Luke 6:27-31 Familiar, but a few often avoided sentences. I have never been so challenged by something like this in a while.
"I tell you who hear me" Am I listening? Do I really want to hear what Jesus says? "Of course" I might answer, but really do I want to hear? What if I hear something I have not heard before? What if it does not make sense? What if it does?
"To you who are ready for the truth" Message Trans.
Am I READY for the truth? How do I know I am ready?
Am I ready for the TRUTH? My answer might be "It depends" or "maybe" or "what do you mean?"
"I say this." Msg. Is truth only in code or will Jesus say this only when I am ready for the truth?
Sometimes getting ready is tough. I have to go through some hard things until I say to Jesus "I am ready." We can try everything, go to every conference and read every book coming up without any real answers that get to the core of our issues and then Jesus quietly says "are you ready now?' Solutions only come in a relationship with Jesus where he speaks and I do not treat what he says as an option.
Then he says something like "Love your enemies." Great! Now my life gets challenging. This is hard to understand and even harder to do.
Who makes the boundaries as to what or who is included here? This is going to take a radical adjustment to my life to do this or anything Jesus says. Why does he have to say such things that turn my world upside down? Why do I have to really even question what he says? Why can't I just trust that whatever he says is right and if I do it, I will enter into a dimension of the Christian life unattainable any other way?
This is not a hypothetical few sentences I am sharing with you. I really am dealing with this one.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
New Threads, Wine and Grain
Luke 5:36-39 and 6:1-5 We all like new things...well, not everyone. Jesus made many statements in his brief stay on our planet but here are a few that were understood by the religious crowd and they did not only disagree with them but wanted to eliminate Jesus because of them.
You cannot sew a patch of clothing from new cloth onto an old cloth without problems. You cannot pour new wine into an old wine container without destroying the old container and losing the new wine. What does this mean?
There is new thinking and different ways of doing ministry these days. There is always new thinking and new ways of doing ministry that runs counter to traditional thinking or ministry strategies. You cannot combine new thinking or ways of doing ministry with the traditional thinking or ministry strategies. It does not work. Both are adversely affected. They do not have enough common ground to connect. New thinking requires new ministry models which are not necessarily to be copied. People who like or are familiar with the traditional ways of thinking and doing ministry will disagree with the new. They believe the old wine is better.
Who makes the rules? Some people are going to question what they do not understand or agree with. In some cases, these people made the rules. The religious people questioned Jesus' disciples and Jesus about rules about the Sabbath. Jesus however, is the one who makes the rules. When he speaks about something, it changes everything.
The traditions were being broken...but Jesus is in charge.
What about transitions? It does take time to alter a way of thinking or a way of looking at how ministry should be done. It requires patience on the part of the one with the new way of looking at ministry and teachability on the part of the one receiving the new wine.
Why are you doing that? We need to be ready and able to answer the questions that traditional thinking people ask us. New is not the issue but hearing from Jesus is. We are not slaves to traditional religious rules but rather we are slaves to Jesus.
What are some Sabbath rules in place today? Think about this one as you look at your life now. Following some of these rules may be keeping non-Christians you and I know from seeing the gospel lived out.
You cannot sew a patch of clothing from new cloth onto an old cloth without problems. You cannot pour new wine into an old wine container without destroying the old container and losing the new wine. What does this mean?
There is new thinking and different ways of doing ministry these days. There is always new thinking and new ways of doing ministry that runs counter to traditional thinking or ministry strategies. You cannot combine new thinking or ways of doing ministry with the traditional thinking or ministry strategies. It does not work. Both are adversely affected. They do not have enough common ground to connect. New thinking requires new ministry models which are not necessarily to be copied. People who like or are familiar with the traditional ways of thinking and doing ministry will disagree with the new. They believe the old wine is better.
Who makes the rules? Some people are going to question what they do not understand or agree with. In some cases, these people made the rules. The religious people questioned Jesus' disciples and Jesus about rules about the Sabbath. Jesus however, is the one who makes the rules. When he speaks about something, it changes everything.
The traditions were being broken...but Jesus is in charge.
What about transitions? It does take time to alter a way of thinking or a way of looking at how ministry should be done. It requires patience on the part of the one with the new way of looking at ministry and teachability on the part of the one receiving the new wine.
Why are you doing that? We need to be ready and able to answer the questions that traditional thinking people ask us. New is not the issue but hearing from Jesus is. We are not slaves to traditional religious rules but rather we are slaves to Jesus.
What are some Sabbath rules in place today? Think about this one as you look at your life now. Following some of these rules may be keeping non-Christians you and I know from seeing the gospel lived out.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Can't Touch This
MC Hammer had a song a few years ago that had a line - "Can't touch this". It seems this song could have made the charts in Jesus' day also.
