When we think about our "calling," we often think of someone being "called" into full-time ministry. But, that is a very truncated view of what our calling is. From the Latin word for "calling" we get the concept of Vocation. Everyone has a God-given Vocation, a role to play in their family, church, workplace, and the larger society. God has uniquely shaped, equipped, and placed each one of us to contribute to His overall plan and care for Creation. We all have gifts, talents, and abilities that God uses as He sovereignly places us in spheres of influence to display His glory and influence. I often say that God is not a character in our story, but rather, we are characters in God's Story. He has a plan for each of us and He exercises His rule through us. It is remarkable, when you think about it.
With this as a backdrop, we are able to look at the concept of work differently from the rest of the world. "Work" is not a way to establish ourselves as independent from God or anyone else. Nor is it a way to accrue wealth so that we will have safety and security. Work is not primarily about money nor is it something to hate or to get away from whenever we can. Many want to be wealthy so that they will not have to work and so they can do what they want when they want to - in other words, independence from others, from society, and from any real sense of responsibility to anyone or anything. All of this is from the Fall where work/labor became associated with the Curse related to sin (see Genesis 3:17-19) and it became something that was often seen as tedious and life denying.
But, there is a different way to see work. We can go back before the Fall and see that God created mankind to work in relation to His will and to be a part of how God rules over and cares for His Creation (Genesis 1:28-2:3). And, we know that in Christ, God is restoring all things to His intention for us and that He is renewing Creation. So, if we are in Christ, we are free to work with meaning and purpose in God's economy as His representatives and co-laborers. Christ has destroyed the curse of sin so we are free to be creative and to add value to all that we do as we reflect and give thanks for the glorious freedom that Christ has provided us. The concept of Work as been redeemed and retrieved from the effects of the Fall and has been restored to God's original purpose as the way that we live out our calling in this world.
Last night, I couldn't get to sleep. My mind was racing. Finally, I drifted off, but not before I ran through a dozen different subjects. I've been told by friends that I have adult ADD. Maybe so. It would explain a lot. Normally, I write essays for this blog because it is really rewarding for me to lock in on one topic and explore it and I use it as a teaching platform for my church. Today, I'll take you on a random tour of what I'm thinking about in classic, stream-of-consciousness form. Each of these thoughts could be a blogpost all their own and they have been building up in my head. So, I think I'll clean out my brain a little so that I can think more clearly and start over.
I'm going back to India at the end of next month. Around midnight last night, I called Thom Wolf in India and talked with him for awhile. It was almost noon there. He was my professor and intellectual mentor in school back when I lived in San Francisco and he lives in New Delhi. We will go north to the Himalayas and do our normal thing with the ministries there, and then possibly travel with him for a couple of days to the south of India to meet some people doing very interesting things.
I am working through Paul's letter to the Philippians right now in my Bible study and my preaching. I am also writing essays to go along with each topic. Philippians is a great letter to address the "God as a means to an end" syndrome that plagues contemporary Christianity. I am thinking of releasing the essays after I am through with this. It has been really interesting. Today, I am working on one called "Chains" about how Paul volunteered to put himself in less than ideal situations so that the gospel would be spread to others through his life and suffering. Check out Philippians 1:7-14. Am I willing to do the same?
"According to some estimates, Christians in developed Western countries now represent only 37 percent of believers worldwide. As I travel and also read chruch history, I have observed a pattern, a strange historical phenomenon of God 'moving' geographically from place to place: from the Middle East to Europe to North America to the developing world. My theory is this: God goes where He's wanted." ~ Philip Yancey, Finding God in Unexpected Places.
I ran across a fascinating article today on urban development in post-Katrina New Orleans on Newgeography.com by Andres Duany. Duany, of Cuban descent, says that "New Orleans is not among the most haphazard, poorest or misgoverned American cities, but rather the most organized, wealthiest, cleanest, and competently governed of the Caribbean cities." He says that New Orleans is not really an American city at all. Rather, it is a Caribbean city. Jimmy Buffett, after Katrina hit, said that the northern Gulf of Mexico is actually the northern part of the Caribbean, not the Southern part of the U.S. I agree. Being from there, it is different that the rest of the country, and I love it. Totally different way of thinking, worldview, and lifestyle. Maybe this is why Baptists have had so much trouble reaching the Gulf Coast? Hmmm.
My two favorite songs on my ipod right now are "Rocket Man" by Angie Aparo and "A Change is Gonna Come" by Ben Sollee. They are both cover songs, but the music and vocals are really intriguing. If you haven't heard either of these guys, check them out. Here's a live version of "Rocket Man." I think about this when I am travelling too much.
And, Ben Sollee on the cello. Yes, the cello. This is amazing.
This week marks the 3 year anniversary of us finding a lump on Caelan's chest that was a cancerous tumor. It has been a hard three years, but I praise God everyday for His faithfulness. Last night, Erika told me that the little 3 year old girl that my family has been praying for since we saw her at Caelan's last scans died last week. Her name was Cassie. My heart was broken over that. Maybe that is why I keep singing "A Change is Gonna Come." Ben Sollee, covering Sam Cooke, says he doesn't know what's beyond the sky. I do, and more and more each day I pray that God's Kingdom come.
"As heretical as it sounds today, it is probably worth telling Americans that you don't need Jesus to have better families, finances, health, or even morality. Coming to the cross means repentance - not adding Jesus as a supporting character for an otherwise decent script but throwing away the script in order to be written into God's drama. It is death and resurrection, not coaching and makovers." Michael Horton, Christless Christianity.
Baseball season is about to start. I really don't like baseball. Too slow for my taste. During the dead of summer, it is almost like there are no sports going on. I'm just waiting for football. Although, our church has formed THREE softball teams with about 50 players and they'll be playing mostly on Monday nights, so I am glad for the fact that a lot of people from our church will be hanging out together and building relationships. Being blind in my right eye caused me to never play baseball because I have no depth perception, so maybe that is why I don't like it. I do plan to play summer league basketball, though.
