Jesus

Formation for Mission

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I’ve mentioned the three books our church is working its way through many times. I only do so because God used these books to change me: the way I look at myself, the way I look at the things happening around me and my role, and the purpose you I have in the Kingdom.

The church has been on a nine-month journey through…

The Good and Beautiful God: Falling in Love with the God Jesus Knows
The Good and Beautiful Life: Putting on the Character of Christ
The Good and Beautiful Community: Following the Spirit, Extending Grace, Showing Love

The books are designed to help each person focus on spiritual formation, growing in grace, and living out their faith to make an impact on the world around them, even if that world is just their family and the families in their cul-de-sac.

They are not just Bible-studies. They are spiritual formation with a mission.

This should really be the point of growing in Christ. We don’t do it for ourselves. We don’t even do it for God. We do it for the world around us… to be Jesus to the folks around us and bring more into this Unshakeable Kingdom.

Take the next 3:30 to watch this video. It sums it up nicely.

It Should Happen. It Really Ought To.

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The apostle John has a unique writing style. You can see it in his Gospel, but really feel its beautiful rhythm in his epistles. It has a repetitive, circular pattern to it that helps drive his point home. Look at this passage in 1 John:

Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love – not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us. (1 John 4:7-12 NLT)

The point is simple: We ought to be like God.

No, we shouldn’t be little gods, but our characteristics ought to be the same characteristics that God possesses. For instance, we ought to love the seemingly unloveable. We ought to forgive the seemingly unforgivable. We ought to be willing to reach out and touch the seemingly untouchable, and more.

I write “seemingly” because we were seemingly that way once, too. As Christ-followers, we ought to exhibit the same traits and characteristics as our God and His Son, Jesus. After all, Ephesians 5:1 says, “Be imitators of God…”.

But look at the passage from 1 John again. He says a five-letter word that I also repeat five times after John’s passage. It’s the word, “ought.”

If you look up the word “ought” in the dictionary, here’s what you find as the first definition:

1 – used to indicate obligation, duty, or correctness, typically when viewing one’s actions or behavior.

It would be easy to use “ought” in this manner in John’s passage. After all, God loved us before we even knew Him. Jesus died for us while we were sinners. It is now our duty to repay Him with our love and devotion, right? Well… hang on. Let’s look at the next definition:

2 – indicating what is probable, desirable, or to be expected.

This, I believe, is what John is getting at. If we have been truly impacted by God’s love… by His sacrifice at The Cross for us… by Him loving us before we had any clue… then our lives OUGHT to exhibit His love to a world which so desperately needs it. If my heart has been changed by His love, then love coming from me is “probable, desirable, or to be expected.”

It is not out of duty or obligation that you or I express love – for God Himself or for others. It is a natural out-flowing of our inward condition and transformation.

It was John who said in his Gospel:

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you SHOULD love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”(John 13:34-35, NLT, my emphasis)

(If you look up the word “should”, it has the same definition as “ought.”)

It SHOULD just happen. It really ought to.

Rediscovering

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It’s hard to watch the news nowadays. In fact, news is something that is on 24 hours a day, seven days a week. However, for my generation, it wasn’t always that way. Growing up, it was three networks broadcasting at 6:30 PM, and for me, it’s still that way… mainly because I can’t take much more than that.

The news is so full of tragedies and illnesses and sickness and murder and strife and war that it’s hard to watch. It’s not that I stick my head in the sand; I just can’t be a news junkie who has a news channel playing in the background all day long. To me, it’s somewhat of a poison. I believe in “garbage-in/garbage-out”. The more bad stuff you take in via the eyes and ears, the more poisoned your life becomes. That’s probably just me.

But if you notice all the national networks end their news broadcasts with the feel-good story. They end their news with an upbeat message about someone or something that is good. Because, let’s face it, good news is easier to hear or watch than bad news.

The Good News of the Gospel is just that: it’s good news. That’s what the word “gospel” means. But it’s not just good news for those who find God’s love, acceptance, and forgiveness for the first time. It’s good news every moment of every day of every week of every month of every year for everyone.

It’s good news for you and good news for your family. It’s good news for your spouse and your children. It’s good news for everyone around you. It’s good news for the rich. It’s good news for the poor. It’s good news for the destitute. It’s good news for the affluent. It’s good news for the educated. It’s good news for those that can’t even read. It’s good news. Period.

And here’s why: It is finished. (John 19:30) The work has been done. The requirements of a holy and just have been met by His own sacrifice: the Lamb of God, Jesus, slain for our sins. One sacrifice for all. Once and for all.

There’s no more work to do to satisfy God’s requirements. He has redeemed us Himself! What love! It truly is amazing. If you just get that thought deep enough within you, there’s no need to read further.

