July
7
2010
“… that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John 17:21).
Unity in the Spirit of Jesus Christ provides open doors for the Kingdom of God to penetrate into this dark world. Just think what the opposite creates! When people want their own agendas, their own ways, their own ideas, or want their own needs met, we are not effective in reaching the world. Sometimes I wonder if that is why many churches do not grow.
The challenge is that we all have a little bit of “self” lurking around, poking its head where it should not be. The “self” is very subtle in how it appears, all the way from defense (if we feel we have been wronged) to offense (when we want our way, or someone else’s way). Self-confidence is important for Christians, but this always needs to be put under the umbrella of love.
The way to unity is love. To love one another is the command Jesus gave His disciples. Jesus gave the Holy Spirit to remind us of what He commanded. Bringing these two thoughts together, the Holy Spirit reminds us of the command to love one another. Paul the Apostle spoke of love being the first fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22).
Jesus also gives a profound equation in this verse: Father in Son, Son in Father, disciples in Father and Son. The idea of “in” is significant in the Greek. I am working on a book that I hope to complete by this fall that explores the idea of being “in Christ” in Paul’s letters (I am using a lot of writing I have never published or used for anything; the material is not for the average reader, but everyone is welcome to buy the book when it is done 
). To be “in” someone basically has the idea of being is close relationship, a union, fellowship, where one person knows the other. God already knows us, but we need to know God. The bond between Father and Son in the Trinity is beyond our understanding. Jesus exemplified on this earth profound dependence upon and unity with the Father. He did nothing beyond what the Father intended Him to do. He had complete obedience and openness.
When we take that unity and apply it to our own relationships with one another, we find our differences and our petty selfishness just melt away. They begin to seem so trivial. Who cares if I don’t get my way if I have perfect love for my brother and sister. We should be able to work out any differences in mutual love. And if necessary, I give up my rights (as Paul illustrates in 1 Corinthians 9) in order that I might win others (including my brother or sister) to Christ. This type of unity in the Church will push the kingdom into places it might not otherwise penetrate.
The only way we can do this type of mission is through receiving God’s grace and help and through our complete obedience and commitment. That is why Jesus prayed in John 17 that the disciples might be sanctified. That is the only way any of this can happen. What profound thoughts for us to contemplate and open our lives to.
For a sermon and study notes on this topic, please click here.
June
29
2010
“All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them” (John 17:10).
To dedicate our lives to Jesus Christ and to be one of His followers is to become one of God’s people. The New Testament in many places talks about a “new” people of God that includes both Jews and Gentiles. The church is the “new Israel.” This new entity is characterized by Christ-likeness. We take on the attributes of the one whom we follow.
Discipleship is never an easy path to follow. In our contemporary culture (and probably for all cultures at all times—I can only speak about this from my own setting in life), there is a battle going on. We see it at all levels. It is more than political; it is more than economic; it is even more than social or relational. It has to do with sovereignty—who will be in control.
On the one hand, we have those who are living without any reference to God. This is what Paul the Apostle called in many places in his letters as living by the “flesh.” The New International Version calls this the “sinful nature,” which is a theological interpretation of the Greek word which means “flesh.” When we live to fulfill the desires of the flesh, we satisfy an innate, inbred compulsion to go our own way and not listen to God. Most often this is characterized by self love, which often makes other people objects or things to fulfill some want of ours. The self shows up in very subtle ways sometimes. We don’t always notice this until we find ourselves trapped in some habit or thought pattern that ruins our bodies, our relationships with others, or our future prospects.
On the other hand, we can become participants in God’s plan for the world. We can glorify Jesus in how we live. Jesus prayed the “Lord’s Prayer” for His disciples in John 17 with the intended goal that they might fully participate in God’s mission in the world. Jesus had done His part on earth and would soon complete His mission through dying on the cross voluntarily. The words He had taught the disciples would find fulfillment through the cross and resurrection.
Several things needed to happen for this plan or mission to be carried out. Significantly, the disciples needed to be sanctified. They needed to be changed at the core of their being. They needed to become fit vessels for God’s presence, the Holy Spirit. This God would do through the Holy Spirit. In theology, this is called, the divine/human synergism (working together). We do our part by dedicating ourselves to God and God does His part by changing us and using us.
As people who had been given to the honor of the Father’s name, the disciples then needed to conform to God’s will by living consistently with the Father’s name, that is, His holy character. Through this, several things would happen for them. One, they would find a deep joy and peace that the world could neither give nor take away. Two, they would be missional people “in the world” but not be controlled by the ways “of the world.” This would bring glory to Jesus, their master, and ultimately to God the Father.
