Christian Values

Have you ever heard someone say that they wish America would return to Christian values?

There is a major difference between wanting America to become more "Christian" out of a desire to be more comfortable as a Christian and actually having a passion to see people's lives transformed by the Gospel.

From what I observe, most Christians who demand a return to Biblical values are more concerned with their own desire to be around people who are more like them, share their opinions, etc. and are less concerned for people around them who are desperate for the freedom and life found in Christ.

What I don’t see is a passion to see people’s lives transformed. I don’t see Christians weeping for the lost or driven to serve the outcast or hoping to see the Kingdom of God advanced.

Instead, what I see and hear are Christians who are judgmental, angry, and intolerant of people who threaten their lifestyle and do not share their specific set of values.

Here’s a kick to the head: If you really want America to be a Christian nation, you’ll have to preach the Gospel to the lost, and live out the Gospel in your daily life. That means sharing what you have with people in need. That means welcoming the stranger into your home. That means caring for the poor, and loving the unlovable, and being willing to put the needs of others above your own.

In the end, this is really all about comfort. You either love your own comfort more than you love people, or you’re willing to leave your comfort zone to share the good news of the Kingdom with people who are not like you.

As followers of Christ, we should not be motivated by selfishness. We're called to lay down our lives for others.

Let's pray for more grace to love people with the same love that Jesus has showered us with.

-kg

The Supreme Decision

On Wednesday, June 26, 2013, the Supreme Court of the United States made two landmark decisions regarding the definition of marriage in California, and potentially the entire nation.

Since I put no hope in politics or politicians, these things don't surprise or upset me so much. But clearly it really does upset a whole lot of other Christians.

Let me ask you something. If Prop 8 wasn't overturned, what would that have done to bring people nearer to Christ? Nothing at all. Would it have changed anyone's heart concerning sexual behaviors? Nope.

So, whether the law is changed or not changed, the truth remains that people's hearts are still far from God. What can we do about that?

Well, we could start obeying Jesus. We could go out into all the world (not just this nation) and start to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom to everyone. We could begin to teach people to obey everything that Jesus commanded. We could participate and collaborate with the Holy Spirit as He transforms people into the image of Christ. That's our job and our mission as Christians.

How should we treat homosexuals? We should love them. How should we respond to gays and lesbians? We should invite them to follow Jesus. Let the politicians do what politicians do. Let the Body of Christ do what She is called - and commanded - to do. If we're successful it won't matter if they pass laws that allow people to have sex with parakeets. Because people who are following Jesus won't want to, regardless of what the law allows.

Also: For those of you who are fearful that America is falling away from previously held Biblical values, please remember that our faith was born under cruel, anti-Christian Roman Emperors who tortured and killed the followers of Jesus for sport. If America ever gets that bad (and I doubt that it ever will) we'll still be ok as long as we continue to follow Jesus and obey Him.

Let’s keep our eyes on Jesus and continue to seek first the Kingdom of God. We are not called to become entangled in the affairs of this world. We are called to love people as Jesus loves them and to demonstrate the transformative power of the Gospel of Jesus to the world around us.

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AMERICAN OR CHRISTIAN: PODCAST

Is there any conflict of interest between the American Dream and the Kingdom of God? What if being a Christian meant surrendering your identity as an American? Was America really ever a Christian nation? These and other questions will be discussed in this edition of Subversive Radio.

Permanent Vacation

Do you need a vacation from your life? Are you tired of being tired? Ready to clock out, turn off and escape for a while? I know I am. In fact, I am getting ready to go on that vacation right now.

What I’ve noticed is that getting ready for a vacation can be very therapeutic. That’s because there are two kinds of stress – Eustress and Distress. One is a positive form of stress [Eustress] and the other is a negative form of stress [Distress].

Eustress is the anticipation of a good event. Like waiting for a child to be born, or looking forward to a birthday party, or the arrival of a friend. These are stressful events, because they make us nervous, they create the build-up of energy in our bodies, and they place us in the same mindset as what we experience during Distress [the negative form of stress]. But the difference is obvious. Eustress is anticipation of something we want to happen. Unlike Distress which is a dread of something horrible, Eustress pays off in the end. When it finally comes we are elated. We celebrate. We smile.

I’m in deep Eustress right now. I’m making lists of things I need to accomplish before I set out on vacation. I’m making piles of things I want to remember to take with me on my trip. I’m clearing my desk at work so that everything is out of the way before I head off.

I’m also in a much better mood. I find myself humming and singing to myself. There’s a spring in my step. I’m much nicer to be around.