The groundbreaking for our church's new building is April 5, right before we have a huge neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt. We've been reaching a lot of teenagers in our community lately, and God really moved in their lives at a youth retreat that we had this past weekend. Several came to Christ and many more opened their hearts to Jesus. We have also started tutoring, GED classes, and are helping with job placement. God is doing some amazing things. The building is just a tool to help us with this, and it should be finished by October. I'll be very happy.
I keep watching Jon & Kate plus Eight. I don't know why. Erika keeps asking why I stop there when we are watching TV and I have the remote and I told her that I really can't believe how mean Kate is to Jon and I can't fathom how they manage eight kids like that. Wow. It's like a car wreck. I have four kids of my own. Do I really need to watch someone else's stress? Strangely, I'm drawn to it. That, and Clean House, which is about people who live in an unfathomable mess. I guess that it is cathartic to see other people's stress and mess instead of my own. Normally, these shows come on right after we put the kids to bed. Hmmm.
I turned in my taxes yesterday and I'm trying to get some insurance stuff taken care of. It's a pain and seems to be taking forever. Car tags have to be paid on Monday and I'm doing a TV interview tomorrow for a local religious broadcasting station about our work in India. I lump all of that together because it all feels about the same to me - stuff I have to do that I don't like doing. I'm not just trying to be humble about the TV thing either. I HATE stuff like that. Communication should be two-way and interactive with feedback, not captured on a television for people to pick over and misinterpret as they wish. Maybe I'm just insecure.
Books I'm reading right now (they happen to all be "Christian" books, which is not good - I need to vary things up a bit and learn from some other disciplines):
Finding God in Unexpected Places by Philip Yancey - picked it up in the airport last week. Yancey writes essays about where he sees God working in the world. Excellent.
Christless Christianity by Michael Horton - states that the American church has given itself over to an alternative gospel that he calls, therapuetic moralistic deism.
No Place for Truth - Or Whatever Happened to Evangelical Theology by David Wells. This came out about 15 years ago, but it was recommended to me by a friend of mine. It is pretty dense, but a good read. Makes some of the same claims as Horton, but from a historical perspective.
My church is always heavy on my mind and my heart. I graduated from seminary over 9 years ago. I've been the lead pastor of our church for 3 1/2 years. I'm realizing more and more each day that I am not smart enough, talented enough, entertaining enough, or gifted enough to do what needs to be done, no matter how many books I read. God has to work through me. I need Him. I carry the weight of people's struggles pretty intensely. I greatly desire for people to walk with the Lord and to glorify Him and I want our church to hunger after Christ with their whole lives and to reach people who do not know Jesus. But, I am really having to pray about this and release it to the Lord. I can't make anyone do anything. I am completely powerless to make anything happen. God has to do it. I have always known that intellectually. I am learning that emotionally and spiritually and it isn't easy, believe it or not.
Ashtyn has started soccer.
I have great kids and an amazing wife who listens to me go on and on about everything that I am thinking about. She is really patient and she always gives me great feedback. I do not deserve her, and I'm not just saying that because it is what I am expected to say. She's really something. She texted me two days ago and said that we should go on the mission trip with the youth group this summer. I told her that I agreed. Not many mother's of four kids would do that.
My city, Montgomery, just elected a new mayor in a special election a couple of weeks ago. In his election night interview, he said that he hoped that he would "rule" well. Rule #1 in American politics: Never tell the people that you plan to "rule" them. It doesn't sit well in a democracy. Then, he said that he was pushing the inauguration back a week because he was taking his family to the beach. Rule #2: When we are in a severe recession, don't tell the people that just elected you that you would begin to rule, er, serve them, but first, you have to go to the beach. Go to the beach in a few months AFTER you have worked for them for a little while. Wow.
Look, a BUTTERFLY!!!! Sorry, had to get that out. Does anyone ever feel that way? Random as can be.
I've lost 10 pounds in the past two weeks and I don't know how. I guess that I haven't been eating as much. Duh. Stress? Busyness? I don't know, but I'll take it. I could stand to lose a lot more.
Well, that's about it. Not really, but I figure that no one is still reading at this point, so I might as well stop. Believe it or not, engaging in an exercise in complete randomness actually made me feel better. So, I leave you with a picture of my kids that I really love.
God is good, by the way. And, He's always working in every thing. Big, little, important, mundane. God is always at work.
Richard Florida, the director of the Martin Prosperity Institute at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management and writing for The Atlantic, tells us that America has changed forever with the current economic crash. As a country, we will have to remake ourselves and the future will not look much like the past. Gone are the heady days of manufacturing, construction, and the suburbs. The creative class will group in large urban conglomerations of cities and those areas full of educated and versatile people will drive economic growth in America. This is a fascinating essay and if you want to be educated on what is happening and what is coming, I highly recommend that you take the time to read it.
Florida says,
On one level, the crisis has demonstrated what everyone has known for a long time: Americans have been living beyond their means, using illusory housing wealth and huge slugs of foreign capital to consume far more than we’ve produced. The crash surely signals the end to that; the adjustment, while painful, is necessary.
The result of this, according to Florida, is that the suburbs are dying. Housing wealth is declining at a rapid pace and it will not return. People are going to be stuck in areas because they will not be able to sell their homes. This will lead to rising unemployment and suburban blight. Florida says something that I have been saying for about six months now: It is smarter to rent than to own a home. Instead of an investment, home ownership is going to be seen as a liability in the future. Glenn Beck has an amazing video on that HERE (the average American home was worth twice the historic market value in 2006. A correction has started and will likely not stop until the average American home loses half its value from 2006-2007.).
Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in NYC says that. I think that he's right.
I've been asked by a couple of people over the past week about repentance - what it is and how you do it. I preached about it on Sunday as I happened to be at that point in the Book of Acts - Acts 3:19-20, which says, "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus."