We become one with the eleven disciples in fulfilling this mission. We are part of a long line of faithful witnesses, a chain of disciples, from those eleven down through the centuries. We don’t want this chain to stop with us. We need to keep it going, and we do that by bringing glory to Jesus.
For a sermon and study notes on this topic, please click here.
June
19
2010
“Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:32-33).
Christians have awaited the second coming of Jesus from the first generation until now. Skeptics abound about this key component of the Christian faith. No doubt the church is partly to blame for this pessimism because of its effort to understand biblical prophecy and the subsequent failure of predictions. More important than understanding how the end will take place is living in the “in-between” times, between Jesus’ first coming and His second coming.
The disciples found themselves all alone in the vicinities of the Garden of Gethsemane after the arrest of Jesus. I can only imagine the emotions and thoughts that were running through their minds at that moment. Why was Jesus taken? What did He do wrong? What do we do now? These questions likely only intensified in the days ahead as Jesus’ lifeless body lay in the garden tomb.
We too experience a degree of scattering and ask questions about Jesus’ absence. One of the unique elements of Christianity is our belief in a specific person of history—Jesus of Nazareth. In this person we experience salvation from the past (justification), salvation in the present (sanctification), and salvation in the future (glorification). Jesus offered peace to His disciples in His absence. Peace is one of the by-products of salvation.
While we await Jesus’ second coming, we are “working out our salvation in fear and trembling” (Phil 2:12). We can experience fear in two ways as we work out our salvation. More theologically and positively, we can experience this fear as reverence to God, realizing that the choices we make in this life have eternal consequences. The other way is more negatively, by the fear, doubt, and terror that results when we experience the “tribulations” in this world. The good news is that we can move from the first to the second, and the way we do that is through experiencing Jesus’ gift of peace. Peace can transform our fear and can impact how we live.
In the absence of Jesus, the disciples learned to change their terror to reverence. This happened not simply by their own effort but through the help of the Holy Spirit, the Counselor and Helper. We too can let our terror be turned to reverence, leading to holiness, security, and joy, as we let the Holy Spirit lead us, fill us, and empower us.
As we await Jesus’ appearance again, we are reminded each time that we share in the Lord’s supper that we are not alone. We have the Holy Spirit and we have one another to help us live victoriously, filled with the peace that passes understanding.
June
1
2010
“If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you” (John 15:19).
As believers in Jesus Christ who believe in living out our faith through holiness, we will find ourselves in conflict with the prevailing culture. I am not much of a historian, but from my limited knowledge, I think this has always been the case. The very word “church” in the Greek, the word the early Christians used to describe themselves, is made up of two parts: ek meaning “out of” (like “exit”), and kaleo meaning “to call” (we get our English word from this). They were “called out” from the world, to be a new entity, a new group that followed a new paradigm for living.
The Corinthian church was one that struggled a lot with culture. Many of these believers came out of pagan backgrounds. They brought these backgrounds with them to the church, and this often caused many problems. They compromised the teachings that Paul the Apostle had given them. They accepted immorality and lived like the Gentiles around them by being self-focused.
There is a phrase that floats around from time to time called “cultural wars.” I just read today a little editorial about “two Americas” and how there is a growing divide among Americans. These kinds of battles will likely continue, but these are often determined by politics. There is a much bigger battle going on, and it is not dependent upon what country we life in. It is one that believers from every part of the world face. It is the same battle the early Christians faced, which often cost them their lives. The critical issue is very simply, will we let God be God, and will we let God direct our paths, as the Bible often mentions?
We have to choose some type of standard to live by. The “world” offers many possible roads for us to follow. Most of these paths are quite wide and many people take them. Few take the narrow road (see Matthew 7:13-14). The easiest thing is most often to follow the crowds and do what everyone else is doing. Most of us in the church may not see how subtle the pull of culture is. Not everything in culture is bad. God’s prevenient grace is working and there is a lot of good.
Part of what needs to happen is that our consciences need to be honed, strengthened, deepened, so that we follow God’s standards and desires for us rather than the culture around us. Something will guide our conscience to know what is right and what is wrong. It just depends on what we will let influence us. One way to tell is how we spend our time or what holds our attention.
Life needs to be in balance. See which way the scale of your life is tipping this week. Does God and His word have more influence on your life, or do the norms and expectations of our culture influence your thought patterns and choices?
For a sermon and study notes on this topic, please click here.
May
17
2010
John 15:1-6
Jesus said, “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.”
