This is just a place to publish the things that I think about sometimes. Right or wrong these are the things that pass through my mind and all my friends can share in my musings. Feel free to respond, rebuke, or redirect the things that I share and may we together be "iron sharpening iron"!! Thanks for sharing space in my mind.
The passion of the Pentecostals and Charismatics.... It reminds me of the fact that God isn't just after my brain but my soul. Jesus said true worshipers worship in truth but also in spirit. (Jn4 )
The compassion of the Catholics... I am totally inspired by the selfless live of those such as Mother Theresa, Saint Francis, and others. They remind me that having a heat like God's wil give me a love for the hurting.
The conviction of the reformed... I love the fervent passion that these guys have for the truth. The doctrine from the reformed church is very thought out. They inspire me to know why I believe what I believe and that the truth of God's word is beyond our ability to exhaust.
The community of the house church Amish-ish type movements... I love to see the deep sense of love and community that these folks have for one another. There is a total dedication to help one another out and hold each other accountable as they travel life together.
The cultural sensitivity of the post-modern movement.... While most of these churches tend towards liberalism. I am totally in agreement that Jesus didn't come to change each culture (including our own) into some cookie cutter version of the church. I love the thought that churches should be a reflection of the culture that you live in (i.e. music style, decoration, building structure, and the way you dress) while not compromising the truth of God's word. It reminds me that I am a missionary and not a mercenary.
The purpose of the evangelical movement... God chooses and uses all those who will say "here am I, Lord, send me!" It reminds me that my life automatically serves a purpose and that purpose is to reach the unreconciled. 2 Cor 5
The christocentricity of the Calvary movement... They inspire me through the verse-by-verse study of God's word that Christ is the message of the bible from cover to cover. I am challenged to remember that if I can preach the message I have in a Buddhist temple or a synagogue that it is not a "christian" message and not good news.
The simplicity of the Applegate Fellowship family... I love how keeping things simple has been guarded by our church family. Through strong leadership we have all stuck to simply teaching the bible simply. I have seen the radical and continual transforming power of keeping the main thing the main thing.
And, while I have not exhausted the list of all the things I have learned from the body of Christ, I sit here, even now, amazed at the working of God through the different giftings and callings that He has placed in each of our lives. So, I rejoice in knowing that I have a place that is prepared for me here and now. I have a spot in the plan of God. I am free to be who God has created me to be and as I grow in that freedom God is glorified in who He created me to be. In an effort to encourage the we often make the mistake of trying to get others to do what we are called to do. We can even look at the other parts of the body of Christ and begin to be critical because they specialize in one particular area or giftingand are not like us. While this doesn't mean that you don't deal with issues, it does mean that we should not be so quick to see the world through the lenses of our own glasses. At the end we will all stand before the same Lord, saved by the same cross, on the same crystal shore, with each of us throwing the crowns we earned at the feet of Jesus. Why? Maybe because while we were all busy fighting with each other here, by His grace, we managed to get some work done. And when we see us the way He sees us we will realize that our diversity was His idea. What do you think?
What if God never made the church in the way we think of it in it's present state? Is the "stage atmosphere" that we see in today's church the same format that existed in the early church? I'm not advocating chaos, and no order, but I often wonder how God sees the things that we would consider a "church service"? Are the essential elements of church (ie. worship, prayer, communion, the word) just building blocks and we are free to construct the order, style and length according to the needs of a particular body of believers? Is it helpful to rearrange those elements frequently so that the elements themselves do not become the idolatrous pattern that people perceive to be the way that we earn God's favor or blessing? To keep a grace centered church, that understands that it is not about works of righteousness that we have done, is it essential to dismantle the paradigm of worship to keep them from clinging to processes? These are the questions that I wrestle with as a pastor much of the time. Does God want less formality and more normality? Is formality a thin veil that hides our imperfections and keeps us from coming to God like we are? Has church, in the business style model that we see, become the next newest "fig leaf?" Do we hide behind formality because we are afraid that God will not receive the offering of ourselves apart from some ritual that makes us feel like we have checked off a checklist?
Jesus said in John 4:23-24 "... true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth"
The word "truth" used here in this text is Strong's # 227 in the Greek. It literally means without concealing. The question from this woman at the well is essentially," What is the correct way and place to worship? Is it here in our worship house or there in theirs? Is it their way or ours?" Jesus responds by saying the Father is seeking those that will worship Him with the inner man (in spirit), and without hiding behind anything (in truth)? Is it possible that we have made the search for truth more about academics and less about coming to Him as we really are? Are we hiding behind our systems, policies, and methodologies? Does God desire something more real and natural, something that looks a little more like real life?