Now ultimately, Biblical repentance is about salvation. It is about turning AWAY from your sin and rebellion and turning to God through faith in Jesus Christ. Too many people make repentance into something like, "stop doing bad and start doing good." But, there's no power in that. True repentance means that we turn AWAY from sin and turn TO faith in Jesus.
Repentance means to turn around. A man might say, "I was headed for a cliff, but I repented. I turned around and went the other way and lived."
Repentance is more than just being sorry. It means that we turn around - we forsake our sinful thoughts and activities. It is not a burdensome thing, but rather, it is extremely lifegiving. When we repent, we step into who God has truly made us to be as we place our faith in Jesus.
Who needs to repent? Paul, in Acts 17:30 says that repentance is for everyone: "he (God) commands all people everywhere to repent." We all need to repent because we have all sinned and fall short of God's glory. And, repentance is not just a one time thing. Jesus told the church in Ephesus in Rev. 2:5 that was doing so much right, to "Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place."Turn around from the direction you were going and turn to Christ. Even Christians.
So, I thought that I would list some steps to repentance. Repentance, for the Christian, renews our relationship with God and puts us back on the right path. It involves a looking away from and forsaking past behavior and attitudes and a looking to Christ. It seems that many do not know how to repent. Here are some thoughts:
Ask God to search your heart (Pslam 139:23-24). We are all pretty subjective. If it is my job to search my heart, I will often rationalize attitudes and actions that God would get rid of if I would just submit to Him. When asking Him to search my heart, it is helpful to read the Bible and focus on passages like Colossians 3. What from that passage do I need to believe and incorporate into my life? What do I need to deal with?
When God shows you the areas that you need to deal with, confess them to God. Confession is basically agreement with God that we have sinned (1 John 1:9). When we agree with God about our sin, we admit that He is holy and that His character is in tact. We confess our sin and claim His forgiveness. We agree with God about what we have done, give it to Him, and begin to receive His forgiveness. This enables us to walk with Him. Amos 3:3 says, "Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?"
When you confess your sin, forsake it. Turn away from it. "Put off the old" (Eph. 4:22).
Turn to Christ in faith. It is not enough to just try and stop doing/thinking negative things. We must additionally turn to Christ. He makes us "new in the attitude of our minds" (Eph. 4:23). In this, we receive His unlimited forgiveness and mercy.
We must put move on. We put on the new self and enter into times of refreshing (Eph. 4:24).
Repentance has gotten a bad rap. It has this image of being this guilt induced experience that makes us feel awful and very ashamed. That is not so! Biblical repentance is liberating and it leads to life! It is a way that God has given us to throw off our sin and turn to Jesus to find true life! It is an avenue to wholeness, because we are only truly whole when we walk with Him. We all need to be in an attitude of repentance all the time. We never become so holy or perfect that we do not need to continually realign ourselves with God's work, will, and purposes taking place around us. Who do we think we are?
I am not talking about feeling bad all the time. But, I am talking about having a basic understanding that I need to realign myself to what God is doing and His holiness and not the other way around. I need to turn around from the direction that I was headed, and by faith, turn to God. It seems that we make repentance too hard on people and they miss an incredible blessing of laying down their will to take up the yoke of Christ. We have made another blessed means of knowing God more deeply into a shameful and legalistic exercise that is only for "really bad sinners."
Well, I am here to confess that I need continual repentance. I need to consistently realign my life with God's will and purposes. I am not ashamed to admit that, because that is a place that I find refreshing, life giving, living water from Jesus. Sometimes it is difficult for us to admit that we need to keep turning our lives over to God, but it is true. And, there is life in recognizing the we still need a Savior each and every day.
May we engage in true heartfelt repentance this week. May we confess our sins and our desperate need for Christ and also the victory that He has for all who believe in Him. Then, by faith, may we receive the incredible grace that God lavishes upon all who call upon Him and move on into the path that God truly wants us to walk - a walk in agreement with Him.
You could also call this post, "Why We Ignore the Work of God." As I was thinking through the gospels and Jesus' life and ministry the other day, I started to think about the Pharisees and masses of Jews, and why they wanted to kill Jesus. The Bible says on many occasions things like, "and they plotted to kill Jesus," or, "they left that place planning to kill Jesus." Well, those aren't exact words, but they are fairly to the point of the position of the Pharisees. The question is, "why?"
First off, I need to make a confession: If I had been alive back then, absent the drawing work of the Holy Spirit (and this is true now, by the way), I would have been yelling, "Crucify, Crucify" as well. I would have. If I were Peter, I would have denied Christ. If I were Thomas, I would have doubted. If I were Judas, well, let's not go there. If I were one of the Pharisees, I probably would have been right there, trying to get rid of this trouble maker. The Pharisees were a group that arose in Israel after the Babylonian Captivity and during the Intertestamental period for the purpose of keeping Israel pure. They saw what happened the last time Israel fell into idol worship and they wanted to make sure that the people totally followed the Law, did the right thing, did not worship idols, and only honored God. They didn't want Israel to be punished by God and lose everything again. So far, so good. But, thier problem was that their hearts had not been changed and they were actually afraid of God, instead of doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God (Micah 6:8). They followed God on the outside, but not on the inside. Jesus came to mess with their insides and that upset them. It upsets us today.
A few things I'm thinking about today as we start off another week . . .
Ernesto seems to be moving east toward Florida. I don't wish a hurricane on anyone, and my sister lives in Orlando, but I am very glad it is not projected to hit Louisiana-Mississippi. They truly can't take it. The tens of thousands of people living in FEMA trailers would again be homeless. I just pray that this hurricane season remains relatively quiet. This week is the one year anniversary of Katrina and the memories are strong. I'm going to write a bit about my memories from last year. Even though I didn't go through it, we were down there four days later and my family went through it. It was a horrendous time and I want to get some thoughts down.
