just tell by the look in our eyes that we are Christians. He proceeded to tell me about the sin in his life and that he had just finished praying that God would lead him to do the right thing. His wife is in prison and he has been living with a lady in our apartment complex for the last year or two. He didn't hold anything back and said he planned on separating from his girlfriend to do what was right. He said he would be at church next week.
The second one happened today as we were viewing a house we are thinking about buying. The contractor and several of the workers were in the house. One of the painters came up to Missy and I and asked if we were Christians. He said he could just tell. He said he could see it in our faces. He said he was also a Christian and we had a great talk. I think our realtor, who had not been present at that moment, thought we were a little strange for shaking this painter's hand and telling him bye as he left the house for his break.
Letting your light shine. God calls us to it. Sometimes we don't remember that people can actually taste the salt and see the light and smell the armoa of Christ in our lives. Can people see we are different? Do we engage in conversation with people we don't know or do we just walk right by them? Is our salt still salty? Has there really been a change? Can others tell we are really happy people? I don't say this for any self-glorification. I don't say this because I am anyone special. I just say this as an encouragement to others because God really does work the way he says he will work - by transforming our lives and making us salt and light. And before you know it, people are drawn to Christ. Praise God.
The second one happened today as we were viewing a house we are thinking about buying. The contractor and several of the workers were in the house. One of the painters came up to Missy and I and asked if we were Christians. He said he could just tell. He said he could see it in our faces. He said he was also a Christian and we had a great talk. I think our realtor, who had not been present at that moment, thought we were a little strange for shaking this painter's hand and telling him bye as he left the house for his break.
Letting your light shine. God calls us to it. Sometimes we don't remember that people can actually taste the salt and see the light and smell the armoa of Christ in our lives. Can people see we are different? Do we engage in conversation with people we don't know or do we just walk right by them? Is our salt still salty? Has there really been a change? Can others tell we are really happy people? I don't say this for any self-glorification. I don't say this because I am anyone special. I just say this as an encouragement to others because God really does work the way he says he will work - by transforming our lives and making us salt and light. And before you know it, people are drawn to Christ. Praise God.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Transformational Ministry of Christ #5
Most of the posts on Jesus' ministry have been in regard to things Jesus did. This time I want to take a look at something Jesus did not do:
In Matthew 4, we read about the temptation of Jesus. The first three verses show the devil's first attempt to discredit Jesus' ministry, which had just been inaugerated in the previous verses (3:13-17). In 3:17 God declares that Jesus is in fact his Son. In Matthew 4 Satan reverses this terminology in order to tempt Jesus. We often read the first temptation and immediately notice the devil's use of Jesus' hunger to tempt him to turn the stones into bread. In reality there is far more in these verses than meets the eye.
There is a second element in the temptation that is quite a bit more subtle but may be just as much a temptation as his hunger. The devil qualifies his plea for Jesus to transform these stones with an appeal and test of Jesus' divinity. In effect he says, if you are who you say you are then you will make these stones into bread and asuage your hunger. If you are not able to turn stones into bread then you certainly must not be God's Son. There it is. This temptation has as much or more to do with Jesus' own pride in displaying and defending his own right to Godhood as it does with hunger. Satan's trap is to have Jesus rationalize that by making the stone bread, he is actually defending God and himself when in effect he may actually be considering his goodhood "something to be grasped" or tightly held on to.
By avoiding the temptation to feel the need to display and prove his own divinity, Jesus reminds us that he was not a self-promoter. A self-promoter always wants to prove they are the best at what they do. Satan thrives on the self-promotion trap. When you see yourself first it makes it very difficult to have a clear view of God. Jesus, being the best, did not see a need to prove it. We can learn a lot from what Christ chose not to do.
In Matthew 4, we read about the temptation of Jesus. The first three verses show the devil's first attempt to discredit Jesus' ministry, which had just been inaugerated in the previous verses (3:13-17). In 3:17 God declares that Jesus is in fact his Son. In Matthew 4 Satan reverses this terminology in order to tempt Jesus. We often read the first temptation and immediately notice the devil's use of Jesus' hunger to tempt him to turn the stones into bread. In reality there is far more in these verses than meets the eye.
There is a second element in the temptation that is quite a bit more subtle but may be just as much a temptation as his hunger. The devil qualifies his plea for Jesus to transform these stones with an appeal and test of Jesus' divinity. In effect he says, if you are who you say you are then you will make these stones into bread and asuage your hunger. If you are not able to turn stones into bread then you certainly must not be God's Son. There it is. This temptation has as much or more to do with Jesus' own pride in displaying and defending his own right to Godhood as it does with hunger. Satan's trap is to have Jesus rationalize that by making the stone bread, he is actually defending God and himself when in effect he may actually be considering his goodhood "something to be grasped" or tightly held on to.
