I want you...

I wish I could understand all that has happened in my life the last two weeks.  Between trying to figure out this pilgrimage in January, and watching life happen whether I want it to or not, I believe myself unable to put organized thought around its meaning.  Either way, it usually isn’t until weeks or months later that things begin to make sense. 

Just like every “season”, there are themes or lessons that stand out in all of the disorganization, the distractions, and the excitement and adventure.  This week’s, or season’s, lesson:  I want you.

If you are like me, you find yourself desiring to understand how to live life in accordance with the gospel.  Trying to be intentional with time spent with others and wrestling with so many questions.  How am I called to live?  In what ways is my life reflecting God?  How do I challenge other people to better know Jesus?  Ironically, I usually forget to seek Jesus on these issues, and in my pursuit of others, I often find Jesus pursuing me. 

Yes, it is soooo important to pursue lasting relationships with others, both like-minded Christians and those who don’t share your spiritual convictions.  That was Jesus’ ministry, but he also found significant time to spend with the Father.  I often find myself forgetting to pursue Christ, and fill it pursuing others.  That’s where He usually speaks, “I want you,” in some form or fashion.  Side-note: I do need to give credit to Chris for this beautiful reminder. 

A good friend shared a message from John 15:1-8 last night, such wisdom.  To be useful servants of Christ we need to remain connected to the core of our faith, Jesus.  Can we be Jesus, without be connected to him?  Verse five is very clear, “I am the vine; you are the branches.  Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”  If our goal is to live the gospel and bear fruit, it is impossible to do it without first pursuing Jesus.  We cannot do anything for Christ, without Christ.  Not only must He be our source, He should be our focus. 

So in the middle of the busyness, disorganization, distractions, adventure, and even the pure intentions… remember this, Jesus wants us to pursue intentional time with others, but don’t forget His very important message, “I want you.”

John 15:5

I am the vine; you are the branches.  Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Risk is Right

“Risk is right.”- John Piper

I usually don’t encourage others to read a book until I have finished it, but I feel fairly confident about this one.  So if you are looking for a book with challenging theology and convicting arguments about life and purpose, you need to pick up Don’t Waste Your Life, by John Piper.  I’ll probably wait to finish the book to give my complete list of thoughts, but there has been one chapter that I just have to write about.  Now.

Throughout the book, John Piper has been speaking to many of my current convictions and feelings about American culture and American church culture.   He has encouraged the many questions I have been asking about my own life and their need to be asked, by everyone.  Am I pursuing a prosperous life that God wishes for me, or am I imposing what my own beliefs of what it means to be prosperous?  Am I grasping the magnitude of what God has purposed me for, or am I distracted by a comfortable life or this “enchantment of security” that John Piper says so many of us fall into?  Do I truly believe that God will prepare and provide for me, or do I need to be constantly worrying about my immediate needs?  Do I think my constant preparation for the future is to glorify God, or am I trying to minimize risk of living uncomfortably? 

That is just the short list…  I have had so many questions running through my head this last year that I don’t feel this list does it justice, but that’s not the focus.  The commonality among all these questions is asking on some level if I am living life in accordance with the Gospel?  For me I feel like my life is too safe, to easy, lacking too man relationships with hurting and broken people, and too risk free to “fit” into the pages of the New Testament.  This is why John Piper’s simple statement struck such a chord in my life.

Friends, “Risk is right”. 

“On the far side of every risk–even if it results in death—the love of God triumphs.  This is the faith that frees us to risk for the cause of God.  It is not heroism, or lust for adventure, or courageous self-reliance, or efforts to earn God’s favor.  It is childlike faith in the triumph of God’s love—that on the other side of all our risks, for the sake of righteousness, God will still be holding us.  We will be eternally satisfied in Him.  Nothing will have been wasted.” [emphasis added]

(Don't Waste Your Life, John Piper)

This may just be me, but I believe my call to follow Christ has been distracted by my comfort bubble too long, avoiding risk like we avoid that awkward admirer… the knowing that they are there but hoping that if you ignore them long enough maybe they’ll just go away, kind of thing.   If I truly let the God of the Bible prepare and provide for me, as he constantly promises, I think I would be willing to risk a little more for His sake and making His glory known. 

Friends, it is my hope that we can help each other learn to risk it all for the sake of Christ, sooner rather than later.  Today I ask you to consider the things that are keeping us from living the Gospel; only we can answer these questions for ourselves.  We have been given only one life; let’s not waste it. 

Romans 8:35-39

Who shall separate us from the Love of Christ?  Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?  As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.  