We had a great day at church yesterday. I preached on Philippians 3:17-4:1. Powerful passage. We talked about how Paul's example and pattern were the "way of life in Christ Jesus" (1 Cor. 4:16-17), and how that is so different from just moral behavior alone. Rather, it is finding your righteousness in Christ by faith and allowing Him to live through you and transform you. That leads to moral behavior, but Christ is always our starting and finish point. He is our guide and our goal. The message notes and audio will be up on Gatewaylife.net later this week.
This Sunday, Father’s Day, I preached from Philippians 1:12-18:
12Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. 13As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard[a] and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.
15It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains.[b]18But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.
This passage deals with Paul’s acceptance of being in prison and his pleasure in the gospel being preached, even though he is in chains. Apparently, he had enemies, who were trying to stir uptrouble against him by preaching the gospel out of insincere motives so that people would blame Paul. I have heard this passage preached many times, and always the interpretation points us toward a belief in God’s Sovereignty so that we will have a confidence that no matter what situation we find ourselves in, everything will work out o.k.
I have always seen that passage that way myself. However, as I was reading, I began to see that the picture that is painted is that Paul is most excited that the Gospel is being preached. No matter what happens to him, he has confidence that God is going to use him to proclaim the gospel, whether he is in prison, or being maligned by his enemies. What an encouraging thought! I challenged the parents in our church, and fathers in particular to consider if they were passing on to their children the same type of passion for the gospel. For Paul the gospel was everything. It was more important than happiness, comfort, freedom, wealth, prestige, or position. It’s proclamation was the singular purpose of his life and it made every trial worth suffering. Are we teaching that to our children? Are we living that ourselves? Can we join with Paul in saying that the most important thing in our lives is that Christ is preached? Because of this, do we rejoice?
I pray that is the case, because nothing else is worth living for.
We started the book of Philippians on Sunday. We'll be preaching through Paul's letter until at least Labor Day. I love Philippians and it has always been a major source of encouragement to me in my walk, especially when I am going through difficult times. The most important thing that I get out of this letter is Paul's encouragment to rejoice in the Lord always (Phil. 4:4), even though He writes from prison!
Sunday's message was on the greeting that Paul, Peter, and John give in their letters: Grace and Peace to you. What does it mean to receive God's grace? How does our peace flow from His grace? After receiving and accepting God's grace and peace, not just for salvation, but for daily life, we are to then extend it to others so that our relationships can be whole - so we can truly experience Shalom. Bible.org has a good introduction to Philippians. Take a look at my message notes HERE.
By the way, starting next week sermons will be online at gatewaybaptist.com. Robby Collins, one of our elders, will be preaching on Philippians 1:3-11, so check it out. I'll create links here to the messages for those interested!
Today I preached a message on how we all need one another. We are starting a summer book study on Philippians, and I felt compelled to really call us to recognize that we belong to one another as the body of Christ (Rom. 12:5) as we start the summer. With such a young church, it is easy to get in the mindset that, summer is here, it is time to just take a break, go our separate ways, and not be connected to others the way we normally are. But, as I was thinking, I realized that we have that attitude for at least 5 months of the year (Nov-Dec because of Christmas, and May-July because of summer). Wow. It is really hard to keep growing in the Lord and in relationships if we are constantly on a college schedule. Maybe it's time to continue on with our close relationships even when the weather gets warm!
When we lived in Marin County, just north of San Francisco, we lived just a couple of miles from Muir Woods, where they have the giant redwoods. The really interesting thing about redwoods, among many other things, is that they grow to about 35 stories tall, but they have really shallow root systems. So, if you took one of these giant trees and stuck it out by itself in a field, it would topple over with the first strong wind! But, in a redwood forest, the roots of the trees interconnect and they help each other stand up. Fascinating, eh?
Well, I thought I'd chime in on The Da Vinci Code. I preached on it yesterday, and after doing a bit of research, I realized that if anyone is afraid that this book/movie is going to undermine Christianity, they can rest easy. After just a little research, almost all of the claims of the movie are shown to be patently false. The danger of the movie will be towards those who do not think for themselves and believe whatever they see or read, which unfortunately might be the majority of people.
Dan Brown has crafted an interesting, fast-paced mystery, in which a plot to protect the bloodline of Jesus and Mary Magdeline by the Priory of Sionis in danger of being exposed by the Catholic Church. It is a fanciful tale and one that can be exposed as pure fiction in about five minutes. As far as being a serious threat to Christianity: not so much. As far as it being an avenue to explain to people who Jesus really is: it could open doors of conversation.
What we are facing is what Frederic Baue predicted in The Spiritual Society: What Lurks Beyond Postmodernism. His basic premise is that we are entering what he calls the Therian Age, which will be very spritiual, as modernism has failed us, but it will also be very hostile to Christianity. I believe that he is right and it is being borne out through things like the Da Vinci Code. But, is that not exactly what Paul faced in Acts 16:16-24and Acts 17:16-34where he cast the demon out of the slave girl in Philippi and was beaten and thrown into jail, and when he debated the philosophers about the Unknown God in Athens? We live in a pluralistic age and we should be prepared to enter into this type of dialogue with unbelievers/pagans. For it to frighten us, only shows us that our faith is not as secure as we perhaps thought.
I got my message notes from several different places that I do not even remember now, but here are some resources if you are interested:
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" - John 16:33.
My family wants to thank each one of your from the bottom of our hearts for the love, support, and prayers that we have received. It really is making a difference and we are experiencing a supernatural faith, strength, confidence and peace that is impossible to explain. Thank you so much! I praise God for each of you. God is giving us a perspective that only comes through His Spirit and it is seeing us through.
As we step into this time of trial with our son, Caelan, I am thinking a lot about suffering, and ultimately about the suffering of Jesus. We had our Good Friday service last night and afterwards watched The Passion of the Christ. I was, once again, amazed at how Jesus took a beating for us and how God was most glorified through the SUFFERING of His only Son. When we think of God, we think of glory, power, strength, and holiness. We think of the Supreme Judge who gave the Ten Commandments and who thunders with power. It is difficult, if not impossible, to understand that God hung on a cross for us. He was beaten for us. He gave His life for us. The Cross of Christ was the apex of human history and we learn more about God from that event than from anything else in Scripture. God became flesh. He went to a brutal Roman cross. He suffered and died so that we would have life. Amazing Grace.
