PERSPECTIVES CHANGED

I love our house church family. More and more, I'm learning to hear Jesus as He speaks to me through the members of His Body as we gather together around Him.

Most recently, I heard something that really gave me a fresh perspective about pain and suffering.

One of our sisters was sharing about how she had been angry at God. She was upset because it seemed to her that her sister was suffering horribly in areas where she herself was enjoying the blessings of God. This disparity made her angry and she let God know that she needed Him to be as good to her sister as He had been to her. It just didn't seem fair that she should be so blessed and her sister should suffer so horribly without any end in sight.

Eventually, my friend said to God, "If you don't fix this and bless my sister, I'm not sure I can continue to trust in you."

That was quite the ultimatum. I'm sure some of you can relate.

From her perspective, there was an injustice that needed correcting. God loved both of them the same, and yet one of them was being blessed and the other was in pain. Why was that? How could God allow this to continue?

But then my friend gained a new perspective on the entire situation. She slowly started to hear from God the phrase, "I am" in various ways; as she read scripture, as she prayed, and as she spent time with Him, the realization of God as "I am" began to soften her heart and it gave her a fresh angle on everything.

To her, that realization meant that God was so much bigger than the momentary "goodness" or "badness" of a particular person's experience in a given space of time.

But, to me, as she was sharing this with all of us on a Sunday morning, what I heard the Lord say to me was this: "Get to know me better. All of these experiences you have - Blessing, Pain, Joy, Suffering - all of these are opportunities for you to know me in a deeper way."

Immediately, my mind went to the verse which says, "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." [Ps. 37:4]

Right away I realized that the verse wasn't saying, "Make God happy and He will give you the stuff you want", which is honestly how I think most of us read that verse at first.

Instead, I started to see how this verse was simply saying: "If you make God your delight, then you will receive more of God as a reward."

In other words, "Is it your delight to know God more? Is the desire of your heart simply to know Him in a deeper way?" If so, then you're in luck! Because God's promise is to fulfill that desire and to show you more and more of Himself as you seek Him daily.

Suffering, then, becomes another opportunity to know God's heart. Blessings are also an opportunity to know something about God. Our joys reveal more of God's character, and our sadness points us to Him as well.

Too often, we become fixated on avoiding pain and maximizing our pleasure. But that's a very carnal way of living, and it reduces our experience of God to a simplistic paradigm which says: "If I'm blessed then God loves me and if I'm suffering then God is upset at me."

Nothing could be further from the truth. Jesus is with us always, no matter what our experience is. He walks with us through the valley of the shadow of death, and he dances with us in our seasons of joy.

Jesus told us plainly: "In this world you will have trouble", and then He added, "But take heart, because I have overcome the world."

The troubles still come our way, but our gift is that we get to go through those hardships with Jesus alongside us.

"It rains on the unjust and the righteous as well," Jesus said. The difference for us is that we get to know Jesus better along the journey of life, whether in joy or in sorrow.

I hope that encourages you today.

If it does, please share this with your friends on Facebook or Twitter. There might be others who need to hear this blessing too!

Peace,
Keith

INTERVIEW: REAL TALK RADIO "THIS IS MY BODY: EKKLESIA AS GOD INTENDED"

Why do we do so many things in church that we can't find in the scriptures? What is a house/organic church? Is there a difference? How is the true church supposed to operate?

We will discuss these questions and many more.

**
So enjoyed this interview with the guys at Real Talk Radio.

Part 2 is coming soon!

CLICK TO LISTEN:

[PODCAST SERIES] HOUSE CHURCH 101

HOUSE CHURCH 101 - WHAT IS IT? Is it a bible study? A church that meets in a house Or...something else?

 

 ** HOUSE CHURCH 101 - What's It Look Like? If you were to walk into a house church one Sunday morning, what might you experience? Keith shares his own experiences and talks about who should - and who should not -start a house church group in their home.


*

* HOUSE CHURCH 101 - WHY IS IT SO HARD? Participating in an Open Meeting is anything but easy. Why is that? Keith talks about the challenges of an open participatory meeting and how followers of Jesus can work together to help the Body to function as Jesus intended.


*

* HOUSE CHURCH 101 - LEADERSHIP What does leadership look like in an open meeting? Keith Giles shares his experience in the organic church and outlines what to do, and what not to do, to facilitate a New Testament style church gathering.