What if church service is supposed to look like life and not like a ceremony? Could we as a culture indoctrinated and raised with a ceremonious church service get past that concept? What if, what we know as church had never come into existence and all we had was people that were Christ followers? What would it look like if they got together and there was no blueprint for what to do? What would a natural, spontaneous time of fellowship look like?
In the past I have made the incorrect assumption that the church in the book of Acts had no preconceived ideas of what to do in organizing a worship get together. The truth is that they had two working models of what it means to gather together in worship. The one they pulled from what they saw before Christ came. The second example they had after they had walked for 3 1/2 years with Jesus. In the first model, man became the center. In the latter God Himself was the center. Are pastors (myself included) more concerned about making a name and reputation for themselves? Or are we willing to be made of no reputation, an environment where there are no "superstar" Christians in order that Christ might be the superstar.
The last three weeks at our little church has been a great for me. I have been so refreshed in going over the simplicity of the gospel with our church.
Week 1: We did a study of the "The Power Of The Gospel" in which we talked about the fact that the gospel does not need to be played up to make it more effective, or played down to make it not offensive, but played out as we share what God has done for us. We just need to proclaim the news of what He has done and..... Nothing else
Week 2: We talked about "The Way We Share The Gospel". If we share from having been affected by the gospel ourselves it changes the way that we share. When we have daily come to the cross in need of God's grace, then we share from a place of humility and compassion.
Week 3: We talked about "Why We Share The Gospel". In a word. Hell. The gospel doesn't just give us a better life. It is the only hope of salvation for a world that is condemned already.
Summation: There are many difficulties in reaching out to the community that we live in. We can't expect that the world is going to walk through our church doors, fall on their knees, and ask us if we know Jesus. As a result, the typical forms of evangelism can often leave people feeling tricked because unbelievers show up for the "goodie" (concert, turkey giveaway, toy drive, etc...) and then realize that they have been hoodwinked like some sort of timeshare gimmick. As a result we are often pedaling the gospel with salesmanship rather than proclaiming the gospel in sincerity. Evangelism is often better received from someone you personally know, and in an environment where you don't feel like you were tricked or trapped. In other words evangelism should begin with the church going to the people that they already know and love and happen in a place where they don't feel like they are being targeted to sign up to be a part of an organization or club. We decided at CCF that the best way we could reach our community with the gospel is to give our people a platform and environment where they could share the gospel with their loved ones. So we handed out envelopes with cash amounts in them that were for they express purpose of taking someone they already know out to lunch or coffee and sharing the love of Jesus Christ with them!! In the coming weeks we will see what God does with those who used His resources wisely! Getting sixty people to walk into our church to hear the gospel would be next to impossible (apart from God) but the sixty or so people that took an envelope this Sunday will be reaching out to sixty plus people in our community with the gospel!!! May God fill their words with His power!
There are squatters (those who wait to be attacked) and there are soldiers (those storming the gates of hell!) Which one are you?
I was pondering the issue of rest yesterday in regards to taking a sabbath. Something hit me right between the eyes and I feel like it is worth sharing. God commands this day of rest for his people and also sets the example of resting Himself, even though He Himself is not tired. Why? As I thought of this in regards to my own labor (especially ministry) I suddenly realized that much of my identity is wrapped up in what I do. There is a part of us that feels value when we "do" something. We attain a certain level of worth by "doing" things. I wonder if taking a sabbath rest is partially about resting and partially about reorienting your life around who God is as opposed to who we are? Do people work themselves to death because they are seeking to be made valuable in the eyes of others or in their own eyes? As I talk to other pastors, I have noticed some of the same ideas coming up. On Mondays, many pastors feel like quitting their jobs and grabbing a nine-to-five somewhere else. This usually comes after a bombed teaching, disgruntled parishioner, or just an exhausting day where they find themselves weary. I wonder, would pastors still feel that way if so much of our identity was not wrapped up in what we do? Maybe the sabbath and vacations are more about us being reminded that when we step away from our activities and rest, the world continues to turn. Life still moves forward and in fact, we are not as important as we think... (wish) we are. Something about stepping back from our labor helps us to refocus our energy on things that do matter and things that will last. Things like our relationship with the Lord and our relationship with our families. When Jesus said ," the sabbath was made for man and not man for the sabbath" it seems He meant what He said.
In the list of the ten commandments in Exodus 20 God gives the commandment to rest in verses 8-10. God couches the commandment to rest in the story of creation and the example set by Him from the beginning. He is saying essentially, "be like Me!" My identity is not in what I do but who I am.