This gives special meaning to the cancer that my son is going through and all of our suffering . . .
Perhaps you might be wondering why I preached three messages on giving. I became so enthralled with the subject as I started studying it a month ago that I realized that there was so much to say. And, it isn't like you can just come at it from one direction and talk about it forever. Over the past three weeks we have looked at three different vital aspects of giving. The first message had to do with the object of our giving - we should give to help those in need (see Isaiah 58). The second message had to do with the faithfulness of God's character that enables us to trust Him as we give. The third message (today) had to do with the motivation behind our giving: Grace.
We spent most of our time in 2 Corinthians 8 & 9. We identified 6 characteristics of joyful giving in these two chapters. They are:
1. All giving is by Grace (2 Cor. 8:1,6,7; 9:14-15). The Greek word for "grace" is Charis, which Strong's defines as "divine influence upon the heart and it's reflection in the life." I really like that. We receive God's grace as a divine influence upon our heart that is then reflected in our life. The experience of this grace helps us to be generous with our lives, even if we are going through severe trial or extreme poverty. Grace is so powerful, that in 2 Cor. 8:2, when you mix those two cirucumstances with overflowing joy, you get rich generosity!
The past two weeks, we have talked about God's Kingdom being expressed and advanced through our generosity and the freedom that God has given us to give. There are some major themes that need to be understood when it comes to giving:
1. We give of our time, resources, energy, and our lives, because God is a giving God. John 3:16 says that "For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life." Our lives are to reflect His life and His character. It has been said, you cannot outgive God. Whatever you give, He will give more because He will not share His glory or be in debt to any man. Luke 6:38says, "Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
2. We are free to give because God is trustworthy.Matthew 25:14-30, the Parable of the Talents, tells the story of three men who were given resources by their Master. The Master went away and the first two men took what the Master had given them and doubled it. They said, "Master, you entrusted us with this amount and we have earned more." They were called FAITHFUL. Note, that they said to the Master, "you entrusted" us. To be entrusted with something denotes a trust relationship. The third servant said that he knew that his Master was a hard man and that he harvested where he has not sown seed. He was afraid of losing his money, so he buried it. How often, in our own fear of what will happen, we bury the blessings that God has given us. This man was called wicked and was thrown out where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. If we have a relationship with God and trust Him, we will have the confidence to give, knowing that He supplies us with all that we need (Phil. 4:19).
3. We are blessed to be a blessing (Gen. 12:2).God blesses us because He loves us and He blesses us so that we can be a blessing to others. He desires that we be a conduit of His grace, power, and supernatural provision - Matt. 10:8 - "Freely you have received, freely give." How many Christians receive incredible blessings from God, just to hoard it themselves and spend all that they have on their own pleasures! How many Chrisitians receive salvation, life, and provision, only to spend their life thinking of themselves and taking care of themselves! You are blessed to be a blessing! Take what you have and bless others!
4. We are to give to those in need.Isaiah 58illustrates this well. We are to give to the poor, fight for justice for the oppressed, feed the hungry, and take care of those in distress. This is God's heart and when we follow Him in this, He will take care of us. Our light will break forth like the dawn and our healing will quickly appear. We will be called Repairers of the Breach and Restorer of Streets with Dwellings. God takes care of the poor and so should we. They should always be a primary object of our giving.
5. We are to give to advance the Gospel. Philippians 4:15-19 is an example of Paul thanking the church at Philippi for their gifts in helping him in his life and ministry. As he shared the Gospel and they supported him, they formed a partnership to help advance the Kingdom of God into darkness. May we be faithful to always support those who are sharing Christ with a lost world.
6. We are to give to support the work of the church.Romans 12:5,10, & 13says that we belong to one another, we are to devoted to one another in brotherly love, and that we are to share with those in need. Acts 2:45 shows the early church selling their possessions and goods and giving to anyone who was in need. If we all belong to a body, and if we all have a say in the ministry of that local body and in developing the budget as we do at our church, then we should all committ to support the work of that church financially, and with time, prayer, resources, and energy. Together we can do far more than if we stay isolated.
As a church we have decided to cut our budget by 25% from last year to this year. We have cut back to bare bones and have eliminated every bit of fluff. We are asking each person to pray about giving sacrificially to the church so that we can have an overage above and beyond our needs for the following reasons:
1. To pay off our mortgage. We have had a building debt for 17 years and it is about time we bought our old trailers outright! I'm not much into spending a bunch of money on buildings, but it would be great to actually pay for the ones we have. So, we are committed to 70% of our overage to go towards paying off the debt.
2. For benevolence. We want to pursue the needy, not just wait for them to come to us. We are going to take 15% of our overage and find people to bless and give to.
3. For our church ministries. We want to take 15% of the overage and actually FUND our ministries that year after year have little money because we rarely have had cash flow. What can we do in outreach or children's ministry that would push us outside of our comfort zones if we could fund it a bit?
The really cool thing about this is, that at the end of March, we are going to apportion all of this money. And, we have already had about $55,000 given to world missions in January and February alone! So far this year, we have given the same amount to missions as we have to our church ministries. I am praying that at the end of this quarter, we are able to make a HUGE dent in our mortgage and minister to and help a lot of people. We continue with our work on the Gulf Coast and our desire is to GO TO our community with the saving grace of Jesus Christ instead of expecting them to come to us. May God bless us as we continue to give out of our weaknesses to share the generosity of Christ with a needy world.
