Jesus Is Annoying Me

This might come as a surprise to you, but there's a lot about house church that annoys me.

For one thing, most of the people in our house church are so unlike me. They disagree with me about eschatology, theology, and politics. They don't like the same music that I like. They don't all agree with me on things like the proper way to baptize, or the end times, or about spiritual gifts, or healing, or speaking in tongues.

Not only do these people not agree with me about all of these things, they don't agree with each other about these things either. We all come from different denominational backgrounds and streams. None of us is on exactly the same page when it comes to these issues.

As a result, there are some Sunday mornings when I must confess I am pretty far outside my comfort zone. A little comment here, a little reference to a book or teacher there, a little wrong assumption about my view of a particular scripture, and I get very uncomfortable.

Of course, I realize that I could pretty easily solve this problem by either demanding that everyone line up with my particular viewpoint, or I could leave and try to find another church family that brought me closer to my personal comfort zone.

However, those solutions are even more objectionable to me than spending hours at a time in fellowship with a group of people who are different and rub me the wrong way occasionally.

In essence, I believe that Jesus is annoying me on purpose, and if Jesus intends to annoy me it must be because I need to have my rough edges rubbed off. What better resource for humbling me, and teaching me to listen to others, and showing me how to love people who are different from me than a church family full of people who are not like me?

Honestly, my definition of hell would be to sit for hours at a time in a room full of Christians who never challenged me, never questioned me, never taught me anything I didn't already know, and never pulled me out of my comfort zone.

I love my church family. They are gloriously annoying and I know that I am just as annoying to them.

If you don't believe me, just ask them.

-kg

Letting It Go

On November 8, 1987, Gordon took his daughter, Marie, out to watch a parade. She wasn't a little girl anymore, but she was quite happy to have the day off from her nursing job and to spend some time with her Dad.

Then, a little after 10 a.m., the bomb exploded, blasting them to the ground. Gordon never let go of his daughter's hand, even when the building fell in on them and buried them in darkness.

Unable to move, they lay beneath the crushing weight of the rubble and spoke to one another, choking back dust and tears.

"She gripped my hand tightly," he remembered. "Gripped me as hard as she could. Then she said, 'Daddy, I love you very much.'"

When her grip relaxed a few seconds later, he knew she was gone. Five minutes later they pulled him and his daughter Marie out from under the debris. Marie never regained consciousness and was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Speaking to the BBC reporters just a few hours later, Gordon said, "I bear no ill will. I bear no grudge. Dirty sort of talk is not going to bring her back to life. She's in heaven and we shall meet again."

Then he added, "I will pray for these men tonight and every night."

According to historian Jonathan Bardon, "No words in more than twenty-five years of violence in Northern Ireland had such a powerful, emotional impact."

The Remembrance Day bombing, as it came to be known, killed 11 people and injured 64 when a single 40 pound bomb was detonated by the Provisional IRA during a Remembrance Sunday ceremony held to honor those who had served in the British Special Forces.

The BBC would later describe the bombing as a turning point in the ongoing struggle between the IRA and the British. Not because the bombing itself accomplished anything strategically for either side, but simply because the response of forgiveness by one 60 year old man “shook the IRA to its core".

Not only did Gordon Wilson publicly forgive those who had planted the bomb that killed his dear daughter, Marie, he said he would pray for them and that is exactly what he did for the rest of his life. He also begged that no-one took revenge for Marie's death and pleaded with others not to do so.

How could this man forgive those who took away his daughter so quickly? Because Gordon Wilson loved Jesus with all his heart. He had spent many years serving his community faithfully, simply, and quietly, as a follower of Christ.

After the bombing, Wilson went on to devote his life to the peace effort and even met face to face with the members of the very same terrorist organization that planted the bomb that day.

He believed in forgiveness and he trusted in the Prince of Peace. This made all the difference in the world.

-kg

BUT WHY?

Earlier this week, a fourteen year old boy at my oldest son’s school collapsed. He was having a seizure. They called the ambulance. He arrived at the hospital unconscious. A few hours later the doctors discovered that he had a massive stroke. They took him off life support a few days later.

These sorts of things, while heartbreaking, are not uncommon. Worse, you and I are not exempt from them.

Last week a friend of mine had to say goodbye to his father in the hospital. Even though his dad had lived a long, full life, the pain of his loss was no less than what those parents felt as they let go of their fourteen year old son.

“In this life you will have trouble,” Jesus assured us. “But take heart, I have overcome the world.”

Still, life is full of pain. Every single one of us will have to let go of someone we love one day. It will hurt. We will not feel that it’s right, or fair, and in the midst of our suffering God will be standing there beside us, weeping alongside of us.