In the list of commandments found in Deuteronomy 5:12-15, God couches the commandment to rest in the fact that the children of Israel used to be slaves in Egypt. He says in verse 15, "and remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God hath brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day." It is as if the Lord is saying, " your value as a human used to be determined by how hard you worked. But, I set you free from that. I want you to leave behind the slave-value system and embrace the glorious freedom of a God-centered value system." We have worth. Our worth is not based upon what we do or don't do. Our value scale is based upon what God has done in redeeming us. We have worth by the work of the cross and redemption. Even the word redemption should bring us to that word picture. Like an empty soda can that is trash to be discarded, we have "redemption value" to our manufacturer.
Heb 4:9-10 exhorts us, "There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God [did] from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief."
Not an excuse to be lazy, but an exhortation to prioritize your life to be God centered and not self centered. What think ye?
Jesus was almost certainly a cannabis user and an early proponent of the medicinal properties of the drug, according to a study of scriptural texts published this month. The study suggests that Jesus and his disciples used the drug to carry out miraculous healings.
The anointing oil used by Jesus and his disciples contained an ingredient called kaneh-bosem which has since been identified as cannabis extract, according to an article by Chris Bennett in the drugs magazine, High Times, entitled Was Jesus a Stoner? The incense used by Jesus in ceremonies also contained a cannabis extract, suggests Mr Bennett, who quotes scholars to back his claims.
“There can be little doubt about a role for cannabis in Judaic religion,” Carl Ruck, professor of classical mythology at Boston University said.
Referring to the existence of cannabis in anointing oils used in ceremonies, he added: “Obviously the easy availability and long-established tradition of cannabis in early Judaism _ would inevitably have included it in the [Christian] mixtures.”
Mr Bennett suggests those anointed with the oils used by Jesus were “literally drenched in this potent mixture _ Although most modern people choose to smoke or eat pot, when its active ingredients are transferred into an oil-based carrier, it can also be absorbed through the skin”.
Quoting the New Testament, Mr Bennett argues that Jesus anointed his disciples with the oil and encouraged them to do the same with other followers. This could have been responsible for healing eye and skin diseases referred to in the Gospels.
“If cannabis was one of the main ingredients of the ancient anointing oil _ and receiving this oil is what made Jesus the Christ and his followers Christians, then persecuting those who use cannabis could be considered anti-Christ,” Mr Bennett concludes.
It seems every nitwit out there has their own agenda on how to make a God of their own design. When you come from a personal perspective or preconceived bias that you can read just about anything you want into the story of Jesus and the bible. How do we guard against seeing the bible from only our perspective? What controls do we have to guard us from deception. This deception can come from without or within. It can be the gospel according to "Mr Bennet" or it can be the gospel according to Jeremy Nehf. What is the gospel according to God and how do we know that it is the true gospel? Are there any controls or does anyone with some half-baked new theory about the gospel have a leg to stand on?
Saw this video on another guys blog and loved it so much I thought I'd share the Joy. Sorry it has been so long since a for real post. I'll get back into the swing of things and get some of the things I've been pondering posted soon. God bless for now!!!
Romans 12:4-5 " For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: so we being many are one body in Christ, and every one members of one another"
During this election season the one thing I see very clearly is that we as a nation do not always see things so clearly! Some groups are passionate about some issues and others about a whole different set of issues. Some see morality and the value of human life as being the most important issues. Others see the economy and the war in Iraq and Afghanistan as being of the utmost importance. Who is right? Or are all the issues important? We are a nation divided in so many ways. Blue and red, left and right.
I wish that things in the church were better but that is not the case. And just like the political arena , we as Christians are grappling with the idea of unity. The desire of our hearts is that the whole world would see things the way we do. But, is that reasonable? We all cry out for unity, we attend "all church gatherings", and proclaim from pulpit to pew that we are all one body. In the words of Rodney King," Ca, Can, Can't we all just get along?" Isn't that what God wants? Doesn't the word say in Ephesians 4:3-6 that we should be "endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."? In Psalm 133 we are told " Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore."
The question is how and where do we draw the line? Do we have unity at the expense of truth? Do we sacrifice unity at the expense of holiness or righteousness? Do we lose the focus of God's grace and not fight legalism so that we can have "unity"? I think that in the three above mentioned passages is a real key to understanding God's heart and how we can reconcile these seeming contradictory issues. In each passage of scripture the way that unity is pictured is by the "body" adhering to the "head". In the scriptures there seems to be this idea that unity is a natural consequence of getting directions from the head, which is Christ.