We started with the passage from Acts 2:42-3:26. This passage talks about the power of God forming a community of faith, and then how the Apostles (Peter and John) healed the crippled beggar at the Gate Beautiful. This is a powerful picture of what God is able to do and what He wants to do through our lives. Matthew 6:10 is the passage that we have been working from which teaches us to pray, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth as it is in Heaven." When we consider God's power and we consider His will, and His desire is that we are to pray that what His will is in Heaven would be shown on earth, well, that pretty much radically changes our view of life on this planet, doesn't it? We are no longer left to our own resources and to the limitations of the earthly realm. Change is possible. Hope is available. God can do all things and He wants to do all things in our lives. We can experience His power. Here are a few passages that detail this: Matt. 10:7,8; Luke 7:18-23; Luke 10:8-11; Matt. 12:22-28.
God wants to work in our lives, and He has hope for us. He can and will do miracles. He can change us, and He can also give us the strength that we need to persevere and make it through incredible trials. Do you trust God's power in your life? Do you believe that He still does miracles and that He still can carry you through? Have you placed you hope in God, or because of trouble and trial, have you lost your hope? Think through these questions and compare them to the God of the Bible.
What is heaven? What is it like? Does heaven excite you?
All cultures have either looked back to or forward to a Golden Age, when things would be set right.
Ecclesiastes 3:10-11 – But God has set eternity in our hearts. Each of us know down deep that there is something more because God has set eternity in the hearts of men.
What are the barriers to living for Heaven?
Materialism/preoccupation with this life – Matt. 6:24; 19:16-30
We are spiritually dead unless God saves us – 2 Cor. 4:3,4
We have a lack of hope and are given to a desire for instant gratification. How does it affect my life now? 1 Th. 1:3 says that the endurance that we have to live this life is inspired by the hope that God gives us. If we lose our hope, then we will also lose our ability to endure.
The Truth
God has made us for eternity – Eph. 2:6-7
Matt. 6:19-21 – we are store up for ourselves treasures in heaven
John 14:1-4 – Jesus has gone ahead of us to prepare a place for us
Phil. 4:8-9;
Col.
3:1-4 – We are to think on things above
What will Heaven be like?
Worship – Rev. 4
We will reign and rule with God – Rev. 20:4-6
Creation will be restored – 2 Peter 3:3-15; Romans 8:20-21
A New Heavens and a New Earth – Rev. 21:1-14; 22-27; 22:1-7
So, how does this affect us?
Jesus has the victory – 1 Cor. 15:50-58
God will restore creation to its previous glory and moreso and we will be restored to our original purpose (Gen. 1:26-28).
If we live for the next life, we will be infused with grandeur and the blessing of eternity. Live for this life, and the mundane and temporal will overtake you, killing your soul. This world is not our home (Phil. 3:18-21).
Living for eternity reorders our priorities – 2 Cor. 5:1-10; 1 Cor. 3:10-15. We live to please God, knowing that our life and actions matter.
Matthew 6:10 – “Your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”
Perspective: a view or vista/a mental view or outlook/the relationship or aspects of a subject to each other and to a whole.
To learn to pray and live Matt. 6:10, we have to see things from a different perspective.
Spiritual vs. Carnal
A Carnal Perspective tells us:
Image is everything
You’ve got to make your own way
This life is all there is – make the most of it
Live for pleasure (eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow you die)
Only 2 sure things in life: Death and Taxes (fatalism)
Look out for #1. No one else will.
The most important thing is that you are happy – this mantra has become almost Biblical in our culture.
The only thing that is real is what I can experience.
Pragmatism rules: we live by whatever works, if it works for you, great.
You have rights and are entitled to the good life.
We are in control.
A Spiritual Perspective tells us:
God is in control.
This life is not all there is – there is a life to come.
“Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Eph. 6:12.
Put others before yourself – love one another.
I am unworthy an unable to make it on my own – I need grace.
In Christ all things hold together (Col. 1:17) – the only way to live life is in Christ.
With God, nothing is impossible – there is always hope (Mark 10:27; Rom. 15:13).
The least will be the greatest.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, the mourners, the meek, those who long for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and the persecuted – God is on your side (Matt. 5:1-12).
You don’t have to grasp for what you want – trust God.
A Couple of Stories:
Elisha – 2 Kings 6:15-17 – the Aramaens came against Elisha. Even though things looked hopeless in the physical realm, in the spiritual realm there were a host of angels fighting for him.
Matthew 14:22-36 – Jesus was able to walk on water. Peter could too, when he looked to Jesus. Also, when the men of Gennesaret recognized Jesus, they were healed.
Ephesians 1:17-19 speaks of the need for the eyes of our heart to be enlightened so that we can know what God has for us. If we do not see life from spiritual eyes, we will constantly be groping in the darkness and missing God’s will and provision for the life that He wants us to have. This is something that we have to ask for and submit to on a daily basis. We do not just naturally live life from a spiritual perspective.
Practical Applications in your daily life and relationships.
If you live from a spiritual perspective, you will not lose hope (2 Cor. 4:7-10).
You will be able to bless and not curse (Rom. 12:14).
It changes your relationships with others because you are able to come out of the fog of self-focus (Rom. 12:3).
It enables you to know God (John 17:3).
How do you gain this perspective?
Hebrews 12:2 – Let us fix our eyes on Jesus – How do we do this? Worship, Prayer, Trust.
You must be born again (John 3:3-21)
You must fill yourself with God’s Word (Psalm 119:105; Heb. 4:12,13).
Prayer, faith, fellowship with believers (Eph. 3:14-19).
On Sunday I preached a message on the Kingdom of God and how it was the major emphasis of Jesus' teachings. Most of his parables were about the Kingdom, his ministry highlighted the inbreaking and works of the Kingdom (Matthew 4:23-25), and he wanted the gospel of the Kingdom to go to all the nations of the earth (Matthew 24:14). In addition, when teaching his disciples how to pray, he taught them to pray that God's Kingdom would come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:9-10). All of this necessarily begs the question, What is the Kingdom of God? Why is it so important?