By avoiding the temptation to feel the need to display and prove his own divinity, Jesus reminds us that he was not a self-promoter. A self-promoter always wants to prove they are the best at what they do. Satan thrives on the self-promotion trap. When you see yourself first it makes it very difficult to have a clear view of God. Jesus, being the best, did not see a need to prove it. We can learn a lot from what Christ chose not to do.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Transformational Ministry of Christ #4
Mark 1:21-28
Jesus is teaching in the synagogue. All ears are attentive to the authority of his teaching. People sit in slack-jawed wonder at this man who told them about God and the law in ways they had never heard before. In mid-sentence, a man stands up and begins shouting. His words are incomprehensible. His movements are rigid. Then out of the garbled speech comes an unfamiliar voice. It is not his at all, "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are...you are the Holy One of God!" Outside of God himself (1:11), this is the first confession of who Jesus was in the book of Mark. Jesus turns to the man and says "Be quiet! You leave that man alone this instant!" The man's body convulses and everyone hears an eerie shrieking as the man falls to the ground, unharmed.
Five years ago when I was working on a doctorate at the
Here in Mark 1, this man under no control of his own, begins to shriek and convulse and speak. I am sure all in the room wanted him gone. If they had their way he would have been escorted out. Maybe there were already men approaching him to take him outside when Jesus addressed the demon, "Be quiet!" Instead of removing the man from the synagogue, the demon was removed from the man. You have to love the power and wisdom of Jesus. His ministry addressed the root problems of mankind. He wasn't a symptom solver. He was a problem solver. A symptom solver sends the man from the synagogue. A problem solver heals the man.
The same holds true in the next chapter when a paralyzed man is let down through the roof. Jesus could have cured the symptom and healed the man's legs. But Jesus saw right through to the core problem of his life and forgave his sin.
Isn't it great to know the God we serve is willing and able to reach down, touch our lives, and provide answers to our biggest problem, sin? Isn't it great to know that he knows just how to deal with each of us in our own special way and he does it all with so much love and patience.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
The Transformational Ministry of Christ #3
What would your life look like if you were God?
Would you experience pain? Would you let people doublecross you?
What about death...would you have any of it
or experience it personally?
How would you treat people who disrespect you?
If someone cast lots for your garment, would you let them keep it?
Or how about those who hurl insults at you...would you let them live?
Approached by a man with a hammer in one hand and nails in the
other; would you let him pin you to a cross and shamefully display you?
What would you do with your power?
How would you chose to use it?
Who would be punished by it?
Who would benefit from it?
Would there be justice?
What about grace?
Would you hold on tightly to your divinity?
Would you use it to your advantage?
Would you want to have and be everything?
How about service, would you do it or would you
only want to be served?
Would you be obedient to anyone?
Would you be humble in your high position?
Would you be willing to take on a low position for the
sake of someone else?
Paul's words about Jesus challenge our lives:
"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God
something to be grasped, but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. "
Phil 2:5-11
If I am honest with myself in thinking over these questions I cannot help but realize that I need to extend more grace to others in my own life. The life of Christ challenges me to not be held down by the upside down and self-centered mindset of a world that has pushed God out and seeks to fill that void with an all-out marathon chasing their own form of divinity, never quite able to reach it. A look at the life of Jesus is certainly a humbling experience.
Would you experience pain? Would you let people doublecross you?
What about death...would you have any of it
or experience it personally?
How would you treat people who disrespect you?
If someone cast lots for your garment, would you let them keep it?
Or how about those who hurl insults at you...would you let them live?
Approached by a man with a hammer in one hand and nails in the
other; would you let him pin you to a cross and shamefully display you?
What would you do with your power?
How would you chose to use it?
Who would be punished by it?
Who would benefit from it?
Would there be justice?
What about grace?
Would you hold on tightly to your divinity?
Would you use it to your advantage?
Would you want to have and be everything?
How about service, would you do it or would you
only want to be served?
Would you be obedient to anyone?
Would you be humble in your high position?
Would you be willing to take on a low position for the
sake of someone else?
