Falling Down

Where does it all begin?  I enjoy the story of Paul's conversion experience. Here was a guy that in his own mind had it all figures out. In His own words he tells the church in Philipi, "...a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal a persecuter of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless."  What more do you need to know this guys had it all. What he believes was changed in a moment. The very truths that were sown deep into the fabric of his mind were about to be shredded. In Acts 9 we can recount what happened to Paul, "and falling to the ground he heard a voice..." Game over, Paul was now in a position to hear the truth. The truth that would shake him to the core and change his path forever.

What's New?!

What's new, boy is that ever a loaded question. There's only one answer to that question and it has to be everything. I think I'm honest in saying that in 2013 God has made everything new for me. Now I know how that sounds, but the truth doesn't always come across as a main stream thought. I've realized this year that the majority of Christians are so far from truly grasping what is available to them it's heart breaking.  In order for there to be a Great Awakening in the Church in America there first has to be a Great Reckoning. Now hold on just a minute, before you shout out "Lord bring the rain" let me explain what I mean by reckoning. The church today is full of a bunch of people that know the truth, have read the truth, would even say they enjoy the truth but have never come to a place where they have reckoned it to be true in their lives.   The Church is in need of a Day of Reckoning. Over the next number of posts I'm going to talk about what that would look like and how I believe it is possible even in a day where relative truth is a more popular phrase then absolute truth. Ok that's it for now, more to come.

People on Mission Part #4

It's been a little while since my last post, no excuses to follow just stating the facts.  We spent a few days praying and fasting here in May and as always God revealed some pretty cool truths to us.  A thought I wanted to share that relates to the theme of my past few blogs about being a people on mission was Praise is to Prayer as Prayer is to Mission.  Ok, let me explain.  We often times enter into a time of prayer offering up specific needs, I'm not saying that's wrong the Bible very clearly tells us to "Ask, and it will be given to you..." (Matt 7:7a).  When we begin with Praise our attention turns from our needs to the one that has met all our needs.  Praise is ALL about Him; praise positions us in a place where we enter prayer with thanksgiving.  It's what Jesus said to the disciples when they asked how to pray, "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." (Matt 6:9-10) Praise positions us to elevate Him and exalt Him and thank Him for the victory we have in Him. 

Prayer is similar to mission.  Prayer puts us in a position to be on mission.  We have this saying, "Together on Mission," but first it begins with being together in prayer.  One thing I admire about our family of churches is that whenever we're together we pray.  We understand that in order for us to be on mission together we need to pray together. 

A people on mission are a people that praise and pray together.

Warren

THE MORNING AFTER...

Well it's Monday morning the day after our two Easter services in Lebanon and in Corvallis.  I woke up this morning thinking, "I don't feel any different."  I'm not sure how I am suppose to feel?  Does one feel different after coming off a spiritual high?  The question I wrestle with is; isn't this how we are suppose to feel all the time.  Living a life for Christ IS a spiritual high! 

There was a time when I use to dress up for Easter service, put on my best suit and tie and represent.  Not sure what I was representing, but I looked good.  It's not that one can't dress nice, I think the problem I have is when one thinks that God appreciates it when we dress nice.  Really? Does God care about what we're wearing or does He care more that we think that what we're wearing really matters to Him? Did you follow that?  Easter isn't about the show, it's about the after party.  Our lives are a representation of our relationship with Him.  What we do at the show is nice, but how we live our life is really the truth about what we believe. 

What I love about the people that gather together at the River Center is that they get it.  They understand that our outward expression is not what matters and it's not that some of our folks don't dress up on occasion.  It's just that when they do they know its just dressing up.  When people have a genuine relationship with Jesus their heart is his.  My wife sent me a text this morning with three simple words, "I heart you."  Too some that may not make sense, but to me it meant the world.  Just so you know I replied back, "I heart you too."  Jesus has transformed our hearts, Easter is about transformation from death to life, from a dead heart to a heart that beats for Him. 

The Morning After may not have been anything different, but that's O.K. because everyday I'm reminded that my life is different.