Yet, when we are in the middle of our suffering, we are in no mood to hear about how God works all things for the good of those who love Him, or about how we should count it all joy as we endure trials of many kinds because we know that the testing of our faith produces perseverance, or about how we should endure suffering as the Lord’s discipline because it reveals to us that He loves us and wants to make us like Jesus.

All we want is our son back, or our father back, or our life back.

These are the hard lessons of life. This is a painful place. Yes, it is also a place of wonder, and of joy, and of laughter, and goodness, but with all of that comes the darkness and the tears and the pain. We cannot escape it.

So, we have to make a choice. We will either go through this life with Jesus, or without Him. We will share our laughter and our joy with Him, and we will lean on Him in the times of sorrow, or we will leave Him out of our lives and live, and suffer, and die alone.

I wish there was another choice. But there is no other choice. The world we live in isn’t the world God intended it to be. He had something so much greater in mind. But that plan was sidetracked – by us, not by Him – and He has been consumed with restoring His creation to its original condition ever since.

It hasn’t been easy either, mind you. The process of separating part of Himself into the form of a human, being formed cell by cell in the womb of a young woman, entering the world as the child of a poor family, being laid into a manger, growing up one year at a time, going to school, burying his earthly father, taking on the family responsibilities, transitioning into the life of a travelling Rabbi, being mocked and misunderstood by his own family, opposed by the leaders of the church in His own name, betrayed by his closest friends, beaten, whipped, tortured, nailed to a Roman cross, hanging in the sky for six hours as the hot sun that he created beat down upon his naked frame, and then the last gasp of ragged breath before tasting the cold darkness of death.

Why? For you, my friend. All for you. All for me. All to bring us closer. Because He would rather die than live without you. Because loves you. He’s sincerely over the moon, head-over-heels, crazy about you. He would do anything – in fact He has already done everything – to fix what we have broken and to set in motion the eventual re-creation of the Universe into what He intended it to be all along.

So, now when someone tells you that enduring a moment of suffering here is to be considered a joy because it brings you nearer to that supremely selfless being of absolute love, hopefully you can understand how it’s even possible. Or, at least trust Him to show you how it’s possible in a quiet moment of reflection when you’re on your knees, in the dark, eyes filled with tears.

“In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words..” (Romans 8:26)

“He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” (Isaiah 53:3)

-kg

Long Distance

The greatest distance in the Bible isn’t measured by how far the East is from the West, but by how far Jesus humbled himself to step down off that throne in Heaven. Being worshiped night and day by the seraphim and the angels, Jesus lets go of his power and makes himself nothing.

By stooping to be formed as an embryo in the womb of an unknown Jewish teenager in Palestine, Jesus demonstrated just how far he was willing to go to make a way for us to be with him.

What most Christians fail to realize is that when Jesus was on this Earth, he was fully human. His identity was God, the Son, but he was a man.

He told us that he only did what he saw the Father doing. He said he couldn’t do the works he did apart from the Father.

 

He showed us how we can live a similar life in the Kingdom. He was our blueprint for living in the Kingdom.

 

So, we can’t use the excuse “Well, Jesus was perfect! He was God so that’s why He could turn the other cheek and forgive people and things like that. I’m not Jesus so I can’t do those things.”

 

It might seem to be true, but that’s not what Jesus tells us. He says that if we believe in Him – if we put our complete trust in Him – then we will do the works that He did, and not only will we do those things – we’ll do even greater things.

 

I don’t think that’s about doing bigger and better miracles, but it’s about the principle of multiplication. Because if it were about bigger and better miracles then Peter and Paul would have flown through the air because that would have been a bigger miracle than walking on water.

 

Instead, I think that "greater things" is all about exponential possibilities. As the Body of Christ expands to cover the Earth we will accomplish things that Jesus didn’t during his earthly ministry.

Think of it like this: What do you think Jesus would be doing if he were here today? Where would he spend his time?

 

Now, let’s realize the truth: Jesus IS here today. We are His Body. We are “little Christs” (which is what the word “Christian” means). We are His ambassadors here and now.

This isn’t about us. Remember? The Gospel is about Jesus. It’s about His Glory, His Kingdom, His rule and reign, etc.

So, following Jesus is about us dying to ourselves daily. Letting go of ourselves and our rights so that His life and His plan can be accomplished in us and through us.

 

“We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.” (2 Corinthians 4:10)

Because Jesus was willing to let go of everything and become nothing, you and I can enter the Kingdom. Because he would rather die than live without us, we can live together forever.

-kg

NOW HIRING: NEW PASTORS

Our house church is currently interviewing potential new candidates for assistant pastor. Here’s what we’re looking for:

Duties:

Responsible for loving and serving everyone else in the Body. Applicants should be willing to listen more than they talk. In fact, talking is almost completely unnecessary. Please observe our strict “no preaching” policy. Teaching is nice, but we ask that you do your best to make it conversational and please leave plenty of room for disagreements, questions, and the occasional rebuttal.