In Luke 5:12-13 is a normal day with Jesus. It may have begun like every other day but today Jesus would alter the thinking of the culture and potential followers. Jesus entered a world designated "stay out" by most and especially the religious. He not only entered this man's world but he did the unthinkable-he touched him. The man wanted to know if Jesus was willing to deal with his issue. Jesus was willing. Jesus' action indicated his willingness to heal this man.
Most of us avoid and categorize people who we do not want to be around. Those with HIV, a prison past, divorced, gay, abusive, ugly appearance, wealthy...we are not going to that house.
Jesus spoke to him. He was intentionally going to violate every cultural norm that had been erected in his day. I am sure he angered some and confused others. Truth has a way of doing that.
There are people who walk around wanting to get some help but usually have no one to talk with about their life. They may not have the skin issues of this man but never the less no one really is paying attention to them. It is so easy to say we are willing but another thing to actually match our thoughts, desires, thinking or talk with our action. Intention without action really is another form of abortion.
What has to change in your thinking or lifestyle to:
1. Enter the world of those silently calling out for help?
2. Want to speak into their life?
How about taking some time this week to think about who you are excluding from your life for any reason.
In Luke 5:12-13 is a normal day with Jesus. It may have begun like every other day but today Jesus would alter the thinking of the culture and potential followers. Jesus entered a world designated "stay out" by most and especially the religious. He not only entered this man's world but he did the unthinkable-he touched him. The man wanted to know if Jesus was willing to deal with his issue. Jesus was willing. Jesus' action indicated his willingness to heal this man.
Most of us avoid and categorize people who we do not want to be around. Those with HIV, a prison past, divorced, gay, abusive, ugly appearance, wealthy...we are not going to that house.
Jesus spoke to him. He was intentionally going to violate every cultural norm that had been erected in his day. I am sure he angered some and confused others. Truth has a way of doing that.
There are people who walk around wanting to get some help but usually have no one to talk with about their life. They may not have the skin issues of this man but never the less no one really is paying attention to them. It is so easy to say we are willing but another thing to actually match our thoughts, desires, thinking or talk with our action. Intention without action really is another form of abortion.
What has to change in your thinking or lifestyle to:
1. Enter the world of those silently calling out for help?
2. Want to speak into their life?
How about taking some time this week to think about who you are excluding from your life for any reason.
Friday, July 4, 2008
What's the weather going to be tomorrow?
Maybe it is my age or watching people give themselves to endless pursuits that are constantly replaced by other pursuits, but either way it is easy to go through life in meaningless activity. Christians can easily get caught up in debating issues such as whether a really committed Christian can be a democrat. We probably would be disappointed in Jesus' response to this kind of thinking.
Proverbs 15:9 Message Translation "A life frittered away disgusts God; he loves those who run straight for the finish line." We can waste our life by having endless conversations about the trivial or debating issues that give no encouragement to people without Jesus. It may be difficult to understand but we can waste our life by spending much of our time with Christians rather than intentionally doing life with pre-Christians. Christians who isolate themselves from the world Jesus came to give life to or who are on some kind of crusade to convince people of their misdirected lifestyle will end up not having much influence on those outside of the faith community. This is also evidence of a life frittered away. Church must be done in the heart of the marketplace.
Our lifestyle must be one that makes sense to an unbelieving world. Jesus was the most relevant person that ever lived on the planet. If we are giving our life to issues that have little or no eternal value, we will become irrelevant to those needing Jesus. In the book "Unchristian" there is a statement that is pointed: "Christians are usually on the edges of society pointing fingers at outsiders, judging and condemning them." To do this is to live opposed to the way Jesus lived.
John 3:17 "God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again." Any life lived differently than the way Jesus lived is to fritter it away. Let's give the world an accurate and complete picture of the faith life.
Proverbs 15:9 Message Translation "A life frittered away disgusts God; he loves those who run straight for the finish line." We can waste our life by having endless conversations about the trivial or debating issues that give no encouragement to people without Jesus. It may be difficult to understand but we can waste our life by spending much of our time with Christians rather than intentionally doing life with pre-Christians. Christians who isolate themselves from the world Jesus came to give life to or who are on some kind of crusade to convince people of their misdirected lifestyle will end up not having much influence on those outside of the faith community. This is also evidence of a life frittered away. Church must be done in the heart of the marketplace.