Basically, the Kingdom of God is everywhere that God rules. The word "Kingdom" in the Greek is basileia, which means to rule, or a realm. So, everywhere that God is in charge and His will is being followed is a part of His Kingdom. Does God rule in your heart? In Romans 8:9, the Bible says, "You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you." Therefore, if the Spirit of God lives in us, we are in the Kingdom of God. The interesting thing is that we are to be a part of extending God's rule and reign through the ministry of the Word and the Spirit in and through our lives. We are to help advance God's Kingdom just as Jesus did (Matthew 11:12; 12:28). We are to pray that His Kingdom come (see Lord's Prayer). What an exciting thought! Not only are we to become a part of God's Kingdom, but we are enlisted to help advance God's Kingdom to every area of this sin scarred planet. We are to bring all of creation under His benevolent authority (Ephesians 1:19-23).
Is God reigning and ruling in your family? In your community? In our land? What about at your job? If not, then this is a matter of prayer and godly influence. Jesus wants to redeem all that is lost. Have you ever thought about the fact that God placed you exactly where you are (in your city, your job, your place in life), to influence the world and bring His Kingdom? You can bring the Kingdom of God with you everywhere you go by your own obedience and also by influencing others. Do you make decisions at work? Make godly decisions. Seek to bring biblical principles into your communities and workplace. Seek to live your life from a Christian perspective so that you can be salt and light. Because the Kingdom has come in Jesus Christ, we are to shape our world through His power and bring redemption to the world through Him.
One final note: lest we think erroneously that this is about power, remember that the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to the poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3). God's ways are not our ways. Jesus was born in a manger and died on a cross before rising to glory. It is most often through service and suffering that God's Kingdom comes because His Kingdom is not of this world. Many have mistakenly believed through the centuries that God's Kingdom can come through coercion and worldly means. It comes through love and light and the lifting of sin weary heads.
Here are the message notes from Sunday. Most of you got a handout with them, but I thought I would post them on line for future reference. We had an incredible time of prayer on Sunday night about these things and I am very encouraged about what God is doing in our midst. I pray that we continue to grow in these areas over the coming year!
Knowing God . . . Loving One Another . . . Blessing All People
If you have been around our church very long, you know that we are a church that values 3 things:
Spiritual Depth & Growth
Authentic Relationships
Kingdom Impact
Obviously, each church wants to take part in these things and we know that it is God’s will that these facets are present in the life of every believer.But, at Gateway we take seriously God’s purpose to make these three aspects of His work and will the foundation of our personal lives and our church.
·Take an account of what YOU have received from Christ
·Give it away in relationships
·Come together, be unified
·Love one another deeply
·Don’t promote yourself – be humble
·Look to the interests of others, not just yourself
·Have the same attitude as Jesus Christ – be a servant
Practical Application @ Gateway: Family, LIFE Groups, Sunday School, Personal Relationships, Ministries within the body (children, youth, praise team, etc.)
Then the end will come – before judgment comes the offer of new life.
Practical Application @ Gateway: Local & Global Missions, A Time to Serve, Katrina Relief, Large Outreaches, Kingdom impact through workplace, daily life, involvement in ministry
On Sunday, I shared a message concerning the sanctity of human life. Over the past thirty years, we have been involved in an incredible struggle in this country over the meaning of life. When does life begin? Of what value is it? Who has the most rights - the mother or the fetus? This debate has spread to other issues like euthanasia, genetic engineering, the terminally ill, etc. As I have been challenged on this issue, I have begun to consider the need to live from a consistent ethic of the value of human life. I have always been pro-life on the issue of abortion, but am I consistent with calling for a pro-life position across the board? Here are some areas that we do not usually think about when it comes to being pro-life:
·War – do you critically think about what a Christian’s position is on war when we serve the Prince of Peace?When is war right? When is it wrong?
·The Poor – what is our position on living in affluence when such a large number in the world are starving?
·The diseased – have you thought about the AIDS epidemic in Africa?In this country?What is God’s heart toward this?
·Capital Punishment – while I believe in this, should we work toward making it more fair and accurate?If one innocent man is executed, that is a terrible tragedy.
·Euthanasia – what about the debate on a “right to die”?
·Genetic Engineering?Should we be tampering with the human genetic code to supposedly create stronger life?
There is a right and wrong on each of these issues, but we do not discover God's will for us in these areas unless we begin to think. It is so easy to just be carried along by our culture and by what makes sense without truly considering what the truth is. That is what I am trying to do in my life - come out of the cultural fog that deceives on so many levels to really consider what it means to have a consistent Christian worldview on these issues.
On the issue of abortion, we believe that it is a moral evil and consists of the taking of the most innocent of human life. Unfortunately, this act is incredibly common. Here are a few facts:
At current rates, an estimated 43 percent of American women will have at least one abortion by the age of 45.
Two-thirds of all abortions are among never-married women.
Fifty-two percent of U.S. women having abortions are younger than 25 years old.
About 13,000 abortions each year are attributed to rape and incest—representing 1 percent of all abortions.
95% of all abortions are done for convienience – because it would be too hard and scary to bring a child into the world after the woman has gotten pregnant
Approximately 1/3 of all pregnancies end in abortion
To put it in perspective, here is a listing of American War dead throughout the centuries compared with those who have died from abortion:
Revolutionary War - 4,435 deaths.
Civil War (both sides) - 498,332 deaths.
World War I - 116,708 deaths.
World War II - 407,316 deaths.
Korea - 25,604 deaths.
Vietnam - 58,168 deaths.
Total killed due to abortion since 1973 44,670,812 (44 MILLION) deaths as of April 22, 2004
What does the Bible have to say about the Sanctity of Human Life? Let's look at the following scriptures:
"Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee..." (Jeremiah 1:5)
"He shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb" (Luke 1:15)
"And it came to pass , that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: And she spake with a loud voice, and said 'Blessed are thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb'." (Luke 1:41-42)
"Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man." (Genesis 9:6)
"Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." (Genesis 1:26-27)
"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." (Psalm 139:13-16)
Each of us should consider the value that God places on the life of each one of us, the unborn and those who live on this planet as well. We should all value life and strive to protect it and rescue those who are in need. God is a forgiving God and loves us so much. If you have failed to honor life, and especially if any have had abortions in the past, you need to know that God loves you and forgives you when you call upon Him. There is hope and healing for you as well.
