No matter what any terrorist has ever said, terrorism does not see religion, ethnicity, culture, values, or crime. Terrorism fires blindly at the human race and destroys lives out of pure malice, and nothing more. With this in mind, I implore you, Pray for Paris.
As of this moment, the death toll still rises and some of the people responsible are still at large. This is not a news report; this is a call to turn on your TV, pick up your phone or computer, and tune in to the worldwide devastation. Do not be deceived in telling yourself it does not pertain to you because you are an ocean away. This affects all of us. Today we weep, mourn, and bleed along with the French and we acknowledge that no man, no organization, and no force has the right to shake us to our core, even in the midst of this tragedy.
We must not be shaken. We must stand strong and support our beloved brothers and sisters, regardless of the miles, years, and experiences between us. We who are not directly affected by this act are now the shoulder to lean on for all who are. Today we acknowledge that the only way we can stand is to stand united.
In recent times, the world has beat to the rhythm of comfort and pleasure. If any action, thought, or word offends someone, it is frowned upon and forbidden. But today the difference has become all too clear between being offended and being broken. Words and thoughts cause people to bend, but not to break. Contrary to how a tweet or headline makes you feel, you keep pressing on. But when a man with a trigger uses it to end lives, we cannot continue in our blind offense to hurtful words and thus ignore powerful weapons. Now is not the time for words of defense. Now is the time for action. Most of all, now is the time for prayer.
Many people turn bitter in the midst of tragedy. The general tendency is to have questions, and who better to direct them to than God? But when there is no immediate response, anger ensues. Make no mistake: anger, among many other things, leads men to pull the trigger to end lives. Today we aim to restore lives that have been shattered. We cannot spare a moment to ask God "why?" or "how?" or "who?" In situations such as this we need only ask for help.
In the midst of the rubble of the fall of mankind, we have only two directions to turn: towards God, or away from him. Regardless of who you are or which way you have gone to this point, I plead with you once more: turn to God. In your hour of need and in the world's hour of need, we can turn to other people if we want to. But people tend to break things. We are currently seeking restoration, and we WILL find it if we lift our eyes beyond the breaking news and to the Heavens. Whoever you are, wherever you are, whatever you're doing, drop it and Pray for Paris.
"If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." --2 Chronicles 7:14
Friday, November 13, 2015
Friday, May 22, 2015
Kick-Drum Complex
There's just something about a kick drum and a lead singer with a moderately priced haircut that really opens hearts to the work of the Holy Spirit.
At least that's how it always feels. In that moment, those who gathered to worship become aware of their desperate need for grace and hearts change. Yet they then return home. Some might read the Bible the next day. Others may be able to keep it up for several months, but eventually most people fall away. As it turns out, hearts weren't really impacted- only eardrums and tear ducts.
I use the word they because it's not really considered proper writing technique to speak in first or second person. Forgive me for breaking that rule, but I would be lying if I said I hadn't experienced the Kick Drum Complex myself. So, what went wrong? Obviously we know change is necessary because we felt convicted, and we know that the end result of this change is Christ-likeness. We know where we finish, but we don't know where to start.
It's always possible because we serve an omnipotent God; nevertheless, it's highly unlikely that anyone can go from a spiritual drought to daily sincere time spent with God. The reason for this is not that God cannot or does not work in us quickly, but generally that we tried and expected to do it ourselves. To put it simply, if we set out to grow in our faith alone, we set ourselves up for failure. A flower does not grow because of its willpower. It requires sunlight and water, and it grow faster if fertilized. Plants may be considered autotrophic, but they don't provide their own water or fertilizer. The caretaker of the plant must provide for basic needs in order for the plant to become something as opposed to shriveling up in death. Ephesians 2:1-9 describes Christ in a similar fashion. He provides for our spiritual needs not so that our lives can be sustained, but so that we can be given life in the first place.