Gun Collectors

I listened to an incredible lecture by Pastor Mark Driscoll about the Spirit-filled ministry of Jesus.  For those of you who aren’t familiar with Pastor Mark, I offer a word of caution.  He cuts right to the chase, and goes straight for your heart.  Do not plan on listening to a sermon or lecture by him and anticipate leaving with a warm fuzzy feeling inside.  He has an incredible ability to make people truly examine their heart, their actions, their faith, and how too often we are missing the big picture all together. 

In this message Pastor Mark makes a very convincing, and convicting, analogy about our faith and gun collectors.  Gun collectors spend a lot of time, polishing, cleaning, and protecting their guns.  They buy safes and vaults for them, because these guns are important to them.  They do everything required to maintain their beautiful weapons, including not using them for their intended use…  shooting. 

How are we any different?  When looking at our spiritual lives we do the same thing.  We polish our beliefs.  We do the things that make us look good, and are vital to a life of a Christ follower.  Yet often times we lose sight of what we were intended for.  We, like guns, were created to be powerful, life-changing, and useful tools that can give and take life.  We were not created to brush up on our theology, read the Bible, join a church, invest in a community group, pursue Truth, and then be put in a safe to be kept from harm.  No, we are intended to be cleaned, polished, and prepared for our intended use, to be powerful and useful tools that can alter history, change lives, pursue the lost, and love without reserve.  

Friends, let us not be the "gun collectors" of faith... may we be used as God intended us to be used, in powerful and incredible ways. 

If you have an hour, I highly encourage you to listen to Pastor Mark’s lecture.  You can find it, and others like it at The Resurgence website, or you can go directly to the page by clicking here. 

Grace and love to you, friends. 

John 15:16,17

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last.  Then the father will give you whatever you ask in my name.  This is my command: Love each other.

Tiny American Jesus

This week has humbled me.  God continually reminds me how little control I have, and that He will do what He wants if I just let Him.  Between meeting new friends, running into old friends and turning to the right page in the right book, I have been brought back to just how human we are and how much we limit what God can and will do through us… if we are willing.

Friends, be careful that we are not falling into the pattern that Paul warns Timothy about.  We are playing with a fine, and dangerous, line here in America.  We cannot be the church that turns Faith into religion by surrounding ourselves with people who tell us what we want to hear, all the while denying truth (II Timothy 4:3,4).  We cannot become the church that pursues a comfortable way of living if we neglect our brothers in need.  John even challenges those who do this, “How can the love of God be in him?” (I John 3:17).  We cannot become the compromised church culture that is okay with certain sins, but claim righteousness because we are still all around good people (II Timothy 3:1-4).  We cannot put on a form of godliness, but deny His power (II Timothy 3:5).  Brothers and sisters, we cannot remove faith from the equation.

A new friend of mine said it perfectly on Thursday night.  We cannot keep pursuing our “Tiny American Jesus”.  

Catherine Booth warns us how Satan works when we live this way, Many do not recognize the fact as they ought, that Satan has got men fast asleep in sin and that it is his great device to keep them so.  He does not care what we do if he can do that.  We may sing songs about the sweet by and by, preach sermons and say prayers until doomsday, and he will never concern himself about us, if we don't wake anybody up.  But if we awake the sleeping sinner he will gnash on us with his teeth.  This is our work- to wake people up.
(Much gratitude to Jana for this timely message)

Not only do we ourselves need an awakening, people, it is time we started waking others up!

Jesus is so much bigger than this.  Paul says, “Christ came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst.  But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life,” (I Timothy 2:15,16).  If Christ can take Paul, the worst of sinners, a mass murderer of men, women, and children, and use him for a greater glory, imagine how much more he wants to do with you!    

It’s amazing when God throws the same scripture (II Corinthians 12:9,10) at you day in and day out.  Especially when He is trying to remind me just how weak I am.  Then it turns into an incredible revelation when we realize that even in our weakness, God not only wants to use us, but He is made strong! He didn't design us perfectly that we might depend on our own strength, but that we might depend on Him.

Here is the bottom line, our Jesus is much bigger than the Tiny American Jesus that so many of us pursue.  He has incredible plans and adventures for every one of us, but until we are willing to bring faith back into the equation we will continue to struggle with poor theology, we will continue to surround ourselves with people who tell us what we want to hear, and we will continue to wear a form of godliness while denying His power. 

As Oswald Chambers reminds us, God has chosen you (John 15:16), let Him have His way!
(My Utmost for His Highest, October 25th)

Brothers and sisters, may we stop pursuing a Jesus that is limited to our own cultural values, but may we see Him fully, in His entirety.  May we realize how weak we are, and just how much we desperately need a savior to depend.  May we start waking people up to these truths, and may we let him have His way. 