People on Mission #3

I ended my last post posing a question, "Do you like, love, stand people?"  Let's decide this is no longer a question we wrestle with, we've come to the conclusion that though people are flawed and there are some we prefer over others we've made a decision that we like, love or at the very least can stand people. 

The first obstacle we face before we move forward on mission is can we be on mission with people that aren't perfect.  I'm not trying to be presumptuous, obviously I know that people aren't perfect, it's just so much more easy to be on mission with those that are a little more sanctified than others, OK maybe that is being presumptuous.  But isn't that what we're looking for?  Aren't we stuck at a crossroad of imperfection that either we cross bravely or we go another direction.  Didn't Paul and Barnabas face this same challenge after their first journey together.  Young Mark just wasn't up to the challenge and when that arrived at Pamphylia he took off.  There was what the writer of Acts refers to as "a sharp disagreement" that arose between these two friends.  The Bible never clearly assigns a winner or looser just that they both moved on separately.  We can see that later in scripture there was restoration between these parties, but nevertheless Paul wasn't able to work with Mark in his current weaknesses.  How hard it is it work with people that are as imperfect as you are?  The Bible clearly supports the doctrine that we need to be working together in unity, the question is how does that actually happen? 

The answer to that question comes from the understanding of our identity.  I'm not talking about what is on your drivers license, lets be real I don't know how anyone can be identified looking at that photo.  If we can see people in their true form; meaning how that person is seen by Christ, it will allow us to see beyond peoples weaknesses.  My father (Keith Stroup) once told me that if I can't work with someone through their weaknesses I might as well stop trying.  A persons weakness is only an opportunity for God to reveal His strength. 

People on Mission #2

One of my favorite quotes is from Del Tackett, "Do you really believe that what you believe is really real?"  When I first heard that thought, I had to pause and ask myself what do I really believe?  If I believe in something, has what I believe become a part of my reality.  More to the point, is what I believe expressed in how I live my life.  I'm reminded of Paul talking to Timothy and saying to him, "faith without works is dead."  Dead Faith?  Am I among the "Walking Dead", people that say they believe but their life is not a reflection of that belief. 

Coming back to my last post on "people", if I believe because of my Biblical Worldview that me loving people is no longer a choice but rather something I believe to be true, or better yet an expression of my faith, than shouldn't my life be an expression of that belief?  Before we can be on mission with people we need to wrestle with our belief towards people.  There is a verse in scripture where Jesus is being questioned about the law.  I can imagine as the Pharisees and Sadducee's kept hearing Jesus confront their paradigm their questions became more frequent and more pointed.  This is one of those times when Jesus took their question in stride and answered a ten part answer with two, love God and love your neighbor.  This brings us full circle to my point, do we love, like, stand people?  If we are going to be on mission with people we need to face the honest reality of that question. What is your answer?

People on Mission #1

People, just imagine the difficulties that come with just that simple word, "people". Some of us intentionally stay away from people, even when we're around people we ignore them, or hope they'll just keep on walking or go away. "Why can't people just leave me alone!" Not sure if that's a good mantra, but some of us love that one. Before we can even begin to wrap our minds around what it is to be on mission we first must conquer our fear, hesitation, disdain for people. Here's one thing that might help you, just because you don't love, like, stand people doesn't mean that people not love, like, stand you. If we were only suppose to care about ourselves why is there so much caring going on all around us. People exist and because of that we being a people exist right along with them. Now to our like or dislike of them it really comes down to your worldview. A humanist or socialist or whatever type of -ist you claim to be by definition of their -ist does or does not have to embrace said people. Ah, but a person that is shaped and molded by a Biblical worldview is not given the luxury of choice, but rather finds them self compelled to love, like, stand people. The question becomes more rhetorical when you realize you already know the answer. People, those I'm designed to care for are no longer a loving option but rather a simple command, ":Love your neighbor...". Having a strong Biblical worldview myself, I no longer wrestle with questions with obvious answers I tend to just agree and move on. If you wrestle with people, than ask yourself the question what is my worldview? If you can't support or follow your declared worldview, maybe you're not of that persuasion at all. One's worldview really comes down to what one really believes.

Something to think about...