My heart rate is also a little bit elevated as I imagine myself relaxing with my family. My breathing speeds up when I look at the clock and start counting the minutes until I can leave.

So, what I’ve learned from this experience is that anticipation can be liberating. It allows me to focus on what really needs to be done before I can enjoy myself. It makes me happy. It lifts my spirits. It changes my perspective.

In fact, I think perspective is really what this is all about. If I were dreading this vacation, then I would be experiencing Distress, but since I’m looking forward to it, my attitude brings me a sense of fulfillment.

What if I could live my entire life in anticipation? Just imagine what it would be like to always look forward to something and assume that it’s good? What if I really believed that God loved me? What if I fully accepted that God delighted to give me good things? What if I actually behaved as if God had a plan for my life – a plan to bless and not to curse me? What if I understood that God had lavished such love upon me that I had already been adopted into His family?

The truth is, all of this is the truth. Now, the only question is, will I live my life according to the truth, or will I stress out about all the bad things that will probably never happen to me?

Even more amazing, God’s promise to us is that even if bad things happen to us, He will always find a way to turn into a blessing for us in the end – if we continue to trust Him.

The secret is to look forward, not behind. Good things are in your future. That’s where God has already prepared a feast for you and reserved a seat at the table in your name.

All aboard?

-kg

PODCAST: FOLLOWING JESUS INTO NON-VIOLENCE

What should Christians do if someone breaks into their home and holds a gun to their family? Is violence ok then? Are there limits to following Jesus into non-violence and radical love?

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST AT THE LINK ABOVE.

PODCAST: JESUS THE PRINCE OF PEACE

Was Jesus a non-violent Messiah? Does he expect you and I to actually love our enemies, turn the other cheek, and bless those who curse us?

What about the Old Testament scriptures about the Israelites in battle? What about Jesus turning over the tables? 
What about Cornelius the Centurion?
What about when Jesus said "go and buy a sword?"
All these questions and more will be addressed in this special edition of Subversive Radio.

GOD IN AMERICA

Watch this excellent episode of the PBS Firing Line documentary, "God In America" to learn how the Church in America became the pawn of the Republican party.

Watch God in America: Six: Of God and Caesar on PBS. See more from FRONTLINE.

Wanting Less

“Jesus, the Blessed One, is poor. The poverty of Jesus is much more than an economic or social poverty. Jesus is poor because he freely chose powerlessness over power; vulnerability over defensiveness; dependency over self-sufficiency.” - Henri Nouwen.

I can’t fully express to you how profoundly this quote has impacted my heart. The implications for this are astounding for those of us who have decided to follow Jesus. Because if Jesus left the splendor of heaven to become nothing (see Philippians 2), then we should also step down from our earthly splendor and let go of our temporal wealth to follow Jesus into this intentional poverty.

I can hear some of you responding, “But, Jesus didn’t command everyone who followed Him to sell everything and give it to the poor. He only said that to the rich young ruler, right? Right?”

Right. And also wrong.

Yes, Jesus did tell the rich young ruler to sell everything and give it to the poor. That’s true. But he also said this:

“Anyone who does not give up all that he has cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:33)

Read that again. Jesus is talking to “anyone”. Other translations use the word, “everyone” if you prefer. But either way, the meaning is clear. If anyone wants to be a follower of Jesus they cannot do so unless they first give up all that they have. Everything.

I’ve said before that Jesus only asks us to give up one thing to follow Him. It’s called “everything.” But for some reason this verse, and that quote by Nouwen, hit me in a new way this week.

Maybe it’s because I’ve been noticing a tendency in myself to become more materialistic lately? Maybe it’s because I’ve been a little fearful to let go of things and to share out of my abundance with people who are in need?

I think another aspect of this is the idea that the poverty of Jesus was intentional. As Paul noted, our weakness unleashes “the power of Christ” within us. (2 Cor. 12:9) So, the reason for Jesus to intentionally step into a life of poverty was to demonstrate to us the importance of depending on God for everything. It was also to model for us the value of people over things and possessions.

If I’m honest, the idea of letting go of my things is painful for me; physically and emotionally painful. I look around my room at my favorite books, and toys, and cd’s and games. What if all of those were gone forever? I consider my gadgets, my cell phone, my iPod, my X-box, and my television. What would my life be like without those? I wonder what items I simply could never let go of or give away and what it might take for me to let go of them for good.

This question of giving up everything to Jesus is uncomfortable for me to consider. The idea of taking these words from Jesus seriously frightens me. And why does it frighten me? Because it’s the Holy Spirit asking me these questions. Because the truth is, there are some things that I do not want to let go of. Jesus knows that I have to surrender everything to follow Him. It’s time to drop a few things I’ve been carrying to make it the next few miles of the journey.