Our lifestyle must be one that makes sense to an unbelieving world. Jesus was the most relevant person that ever lived on the planet. If we are giving our life to issues that have little or no eternal value, we will become irrelevant to those needing Jesus. In the book "Unchristian" there is a statement that is pointed: "Christians are usually on the edges of society pointing fingers at outsiders, judging and condemning them." To do this is to live opposed to the way Jesus lived.
John 3:17 "God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again." Any life lived differently than the way Jesus lived is to fritter it away. Let's give the world an accurate and complete picture of the faith life.
Monday, June 9, 2008
How do I get off of the Interstate?
People living around us are starving for answers. However, they do not necessarily know how to ask the questions. And it seems our lives do not usually give them a reason to look to us for some of the answers they need. We may want to look cool and not stray too far from the norms of our culture and when we live this way, very few see anything that arouses curiosity about how we are living. When no questions are raised, no answers are given.
Much of what we talk about that we believe to be how to relate to people ends up being an inch deep in the impact it makes with them. What is needed is what James Blunt sings about in "Same Mistake"when he says "maybe we'll talk and not just speak."
Proverbs 10:11 is a staggering contrast between people who make a difference and those who just show up in others lives. Deep and "life giving well conversations" are not very common in most lives. Many people travel on Interstate 25 in Colorado but not as many travel on Road 15 in my county. The view from Road 15 is at times amazing compared to the Interstate. There are so many cars on the Interstate that you do not have time to really look west to the Rockies. This compares to how most people live. Abuse rules on the Interstate as people weave in and out of traffic to knock off 30 seconds of their trip.
How can we be people who have deep rather than shallow relationships with people? How can our conversations give life, hope and encouragement to people and not just cause them to occasionally glance at their watch when we are talking to them?
I do not believe this is complicated. If we have a growing relationship with Jesus who started it all and we tap into his wisdom, we will be able to speak into people's lives in a much different way. Our words do not have to be measured by volume but rather by sensitivity to God's leading. The realness of our relationship with Jesus allows us to really help people who are still trying to get off the Interstate.
Much of what we talk about that we believe to be how to relate to people ends up being an inch deep in the impact it makes with them. What is needed is what James Blunt sings about in "Same Mistake"when he says "maybe we'll talk and not just speak."
Proverbs 10:11 is a staggering contrast between people who make a difference and those who just show up in others lives. Deep and "life giving well conversations" are not very common in most lives. Many people travel on Interstate 25 in Colorado but not as many travel on Road 15 in my county. The view from Road 15 is at times amazing compared to the Interstate. There are so many cars on the Interstate that you do not have time to really look west to the Rockies. This compares to how most people live. Abuse rules on the Interstate as people weave in and out of traffic to knock off 30 seconds of their trip.
How can we be people who have deep rather than shallow relationships with people? How can our conversations give life, hope and encouragement to people and not just cause them to occasionally glance at their watch when we are talking to them?
I do not believe this is complicated. If we have a growing relationship with Jesus who started it all and we tap into his wisdom, we will be able to speak into people's lives in a much different way. Our words do not have to be measured by volume but rather by sensitivity to God's leading. The realness of our relationship with Jesus allows us to really help people who are still trying to get off the Interstate.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Following Jesus is Hard
We love to read about the miracles Jesus did or the great come backs he gave to antagonizing religious types or penetrating questions he asked of would be followers. These types of events stimulate our curiosities and often cause us to think how neat it would be to have been a follower of Jesus with these early guys.
But surely we could "tack on" following Jesus in our Hummer, SUV, Pick Up or sweet Mini. It is a great misunderstanding or miscalculation to think we can "tack on" following Jesus in our up to date culture and lifestyle. "I'll follow you but first..." was a theme of some early would be followers of Jesus. They gained no space with Jesus for coming up with this "tacked on" thinking.
Jesus is aware of the thrill of the occasional Christian concert, great worship or retreat experience or insightful Bible study session we attend but he also knows the guts of following him is in the consistent daily routine of life. This is where it gets hard. We would rather "walk on water than land." It is on land where faith is more challenged than on the water because the land is the everyday life.
Or maybe you and I want an answer to some question or decision we need to make. We can mistakenly think that if we are following Jesus we will get a quick answer. To wait on an answer is hard because it does not usually happen in our time frame. Isaiah 55:8,9 says that God does not work the way we work and the way he thinks is way beyond how we think. It is hard enough to follow Jesus but to try and think like he does...well it isn't going to happen. This does not need to be a part of our hard following because we cannot usually approach what Jesus is thinking when it comes to our life.
How hard or easy has it been the last few weeks for you in following Jesus?
Has following Jesus been "tacked on" or built into the fabric of your weekly lifestyle?