Paul's words about Jesus challenge our lives:
"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God
something to be grasped, but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. "
Phil 2:5-11
If I am honest with myself in thinking over these questions I cannot help but realize that I need to extend more grace to others in my own life. The life of Christ challenges me to not be held down by the upside down and self-centered mindset of a world that has pushed God out and seeks to fill that void with an all-out marathon chasing their own form of divinity, never quite able to reach it. A look at the life of Jesus is certainly a humbling experience.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
The Transformational Ministry of Christ #2
I believe it was in Jim McGuiggan's book The God of The Towel that I came across the following point. Under the old covenant, there were things that made people unclean: touching a corpse, touching a woman on her period, contacting people with skin diseases, and various sins but Christ reversed that process. David P. Wrights' article on "Unclean and Clean" in the Anchor Bible Dictionary defines "unclean" as "that which is a threat to or opposes holiness, and hence must be kept separate from that sphere." He notes there were two classes of uncleanness: those that were natural and necessary (touching a corpse, non-sinning sexual, and diseases) which were permitted and those which were not permitted that dealt more with sin, including sexual transgression.
As people encounter Jesus Christ in the gospels, it is interesting to see him cross the clean/unclean barrier. Jesus is not transformed from clean to unclean by these encounters, as was customary. On the contrary, he is the one who transforms them. He restores the woman who had bled for 12 years (Luke 8:43), he removes the lepers spots (Matthew 8:1-4), and even raised the dead (John 11). In Mark 7:17-23 Jesus reverses the clean/unclean process and centers it on what God intended in the first place (See also Acts 10).
What is more amazing is his power and willingness to forgive sins (Mark 2:9-11). We marvel over lame people walking and blind seeing. We gasp as lepers' skin becomes whole and the dead are raised to life. But sometimes we forget just how transforming it really is when Jesus forgives sins. He restores us back into the community, back into the presence of the holy. He makes us who he intended us to be. That is transformation. If we were holy, if we had the power to forgive sins, we would probably withhold it from certain people. Not Jesus. Even to those who crucify him, he offers words of forgiveness, "Father forgive them..."
There are many lessons we can take away from Jesus' power and willingness to forgive. I will just mention two. The first is that he has done the same for us as Christians as we read about in the gospels. The second is that it doesn't stop there, we have an obligation to pass on that same attitude to others who have treated us unkindly. We forgive them and make our relationships with others whole again. "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."- Eph 4:32
As people encounter Jesus Christ in the gospels, it is interesting to see him cross the clean/unclean barrier. Jesus is not transformed from clean to unclean by these encounters, as was customary. On the contrary, he is the one who transforms them. He restores the woman who had bled for 12 years (Luke 8:43), he removes the lepers spots (Matthew 8:1-4), and even raised the dead (John 11). In Mark 7:17-23 Jesus reverses the clean/unclean process and centers it on what God intended in the first place (See also Acts 10).
What is more amazing is his power and willingness to forgive sins (Mark 2:9-11). We marvel over lame people walking and blind seeing. We gasp as lepers' skin becomes whole and the dead are raised to life. But sometimes we forget just how transforming it really is when Jesus forgives sins. He restores us back into the community, back into the presence of the holy. He makes us who he intended us to be. That is transformation. If we were holy, if we had the power to forgive sins, we would probably withhold it from certain people. Not Jesus. Even to those who crucify him, he offers words of forgiveness, "Father forgive them..."
There are many lessons we can take away from Jesus' power and willingness to forgive. I will just mention two. The first is that he has done the same for us as Christians as we read about in the gospels. The second is that it doesn't stop there, we have an obligation to pass on that same attitude to others who have treated us unkindly. We forgive them and make our relationships with others whole again. "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."- Eph 4:32
Thursday, July 13, 2006
The Transformational Ministry of Christ #1
I was looking at Jesus' synagogue reading from Isaiah 61:1-2 that is found in Luke 4:18-19 and something hit me that I had not really considered before. Maybe I had not considered it because it was just too obvious, I am not sure but it hit me right between the eyes. In this passage that sums up how Jesus understood his earthly mission ("Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing") Jesus doesn't even flinch or balk as he reads these words from Isaiah. He is matter of fact. He is confident that this will be. There is not a hint or a shadow of a doubt that he is able to do these things because he is, after all, God in the flesh. It is not that I ever doubted his miracles happened. It is not that I thought maybe Jesus didn't have much power. It is just the opposite. It is refreshing and faith building to hear the confidence in which he talks about his upcoming miracles. It is refeshing to hear him say they will happen and then read about them happening. If we had a list of things to do, they would normally be feasible for us to accomplish. If someone handed us a to do list and it read as follows:
Thursday July 13, 2006
Proclaim good news to the poor
Proclaim freedom for prisoners
Give sight to the blind
Set the (spiritually) oppressed free
Proclaim the year of the Lord's favor
While we might find ourselves able to proclaim what needs proclaiming, what Jesus did was more. He provided the impetus for the good news. He provided the means for the freedom and release for the prisoners and oppressed. These actions require so much power, so much skill, so much perfection that our jaws would drop to the floor because we would be hopelessly incapable. Not Jesus. For Jesus, his power is so sufficient that it is ordinary and a no-brainer in his thinking that these things will be. He can give sight to the blind just as easily as we can take out the trash or write our name on a piece of paper. And what is more, he is not invested in restoring physical things. He is able to restore our spiritual nature as well. Just one more thing that reminds us of his power and perfection. Just one more reminder that the God we serve is faithful and able to restore us to the glory he made us to possess and not because of our great acts (or should I say our rather puny acts) but because it is his desire for us.