See, on the global scale, I am rich. Filthy stinking rich. I make more in a year than most people on this planet will make in several lifetimes. I live in Orange County, one of the most expensive and extravagant places in the world. I have two cars. I have a garage full of stuff. I own dozens of electronic gadgets and toys. I eat better than most everyone else on the earth. I have a disposal income. I am rich.

The bible has a lot to say about those who are wealthy. None of it is very positive:

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” (Mt. 19:23-24)

“He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.” (Luke 1:53)

“But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.” (Luke 6:24)

“Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you.” (James 5:1)

“Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.” (James 1:9-11)

Here’s what I know about myself; one of my love languages is “gift-giving.” So, when I consider my recent desire for materialistic objects the truth becomes clear – I am trying to create an artificial feeling of love within myself by giving myself these gifts. But these gifts to myself are temporal. They do not bring me any joy. In fact, they serve to create a comfort zone around my heart that insulates me from others, and from trusting God.

So, in essence I believe that the Holy Spirit is urging me to change my posture from grasping to giving. If I can begin to let go of my things I will discover that true joy is found in letting go. By sharing what God has provided to me with others, this wall of comfort will begin to come down, and my heart will have more direct access to God.

Not coincidentally, I’ve also been praying lately for God to allow me to bear fruit in my life for His kingdom. Two things are required for bearing fruit:

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

“Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (John 12:24-25)

So, the idea of letting go of my stuff involves dying to myself, and it involves sowing the seed of the Kingdom, and learning to trust in the Lord for everything. Not in my stuff.

Pray for me if you think of it this week. I’ll be continuing to seek the Lord about this and to begin sharing and giving away what I already have rather than seeking to gain more material objects that I do not need.

The irony? There are countless, priceless treasures in store for me as I cast away these temporal things and trust more in the God who loves me and gave Himself for me. He is a God who loves to give good gifts to His children.

-kg

**

More verses on wealth:

“You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter.” (James 5:5)

“Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.” (1 Tim.6:9)

“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” (1 Tim. 6:17)

“The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.” (Luke 8:14)

“You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” (Rev. 3:17)

RE:FOCUS

There’s almost nothing worse than being in a movie theater where the projectionist isn’t paying attention and you have to scream, “Focus! Focus!” to get them to adjust the picture.

That’s how I feel when I listen to most Christians talk these days. They’re technically correct, but focused on the wrong ideas.

For example, earlier this week I received a message from someone who wanted to know my opinion about gay marriage. Beyond the “right or wrong” aspect of her question was a deeper reality. Her friend had walked away from church over feelings of rejection from her Christian leaders.

Can we identify the behaviors that are categorized as “sinful” accurately? Most certainly. In fact, we’re very, very good at that in the Body of Christ. We can go to verses like 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 and read:

“Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men, nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”

The scriptures are pretty clear about who does, and who doesn’t, make it into the Kingdom. But what do we do with that information? Do we go to our co-worker who isn’t a believer and place our hand on their shoulder and inform them that they are a sinner and that because they get drunk on the weekends that they will not be accepted by God? Or do we go to our neighbors and knock on their door and say, “Hello, I just wanted you to know that since you’ve been married more than once, you are an adulterer and God won’t allow you to enter His Kingdom.” Hopefully not.

But when our first thought about homosexuals is to proclaim that they are sinners and to inform them that this disqualifies them from entering God’s presence, that’s exactly what we’re doing. It’s sort of a reverse evangelism. We wouldn’t go out into the world and start separating all non-believers into various categories of sin in order to condemn them, would we?

Not only is this wrong-headed, it’s actually non-biblical. By that I mean, we do not ever see the Apostles or the early Christians going out to identify all the sinners around them. They did not say, “Hey you greedy drunkards, you’re not welcome in the Kingdom of God.” Instead, what we see time and again is the proclamation that the Kingdom of God is available, and wide open to people just like those "sinners".

 

When Paul stood before the Athenians he did not condemn them as evil sinners because of their idolatry (something he specifically identifies in 1 Cor. 6 as sinful). Instead, Paul takes the time to commend them for their religious zeal! He then tells them how wonderful God is, and how they can get to know Jesus who has risen from the dead. No mention of condemnation for their sins, just an appeal to their desire to know the truth about God and an opportunity to meet Jesus personally.