Must be willing to love people, regardless of how messed up they appear to be. No preferred parking spaces are available. First come, first served only.

Must also be willing to submit to our Senior Pastor. He is never wrong and should never be questioned or challenged in any way, at any time. He’s the Son of God, after all, so that shouldn’t be too difficult if you love Him like we do, and if also you’ve made a decision to follow Him the rest of your life.

Must support the Senior Pastor in the accomplishment of the church’s mission by NOT engaging in decision-making, advance planning or overall direction of other church members.

Must ensure the operational readiness of the church by constantly refraining from any sort of leadership or oversight of the Church and shall not in any way interfere with the practice of the “one-anothers” as clearly outlined in the New Testament scriptures.

Must constantly avoid creating any sort of key objectives, tactics; or an establishment of long-term growth goals.

Must never speak of any sort of church building program, including capital fund raising campaigns, master planning, design and architecture, contractor selection, or construction of a physical building.

Compensation:

Like everyone else on our “pastoral team,” applicant will agree that they “would rather die” than to receive money for preaching the Gospel or for teaching our brothers and sisters in Christ, whom we love. (1 Cor. 9:14-16)

This means that all our pastors are given an equal share of whatever food is available at every potluck gathering (either breakfast on Sunday mornings or dinner on Thursday evenings). Prayers are offered continually and double honor is extended at all times.

Like Peter wrote so eloquently: “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve.” (1 Peter 5:2)

 

Education and Experience

This position requires no experience as a senior leader in a corporate business environment or as a pastor. Possession of a Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Technology, or other related field is nice, but not required, or particularly desired. Master’s work in Biblical studies will not be held against you. The successful individual must have a proven track record of putting others first and not promoting himself or herself above the needs of others.

Interested parties can submit their resumes by email or in person.

-kg

Slight Preview 2013

Yesterday in our house church gathering one of our brothers said that during worship the Lord was speaking to him about a season of new doors being opened for me and my family. At first he wanted to talk to me about it privately, but then God urged him to do it in front of everyone, so he did.

This confirmed what Wendy and I have been sensing for a while now.

Up to this point we’ve only had a vague sense that old things were passing away and that God might have new plans in store for us in the year ahead. A few weeks ago I had a dream where Jesus was calling me to follow Him deeper into the dark ocean depths where there would be real suffering, real pain, and real death. Then, Wendy said that she had been sensing that God was preparing us for some financial tests of faith and trust.

In addition to this word, this brother also felt very strongly that the scripture in 2 Timothy 1:6-7 applied to me, which says: “I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline."

Someone also said that they felt like there could be more writing involved in the future and they prayed for God to bless my gift of writing.

After our house church family laid hands on our whole family and prayed for us, another brother in our group looked at me and said that God had “on purpose” not revealed to me the exact nature of this calling or the new doors He was going to open because He knew that if I knew what it was I would be tempted to start moving in that direction, or try to make it happen. [See? God knows my heart.] But he also said that God wanted me to know that “when the door opens, you won’t miss it.”

So, it’s hard to know if this is about one single thing, or if it’s about several different things at the same time. Is this about a new opportunity for ministry and service to the poor, or to our community, or to my co-workers? Or is it about a new opportunity to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom in other states? Or in other nations? Is this about another financial test of faith where we have to depend on God for our daily bread? Or it is a combination of all of these things? Or something else I haven’t even considered yet?

 

See? I am trying to anticipate it and to prepare for it.

Another thing that was spoken over me yesterday was that I would encounter strong opposition to whatever God was calling me to, but that I should not be timid but speak with boldness and know that God was with me through it all.

So, there’s a mystery for you. What does God have in store for us in 2013?

Strangely, I am invigorated by all of this. Suddenly my life has purpose and meaning. I am part of something bigger than myself. God is at work in my life. He has plans for me. He has prepared me for something wonderful.

I’m also encouraged because earlier this year God also urged our family to set out a jar so that we could begin to put into it written testimonies of the miraculous things God was going to do in our lives in 2013.

At the end of this year, we can look forward to opening up this jar and be reminded of all the amazing ways that God has moved to provide for us, protect us, care for us, and lead us nearer to Himself.
I can hardly wait.

-kg

 

LEADER OR PASTOR?

Pastor Davis wanted more than anything to be great at his job. So, to be a better pastor, he got in his car and drove across town to the Christian book store. Using his pastor’s discount card, he purchased ten different books on Leadership written by various business-leaders, professional speakers, and motivational authors. After reading all of those books he was good at one thing: Leadership. Unfortunately for Pastor Davis, being a great pastor has absolutely nothing to do with leadership.