What makes it even more astonishing is that these acts of generosity are not doled out to "the elite." They are given to the poor, prisoners, blind, and oppressed. Once again, Jesus turns our upside down way of thinking right side up and gives our perspective a shaking that we often need in order to remember his priorities and his mission for the world.
Thursday July 13, 2006
Proclaim good news to the poor
Proclaim freedom for prisoners
Give sight to the blind
Set the (spiritually) oppressed free
Proclaim the year of the Lord's favor
While we might find ourselves able to proclaim what needs proclaiming, what Jesus did was more. He provided the impetus for the good news. He provided the means for the freedom and release for the prisoners and oppressed. These actions require so much power, so much skill, so much perfection that our jaws would drop to the floor because we would be hopelessly incapable. Not Jesus. For Jesus, his power is so sufficient that it is ordinary and a no-brainer in his thinking that these things will be. He can give sight to the blind just as easily as we can take out the trash or write our name on a piece of paper. And what is more, he is not invested in restoring physical things. He is able to restore our spiritual nature as well. Just one more thing that reminds us of his power and perfection. Just one more reminder that the God we serve is faithful and able to restore us to the glory he made us to possess and not because of our great acts (or should I say our rather puny acts) but because it is his desire for us.
What makes it even more astonishing is that these acts of generosity are not doled out to "the elite." They are given to the poor, prisoners, blind, and oppressed. Once again, Jesus turns our upside down way of thinking right side up and gives our perspective a shaking that we often need in order to remember his priorities and his mission for the world.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Spiritual Transformation Bibliography
Here are a few books on Spiritual Transformation that I have found to be helpful. I would also like to thank Houston Heflin for some previous additions to this list. If you have any to add to the list I would love to hear what you would add to this list.
The Making of a Leader
by J. Robert Clinton
The Journey of Desire: Searching for the Life We’ve Only Dreamed of
by John Eldredge
Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth
by Richard J. Foster
Living God's love: An invitation to Christian spirituality
by Gary Holloway and Earl Lavender
Practicing His Presence
by Brother Lawrence and Frank Laubach
It’s Not About Me
by Max Lucado
Christ Followers in the Real World
by Gordon MacDonald
Restoring Joy: Three Bestselling Works Complete in One Volume
by Gordon MacDonald
A Work of Heart: Understanding How God Shapes Spiritual Leaders
by Reggie McNeal
The life you've always wanted: spiritual disciplines for ordinary people
by John Ortberg
True Spirituality
by Francis Schaeffer
Soul feast: An introduction to the Christian spiritual life
by Marjorie J. Thompson
by Terry Wardle
by
by
When Men Think Private Thoughts: Exploring the Issues that Captivate the Minds of Men
by Gordon MacDonald
Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man’s Soul
by John Eldredge
Women:
Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul
by John and Stasi Eldredge
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Spiritual Transformation
I have just begun a class for Young Marrieds at church on Spiritual Formation. We have a focus statement that is a bit broad but hopefully fits a pretty good cross-section of what spiritual formation entails. "We are spiritual beings on a spiritual journey with a spiritual purpose and a spiritual destination." This is a 13 week series over who we are (spiritual beings), how we progress spiritually (spiritual journey), what God intends for us (spiritual purpose), and are reaching toward a spiritual goal (spiritual destination).
I am sure it will be hard to cover this in 13 weeks but we always need to remember that as ministers we are not always here to fill others up. We are here to whet their appetite and make them hungry. If you can help someone stay hungry, they will eat a feast on their own that you could not force feed them in a thousand lifetimes.
I am sure it will be hard to cover this in 13 weeks but we always need to remember that as ministers we are not always here to fill others up. We are here to whet their appetite and make them hungry. If you can help someone stay hungry, they will eat a feast on their own that you could not force feed them in a thousand lifetimes.
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