Most of us, I believe, wouldn’t dream of saying to an unbelieving co-worker or friend, “Hey, you’re a sinner and that means you can’t enter God’s Kingdom.” But when we walk around proclaiming that homosexuality is a sin and that those who practice this are going to hell, that’s exactly what we’re doing. Are we factually correct? Yes. Are we right? No. Because Paul’s statements in 1 Corinthians 6 were made to Christians, not to unbelievers. And notice how he finishes that statement about who will not enter the Kingdom of God:

“And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (v.11)

See? The people he was writing to were formerly sinners themselves. He is reminding them of how far they have come. Why? So that they will not be tempted to look down on “those sinners” over there, because all of them were once in the same condition.

Our posture towards those outside the Kingdom of God should be to love them, to befriend them, to have them over to dinner, to bless them in the name of Jesus. Whether they are drunkards, or adulterers, or liars, or greedy, or homosexuals, or whatever, we should take the time to get to know them, and to love them, and to wait for the opportunity to share the love of Jesus with them so that they can see that God loves them and that His Kingdom is wide open to them whenever they are ready to follow Him.

Isn’t that what Jesus did for us when we were sinners? Didn’t he welcome us? Didn’t he love us? Didn’t he overlook our sins in order to show us what life with him could be like if we would simply take his hand and follow him?

It’s the kindness of God that leads to repentance. Our role is to love people into the Kingdom. If we go out proclaiming that everyone else is a sinner and that the pathway to Jesus is closed to them, what’s the point? Instead, let’s go out proclaiming the goodness and mercy of God towards everyone, admitting that we are sinners too. Let’s invite people to know Jesus personally so that He can transform them into His image as they learn to trust Him daily.

There’s nothing worse than being unable to see the big picture because we’re distracted by the wrong things.

Focus! Focus!

-kg

 

 

PRIESTLY FOOD

Reading from Hebrews the other day and noticed an interesting correlation between the Levite priesthood under the Old Covenant and the New Testament priesthood of believers.

Under the Old Covenant, the Levitical priests were allowed to eat what was offered on the altar. Whether that was a sacrificed lamb or bull, after the animal was sacrificed and burnt on the altar, they were given the leftover meat to feed themselves and their families. In fact, it was one of the various ways that the other tribes of Israel provided for the well-being of those Levites who worked in the temple and had no land or property of their own.

Paul references this principle here:

 “Don't you know that those who serve in the temple get their food from the temple, and that those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar?” (1 Cor. 9:13)

Now, what struck me was how Jesus gave us His body to eat and stressed that if we did not eat it (receive His sacrifice) that we would not have life in us.

“Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.” (John 6:53-56)

Not only is this meant to illustrate the need for us to have the life of Christ within us, I believe it’s also meant to correspond to the sacrificial lamb which is eaten only by the priesthood.

So, because we who are in Christ are now members of the new Priesthood of Believers, we are privileged to eat of the One true sacrifice of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

 

No one else is allowed to eat of this sacrificial food from off of God’s altar, only those who are of the true priesthood.

 

Because we are the new priesthood of a new covenant, we are allowed to eat the body of the sacrificial lamb that was laid on the altar in sacrifice for our sins.

 

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LEADERSHIP: House Church 101 Podcast Series

Leadership: No one was more interested in this topic than the first disciples of Jesus. But what was His response to their arguments about which of them was the greatest? Why is "Leadership" so important in the Body of Christ and how can we get it right?

The Painfully Normal Church

According to the New Testament, the Christian faith was inaugurated at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit, in fulfillment of Joel 2:28-32, was poured out on all flesh. From that day forward, the followers of Jesus became empowered to preach the Gospel, baptize new believers, plant churches, and share communion with other believers. Everyone was in the ministry of Jesus Christ. There was no distinction between clergy and laity because in their minds, every follower of Jesus was “…being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." – (1 Peter 2:5)

When the Spirit of Almighty God was poured out on all flesh at Pentecost, those first Christians got it. They understood that the same Holy Spirit of God that once rested over the ark of the covenant behind a 300 pound veil in the Temple of Jerusalem was now living within their own hearts. They were excited beyond belief and consumed with a fire and a passion to share this living presence of God with everyone they knew.

The original Christian church was one “not made with human hands”. Rather than following “the pattern of this world” the Biblical Christian church was birthed by the Spirit of God, empowered by words of Christ, and under submission to the Father. Simply put, the Christian church we read about in the New Testament was something that God was doing, not men. In contrast to our Church today, the first Christians were ordained by the Holy Spirit of God Himself and sent out to proclaim the Gospel, the Good News, that the Kingdom of God had come to every man, woman and child.

