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...

What Do You Believe?

This question to some of us is answered very easily.  You may be a good communicator, you have the ability to put your thoughts together and articulate what you believe.  The words that you say appear to be genuine and heart felt.  Why would I have any reason not to believe you?

Let me ask this question, if I were to ask someone you work with or someone that knows you personal the same question about you, would they come up with the same answers.  Does what you believe come out through what you do?  There are many of us that can talk a big talk, can present an argument or defend a certain truth statement but the evidence of our lives are weak at best. 

In the day we live we are so influenced by what people say.  We are so quick to follow a word, a well thought out dissertation or a carefully prepared presentation.  The Internet has opened the door for people to express thoughts, opinions, beliefs.  Without any knowledge of that individuals personal lifestyle or behavior their band wagon is full of eager followers.  The question you must ask yourself or at least take pause long enough to think about is, does it matter if what a person says has no impact on what a person does? 

There's a book in the Bible that addresses this issue very clearly, the half brother of Jesus presents a clear argument for why it should matter.  In this book James argues that faith without works is dead, saying if you believe something with out the supporting evidence of a changed life is not believing at all.  In James 2:19, even the demons believe. 

Are you tired of being tossed to and fro by every slick tongue on the web, if you're ears are itching be careful where you turned to get them scratched.  The answer to this is get linked up with the church, be part of a community of believes that express what they believe by the way they live.  The church is God's people who are called, equipped and sent.  Find a church that you can build relationships with.  Be around people that live what they believe. 

New Identity

Have you ever asked yourself the question, "who am I?" If you haven't asked it you've probably heard someone else say, "I'm trying to figure out who I am."  So much of ones life is about figuring out "who they are", investing both time and resources to come up with something we are comfortable with or can at least tolerate.  Years go by and you realize that's not who you are at all.  Have you ever heard someone say after divorcing their spouse of 30 years, "that's just not who I am anymore, I've changed".  The pursuit of our identity can become a life time travel expose, with documented journaling to support your adventure.  People live there entire life without being satisfied with who they are. 


The church today has found themselves struggling with their identity.  We have become a people that are more concerned about how people see us vs. who we are.  The Bible is very clear that our identity is not wrapped up in what people see, that's old covenant doctrine.  Jesus in Matthew 5 begins to unfold the new covenant, the new life we have in Christ.  Jesus hits a cord when he says in vs. 20 "For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."  The question that might follow this statement is, "than who can be saved?"  This is the very point Jesus is making, you can't fulfill the righteous requirements of the law.  No matter what standard you put up for yourselves you will never measure up.  Jesus was preparing them for the greatest illumination of revelation known to mankind, He was their righteousness.  It was no longer about them being righteousness; where they failed He was going to succeed. Our Identity is no longer in what we do, but rather what He did. 


Can someone say, "Thank you Jesus!!!"


More to come...
Warren

Is God Love?

I would have to agree that God is love, is he love exclusively?  Rob Bell would say that love wins, I would agree His love did win!  The real question isn't whether or not God is love but rather what He did with that love? 

It's in our nature to want to serve, worship and love a God that in return loves us back.  No consequences for sin, just love.  Can't we create in our own image the type of God we want to serve?  Can't we interpret how we want to interpret the type of God that is only love?  Sure we could, but should we? 

When I read the Bible I see a God that loves me so much that He sent His son to die for me.  Did He have to do that?  If we are all going to heaven anyways why would God send His son to be beaten, brutalized, poked, stabbed, mocked and finally killed.  That to me doesn't sound like a very loving Father.  Jesus died because there was a price to pay, He became our propitiation--the perfect substitution for you and for me. The God of the Universe wants to have a relationship with you, take Jesus out of the picture and that doesn't happen.  Sin and God do not co-exist very well, when we accept what Jesus did we are telling God, "don't look at me, look at your son", when God does that He sees us as righteous rather than a bunch of selfish brats.

Rob Bell's book, "Love Wins" is coming out March 15th.  I don't want to judge a book by its cover nor by its critics.  I'll let Bell speak for Bell. 