The problem here is that we have redefined the term “pastor”as it was intended in the new testament to reflect our modern day ideas of what church should look like. See, the noun “Pastors” only appears once in the new testament scriptures, and then it is used in the plural sense, not the singular. Not only that, the group of people called upon to “shepherd the flock”in the local assembly are called “Elders” not “Pastors”.

Beyond the obvious misuse of the word, the real danger is that we’ve completely redefined the verb “to pastor” so that it no longer has anything to do with loving people, caring for them, serving them, feeding them, strengthening them, making sure they are spiritually healthy, or anything remotely close to what a “shepherd” would do to take care of the sheep. Instead, we have reduced the term “shepherd” or “pastor” into the most narrow function – leadership.

Pastor Davis made the mistake of reading books and attending conferences and listening to audio books about leadership so he could inspire people to listen to him, or to motivate people to do stuff, or to convince people to invest in his church. What should he have done instead? Well, if the function of being an elder (who is part of a group of other elders) is to nurture the spiritual development and growth of his brothers and sisters in the church, maybe the first thing would be to spend time praying for those people? And then maybe you could spend time with them? Perhaps you might decide to read books about how to listen more, or how to encourage people? You might also want to try doing all of these things without an ulterior motive like wanting to use your influence on people to get them to do stuff, or to give you money, or to volunteer for something. Just love them and listen to them and bless them and encourage them because you love them, and because you genuinely feel called –and gifted – by God to care for people.

See, Pastors who are obsessed with leadership are like husbands who expect to improve their marriages by reading books about monster trucks. Not only is leadership not related to loving people, it will train you to become more self-focused and less others-focused.

Books about leadership make you a better leader – in the worldly, CEO, “I’m the boss” sense of the word – but if you really want to learn how to please Jesus and be the best “shepherd” you can be, just focus on learning how to love people more, and to serve people more. It’s what Jesus did. It’s also what Jesus commanded us to do. He got down on his knees and washed the feet of this disciples, and then he said, “Now that you know these things you will be blessed…if you do them!” (Not if you read them, or if you know them, but only if you “do” them).

Biblically, a good shepherd or pastor is one who loves people and serves people and helps people to depend more on Jesus. Good pastors do not train people to depend on themselves. They constantly point others to Jesus and they teach them to hear the voice of the One, True, Good Shepherd who is more than capable of speaking to His own sheep and leading them where He wants them to go.

Pastoring is not about being a good speaker. It’s not about being a good marketer. It’s not about motivating people to do stuff. It’s not about being a smart business man. Simply put, pastoring is about loving and serving people.

Don’t be like Pastor Davis. Be like Jesus. Get on your knees. Serve others. Wash feet. Teach people to look to Jesus, and to cling to Jesus, and not to yourself. Then you will be a good pastor, and you know what else? You’ll also be a leader who sets an example worth following.

-kg

**

Thanks to Aaron [@CulturalSavage] for his Tweet that inspired this blog.

The Most Dangerous Sermon

Anticipation was high that morning. The hometown hero had returned. Today he was scheduled to speak after a long, celebrated tour of the surrounding country side.

No one knew what he might do, but they were eager to hear what he had to say and to see him with their own eyes.

Sure, he had grown up there. Most remembered him playing with their children when he was a young boy, or seeing him and his brothers and sisters at the market. But this was different.

When he left he was a nobody. Today, he was a genuine sensation.

Everyone in the synagogue held their breath when he stood up to take the scroll. It was time to read the scheduled passage in Isaiah on this particular Sabbath, but what might Jesus have to say about it? What new miracle might he do in their presence? Most were aware that he had a habit of healing on the Sabbath, even though many Jewish leaders felt it was controversial.

Jesus took the heavy scroll and unrolled it. There was no other sound in the room as Jesus read aloud these words:

“The spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners, and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor…”

Suddenly he stopped reading. The following section of that verse dealt with “the day of vengeance of our God”. Why had he left that part out?

Just as quietly, Jesus rolled the scroll back up and handed it to the attendant. Then, he turned and he sat back down.

Every eye was fastened on him now.

“Today,” Jesus said, “this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

They gasped. It was true! He was the promised Messiah who was to come. Many began to whisper to one another, “Can it be?”, “Isn’t that Joseph’s son?” But then Jesus continued, adding, “Surely, you will all say to me, ‘Physician heal yourself!’ and you will demand of me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we heard you did in Capernaum.’ But no prophet is ever honored in his hometown.”

The murmuring stopped, but everyone’s gears were churning in their heads. What did he mean by this? What did this have to do with the year of the Lord’s favor? Did this mean he wasn’t going to do any miracles after all?

Jesus looked over the crowd and added something that sent them over the edge in a frenzy of anger and bloodthirsty wrath. Something so simple, and yet so infuriating that they rushed the stage and dragged him bodily by force out to the edge of a high cliff so they could throw him down onto the sharp rocks below. He said, “I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”

What happened here? Why was this statement so insulting to these people? How could this simple statement of fact so enrage those who were gathered to cheer on their hometown hero?