The artificial, man-made hierarchy we see in the Christian church today is not what the Church practiced under the Apostles in the New Testament. Instead of a Body made up entirely of Spirit-filled ministers of the Gospel, the Christian church eventually surrendered this heavenly model for a more top-down approach.

As one New Testament scholar, Howard Snyder, put it:

"The clergy-laity dichotomy is…a throwback to the Old Testament priesthood. It is one of the principal obstacles to the church effectively being God’s agent of the kingdom today because it creates a false idea that only ‘holy men,’ namely, ordained ministers, are really qualified and responsible for leadership and significant ministry. In the New Testament there are functional distinctions between various kinds of ministries but no hierarchical division between clergy and laity. The New Testament teaches us that the church is a community in which all are gifted and all have ministry.”

I believe this is partly why Jesus strategically chose his disciples from among the most common and ordinary strata of society. He wanted to make sure that when a run-of-the-mill fisherman stood up and proclaimed the Gospel no one would bow down and worship him. Instead, the people saw ordinary men and women just like themselves, uneducated, dirty, and painfully normal, who had been caught up into the eternal purpose of God.

When Peter spoke under the power of the Holy Spirit, or when Paul prayed for people to be healed, or when any of those unnamed disciples ministered to one another in the Body, everyone knew it was God doing the work, not the people themselves.

"When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” – (Acts 4:13)

When they gathered together it wasn’t to hear words of “eloquence or superior wisdom” but to experience Jesus in their midst as the Head of the Body and to share Him through a communion that went beyond bread and wine. The original, New Testament Christians were empowered, “not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power” (1 Cor 2:1-5).

The Church is what God is doing, not what we are doing. We are living stones, but only because we are filled with the Life of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. Gathering apart from that is just a gathering. When we come together, to the Living Stone, we also like living stones are built up into a holy priesthood, offering sacrifices of praise to celebrate our Risen Lord who is present with us in the meeting.

Can you imagine being in a room with Jesus and allowing someone other than Him to speak for over an hour? Can you imagine experiencing the awesome presence of the Spirit of the Living God and reading announcements?

The Body of Christ is an expression of the tangible, resurrected Christ. Have we settled for less? Have we become comfortable listening to the wisdom of Men rather than waiting quietly for the whisper of our Eternal Creator?

The more I read the New Testament the more I see a people who were caught up in something beyond themselves. They were the most common, uneducated, normal people you can imagine. Even their leaders were humble, ordinary, everyday men and women who saw themselves as fortunate participants in the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy and the heart’s desire of Almighty God to reveal Himself to the World.

 -kg

*NOTE: This article originally appeared in the online magazine www.theyoke.org.

NEW PODCAST SERIES: HOUSE CHURCH 101

Be Reconciled

Paul, in the epistle of Titus urges us not to waste our time with people who like to argue. In fact he says this:

“Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them. You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful; they are self-condemned.” (Titus 3:10-11)

If you consider what the fruit of constant argumentation brings to the Body of Christ, Paul’s admonition is very practical. The point of coming together as the Body of Christ is not to entertain controversies or to argue endlessly about this doctrine or that teaching. The purpose of gathering together is to build one another up in faith. (See 1 Cor. 14:26)

Does this mean that we cannot build one another up by teaching simply because we might end up disagreeing over how to understand a scripture? Of course not. But we can allow people to disagree with us without turning the entire meeting over to this point of contention.

As an example, in our house church many of us disagree on how best to interpret various scriptures. However, we go out of our way to honor one another and to leave room for others to express their viewpoints. Understanding that either person, or both, could be wrong, everyone listens and no one attempts to sway the church in any specific direction. What’s more, we don’t make these differences our main points of discussion.

Disagreement is not divisiveness. The divisiveness comes when one person, or more, cannot let something go. It comes when those persons allow their needs and wants and agendas to become more important to them than the spiritual health and well-being of everyone else in the Body. In those cases, Paul’s words are very helpful to us:

“Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing more to do with them.”

Find your unity in Christ, not in your doctrines. Do not allow being right to rob everyone else of their right to experience Christ in the midst of the Body. As Paul also says, “Why not rather be wronged” than to allow divisions among us? (1 Corinthians 6:7)

Seek first the Kingdom, and let go of your petty arguments.

-kg

SUBVERSIVE RADIO: Google Chat with Herb Montgomery

 I'm honored to share a recent Google chat conversation I had with my good friend, Herb Montgomery.

 Herb shares his testimony and we talk candidly about following Jesus into non-violence, caring for the poor, and the Gospel of the Kingdom.