As Ephesians 2:9 says salvation is not a result of our own works. Sanctification works the same way. The motto of my youth group is "Gospel, Community, Mission." The first of those is always the starting point. Have you been changed by the gospel? That's something only you and God truly know. If the answer to that is no, you physically cannot go further until God makes you alive. In spite of what AMC says, dead people don't walk anywhere. Those who are spiritually dead cannot start down the path of sanctification. The good news is that in spite of what you did, what you do, and what you will do, God does make you alive by grace through faith in Christ. That's where transformation has to start; you can't skip it. Once you are alive, however, you begin to transform beginning with the next word in the motto: community.
Genesis 1:26-28 briefly describes the creation of man. In this description, God makes two very important things known: first, God is in three persons, hence the use of the pronoun "us." Secondly, God created man in his image. In essence, humanity was created to desire and to need community, obviously with God, but also with other believers. That's why God designed the church. We need accountability. So if we want our faith to grow, we cannot settle for just a daily quiet time. It is important to be actively involved in a church and to dig into the word not just alone, but also with fellow believers. Pray for each other and hold each other accountable. Find someone more spiritually mature and ask them to be your accountability partner. Be at church and don't just go out of obligation. Go joyfully, and pray for God to use his word and his people to work in you. Ask God for wisdom. Ask Him for faith. Ask Him to change you.
Most importantly, don't just ask. Ask in faith; in other words, expect God to work in you. Ask him and know that he will. That's what faith is. Faith is not just abstractly or intellectually believing something. It demands to be put into action. Certainty does not come instantly, but the phrase "leap of faith" doesn't generally refer to certainty. When we begin to leap, we begin to see God's faithfulness not to provide earthly reward, but to constantly change us and sanctify us. Once dead, we have been made alive, and day by day we become more beautiful. That's what faith looks like from the seemingly invisible starting point to the beautiful finish that is yet to come.
"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord." -James 1:5-7
At least that's how it always feels. In that moment, those who gathered to worship become aware of their desperate need for grace and hearts change. Yet they then return home. Some might read the Bible the next day. Others may be able to keep it up for several months, but eventually most people fall away. As it turns out, hearts weren't really impacted- only eardrums and tear ducts.
I use the word they because it's not really considered proper writing technique to speak in first or second person. Forgive me for breaking that rule, but I would be lying if I said I hadn't experienced the Kick Drum Complex myself. So, what went wrong? Obviously we know change is necessary because we felt convicted, and we know that the end result of this change is Christ-likeness. We know where we finish, but we don't know where to start.
It's always possible because we serve an omnipotent God; nevertheless, it's highly unlikely that anyone can go from a spiritual drought to daily sincere time spent with God. The reason for this is not that God cannot or does not work in us quickly, but generally that we tried and expected to do it ourselves. To put it simply, if we set out to grow in our faith alone, we set ourselves up for failure. A flower does not grow because of its willpower. It requires sunlight and water, and it grow faster if fertilized. Plants may be considered autotrophic, but they don't provide their own water or fertilizer. The caretaker of the plant must provide for basic needs in order for the plant to become something as opposed to shriveling up in death. Ephesians 2:1-9 describes Christ in a similar fashion. He provides for our spiritual needs not so that our lives can be sustained, but so that we can be given life in the first place.
As Ephesians 2:9 says salvation is not a result of our own works. Sanctification works the same way. The motto of my youth group is "Gospel, Community, Mission." The first of those is always the starting point. Have you been changed by the gospel? That's something only you and God truly know. If the answer to that is no, you physically cannot go further until God makes you alive. In spite of what AMC says, dead people don't walk anywhere. Those who are spiritually dead cannot start down the path of sanctification. The good news is that in spite of what you did, what you do, and what you will do, God does make you alive by grace through faith in Christ. That's where transformation has to start; you can't skip it. Once you are alive, however, you begin to transform beginning with the next word in the motto: community.
Genesis 1:26-28 briefly describes the creation of man. In this description, God makes two very important things known: first, God is in three persons, hence the use of the pronoun "us." Secondly, God created man in his image. In essence, humanity was created to desire and to need community, obviously with God, but also with other believers. That's why God designed the church. We need accountability. So if we want our faith to grow, we cannot settle for just a daily quiet time. It is important to be actively involved in a church and to dig into the word not just alone, but also with fellow believers. Pray for each other and hold each other accountable. Find someone more spiritually mature and ask them to be your accountability partner. Be at church and don't just go out of obligation. Go joyfully, and pray for God to use his word and his people to work in you. Ask God for wisdom. Ask Him for faith. Ask Him to change you.