Taking one step of doing what Jesus says to us is how we begin to follow Jesus. It is not usually easy but that is not the point.
God makes me stagger because I have no idea what in the world he is going to dare me to do next.
Luke 9:23 and John 6:53-58, 60 and 66 are words of Jesus that make me more than pause.
We love to read about the miracles Jesus did or the great come backs he gave to antagonizing religious types or penetrating questions he asked of would be followers. These types of events stimulate our curiosities and often cause us to think how neat it would be to have been a follower of Jesus with these early guys.
But surely we could "tack on" following Jesus in our Hummer, SUV, Pick Up or sweet Mini. It is a great misunderstanding or miscalculation to think we can "tack on" following Jesus in our up to date culture and lifestyle. "I'll follow you but first..." was a theme of some early would be followers of Jesus. They gained no space with Jesus for coming up with this "tacked on" thinking.
Jesus is aware of the thrill of the occasional Christian concert, great worship or retreat experience or insightful Bible study session we attend but he also knows the guts of following him is in the consistent daily routine of life. This is where it gets hard. We would rather "walk on water than land." It is on land where faith is more challenged than on the water because the land is the everyday life.
Or maybe you and I want an answer to some question or decision we need to make. We can mistakenly think that if we are following Jesus we will get a quick answer. To wait on an answer is hard because it does not usually happen in our time frame. Isaiah 55:8,9 says that God does not work the way we work and the way he thinks is way beyond how we think. It is hard enough to follow Jesus but to try and think like he does...well it isn't going to happen. This does not need to be a part of our hard following because we cannot usually approach what Jesus is thinking when it comes to our life.
How hard or easy has it been the last few weeks for you in following Jesus?
Has following Jesus been "tacked on" or built into the fabric of your weekly lifestyle?
Taking one step of doing what Jesus says to us is how we begin to follow Jesus. It is not usually easy but that is not the point.
God makes me stagger because I have no idea what in the world he is going to dare me to do next.
Luke 9:23 and John 6:53-58, 60 and 66 are words of Jesus that make me more than pause.
Monday, April 28, 2008
This is killing me
If you walk around our neighborhood this time of year and look at the lawns you will see that some are totally brown, some brown and green and some totally green. Why is there a difference? There are many things that contribute to a green lawn or keep one from becoming green. Some things add to and some take away from a lawn looking good. Some people zero scape so a green lawn is of no value. But if you want a green lawn free from weeds and goat heads, you will need to pay attention to some important details.
Just as some things destroy a beautiful lawn so there are also more important things that destroy a life. Colossians 3:5-8 describes some things that destroy life. We need to spend our life saying no to everything that takes our life away. What is it in your life that diminishes the life God wants for you to experience? I think about independence, wanting big things, insatiable consumerism, going fast in life...alone, having a motivation that longs for others to recognize my importance. The list goes on. Colossians 3:1 reminds me that if I am serious about living the life God is committed to me living, I must set my heart on living as he intended. No games here...life is a joy but it is also a war with the enemy of our life.
The tragedy is that there are so many people who want a beautiful lawn but never get the sod put in. So many people who God puts in our life are caught up in destructive things that continue to rob them of the life they were created for. If you and I will deal with this stuff, many who don't know how to deal with life issues might be encouraged to check out Jesus. Walk around any neighborhood and in the homes we pass by there are heartaches, frustrations, emptiness and issues that are destroying our friends. What an opportunity we have to be a blessing to them.
THINK ABOUT THIS FOR A WHILE: We should be more fearful of an affluent neighborhood than the downtown of a large city.
Just as some things destroy a beautiful lawn so there are also more important things that destroy a life. Colossians 3:5-8 describes some things that destroy life. We need to spend our life saying no to everything that takes our life away. What is it in your life that diminishes the life God wants for you to experience? I think about independence, wanting big things, insatiable consumerism, going fast in life...alone, having a motivation that longs for others to recognize my importance. The list goes on. Colossians 3:1 reminds me that if I am serious about living the life God is committed to me living, I must set my heart on living as he intended. No games here...life is a joy but it is also a war with the enemy of our life.
The tragedy is that there are so many people who want a beautiful lawn but never get the sod put in. So many people who God puts in our life are caught up in destructive things that continue to rob them of the life they were created for. If you and I will deal with this stuff, many who don't know how to deal with life issues might be encouraged to check out Jesus. Walk around any neighborhood and in the homes we pass by there are heartaches, frustrations, emptiness and issues that are destroying our friends. What an opportunity we have to be a blessing to them.
THINK ABOUT THIS FOR A WHILE: We should be more fearful of an affluent neighborhood than the downtown of a large city.
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