LESSONS IN SPIRITUAL WEATHER REPORTING

 

It happens all too often. A tidal wave, a tsunami, a hurricane or a tornado devastates a community. Within hours a prominent Christian televangelist or bible teacher pronounces blame. Without fail the blame falls upon the shoulders of “those sinners” out there.

Without going into detail about how our sins affect various weather patterns around the globe, let’s look instead at what the Bible says about where blame should actually fall:

"If my people, who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." - 2 Chronicles 7:14

Who are God's people? We are. Who are those who are called by His name? Christians. Who must humble themselves and pray and seek the face of God? Us.

What is holding back the healing of our land? The lack of Christian humility and prayer. Who should repent? We should.

Obviously, if our Christian leaders are so quick to blame earthquakes and hurricanes on the sins of others, we’re not looking in the mirror. And if our leaders brazenly suggest that the solution to the world’s problems would all be solved if everyone were more like them, we’re not really practicing humility.

So, if we understand scripture correctly, the ones who deserve the blame for random acts of weather-induced judgment are the Christians among us who do not humble themselves or pray, or seek God’s face, or turn from their own wicked ways.

If anyone needs to apologize here, it’s these Christians who are too proud to confess their sins and humble themselves and pray.

Now, we could also entertain the possibility that hurricanes and earthquakes and tornadoes are just naturally occurring phenomenon and not necessarily the result of an angry, vengeful God who can’t wait to smite us. (That’s sort of what I’d suggest). But if you’re insistent that God loves to pound people for their sins, keep this in mind - According to the Bible, the things that really anger God the most are not abortion, atheists, liberals, or homosexuality.

 

For those keeping score at home, the issues that really inspire the wrath of God are:

*Arrogance

*Gluttony

*Apathy

*Ignoring the poor

*Pride

How do I know this? Well, the grand-daddy of all “Wrath of God” moments is Sodom and Gomorra, of course. No arguments there, right? Well, according to God the reason He decided to rain down the fire and the brimstone on those cities was this:

“Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.” – (Ezekiel 16:49-50)

So, what God really, really hates are clearly these Top 5 sins of Sodom: Pride, Apathy, Gluttony, Arrogance and Ignoring the poor.

As Christians, "called by His name” our first response to tragedies should be to help, and to pray, and to serve. Let’s leave the judgment to God. That’s His job, not ours.

See, if God really did want to judge a city or a nation, the pattern He takes is to speak to the prophet BEFORE the judgment comes so that A) people have an opportunity to repent and B) when the judgment comes everyone will know that God told them about it in advance.

As far as I know, these television and radio preachers, (who are now proclaiming the tornadoes in Oklahoma are due to the sins of the people), didn’t say a word about these storms before they happened. You know what that means? It means that they are not speaking for God. It means they are not humbling themselves and repenting of their own sins. It means they are more focused on the failures of others than on their own need to be more like Jesus.

To all of you affected by this recent storm, I apologize. I’m sorry, more than you will ever know, that in addition to your suffering you had to endure the blame placed upon you by those who are called by His Name but who lack the compassion of Jesus, or his humility and grace.

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MUTUAL SUBMISSION

There are some who disagree with my advice regarding how to conduct ourselves when the ekklesia gathers together. Even those who are avid house church participants still believe that arguing over different doctrines is essential for Christian assembly.

Part of that viewpoint is based on their philosophy of ekklesia, I suppose. See, our fellowship is intentionally seeking to take hold of Christ whenever we gather together. That means we don’t want to waste our time talking about doctrines, or arguing over differences in opinion, or even focusing too much on our own struggles and needs. Instead, we work together to allow Jesus to speak to us and to lead us corporately. This isn’t easy. But, if we are all focused on this one thing, and if we are all sincerely surrendered to Christ, then we can experience the presence of Jesus in our midst. When that happens, Jesus encourages us. He heals us. He speaks to us. He teaches us. He rebukes us. He inspires us. He comforts us.

How exactly does Jesus do this? Often it is through one of our own members. As we each are surrendered to Christ, one of us might sense that the Lord is prompting us to share a specific verse of scripture. We might not even understand why, but in obedience to Him we read that scripture. Then another person might confess that they are struggling with something that exact verse was speaking about. Then another person might feel the Lord prompting them to lay hands on that person, or another person, and to pray something specific over them; a blessing, an encouragement, or yet another verse of scripture.

Sometimes a member in our group might sense the Lord wants us to sing a particular song together. Another person might feel that the Lord is asking us to sit in silence for a moment. Then another person might realize that they need to ask forgiveness of someone else in the Body for something that was said or done. And so on.