In Romans 12 as you follow the flow of the whole chapter, the apostle Paul is talking about proving, by being a living sacrifice, what is the will of God. Dealing with first things first, how do we be a living sacrifice? Romans 12;1 " Present your bodies... which is your reasonable service". How do we do this? We do this by resisting conformity to the world and embracing the transforming work that God wants to do in our minds. What does the world think? The world thinks that life is all about self. In contrast, God's desire is that we would "lose ourselves" and "consider one another more highly than ourselves". We need to see ourselves as only a part of something much larger than ourselves. We are a part of something that God describes as being like a body. Each of us has a function that is for the health and strength of the whole body. We each have something that we bring to the table of God's bounty. Those things have been given as gifts, for us to offer back, to the good of the entire body. Those gifts are given by the Holy Spirit. The head or mind of the body is the Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit is like the nervous system. All the will of Jesus is communicated to the body through the Holy Spirit. As each member obeys the will of the mind (Jesus), by the Spirit, we begin to act as one body. We then become a reflection of the one who give life and animation to the body. But we only act as one body as we do our part and our part only. Division within the body comes when one part of the body begins to reject their role in the body.That part of the body may try to make itself distinct from the rest of the body and separate itself. Or part of the body may begin to assume the role of another. This spasmodic, epileptic action causes the whole body to function improperly. And this can be one of the problems that we see in the church on a local and a global scale. In this analogy of the body there is something else that can happen. One part of the body can see the spasms the body and seek to remedy the situation by trying to beat or restrain that part of the body into submission. In other words we can see what is wrong in part of the church and begin to try and control the spasms by attacking that part. We think that legalistic rules, scathing public rebukes, and systems that we set up to prevent that from happening will somehow fix the problem. But this can further agitate the issue in so many ways. Like a claustrophobic trying to escape a confined space that part of the body begins to react even more. They are now in what is perceived as a fight for the validity of their existence as a part of the body.
So what should we do with the spasmodic parts? To just let them continue to spasm creates disharmony and to attack or suppress them causes only more violent reactions. We need to first understand what our role is to play. Don't abandon your role to devote yourself to trying to fix that part of the body. Second talk to the head of the body. Pray!! Pray!! Pray!! Now wait to see what Jesus would have you to do. If He wants to use you He will tell you. If He tells you that He wants to use you, He will also tell you how. In any case the remedy is to get the spasmodic part of the body to listen to Jesus and respond to the Spirit. Our best encouragement is not always in the confronting the issues ,which can be just symptoms of a larger problem, but in going to the root of the problem. The root is, how do we get them to connect with the head? If they begin to listen to the head again they will act in harmony with the rest of the body. Well, like a manual for the body, God has given us a record of His will in His word, by His Spirit. To expose how one part of the body is not listening to Jesus we need to be able to share with them what listening to Jesus looks like. He has given us that information in His word. To that end, Ephesians 4 gives us further insight. Jesus rose from the dead and gave gifts to the church. What are those gifts? The gifts that he gave were the leadership of the church. He gave some "apostles, some prophets; some evangelists; some pastors and teachers;" (Eph 4:11) Why did He give these men as gifts to the church? The scriptures go on to say that he gave these gifts for this purpose: " For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things which is the head, even Christ." (Eph 4:12-15) The shortened version of this passage is that God gave church leadership to keep people connected the head of the body. The leadership God provided is supposed to do this by equipping believers with the truth from God's word, and encouraging them to have a mature relationship with Jesus. If the body has those things verse 16 tells what will happen next. If we are connected to the head "from whom the whole body fitly joined together," then we will be "compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part." This will in turn make "the increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love." In summary of this entire passage in Ephesians 4, Jesus as the head directs the body, and he directs the body through the word and those He has gifted to the body in leadership. Unity is born in submission to the head. If we all get our orders from Jesus we have unity.
What do we do when there are two different orders for two different parts of the body? #1: We ask are both scripturally valid? If they are then #2: We can ask are both parties submitted to the authority of Jesus and His headship and the leadership structure that He has appointed? If there is no seed of rebellion in either party we proceed to #3: Then we can give the freedom to both parties to function as God has called them to. There can be unity with diversity.
Psalms 133 describes this for us in picture "how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity." This unity starts when the oil of God's Spirit falls onto the body from the head down. We cannot have unity at the expense of truth. Ephesians 4 tells us that unity should come from "speaking the truth in Love." To the degree that we are willing to let the Holy Spirit direct us will be the degree to which we will live in harmony and unity. So this begs the question, will there ever be unity? All we can do is, our part, to obey. The only lasting unity we will experience that can't be wrecked by the weakness of humanity, will be under the new leadership of Jesus in the new city made without hands, the new Jerusalem. Looking forward to that day!!