The very idea that the Messiah was about to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor to the Samaritans, and to the Gentiles, was intolerable to them. They were the chosen people. They were the ones who were oppressed. They were the captives that needed to be set free. Yet this Jesus was suggesting that the Messiah was about to set everyone free, and to show the Lord’s favor to all nations on Earth.

Simply put, they wanted the blessing for themselves and they weren’t about to share it with “those people” who weren’t like themselves.

But what about the part where Jesus said they would call on him to heal himself? The prophecy that Jesus made to them that day was fulfilled a few years later. As he hung from the cross the religious leaders, the roman guards, and even the thief next to him on the cross all mocked him and dared him to save himself if he was truly the Christ. "He saved others, let him save himself," they would say.

On this particular day, Jesus did save himself from death and disappeared from their midst as they were about to throw him off the cliff. But, later, he would hang on that cross and call out “Father, forgive them. They know not what they do.”

What can you and I take away from this?

First, the idea that Jesus is for everyone, not only for us.

Second, that we must admit our spiritual poverty, our blindness, our bondage to sin if we are to receive the blessing of the Messiah that was promised in the scroll of Isaiah.

Remember, Jesus said that he was "anointed" to  “preach good news to the poor...to proclaim freedom for the prisoners, and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free..."

We must humble ourselves and admit that we are the sick, and the blind, and the prisoner. If we do, Jesus will heal us and set us free.

As Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous but the sinners to repentance.”

-kg

GOD HATES WHO?

My friend Jared told me once about the first time he attended a Gay Rights rally in Los Angeles. He is not gay, but as a follower of Christ he wanted to see for himself what these people were like, and he was willing to see them as human beings in need of Christ’s love first and foremost.

To get ready for his trip he posted a carpool notice on Craigslist asking if anyone from Orange County would like to ride with him up to the rally and share gas money. He got three responses, all lesbians.

On the ride up to the rally they all started talking about their experiences being lesbian, how their families had treated them, and various “ice breaker” conversation points. Eventually they asked Jared how long he had been Gay.

“I’m not gay,” he admitted. They laughed at first, and then when they realized he was serious they started asking him why he was going to the rally. That’s when he admitted to them that he was a Christian and that he wanted to meet people first-hand who are Gay. He apologized for the way his fellow Christians had responded to homosexuals. That’s when they really started to share their experiences with him.

What they shared was heartbreaking. They talked about being sexually abused by their Christian youth leaders as teens and about how the church leaders had blamed them, and eventually kicked them out of their churches. They talked about how their Christian parents had screamed at them and disowned them once they found out about their sexual orientations. They talked about how they still loved God and still believed in Jesus but couldn’t be part of any Christian church out of fear for how they would be treated.

All Jared could do was to listen, and to apologize to them for the hateful ways that they had been treated by other Christians.

Does God condone homosexuality? I don’t think so. Not any more than He condones adultery or fornication, or lying, or stealing, or gossip. But if we can associate with Christians who have committed adultery, or lied, we should be able to fellowship with Christians who are struggling with their sexual identity. If we can have grace for people who have had abortions, or who have been to jail, or who have been divorced, or who have used every curse word in the book, then we shouldn’t have trouble loving and forgiving someone who is Gay.

Now, if we can’t love people who have sinned, then we have to ask ourselves if we’re really following Jesus or not. Because we’re all sinners, and we all continue to sin, even after we have come to Christ. So, being a sinner isn’t really the problem. It’s the symptom we all share. It’s what makes us human. It’s what makes us the people that Jesus came for, and died for.

God loves "fags." He loves all sinners. He even loves you. He loves everyone.

That much should be abundantly clear. If it’s not, the problem comes from His people, not from God Himself.

-kg

NOTE: Since writing this post my views have shifted on this topic.

Read more about what I've learned over the years based on intense Biblical studies and numerous life experiences:
NOT A SIN?
ROMANS RE-EXAMINED

HERE COMES THE JUDGE

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?" (Matt. 7:1-3)

You'd think that this verse would be clear enough at face value. But, it's not. Christians still want to wiggle out of this one. Lately I've heard some creative excuses to skirt around this clear command from Jesus. 

To quickly recap:

Jesus contrasts Love and Judgment as two opposite actions. (see Luke 6)

This means that we can't do one if we're busy doing the other.

If our mandate from Jesus is to love like God does, then we can’t waste our time judging the hearts of others.

Simply put, we can't love and judge at the same time.

Paul says that when we judge others we're actually passing judgment on ourselves. (see Romans 2:1)  

Paul even draws a distinction between correcting sinful behavior of those within the Church (1 Cor 5:12) with the right to judge those outside the church.