Love doesn't win, Jesus wins!
Warren

Eyes to See and Ears to Hear

Have you ever stopped and wondered is it possible to be so in tune with what the Lord is doing that you don't lift a thumb without hearing from Him first? I've not lived that way and maybe you haven't either. This I know, He is speaking, the question is are you listening. That's the challenge we face as a people and as a church. If we want to go into the years ahead of us blind, than it doesn't matter what we hear. Just think of this, what if and I mean what if, we heard Him first. What if, all that we did was a response to His voice.

I believe that many read the scriptures everyday without a clear understanding as to what they're saying. Anyone with some intelligence can read the Bible and come up with some kind of an interpretation. Is that what He's asking us to come up with, some kind of interpretation? Should we not be challenged to stop and listen, to wait on the Holy Spirit to speak to us through His Word.

If you're like me than you're tired, tired of walking without knowing is this the direction I should be going? I understand faith to be the evidence of what we don't see, which is actual the proof that what we don't see is as real as real can be. There are times that we as people of faith use faith as a liberty to be ignorant. I love believing in what is unseen, because I know in my knower that what is unseen is more real that what I actually see. What we need to see is what He sees. I want to stand along the prophet Elisha and say, "What should we do, we're surrounded by the enemy?" Than to have Elisha pray, "Father open his eyes to see that those that are with us are greater than those that are with them." With my eyes still looking at the enemy my vision begins to refocus on the horizen, there before me the army of the Lord surrounding the enemy.

May we truly beleive that God is for us!

This week in our church is a week of Hearing, Waiting and Listening. How many of us will take the time to put down the remote and listen to His still small voice, or the loud thundering boom that declares this is the way walk in it.

I for one, am listening. Sure there are a lot of needs filling the airways. Good things to pray for, to ask for and I'm not saying their isn't a time to do that. Today, I wait! Today, I put aside what I want and I listen and I listen and I allow the Spirit of Almighty God, Bigger than Life no rather the Creator of Life to speak, to speak to me.

Lord we are your children and we are listening.

Warren

Easter at the rc

Wow, what a great day with family and friends. Hanging with old friends and building new ones. When I looked out over the congregation this morning I was encouraged to see a great group of people that had come together to celebrate such a wonderful occasion.

Than I have to stop and ask myself this question, "Why can't every day be like today?" Well the answer isn't so obvious as one might think. Yeah, you could say "it should be." But in reality it's not. You may ask how does that make me feel? I would say, ask me later because right now I feel pretty good. I know that one game doesn't make a season, nor does one service set the tone for the year. There are times when one moment in time can change a life. Are we looking for those moments, are we positioning ourselves to encounter a life changing moment, I'm not sure. This I do know when I attend a church service whether it's on Easter, Christmas, November or July I anticipate something happening that day. The scripture is powerful, worship takes us to a place where we can focus on Him and sharing that with other people is a mixture that has the potential for a spiritual explosion.

Looking forward to next week, we're starting a series called "Influence or Compromise" looking at the book of Daniel. Pastor Ben is kicking things off when Daniel has to decide if he will compromise his beliefs as he engages a new culture. It's interesting when culture and faith collide. This happens in so many different areas of life, as our culture changes and puts more pressure on you to "go with the flow" (that's an 80's term), are we called to influence or be influenced. I understand that in order for us to reach our culture we need to be flexable and moldable, but at the same time truth never changes it's the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. I've said this before and I'll say it again, methodology may change but truth remains the same. We struggle with culture when we think methodology is unchangeable. If we look at our personal lives how we do things now verses 10 years ago is very different. How we do church today isn't about following a receipt but rather following the leading of the Holy Spirit. I've looked in scripture and I've yet to see the outline of a service--welcome, prayer, three songs, offering, 30-45 min message, song, close. It's just not there. We can get hung up on our methodology that we become religious about something that not religious, it's just the way we've always done it. The question is, "is how we've always done it the way we should be doing it today?"

Thanks to everyone that hung out at the RC today, it was great spending a couple of hours together.