The Gospel needs to be rediscovered. You and I need to get its liberating truths deep down within us. It’s truths can truly set the captives free, and you and I are still captives. We are captives of all the false narratives that we’ve been taught over the years. Things like:

“You’re not quite good enough to cut it.”
“You need to just try harder. Re-double your efforts.”
“It’s time to suck it up. Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps.”
“I’ve got to look out for myself. No one else will.”
“Winning is everything.”
“If I perform well enough, I’ll be loved and valued.”
And there are so many more.

Pastor Tullian Tchividjian says:

“Rediscovering the Gospel enabled me to see that:

Because Jesus was strong for me, I was free to be weak.
Because Jesus won, I was free to lose.
Because Jesus was someone, I was free to be no one.
Because Jesus was extraordinary, I was free to be ordinary.
Because Jesus succeeded for me, I was free to fail.”

This is the kind of news that needs to be heard from every pulpit on every Sunday. Jesus came to proclaim the Good News. To set the prisoner free. For the poor, for the captive, for those grieving, for the blind and for the oppressed. For you and me.

It is finished. It has been completed. The work has been done.

I can rest in that freedom. I can live.

Good News indeed.

Enthralled

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I came home from work two days ago and Sharon was playing a worship song off a new album she had purchased. As soon as I heard it, I knew I would like it, but I really didn’t get a chance to really listen to it… until yesterday.

Driving home from Harrisonburg, I played that song and REALLY listened to it. The song is “Who Can Compare?” By Jesus Culture. It’s a very simple song with a very repetitive chorus and even repetitive verses. (Warning: the video containing the song is over 7 minutes long. Watch/listen to it when you have time and a quiet place to focus)

That’s one of the criticisms of modern worship music: it’s too repetitive and there’s no depth to the lyrics. The critics refer back to the hymns and their depth. But as I listened to the song and allowed it to saturate me, I began to sing the repetitive chorus and as I sang it over and over again, I found myself lost in worship to my God and King.

I nearly had to pull over to the side of the interstate. I was totally enraptured by love for God and His love for me. Honestly, I wept. As I continued to play this song over and over again, the repetition of the lyrics continued to bring me into the presence of the Lord.

I later reflected on that experience and I truly beleive that the repetition is DESIGNED to do that… to bring me in the presence of the Lord. The more I sing it and the more I repeat it, the more I believe it and the more my spirit connects with the Spirit of God. Rather, the more the Holy Spirit inside me testifies with God’s Spirit. It’s hard to explain. It seems impossible to put in words. But that’s how I get lost in worship.

I know that everyone has different tastes. And that’s okay. Regarding contemporary worship music, I’ve heard some say, “It’s just soooo repetitive. Over and over and over! I get tired of singing it over and over.”

It reminds me of this:

Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they NEVER stop saying:
“ ‘Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty,’
who was, and is,
and is to come.”
Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:
“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”
(Revelation 4:8-11, my emphasis)

Yes He is.

What lies beneath…

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There’s a guy in a group I’m a part of who’s very quiet. He’s very thoughtful; that is, he’s a thinker. But he is seemingly unfriendly and aloof. When he talks, he speaks articulately and he makes you want to listen. He speaks with passion, but almost with anger. He seems sad. Angry and sad. Or just plain sad.

If you were to meet him on the street or in the store, you might be offended by his gruff attitude. You might just write him off. He wouldn’t be the ideal person to try to befriend, or even have coffee with. He just sort of rubs you the wrong way.

Everything I’ve described is about a real person and yet it may describe someone you’ve encountered. I think we all have. But the thought process I’ve just gone through is something that Jesus warns against: judging others.

Jesus replied, “I did one miracle on the Sabbath, and you were amazed. But you work on the Sabbath, too, when you obey Moses’ law of circumcision. (Actually, this tradition of circumcision began with the patriarchs, long before the law of Moses.) For if the correct time for circumcising your son falls on the Sabbath, you go ahead and do it so as not to break the law of Moses. So why should you be angry with me for healing a man on the Sabbath? Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.” (John 7:21-24, NLT)

There are other verses in which Jesus warns against judging, but in this passage, he says that sometimes we have to dig deeper. We have to use some discernment. There’s probably more happening than first meets the eye.

So it is with the folks we encounter each and every day. The grumpy cashier behind the counter. The waitress that seems frazzled. The guy in men’s group that seems aloof. They all have stories and some of those stories involve tragedies. Some of their stories involve divorce. Some of their stories include getting a bad test result or the sudden passing of a loved one.

As James Bryan Smith says in The Good and Beautiful Life, “Philo of Alexandria is quoted as saying, ‘Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.’ ”

Sometimes, I simply have no clue. Lord, give me eyes to see what you see, ears to hear what you hear, and a heart to feel what you feel. And then, the obedience to respond to your leading.