James chapter 4 tells us that when we judge others we're putting ourselves in God’s place.

So, according to the New Testament, followers of Jesus have no business trying to condemn those around us. In fact, by judging them we're ignoring the much larger sin in our own hearts.

The responses? Well, I’ve had people try to explain to me that we all judge every day because we have to “judge” whether or not to eat at a certain restaurant or not, and we have to “judge” whether or not our kids are lying about who broke the lamp, etc.

I’ve also had Christians try to make the case that calling something sinful that God has already identified as sinful isn’t the same as “judging” others, and when we vote in the polls we are making a “judgment”.

So, see, Jesus was just kidding about that “do not judge” stuff. Ok?

Well, no. It’s not ok.

What do you think Jesus means by saying we should love others and not judge them? Do you think it's possible to condemn people with the truth rather than love them and point them to the Truth?

Simply put, the other examples of “judging” are not even close to what Jesus was referring to. The examples above are about making a decision about where to eat, or what to believe, or about casting a vote on an issue. None of those things, in and of themselves, are about turning to another person and calling them “evil”.

What Jesus was forbidding us to do was to treat people differently – negatively – because of a determination we had made ourselves (in our own hearts) about the “goodness” or “badness” of that person. This is the very specific kind of judgment that Jesus forbids us to do.

But, didn’t Jesus also say, “By their fruits you shall know them”? Yes, he did. But when he said that he was warning his disciples not to be like the Pharisees – who, by the way, were quite judgmental of others.

So, again, Jesus has commanded us not to judge and not to emulate the judgmental behavior of religious leaders among us who behave in this way.

But, how else will people know that they are sinners? Well, I try to think of how I came to know Jesus. Your experience might be different, but I know that as a 9 year old boy I was mainly overwhelmed with my need for God. I couldn't have told you the first thing about sin or repentance or any of that. I just knew I needed Jesus desperately. Now, the Holy Spirit told me about my sin, and I responded to that and I repented. But it wasn’t a person who helped me to see my sin, it was God.

A friend of mine once told me that before he came to Jesus he already knew he was a sinner. No one needed to point that out to him. He got that. What he didn't know was what to do about it.

But, how else will we share the Gospel if we don’t hold up the “sinner” mirror to everyone? Personally, I think our evangelism should be more about loving people first (and that can only be done in relationship), sharing our own testimony (i.e. “I’m a sinner. I’m desperate for Jesus.” ), and inviting people to know and trust Jesus, too.

I think God will convict people of their sins just fine without us. Because that's what He said He would do (and the Holy Spirit would do), and He specifically told us that it is not our place to convict people of their sins.

Another example I can share is a couple we met at the motel several years ago. They were like sheep without a shepherd. We continued to serve them and love them in practical ways as they had need. They eventually started reading through the Gospel of John with us and suddenly they both began to realize that they were sinners. They suddenly started to tell us that they needed to make some changes in their life. That was the Holy Spirit, not us. Today they are continuing to read the Word of God and to allow Him to change their hearts. We never once had to say anything to them about their sin. We just loved them and let God do the rest.

But: "Isn’t voting a judgment of what is right or wrong, good or bad, better or worse, etc.? So, if I vote for same-sex marriage to be illegal, I'm judging same-sex marriage to be wrong. Right?"

I'd suggest that by voting against same-sex marriage you are not necessarily judging any persons. [And this is really where Jesus wants us to be careful]. As a Christian, if you vote against adultery or fornication, etc. then you are simply in agreement with God's judgment about those behaviors. HOWEVER: There is a difference between judging an action sinful and judging a person sinful. Even if you're right, you've stepped into a place reserved only for God - judging the hearts of other people.

My point is this: If we love people we make room for the grace of God to touch their hearts. (The kindness of God leads to repentance). But if we judge people, our condemnation becomes a barrier to them and they cannot see the love of Jesus in us - and where else are they supposed to see it?

Jesus commanded us not to judge others. He did command us to love others. We can't do them both at the same time. 

Do the math. Then do what Jesus told you.

-kg

DROWNING

I have a healthy fear of the ocean. It’s the darkness of it. The enormous depth. The multitudes of creatures that swim beneath the surface – all capable of killing you instantly.

I don’t mind the shore. In fact, I love going to the beach and walking barefoot in the sand. I love the feeling I get when I hear the ocean waves and take in the endless horizon where waves and sky blur into one. My soul feels refreshed on the shore. I am safe. The dangers are few.

But if I go deeper I risk pain, and death. The riptides have the power to thrust my body out to sea. The jellyfish and the urchin threaten me with their sting. The shark and the eel and the sea snake can end my life with a single bite. Even the gentle whales terrify me with their immense size and power.

One of my earliest memories is of riding on my father’s shoulders as a young boy. He was walking out into the ocean with me on his back. “Are you touching the bottom, daddy?” I asked every few steps. “Yes,” came the answer. “I’m touching the bottom.”