Just about every Christian that I have known at some point or at many times struggles with their faith and living out all the demands of the Gospel. Who among us can measure up to what the Bible commands us to do? From an outside perspective, it might appear that Christianity is an impossible religion. That may be why there are many casual Christians or people who call themselves Christian because they attend church once year or because they live in America. I like to think of the commands of the Bible as a never ending horizon for us to seek after. There is always more for us to discover and more ways we can grow. It is a life of new discovery and deeper insight.
The reality is that our lives do not always produce the fruit preachers say we should. It is easy to go away from a church service feeling a sense of guilt or defeat. The natural response is to give up before we have even tried. In some ways, it has been drilled into us by our culture that our faith is an individual thing, so we should keep it to ourselves. We cannot share our faith in our schools or our workplaces. The dominant role models in our country rarely share their faith except either when coerced or in negative ways. There are few outstanding role models of people who bear fruit in compelling ways.
Each of us will live out our faith and bear fruit in different ways. I have taken a lot of personality tests. Just last week, I participated in a seminar on communication method that was new to me (called DISC). I have learned a lot about how God has programmed me. Those of you who know me or have been around me for any length of time know that I am a quiet, thoughtful introvert (ISTJ with Meyers/Briggs). I also analyze situations and approach them logically (a high “C” with a “perfectionist” pattern in the DISC analysis). I set high standards for myself and like this in those around me (that is why my students have always said I grade hard). In spiritual gift inventories, I usually come out high in teaching and administration and low in compassion (makes sense because of my perfectionist perspective). If you have never taken any of these types of tests, I highly recommend it.
Because of whom God made me, some things make me uncomfortable, such as witnessing to strangers. I do not have the gift of evangelism. Does that excuse me from bearing the fruit of witnessing? No. Therefore I need to seek the Holy Spirit’s help even more and seek those ways that I can be most fruitful in this area. For example, I am an easy going person and get along with most people. I can use that natural part of me to befriend strangers and build relationships. As a teacher/administrator, I can lay foundations (plant the seeds) for others (those who water the seeds).
Every personality has its strengths and weaknesses. Often we let the negative part of our personality keep us from bearing fruit. We need to turn our weaknesses into strengths and let God use us to bear fruit for His kingdom. We need to let God prune back those weaknesses so that the strengths can develop and bear fruit. We each have been fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14).
The best way to bear fruit that lasts is by abiding in Christ, being connected to Him in intimate and personal relationship. This comes by reading and learning His words and allowing the Holy Spirit to remind us of the things Jesus taught. The prophets talked about God writing His law on our hearts. The New Testament writers spoke of the indwelling Spirit. The focus of all this is the Living Word, the Communication from God, our Lord Jesus Christ, the perfect God-Man, the Second Adam, the Way, Truth and Life. He is our power source, our model, and our mediator.
Allow the Lord to mold you this week and be obedient to His promptings. As a result, you will see your life begin to bear more and more fruit.
For a sermon and study notes on this topic, please click here.
May
17
2010
John 15:12-13
This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one that this, that someone lays down his life for his friends.
God’s purpose for us in this life is to learn what it means to love and to experience love in community. Perhaps there is nothing more difficult than learning to love.
Love is an essential part of being human. Something deep within us both compels us to love and repulses us away from true love and leads to a distorted love.
The Bible indicates that the distortion of love comes from our humanness inherited from Adam and Eve. God gave Adam and Eve the choice to love Him through obedience to one simple command: not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. When temptation came, they put another love ahead of loving God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. They chose to love themselves and their own desires. Ever since then, as the ancient rabbis taught, we each have become our own Adam by following in the same path. We have found another source and target for our love: a pride that exerts itself against the true nature of love and that seeks fulfillment in self-gratifying ways. Selfishness usually lies at the bottom of just about every distorted human relationship. Like when we talk about kids playing, “Someone always gets hurt.”
Deep within us is also the compulsion to love. In our theological tradition, we attribute this to God’s prevenient grace. We would only have distorted love unless God had planted deep within us an aspect of Himself. We can call this the “image of God.” This is the desire we have to give ourselves to others. In humanistic terms, this is expressed in “philanthropy.” In marriage, we experience this love through giving to our partner and seeking our spouse’s well-being. You don’t have to be a Christian to love. That is because caring for other people is a part of the divine image that God gives to every human ever born.
We can nurture that ray of light within us. The best way is to allow that love to grow in response to the Holy Spirit teaching us the mind of Christ. You don’t have to be a believer to let your love grow. It is actually a very sad situation when non-believers love better than believers. But this love will face many obstacles and will not find its ultimate purpose outside of Jesus Christ.