Most importantly, don't just ask. Ask in faith; in other words, expect God to work in you. Ask him and know that he will. That's what faith is. Faith is not just abstractly or intellectually believing something. It demands to be put into action. Certainty does not come instantly, but the phrase "leap of faith" doesn't generally refer to certainty. When we begin to leap, we begin to see God's faithfulness not to provide earthly reward, but to constantly change us and sanctify us. Once dead, we have been made alive, and day by day we become more beautiful. That's what faith looks like from the seemingly invisible starting point to the beautiful finish that is yet to come.
"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord." -James 1:5-7
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Desperate Soles
When you think about it, shoes say a lot about a person. When you look at someone’s shoes, you can probably guess an approximate age, and usually if you are dealing with a he or a she. For example, little pink Crocs generally fit young girls. Massive black Nikes are more likely to go on a massive young man, and so on. If you take a closer look, you might be able to tell a person’s hobbies. Cleats suggest a football, baseball, soccer, or softball player. Jordans and the works suggest a basketball player. Stilettos suggest a businesswoman, black dress shoes, a business man. If you read the brand name, you can get a pretty close guess at a person’s financial life. Off brand shoes cry out, “This person has a low income!” while Chacos, Uggs, and Sperrys might as well be sandwich boards that say, “I just got a raise!” And then, if you get really, really close, you can find out the most important thing about a person—what kind of road he has been on, and how long. As you read this, it might be occurring to you that your shoes might need replacing. So if the shoe fits, maybe we should stop talking about footwear.
A common mistake Christians can make (and I’m not immune to this myself) is getting so caught up in the theology and theory that the gospel gets stomped down to irrelevancy. In the attempt to be wiser, we make ourselves fools—the gospel is the center of the relationship between God and man, and therefore the only reason we have any theology to argue about.
So, what is the gospel? In as few words as possible, I would point you to the Bible. Before you agree with or argue against anything I say, give it a read. Many people reject the Bible as an antiquated instruction manual. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. I’m sure I’m not the only one who searched everything in my home closely related to a wardrobe for Narnia and rummaged through the mail for a Hogwarts letter at least once. Many people want nothing more than to be a part of an epic story. Little do they know the Bible IS that story. It has a beginning, in which everything that was and is in existence was created except for the Creator, who is uncreated. The creation was perfect for a time, until the first ruler of the world disobeyed God for the first time. All of our past, present, and future hinged on the moment Eve took a bite of that fruit. The centuries following were filled with rape, murder, war, and death… not so different from the world we live in now. Man tried to climb back up to perfection through sacrifice and obedience, but always fell short. God’s people were thrown into slavery not once, but twice. And then… silence. Man didn’t hear from God for three-hundred years. So ends the Old Testament.
All seemed hopeless. Man had fallen too far. Had God given up? So begins the New Testament. But then one night in the town of Bethlehem, a baby was born in a barn. How climactic, right? But alas, this baby wasn’t born to be a shepherd and lead a flock of sheep; the ruler and king, the son of man God had promised as early as Genesis 3 had come. He came into the world and claimed to be the Messiah. After many witnessed miracles and sermons, he died on a cross. But he didn’t stay dead. After three days in the grave, he rose again. He later ascended into heaven with the promise to return.
One certainly can’t argue that these events were at the very least supernatural, but how did an entire religion stem from them? That’s where the gospel comes in.
As Christians, we do not merely believe that Jesus died on the cross. Something happened there: something we call the Great Exchange. Before his death, all the sin of the past, present, and future was placed on him. God himself took on every sin. That includes that time you looked your parents in the eye and disobeyed them. It includes the time you lied to your best friend, even though it was just a “little white lie.” It includes the murder and adultery you have committed in your heart. Every sin ever was on Jesus’ shoulders. He saw it all, felt it all, and took the blame for it all. How could he see that and still love us? I guess you could say God only knows. Because he does. Your sin was on his shoulders because you were on his heart. It wasn’t a general love for humanity that led the King of the Universe to die on the cross, it was you. It was me. It was each individual person that deserves death and hell but instead receives Christ’s righteousness in the Great Exchange. This is the gospel.