Eventually we were far out to sea. My mom and my grandmother were small specks on the horizon. “Are you touching the bottom, daddy?” I asked again in disbelief. “Yes, son, I’m touching the bottom.”

But then the wave came. It hit us from behind as I was looking back towards the shore at my mom. One moment I was riding on my father’s shoulders in the warm Florida sun, and the next I was swallowing salt water, tumbling over and over again in the blinding foam.

I don’t remember how long I was under. But then I felt my father’s hands grab my arm and pull me to the surface.

My father and I sputtered and coughed as we bobbed on the waves. He was holding me tighter now. Tighter than I can ever remember him holding me before. I looked into his face and saw the fear. The panic subsiding, slowly replaced by pure relief. He started to laugh as his emotions shifted. He had his son back. But in my little heart his laughter sounded like a mockery.

“You lied,” I shouted. “You said you could touch the bottom, but you lied.” Then I started to cry. He pulled me closer and tried to comfort me, but if I could have I would have swum away from him in my anger.

Maybe that’s part of why I fear the ocean? At a young age I tasted firsthand how unpredictable it could be and how quickly it could snatch you from blissful serenity and thrust you into an unexpected encounter with mortality.

Last night I had a dream about the ocean. It threatened to swallow me alive. I felt that same taste of real fear just before I woke up. Then I lay there in the darkness and heard the voice of God in my ear. “I’m calling you into the depths,” He said. I knew that there was danger, and suffering, and pain, and even death beneath those dark waves. “This is not a metaphor. This is not a spiritualization. The pain and the suffering and the death are real.”

For nearly half an hour I lay there and considered these words. I admitted my fear. I confessed my preference for the shoreline, for the sand beneath my feet. I kept hearing the voice of God urging me to follow Him deeper into the dark depths.

The danger is real. The suffering is real. The pain will be real. The death will be real.

“Follow me,” came the voice again.

I got up from my bed and wandered into the den. I dropped to my knees and kept listening. How could I agree to this? How could I refuse? My decision to follow Christ was made a long time ago, but now it was being challenged again.

What if my cross was really about dying? What if following Jesus actually meant letting go of everything; my wife, my sons, my safety, my own breath? What then? What now?

I can tell you that my response was not immediate. I can tell you that the answer wasn’t automatic. My one request was for my sons. I wanted to know that they would continue to walk with Jesus after I was gone. I couldn’t ask the same for my wife, because I didn’t know if my decision was something we might experience together or not. But if she remained behind, my prayer was that she would be comforted.

It is God’s mercy that I do not know exactly what I am saying yes to. If I knew exactly then there is a very good chance that I would never agree to following Him that far. All I asked was that Jesus would go with me and that He would meet me in person when the ocean sucked that last lungful of air from my body.

This time I know that my Father has me in His grip. I know He will never let me go. I know that He can be trusted to carry me all the way home, safe at last to that other shore.

One last breath…

-kg

TRUTH IS A PERSON

“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32)

When Jesus said “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” he was not making any general statements about the power of truth to improve the quality of our lives in any generic sense.

In other words, Jesus is not suggesting that the phrase, “Yes, those pants DO make your butt look remarkably huge” has any power to set us free. Truthful statements are not what makes us free. If that’s what Jesus meant he would have said, “Speaking the truth sets you free” or “Hearing truthful facts will make you free.” But that’s not what he said. He said, “You will know the truth and the truth will make you free.”

So, what was Jesus implying? He was saying that Truth is a person, not a statement or a fact. His actual statement was related to being someone who follows Him – a disciple. If, Jesus says, "you hold to my teaching” (or take my words seriously enough to actually try putting them into practice), then you will be my disciples, and if you are my disciples..."then you will know the truth”.

So, being a follower of Jesus is a pre-requisite for “knowing the truth.” If you know this person, Jesus, (who is Truth) then he will make you free.

He makes it much clearer when He says:

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

See? Jesus is the Truth. The truth is a person. Not a fact. Not a statement. The truth is a living, breathing person that you and I must get to know. Why would we want to get to know this person? Because if we know this person, He will set us free. How do we know Him? We start to follow Him and become a disciple. We become someone who actually tries to put his teachings into practice in our lives. Then we will know him, and then we will be set free because we have entered into a relationship with the truth.

“So, if the son sets you free, you will be free, indeed.” (John 8:36)

-kg

THE GOSPEL: TO GO!

Back in August of 2012 I receive an email (see below) from Randy Legassie. He's a Canadian missionary teaching in a training school for pastors in Kenya, working with an independent African-based denomination which has done some significant evangelism in the past - from about 40 members in their inception in 1947 to well over a million in five different East African countries today.