The way of discipleship is the way of love. It is a love that seeks the well-being of others. It is expressed through loving action, words, and thoughts. It is in giving to others that we find our true selves, our true purpose in live. This comes only in submission and in the response of active obedience. Each of us will express love differently, depending on our personalities and the various gifts God has given to us. But we must never let those differences between hurdles and obstacles by replacing self-less love with self-gratifying love. This is perhaps the greatest temptation we can face as human. Love is the greatest way to love.
For a sermon and study notes on this topic, please click here.
May
4
2010
The last word in the Bible in Revelation 22:21 is “amen.” I wonder about the placement of this word as last in scripture. There are numerous translations for this word, such as “truly,” “so let it be,” “verily.” I like the idea of assurance that what has been said will take place because it has been done (or said) in Jesus’ name. We end our prayers with this word as a closer. Usually, we say something like “in Jesus’ name” before the “amen” part.
Can we apply this same idea to our reading of the Bible? What is said in scripture is a manifestation of the “Word” of God. Everything in scripture somehow reflects on the person of Jesus Christ. The grand story of the Bible points to Jesus as the answer.
At the end of the Bible, when we ready it as one canon, accepted by the church from the earliest days of development and expansion, we see the answer to human need unfolded page by page, story by story, until we reach the end, when all things will be completed in Jesus. People have tended to focus on vv. 18-19, about changing or taking away any words in this prophecy. I think the last word is more significant. It is a guarantee, a promise, a warning–all depending upon our response to the person of Jesus.
Bottom line, our response to the good news of Jesus is vital to our study of the Bible, other wise, we miss the key idea of what it is all about.
May
4
2010
I enjoy movies that have inventions and science fiction. One Disney classic that I always enjoy is the Absent Minded Professor, possibly because I share some of his attributes. Professor Brainard invents a very bouncy substance he calls “flubber.” He cannot seem to interest anyone in investing in his invention, but he is successful in helping the local basketball team win by putting some flubber on the bottom of their shoes. Because of flubber, they are able to leap (bounce) great distances and heights, winning the most critical game of the season.
Bouncing to new heights—in a way, that is what the Christian life is all about. Jesus Christ said in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
God created us to enjoy life here on earth. He gave us all we need to sustain life and to thrive in the abundance of the natural world around us. We live in a beautiful part of the country. With the warmth of Spring the last few weeks, the trees and bushes are bursting with new life. The grass on the hills is once again becoming a thriving carpet of green. Spring represents to me a time of new life. I think I have a little bit of chlorophyll in me, the green substance in plants that converts the light of the sun into energy. After the long season of cold winter, I am bursting forth with the excitement of new life.
But my excitement goes deeper than simply the beauty of Spring. I am excited to let the Son produce his energy in me, not through photosynthesis but by metamorphosis. Paul the Apostle wrote in Colossians 1:27-29, “God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.”
New life is why Jesus came. During this season of Easter in the church calendar, we marvel in the newness of the hope we have in Christ. The life that Jesus brings to us is one that is not dependent upon the weather. I have heard many people say that if we do not get any rain in the coming weeks, it is going to be a bad summer. This new life is not dependent on our economic status, whether or not we have a job, own a home, or even live in a shelter. This life is not dependent on the health of our bodies; we are all guaranteed to get sick and die someday. This new life is emerges with Christ in us.
What does it mean to let Christ’s life flow through me? I think Paul says it best in Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
This life is evidenced in maturity, best seen when we become complete in Christ, with him as the Lord and Master of our life. The Holy Spirit teaches us the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16) and we become more and more like Christ. As Jesus relied on the Father for all things, we too come to rely on the Father through the Son for all things. Life is only complete when Jesus Christ dwells in the center. From this center bursts forth forgiveness from our past, power for victorious living in the present, and hope for the future.
This Spring I encourage you to look deep within yourself to see the energy source which drives you. Are you trying to bounce through life, more often falling in pain and discouragement, or are you springing to new life with the optimism that comes only through the grace of God in Christ Jesus?
(This entry was an article in the “Pastor’s Corner” in our local paper, The Sheridan Press)
May
4
2010
On Saturday, our special speaker, Rev. James Johnson, shared in our revival the idea that Jesus is the answer to all our needs. That is a challenging idea to consider, especially when faced with some serious or chronic illness, calamity, economic problem, or relational friction. Can everything be boiled down to a spiritual problem?