II Corinthians 12:9,10

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Costly Grace

"Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. . . . It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life." - D. Bonhoeffer

I came across this quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer on Facebook. Ironically, the pastor who posted this for his status is a distant cousin of mine.  If my Facebook research is correct (not sure how credible this would be in academia), Frederick Eaton is a cousin to my Uncle Nate… who knew, I have a relative in Canada, and he loves Jesus. 

While I have never met or spoken with my distant cousin, I am grateful for these powerful words.  How great the price that was paid for my sins.  This statement helps put into perspective the conviction that I pray this grace holds in all of our lives: It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. 

Friends, this grace is a gift; and as Bonhoeffer reminds us, it must be sought again and again.  We will never reach a point in which we no longer need grace.  Yes, Jesus promises us to put sin to death (Romans 8:13-14), but we can only do this when the Spirit lives in us, when we seek the truth of the gospel again and again, and when we let God’s word reign true in all parts of our lives… not just the little bit we take with us to Church on Sundays. 

I have yet to meet someone who reflects the humility and authority of the Spirit who is not constantly in the Word pursuing God’s will for their lives, or who is not seeking the gospel again and again.  It will not happen.  The grace we so desperately want does come through faith in God, but it does not stop there.  Faith should not stop in our home, it must change the way we look at, and live, the callings in our lives.  Let this cost of grace, that cost a man his life (the Son of God), send you in a passionate pursuit of an unimaginable adventure with our God.  When we just begin to understand the cost of grace and the power of God that is exactly what faith becomes… an adventure! 

Believe me, this adventure will not be confined to your church building or home…  this faith will take you places to seek out people you never thought you would.  It may not be to another country, but it will be to where there are lost people.  Brothers and sisters, may we never forget the cost of grace. 

I John 3:23-24

And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.  Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them.  And this is how we know that he lives in us:  We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

Leadership Outline

To be brief, let’s just say it was a crazy few weeks, certainly ones that I will never forget.  I’m sure future journal entries will include a few of these simply unbelievable stories.  And still, in all the craziness I have been drawn back to the topic of discipleship, and developing spiritual leaders for this generation (myself included).  My heart for this past year has been to inspire male leaders to pursue the heart of God; something I wish was more prevalent today.  In looking at potential books of the Bible to study for the upcoming months I came across Paul’s letter to Titus.  I’ve read this before, but must have been preoccupied, because what I came across was pure gold, probably better than gold… how could I have possibly missed it the first time? 

In the first chapter (Titus 1), Paul outlines what a spiritual leader is not, how they should act, how to prepare for leadership, and why we need to be prepared.

What a spiritual leader is not.

Titus 1:7

Since an overseer is entrusted with God’s work, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. 

Friends, leadership is not about the list of things we cannot do.  Yet Paul offers us clear warnings of things that will ruin us as leaders.  If we treat others in the manner that Paul clearly warns us not to, we will be presenting a human version of the gospel.  In order to avoid these things, we must surrender our human desires to the Lord.  It is not by our own power and will, that will be able to avoid these types of behavior. 

From personal experience, being an overbearing, quick-tempered leader has hurt a lot of people in my life.  Not to mention, there were not many (if any) who wanted to follow me…  Fortunately I was able to use soccer as an avenue for discovering that this is not how we were intended to treat others, let alone lead them.  Thankfully, Paul offers better options for us to strive for. 

How a spiritual leader should act.

Titus 1:8

Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. 

Treat people kindly, respectfully, and with love. Additionally, lead by example.  The more in touch we are with God, the source of Pure Love, the better we will be able to share this love through us.  Leadership is not about telling people what to do or how to do it… it is instilling the desire deep within them, so they do it willingly and passionately, for the glory of the Lord. 

The second half of this is understanding that the life of a leader, especially a spiritual leader, will take self-control and discipline.  It is easy to let cultural and social pressures influence certain decisions you make, yet in leading others we cannot waver in our beliefs, we must be strive to be blameless, holy, and upright.   

How to prepare for leadership.

Titus 1:9

He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.

Grab your sword, hold firmly to the Gospel!  Aspiring leaders, we must open our Bibles and take ownership of our faith.  We cannot depend solely on Church and/or Bible study on a weekly basis to prepare us for the trials of this world.  I could journal for days on this topic, but to prepare you must spend time in the word, in prayer, and in community with other Christ followers.  Without these three basic ingredients, we truly are “sheep among wolves”, but without an adequate understanding of our desperate need to depend on God. 