Randy asked me if he could use my book, "The Gospel:For Here or To Go?" as a curriculum to train these pastors at the school in Kenya. They don't have the money to purchase individual copies of the books for each student, so Randy asked if they could have permission to photocopy the PDF version and pass them out to the students.

Of course, I gladly said "Yes!"

Today, Randy emailed me to let me know that they started their class this week and that 11 of these students have received a copy of my book (literally, a photocopy because they don't have the funds to purchase these books), and they are beginning to use it to train them to share the Gospel of the Kingdom in their community.

I'm so blown away!

Not sure how God will use this resource in the future, but already this same little book has been translated into French (also in Canada) so there's a great potential for it to reach many others.

Here's the email I first received from Randy in 2012:

I downloaded and read your ebook, The Gospel: For Here or To Go?...and found it a very helpful tool for understanding the reality of evangelism today. That is important because I am a Canadian missionary teaching in a training school for pastors in Kenya, working with an independent African based denomination....However, they too are discovering that the old ways don’t work and are struggling to find how to get the message out. One of the courses I teach is evangelism and I have been exploring the cultural shifts and talking about ways to do evangelism that are bout effective and Biblical. I would love to be able to use your book as a text when I next teach the course in January but there is a problem.

Although the denomination is big, they are a rural-based denomination, which in East Africa translates as poor. The students don’t have money for texts, let alone computers and tablets. I was wondering if I could have permission to print out your book and make a photocopied version for each student—in January, I anticipate 9-10 students, with a another class of 22 coming the next year. I have access to mission funds for the photocopying.

I work with Canadian Baptist Ministries (cbmin.org) and am currently teaching at the Eastern Kenya Integrated College in Mitaboni, Kenya. EKIC is owned and run by the Africa Brotherhood Church, with its headquarters in Machakos, Kenya.

Thank you, first of all for your book, from which I will be drawing ideas for the course (with appropriate citations, of course—I also teach ethics) and for your consideration of this request.

Randy L.

**

Here is the email I received from Randy this week:

 

Hi, We have begun our term here in Kenya and I distributed copies of your book to the11 students in my evangelism class.

 

They were excited to receive them and wanted me to thank you for allowing them to have this resource. Our students are poor as is the denomination and this book represents a valuable resource for them.

 

I will let you know later in the term how they respond to the book, Thank you again for your permission to use the material.

 

-Randy Legassie .

**

 

I'll be praying for these eleven students as they go through the book and learn how to share the Gospel of the Kingdom in Kenya.

 

BONUS VIDEO:

African Brotherhood Church in Machakos, Kenya

 

-kg

THE WORD OF GOD IS A PERSON.

When we read about “The word of God” in the new testament, this isn’t usually a reference to the Bible or to scripture but to a person who is known as “The Word of God” or Jesus, the Messiah.

There are a few references where Jesus talks about the Old Testament scriptures as “the word of God” but those are the minority. Often, the term “word of God” is used to describe the sharing of the message of the Gospel, but in many instances the term is used to talk about a person, not a book that (at that time) had not been written yet.

For example:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.” (John 1:1-4)

This verse, obviously is equating the "Word of God" with God, but then we read:

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

Now the "Word of God" is being identified as someone who became flesh and made his dwelling among men, namely, Jesus.

These verses below are also examples of the phrase "Word of God" being used in reference to a person (Jesus):

“Then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” (Romans 10:17)

In this verse, the "Word of God" can't mean "the Bible" because it wasn't written yet. At least, not the parts being referred to here (i.e. "the Gospel").

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4:11-13)

Probably the most overly quoted verse about the "Word of God" and usually in the context of written passages (the Bible) instead of what it was meant to - a person (Jesus).

Jesus is "alive and active". Jesus "penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, etc." Jesus is the one who "judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." A book can't do those things, even a book as awesome as the Bible.

“I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.” (1 John 2:13-15)

Again, the "word of God" that lives in you and me is not a book. It's a person and that person is Jesus.

“When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained.” (Revelation 6:8-10)

People were not put to death because of the Bible. They were persecuted for faith in the person of Christ, who is the word of God.

“He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.” (Revelation 19:12-14)

In case there was any doubt, we are told that Jesus' name is "the Word of God." We also see that John, who writes the most about this subject, affirms that he is exiled for his faith in Jesus, not because of a book that hasn't been written yet:

“I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.” (Revelation 1:8-10)

So what? You might ask. Why does any of this matter? Because the apostles wanted us to understand that it was important to have a relationship with a person named Jesus, not with a book that they were in the process of writing down.

Jesus even warns us not to fall in love with a book, even with the Scriptures:

"You search the Scriptures, because you think you will find eternal life in them. The Scriptures tell about me, but you refuse to come to me for eternal life." (John 5:39-40)

The Word of God is a person. His name is Jesus. Get to know Him.

-kg