So what does all of that have to do with shoes? Well, if you thought your Converse sneakers needed some polishing, look at your life. Look at all of us. It doesn’t take a shoe expert to know our soles aren’t the cleanest, and it doesn’t take a moral expert to know the same is true of our souls. But Jesus Christ put himself in your shoes. Not your best dress shoes or your ratty old sneakers, but your own physical state of sin and death. Now you get to put yourself in his shoes and stand before God as a son or daughter. So stop looking at your shoes, and lift up your eyes to the Father.
"Ponder the path of your feet,; then all your ways will be sure." -Proverbs 4:26
Sunday, February 1, 2015
"Good News Changes Everything"
This weekend, my church had a youth event called Impact. It's similar to what other churches call Disciple Now. The theme at Impact this year was "Good News Changes Everything."
In light of the Gospel, this really is true. The Gospel changes everything.
The Gospel isn't just about how we are saved. It isn't just a cute little list of steps that gets us to heaven.
The Gospel is the great story of God's incomprehensible, incredible, mind-blowing miracle designed before the beginning of time and fashioned entirely out of love.
The Gospel the front page headline that we don't even deserve to be alive to read that says "SIN IS DEFEATED, WE ARE FREE."
It is the victory in a war mankind fought and continuously lost from the early chapters of Genesis to approximately 33 A.D.
It is the story of Jesus Christ, who, according to Ephesians 2:1-9, didn't merely save us, but makes us alive.
The Gospel is a massive, flashing arrow back to the King of the Universe who made you and me and everybody else and the world we live in for the sole purpose of his glory, which is our sole satisfaction. It is only through Jesus's blood and righteousness that we are made righteous before God. Through this God is glorified, and through this and only this we are satisfied. Not only that, but now we are truly alive and truly free.
We are free to enjoy God's creation as it was intended.
We are free to feel unspeakable sorrow and rest in Christ.
We are free to feel indescribable joy and sing loudest praises to our King.
We are free to love one another unconditionally.
We are free to build each other up.
We are free to proclaim this good news of freedom from the rooftops and along with the mountains.
We are free from sin,
free from death,
free from hell.
We are free to live eternally with our creator.
We are free to someday see our savior face to face.
We are free to enter the courts of the King unashamedly robed in Jesus's righteousness.
We are free to rejoice,
free to love,
free to hope.
Good news changes everything.
"We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus." -Romans 6:6-11
In light of the Gospel, this really is true. The Gospel changes everything.
The Gospel isn't just about how we are saved. It isn't just a cute little list of steps that gets us to heaven.
The Gospel is the great story of God's incomprehensible, incredible, mind-blowing miracle designed before the beginning of time and fashioned entirely out of love.
The Gospel the front page headline that we don't even deserve to be alive to read that says "SIN IS DEFEATED, WE ARE FREE."
It is the victory in a war mankind fought and continuously lost from the early chapters of Genesis to approximately 33 A.D.
It is the story of Jesus Christ, who, according to Ephesians 2:1-9, didn't merely save us, but makes us alive.
The Gospel is a massive, flashing arrow back to the King of the Universe who made you and me and everybody else and the world we live in for the sole purpose of his glory, which is our sole satisfaction. It is only through Jesus's blood and righteousness that we are made righteous before God. Through this God is glorified, and through this and only this we are satisfied. Not only that, but now we are truly alive and truly free.
We are free to enjoy God's creation as it was intended.
We are free to feel unspeakable sorrow and rest in Christ.
We are free to feel indescribable joy and sing loudest praises to our King.
We are free to love one another unconditionally.
We are free to build each other up.
We are free to proclaim this good news of freedom from the rooftops and along with the mountains.
We are free from sin,
free from death,
free from hell.
We are free to live eternally with our creator.
We are free to someday see our savior face to face.
We are free to enter the courts of the King unashamedly robed in Jesus's righteousness.
We are free to rejoice,
free to love,
free to hope.
Good news changes everything.
"We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus." -Romans 6:6-11
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