Yes and no. We need to carefully consider the source of our problems. There are many ills that we bring upon ourselves because of our poor choices. These might be long term, such as not having a good job because we did not finish college, making a poor investment in the stock market, buying too much on credit, having unhealthy habits that catch up to us as we age, and many other things. Other choices seem to accumulate over time and we don’t always know how we got ourselves in the hole we are in. Our choices do have consequences, and sometimes these are not pleasant. We all make these kinds of choices. Sometimes we do this because of temptations, but often it is just because of ignorance—we are human and cannot know everything. Other times we make our choices because of extenuating circumstances, even with good motives, and sometimes these good-intentioned choices backfire along the way.
Other ills come upon us because of others or just because we are human. We do our best to live at peace with our world and the people around us, but accidents, wars, illness, or mean people destroy this peace. Bad things happen to good people, and we cannot always explain why.
Can Jesus answer these needs? He does provide the answer, but we may not receive that answer in this lifetime—no matter how strong our faith is. In this life, we can find an inner peace within us by seeking Jesus. This peace is not dependent upon the outward circumstances, though life tries to rob us of this peace. The passage I will be speaking on this coming Sunday will discuss this peace (John 14:27). Being a Christian does not mean that life will always be pleasant, that we will be healthy and wealthy. Many of you know the struggles our daughter Shan has had and continues to have. Will God heal her in this life? I certainly hope so, but there is something beyond physical healing in this life and that is spiritual healing for eternity. Someday, in Christ there will be no more hunger, tears, sickness, or death. Some of our answers will have to wait until we reach our new life in eternity.
Just as the kingdom of God is “now and not yet” (what is called “realized eschatology” by theologians), so also the answers in Jesus Christ are “now and not yet.” Jesus is the answer for many problems “now.” Many relationships could be restored if both parties were totally committed to the Lordship of Christ. Many psychological problems could find healing if the deeper spiritual issues were resolved. Holiness of heart can lead to “peace with all people” (Hebrews 12:14). We don’t like the “not yet” part, especially in America’s fast-paced “I want it now” culture. I personally struggle with the “not yet” answers. It is with this type of delay that my faith grows weary and I wonder where God is.
Do you find yourself in a similar place, wondering about the “not yet” answers from Jesus? This is an opportunity for your faith to grow. If your faith is weak, that is one of the biggest reasons God has given us one another. Do you know why w are male and female? After God created Adam, He said, “It is not good that the man should be alone” (Genesis 2:18). We need one another in community to help one another along the path of waiting for the “not yet” answers. I need you to pick me up when I stumble in my circuitous and dangerous path, as well as you need me. The greatest part of being “church” is that we can help one another reach the goal. As Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
April
20
2010
“Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (John 14:13).
I have always found praying to be a challenge. Perhaps it is my personality of always having something to do, or perhaps it is my independent spirit, or just my own laziness. My lack of prayer definitely affects so many other areas of my life. Not praying very much or being lazy in our spiritual disciplines can significantly challenge how we understand prayer. Without constant fellowship with God, several things can happen.
One, we have a skewed understanding of what prayer is all about. We tend to picture it as a wish list. When we get in trouble, we call on God to rescue us. When we get sick, we seek God’s healing. When we have some calamity or some difficult situation come across us or a loved one, we cry out to God. Those are all legitimate uses of prayer, but there is something much deeper about prayer.
Two, we become more vulnerable to the pull of temptation. I think when Paul told the Thessalonians to “prayer continually” (1 Thess. 5:17), he was giving the answer to temptations (see 1 Cor. 10:13). It is difficult to sin when we are aware of God’s presence. Prayer opens us to the resources of the Holy Spirit. Prayer is obedience to the voice of the Holy Spirit who speaks to us as we speak to Him.
Third, our spiritual life begins to whither away. We cut off the source of life when we do not pray. Prayer is the direct link between the Triune God and us. We also cut ourselves out from the true source of life (see last week and Jesus as the Way, Truth, and Life). Jesus said to pray in His name. That means to pray in union with Him. Without this source of Life, our own lives become insecure and quite trivial.
Fourth, God becomes a matter of intellect, a matter of the mind and not the heart. There are many people who believe in God but do not believe God. They may make an intellectual choice about a supreme being, but they have no real relationship with God. Prayer makes our spirituality a matter of our heart, and this then impacts the way we live.
Jesus said, “If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” Praying in this way connects us to the well-spring of life, the source of eternity, the help in our moments of despair. We align our will with His will. We see the world the way Jesus sees it. And this will make all the difference.
For a sermon and study notes on this topic, please click here.