As wonderful as this experience might be, we don’t always enjoy this kind of thing. At least, not as often as I would like, anyway. Sometimes we start off in this direction and then someone might derail the process, or we get distracted by something else and then we cease to wait on the Lord and to respond to His voice. It happens. And when it does we all have to have grace for one another and recognize our own weaknesses, and even confess that we’ve done the same thing many times ourselves. These are opportunities for more grace and another chance to love one another in spirit and in truth.

But if our group spent most of our time debating points of doctrine, or engaging in “sword fights” over what scripture teaches about this or that, we would never – and I mean never – allow Jesus to lead us and to speak to us in the way I just described.

In our individual walk with Jesus, we are commanded to surrender ourselves to Christ and take up our cross daily. Jesus says that we cannot be His disciples (followers) if we don’t do this. In the same way, whenever those same cross-bearing disciples get together in the same room, the need to remain surrendered and crucified doesn’t change. If anything, our need to die to ourselves and to let go of our agendas is probably even more necessary whenever we enter a room with other Christians.

Jesus must be our Head. He must be submitted to at all times, and especially in the gathering of the ekklesia. Without this complete and total surrender we cannot follow Jesus, and we cannot “be the Church” that Jesus desires.

-kg

“He (Jesus) is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.” (Colossians 1:17-18)

 

 

 

KEEP THE UNITY OF THE BODY

 

In a recent correspondence with another brother in Christ, the question of unity in the Body came up. Specifically, there was a difference of opinion in his house church group over a certain doctrine. He had one opinion, fueled by articles written by respected New Testament scholars. His brother in the fellowship had another opinion, also fueled by articles and sermons provided by respected Christian teachers.

While I agree with one side of that argument, my main concern was for the unity of that fellowship. Since I’m certain that he is not alone in this regard, I thought it might be helpful to share my response with everyone, in the hopes that there might be more unity in the house churches.

Here’s how I responded to my friend:

I'd encourage all of you guys not to spend any time when you are together arguing about the things you disagree on. In our group all of us disagree on many things, but we do not spend our time talking about what we disagree about. Instead, we spend our time together working to see Jesus and experience Him in our midst.

Remember, we are not "One" in our doctrines or opinions, and I for one don't believe we ever will be. According to the New Testament, our unity is in Christ. Not in our doctrines or theories, but only in Christ are we "One".

"...for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Galatians 3:27-29

So, if you strive for unity in these doctrines you won't find it, I'm afraid. If you strive for unity in Christ, you will find it because He is the One who brings unity, and reconciliation, and love. We're the ones who bring differences and opinions and arguments.

Leave those arguments at home. When you gather, take hold of Jesus. Focus on Him. Talk to Him. Worship Him. Magnify Him. Glorify Him. Set your eyes on Him. The rest of that stuff will fade into the background.

If you want to discuss these issues together, do that one-on-one over coffee and don't drag that into the ekklesia. That's my advice.
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MY SECRET IDENTITY

I’ve come to realize that I have an ongoing conflict within myself. Part of me wrestles with pride and self-love while another part of me wallows in self-loathing. So, my pendulum swings between these two extremes. Either I feel an inflated sense of self, or I beat myself up for not being a better person.

If I’m prideful then I hate myself for being so full of myself. If I feel sorry for myself then I hate the fact that I have given in to these feelings of self-doubt.

Then the cycle repeats.

Self-love or self-doubt. Bravado or pity. Pride or condemnation. Those are my choices. I either compensate for my feelings of inadequacy by telling myself I’m better than I really am, or I beat myself up for being too self-absorbed. Where do I find the balance? How do I change this inner struggle? How do I rewrite the script that continually plays in my head over and over again?

I recently began reading a book about self-image. Specifically, about how our identity is wrapped up in Christ. Not all of it was great. In fact, a lot of it really didn’t click at all for me. But what God did show me was significant and important.

Identity has always been a fascination of mine. It’s why I love the books I love. It’s why I love the movies I love. If I listed them for you now you’d see what I mean. The point is that the question I’ve been asking all this time is, “Who am I?” and deep down, deeper than I’ve known until now, the other question I’ve been asking is, “Who is God?”

Frankly, answering the question, “Who is God?” is easier for me to answer than “Who am I?”, as crazy as that sounds. I’ve never doubted God. Not in the sense that I’ve doubted His existence. Truthfully. I can remember being a little boy and talking to God, thinking about Him, reasoning out how He could have created everything without needing to be created Himself, praying to Him for help, promising Him that I would be a preacher if He would put my parents back together again. All of these things took place years before I formally went forward and surrendered my life to Him. I have always felt Him near me. So finding out who God was and is has never been that much of a struggle for me.