I may need a reference…

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I don’t know if you’ve ever been at the side of someone who has drawn their last breath. I’ve had that privilege twice: once was at my mom’s bedside when she passed away in 1986. The other was in 2001 when I was at the bedside of Ruby Truslow, one of the matriarchs of Community Fellowship Church of the Nazarene. Each time, it truly was a privilege. I really can’t describe the sweetness of the final moments of those lives. In each case, though, there was a tremendous sense of peace, and I’ll say it again… a sweetness.

Last night, I was reminded of that sweetness as I had the privilege to fellowship with a few members of our men’s group at CFC. We hadn’t been together since I had left the church in August. The occasion, however, was bittersweet. We were visiting a man who’s been part of that group for the past two years, and togther, we’ve journeyed through his battle with stomach cancer. He’s experiemced quite a few ups and downs, and just received word that the cancer has spread to his bones. He has been an inspiration to us all with his steadfast faith and the delight he takes in being with his family and friends.

Our friend, Bruce

Our friend, Bruce

You might know Bruce Catlett. If you met him, it wouldn’t take you long to get to know him. With his wry sense of humor and quick wit, he’s easy to get to know and love. His faith is indeed steadfast and although his time left is short, his sense of humor, even in the face of death, is as sharp as ever.

My ears perked up last night when Bruce said, “It seems like life is sweeter – now that I’m closer to the end.” I asked him what he meant by that and he said that being surrounded by such great friends and having his family so close made the past few weeks so rich and so sweet. He said that he heard a pastor recently say, “So many of us are so busy living our lives that we don’t realize that we have a life to live.” In his last days, Bruce Catlett has never taken any of them for granted.

L to R: Brian, Wayne, me, Bruce, and Harold. Great friends.

L to R: Brian, Wayne, me, Bruce, and Harold. Great friends.

It was one of the sweetest, most blessed evenings in a long time. We laughed together, we shared our recent trials, but best of all, we prayed together for one another. After we took a group photo together he said, “I’m gonna take this photo to heaven and tell them that if any of the guys in the picture show up, call me for a reference.”

Indeed, Bruce.

Ransomed

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For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)

I think it was one of my favorite authors, Buddy Owens, who said, when reading Scripture, read “for depth, not distance.” And when a word “pops” out at me, one of my favorite ways of doing that… of digging deeper and allowing God to whisper to me… is to look up that word in the dictionary.

As I read the verse above, the word that stood out to me was “ransom.” It’s a word that’s not heard nowadays unless I’m watching a movie or TV show involving a kidnapping or the like. So I looked up the definition:

Ran’-som (n.) a consideration paid or demanded for the release of someone or something from captivity. A sum of money or a price demanded and paid for the release of a prisoner.

Okay. So what? But then I let my mind wander… “Captivity”…. Jesus came to set the captives free… I know that Scripture… but set “free” from what?

It’s here that I think of what we all need to be set free from. Sin. Yes, of course. But that seems so… religious. It’s so vague. So general. So religious.

Then I think about my own life. What is at the root of all my sin? Self. Plain and simple. Self. Self-absorption. Selfishness. Self-pity. I want to do things MY way. I have my plans and my agenda. I want. I need. Self. Self is at the root of all sin, both mine and yours. It was self that caused the Original Sin. Not only the fall of Adam and Eve but the ORIGINAL original sin.

When Lucifer, God’s original worship leader, fell from grace, it was because he wanted to set himSELF up to be like God. (See Isaiah 14) And when Adam and Eve succumbed to temptation, they became convinced that God wasn’t watching out for their best interest, and they knew what was best for themSELVES. I am not so different.

I need to be set free from my self. I need to be set free from that thing inside me that thinks that God isn’t looking out for my best interests… which thinks that God can’t be trusted to take care of ALL my needs: physical, emotional, financial, sexual, relational, amd spiritual needs… I need to be set free from that thing inside me that thinks I can handle all of that myself.

But the ransom has been paid. The price has been paid. In full. Once and for all. At the Cross, Jesus paid the price for you and me. I know that, but how does that set me free? Jesus came to give us life and life abundantly (John 10:10). That abundant life is a life free of having to do it all myself. I don’t have to fulfill all those needs myself. God does it for me in Christ. He sets me free from mySELF by living inside of me. As I allow Him to do so, His thoughts become my thoughts. His heart becomes my heart. And from that, His ways become my ways.

It doesn’t happen overnight and at times, it seems like I take one step forward with Him, and two steps back with my SELF. But He knows how I’m made. He knows I desire to be free.

His grace carries me yet again and this one-time prisoner walks forever free.

Pursuing Peace

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I’m child of an alcoholic. Actually, both my parents were alcoholics. They conquered it before they passed away, but if you’re a child of an alcoholic, you know the damage it leaves behind.

In the chaos and fighting that occured while growing up, I searched for a sanctuary. As a kid, it was sports; later it was drugs and (unbelieveably) alcohol. Still later, I found my true Sanctuary and Hiding Place: Jesus.

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