I believe that two major issues that drive the committing of abortion are selfishness on one hand and fear on the other. Many people do not want to be bothered with a child before they are ready. It is just easier to kill the unborn child than it is to go through with the pregnancy. It would be too much of an interruption of the plans that they had for their lives. Others, are literally scared to death. Many women become pregnant and then are abandoned. They are alone with little support or ability to care for the child. The father is gone and perhaps the family of the woman would be little help or would turn against her. I realize that this simplifies the issue and it is never simple. The real question is, how can we intervene in both instances and bring life out of death?
We should seek to be a part of the solution, whether we reach out to mothers who are considering abortion, whether we consider adopting children ourselves, or whether we work to bring spiritual, social, and economic transformation to our society so that the problem of devaluing life is addressed holistically. All of us should consider our own selfishness when it comes to those who are in need and suffering. How can we be Jesus' hands and feet to a lost and hurting world? How can we help rescue those who are in need? It is the responsibility of us all.
If you are interested in finding out more concerning alternatives to abortion, check out Sav-A-Lifeof Montgomery, AL.
I had a really interesting experience on Sunday. I had planned to preach a message regarding what God was doing in our church, our future direction, and how to participate and get involved. I was going to talk about our identity of spritual depth, authentic relationships, and Kingdom growth. I had it all prepared - with notes and everything! But, God seemed to have different plans.
We were ordaining Charley Elgin to the gospel ministry. He and his wife Martie have been down on the Mississippi Gulf Coast helping with rebuilding homes and lives since right after Katrina. They are running a camp in Waveland, MS (check out the web site here). They have been members of our church for several years and Charley was just recently elected an elder, but God has called them beyond our church to impact the world. Part of what we really care about is sending people out and helping them reach others for Christ. Well, Charley and Martie were doing that previously through their association with Military Missions Networkand our previous pastor, Gary Sanders. Through that, God positioned them for what was coming next and has used them greatly in representing Christ through relief work in the wake of Katrina.
At any rate, during the ordination and after Charley shared about moving forward with God as he referenced passing through the wardrobe into Narnia in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, I got the strangest sense that God wanted me to preach something different than what I had officially prepared. This was going to be interesting.
It wasn't like I hadn't studied. Earlier in the week, I was truly captured by Genesis 11:26-12:9 concerning Terah and Abraham (read post from January 6, Traveling to Canaan - this was the message, in essence). God was leading me to share from my heart about following God's call and moving on from Haran, the place of seeming affluence that is actually the place of desolation, on to Canaan, the place of humility where we trust in God to lift us up. I struggled mightily with fear, wondering if I would know what to say or if I would just fall all over my self. I had no notes on that passage, although I had studied extensively on Thursday, going into the Hebrew meanings of the words Haran and Canaan and reading several commentaries. What I thought was just personal Bible study and curiosity, turned into the message for the church on the spot. I surrendered to the Lord, and in a sense lived out what I was saying about trusting God even though I didn't know what exactly was coming next. As usual, God proved Himself faithful and I feel that I was able to say what He was laying on my heart.
It was very special, because He spoke to me deeply as I witnessed the ordination of this extraordinary couple that was stepping out to trust God. I was reminded of Abraham's faith as he ventured out and left all to go to the land that God would show him. He humbled himself enough to quit trusting in his own plan for sustaining his life and he believed God. Therefore, God exalted him and blessed him so that he would be a blessing to all the nations of the earth. I wonder if I have the courage and the faith to trust God, even if I don't know where He is taking me? Or, have I built a house in Haran, the commercial center of affluence, that is comfortable, but not the promised land? If so, I must strike camp and move on, lest I die in desolation like Terah. This question is asked of each of us throughout our lives: Haran or Canaan? Desolation or Humility? The answer is the difference between life and death.
premise is that we are entering what he calls the Therian Age, which will be very spritiual, as modernism has failed us, but it will also be very hostile to Christianity. I believe that he is right and it is being borne out through things like the Da Vinci Code. But, is that not exactly what Paul faced in 
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world"
Perhaps you might be wondering why I preached three messages on giving. I became so enthralled with the subject as I started studying it a month ago that I realized that there was so much to say. And, it isn't like you can just come at it from one direction and talk about it forever. Over the past three weeks we have looked at three different vital aspects of giving. The first message had to do with the object of our giving - we should give to help those in need (see 
The past two weeks, we have talked about God's Kingdom being expressed and advanced through our generosity and the freedom that God has given us to give. There are some major themes that need to be understood when it comes to giving:
On Sunday, I shared a message concerning the sanctity of human life. Over the past thirty years, we have been involved in an incredible struggle in this country over the meaning of life. When does life begin? Of what value is it? Who has the most rights - the mother or the fetus? This debate has spread to other issues like euthanasia, genetic engineering, the terminally ill, etc. As I have been challenged on this issue, I have begun to consider the need to live from a consistent ethic of the value of human life. I have always been pro-life on the issue of abortion, but am I consistent with calling for a pro-life position across the board? Here are some areas that we do not usually think about when it comes to being pro-life:
I struggled mightily with fear, wondering if I would know what to say or if I would just fall all over my self. I had no notes on that passage, although I had studied extensively on Thursday, going into the Hebrew meanings of the words Haran and Canaan and reading several commentaries. What I thought was just personal Bible study and curiosity, turned into the message for the church on the spot. I surrendered to the Lord, and in a sense lived out what I was saying about trusting God even though I didn't know what exactly was coming next. As usual, God proved Himself faithful and I feel that I was able to say what He was laying on my heart.