But finding out who I am? That’s another story. In fact, I think it’s difficult for most of us. We can tell people our name, and our address, and where we’re from, and what our hobbies are, and who we love, but none of us can accurately answer the question, “Who are you?” Because my name, and my address, and my hobbies, and my job, and my associations do not define me. They are all things that exist outside of me, they are not me.

What I learned from reading this book was this very simple truth: “To know myself I have to know God, and to know God I have to know myself.” In other words, my identity is revealed in Christ when Christ is revealed in me. Jesus put it this way:

“If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matt. 16:24-26)

Denying myself is part of finding myself revealed in Christ. It’s more than simply saying “no” to my sinful desires. It’s also about giving up on defining myself. In other words, I am not who I pretend to be. I am not who you think I am. I am not who others tell me I am. I am only who Jesus reveals me to be.

So, letting go of my ideas about who I should be and embracing the person that God made me to be allows the veil to be removed from my eyes. Losing my life allows me to find my true self hidden in Christ, where I have been all along.

At the same time, I have to fully embrace the person that God has made me to be. For a long time now I’ve been hiding from my true self.  I have a teaching gift yet I often sit quietly in the background and let others talk. Yet, God made me to be a teacher. That’s part of my identity. To deny that is to deny my true self.

All of this takes me back to when I was five years old, laying on my bunk bed in the dark, whispering to God from my heart of simplicity. The more I shared my heart with God, the more God revealed His heart to me. It takes me back to sitting in my closet and pouring out my soul to God as a teenager. This is a relationship. The more I know God, the more He allows me to know my true self.

Over time I think I’ve forgotten how to let God love me like that. I’ve become so used to pretending to be the person I think I’m supposed to be that I’ve been hiding my true self from Him. I’ve been rolling over in the darkness when He calls my name. I’ve been going through the motions instead of coming before Him just as I am; simply trusting that He will love me because of who He is.

The beautiful truth is, He just wants me to know Him. He really wants to show me who I am, too. The more I open my heart to Him, the more I know Him, and the more He reveals myself to me.

One of my favorite promises in scripture is found in Revelation 2:17 where Jesus promises that one day He will give each of us a white stone, and on that stone is written a new name. It is a unique name that Jesus has already picked out for each of us individually. He tells us that no one will know that name except the two of us. It’s a special secret name that reveals our true identity through His eyes.

I can’t wait for Jesus to drop that white stone into my open hand. I can’t wait to turn it over and to read that secret name etched there by His own hand.

I am only who I am when He whispers that name to me.

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I WILL GIVE YOU REST.

 

Jesus makes a few radical promises to those who would take up their cross daily and follow Him. One of those promises is that he will give those people an incredible gift called “rest.”

For those who are weary, exhausted, burnt out, and frazzled, Jesus says, “I will give you rest.” For those who are ready to quit, walk away in disgust and throw in the towel Jesus says, “come find rest for your souls.”

But the fact remains that many Christians are not experiencing that rest. They are overworked, stressed out, and pushed to their limits. 

What’s wrong? Is it that Jesus lied about giving us rest? Or maybe when Jesus said he would give us rest he meant after we die and go to heaven? You know, sort of like the phrase “I’ll be dead soon and then I’ll sleep.” 

Or maybe Jesus really meant what he said. Maybe Jesus is holding out peace and rest to us and we’re just not able – or willing – to reach out and take it.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matt. 11:28-29)

Jesus invites everyone to come to him, especially those of us who are weary and burdened. Why? Because he wants to give us rest. If our weariness is real, then the rest he’s offering is just as literal. If our burdens are heavy, his rest is light. His offer is as real as our need.

Jesus also asks us to take his yoke upon ourselves. What does that mean? It means that he wants us to submit to his leadership in our lives. He wants us to actually surrender our will to his own on a daily basis. He wants us to listen to his voice and to obey him. He wants us to learn from him.

Learn what? How to live our lives. How to be as gentle and as humble as he is. Why? So that we can find rest for our souls.

Notice how finding rest for our souls comes after we take his yoke and learn from him. That’s the only way it works. Rest is something we have to follow Jesus into, one step at a time.

If you’re needing some relief today, I’d encourage you to go to Jesus. Ask him for his yoke. Let him teach you how to follow him and trust him daily. Then you’ll start to experience more of his promised rest as you exchange your worries for his peace of mind.

Remember, if God is in control then we are not. Real peace comes when we surrender the things we’re clenching in our fists to Jesus. Rest is received with an open hand.

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