If we struggle to explain how greatly we are loved by God, the gospel message, our need for a savior, or simply what we believe… then we are in desperate need of increasing our time spent in the word and in prayer.  If we do give God our best (in terms of time) instead of our leftovers, it will be incredibly difficult to hold firmly to this trustworthy message when we are challenged. 

Why we need to be prepared

Titus 1:10-11

For there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group.  They must be silenced because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not—and that for the sake of dishonest gain. 

The bottom line: Souls are at stake!  Friends, if we cannot defend our faith, then we are losing countless souls for God’s kingdom.  Not only are we not winning souls, will we even be able to keep our own from falling subject to the lies that so many believe?  Friends, when we come to a realization of what the stakes are, we can no longer mindlessly meander through life or faith.  There has to be initiation, and there has to be urgency.  Groups of people (entire households) are being lost, there is still countless people dying of preventable diseases and starvation, and we are comfortable reading our Bibles once a month and trying to give God an hour every Sunday… This is not leadership, it is not what we have been called to do, we are not pursuing souls, and we not being useful servants of Christ.    

I hope this little bit of scripture has convicted you as it has me.  We are in time that desperately needs committed followers of Christ to encourage others to join them in their pursuit of God’s will for their life.  My prayer is that His will is made clear as we pursue Him, together. 

Radical

I just finished reading the book, Radical, by David Platt.  In my digestion process I usually choose to write about things…  plus, I am still out of regular work, so this is what I do… journal. 

Did I enjoy the book?  I did, it was very thought provoking and convicting; at times it was also affirming of certain things that have been on my heart.  Yet, just like everything we read or see on television, I think we need to enter with the mindset that these are human thoughts and should be thoughtfully considered and even challenged.  Blind agreement can be dangerous, if we read something that parallels much of our own beliefs, we can often fall into believing the whole thing. 

I’m not writing this to say that I disagree with David in his book, yet there is much that I am still processing.  In fact, I would certainly recommend others to read it and would welcome their thoughts on this book and its message.  There are great arguments found in David's writing, and I think God has used this book to inspire many towards a radical pursuit of Jesus.  But at the end I am unsure if David missed something, I’m not even sure I can explain what it may be. 

Absolutely, I believe we are all called to a radical obedience of the gospel.  However, this may be very different for a lot of people, depending on their season of life.  Not only did Jesus call his disciples to give up everything and follow him, but I also believe that he entrusted others with large amounts of material possessions for His glory (just a few that come to mind are King David, Joseph, and Daniel).  God can use us where we are at, I fully believe this.  But, we must be soooo careful that we do not confuse where we are currently, with God’s will for us.  He has given us free will, that doesn’t mean that everything we decide, and do, is a part of God’s greater plan for us.  Only when we are walking in step with Jesus, will we more consistently make those decisions and choices that God wises for us as a part of His perfect plan (the whole draw near to God, and He will draw near to you idea). 

This is where my little disconnect with the book comes in.  I believe David, maybe unknowingly, has painted a picture that God has all called us all to go abroad, as soon as possible.  Yet it seems right though, "Go and make disciples of all nations..." (Matthew 26:19).  Honestly, I do not believe David intended for us to feel this, but I found it continually resonating in my mind the more I read.  Ironic enough, this is largely how I desire to live; but for myself, and for others who read this book, we felt that in order to be a committed Christ follower we must go abroad, and soon. 

I do believe God is calling many of us to give up everything and go.  Yet, I do not believe that God wills us to go with out preparation by studying the Bible, learning the language, or understanding the culture.  Nor do I believe he will ask many of us to walk away from all other responsibilities in our life. He has entrusted many of us with these responsibilities (families, finances, relationships, etc...) to be used for his Glory.  However, I do believe He can call any of us, at any moment, prepared or not, responsibilities or a lack there of, to go right now...  but I do not think this is how God calls everyone.  In fact, by Jesus’ example we see that he spent three years discipling twelve men before deploying them.  He prepared them, before sending them out.  If I can be certain of one thing it is this, God is preparing us, and He certainly desires to send us. 

It is quite likely that your time will come when you can, and should, give it all away.  I’ve been inspired by family friends who, after both of their kids left for college, sold everything to go work full time at an orphanage in Guatemala.  Still, before their kids went off to school they would make annual trips to this orphanage and give of themselves generously, as a family.  They raised their family in such a way as to prepare them to be deployed. 

So this is my take, where do we begin our radical obedience to God?  By getting on our knees, studying the Bible, and pursuing the heart of God with other Christ followers.  There is no cookie cutter way in which God works…  but He is working, and he will do crazy things in your life, and mine, when we radically pursue Him. 

II Corinthians 4:5
For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.