  *

* HOUSE CHURCH 1O1 - FROM PULPIT TO TENT-MAKING How do you transition from a career in the pulpit to a job in the workforce? Keith shares his personal story and provides key insights into what it takes to trust God for everything.


 

Preemptive Love

Some people define the teachings of Jesus as being pacifist or "non-violent", and while I don't disagree with that assessment, I prefer the terms "Preemptive Love" and "Proactive Agape."

Here's why.

Rather than frame the example and ethic of Jesus as something we don't do, or something we avoid doing, I prefer to frame it in terms of what Jesus DID do and what He DOES tell us to do: Love Preemptively.

Our first and constant posture is always love. This means we are already loving before our enemy attacks us. Our love for them is not reactive, it is proactive. Just as His love for us isn't reacting to anything we have done or will do. He just loves us - and everyone - all the time. Our love is what initiates action because love is a verb.

So, as we follow Jesus we are always loving because He is always loving us. As His love for us is poured into us and over us and through us, we also reflect that love and funnel that love and redirect that perfect, unmerited, unconditional love right back out to everyone around us.

Love begins with God and continues in, and through, us. We are His ambassadors of love. We are the incarnation of love in this world today.

Non-violence suggests that we are holding violence back, or that we are denying the violence within us. But Preemptive Love declares that we are beings who are so perfectly and constantly loved by God that we are being transformed into carriers of love who cannot help but love Him in return and others at all times.

Let's love preemptively and practice agape proactively.

"If anyone claims to be in Him, he must walk as Jesus did." - 1 John 2:6

Revival or Resurrection?

Gather thousands of Christians together. Pack them into a stadium. Crank the amps up to eleven. Jump around. Raise your hands. Empty your pockets.

Bow your heads. Listen to the message.

Drive home.

The world is still the same.

You are still the same.

Is that Revival?

Revival, to me, isn’t about hype.

It’s about a handful of people whose hearts are sincerely burdened for the lost, who are desperate for more of Jesus and who cannot face another second of life-as-usual.

Those people aren’t waiting for a national conference.

They’re not interested in the mega church pastor’s new book.

They couldn’t care less about the worship band whose new album is on sale near the snack table.

They just want Jesus.

They are only interested in Jesus.

They want to know Jesus more.

They want to be like Jesus.

They want a heart like His.

They want to love the people Jesus loves.

They want to serve the people Jesus served.

They want to forgive the way Jesus forgave them.

They are moved by the things that move the heart of Jesus.

People like this open their arms to gay and transgender people.

Those profoundly touched by Jesus step outside and share their food with the poor.

They pray for the sick without stopping to pull out their iPhone so they can post it to YouTube later.

Revival? For me, that’s a word for a person whose heart is broken.

A person whose soul is ripped down the middle at the sight of all the suffering that surrounds them.

Revival is a word that calls attention to the reality that something that is dead needs to come alive again.

Maybe we don’t need another revival meeting. Maybe what we need is more like a resurrection.

Let me ask:

Doesn’t the world deserve a Church that does more than pack stadiums on the weekend?

Isn’t it more powerful and effective to wake up every morning and quietly, yet consistently, live out the commands of Jesus where we live and breathe?

To me, that is what revival really looks like.

It’s not hyped up.

It’s not up on the Jumbo-Tron.

It doesn’t have a soundtrack or an official t-shirt.

Revival is simply a group of people who are hungry for Jesus and moved by Jesus who are willing to go out and act like Jesus in a world that is desperate for Jesus, [even if they don’t know it yet].

I’m not saying it’s a sin to hold a big conference. I’m not saying that it’s wrong to support Christian ministries.

What I am saying is that Christianity in America seems to be hopelessly enamored with spectacle and addicted to events.

Instead of a conference that goes to eleven, I'd rather see a move of the Spirit that sends people out to hang with the zeroes.

I guess I’m just waiting for the big “Let’s Go and Do the Stuff Jesus Did” Conference,

where thousands of Christians spread out over the city

and break into groups of five or ten to visit children’s hospitals

and pray for cancer patients

and give hugs to the homeless

and reconcile with their gay brothers and sisters

and pray a sincere blessing for their President

and repent publicly from seeking to change the culture through political power

and maybe donate ten million dollars to feed the poor and house the mentally ill who sleep on our streets every night.

When I see that, I’ll call it revival.

Until then, I’m really not sure what to call it.

-kg

CHANGE OF SEASONS

My youngest son, David, is graduating from High School next month. 

He’s enrolled at Biola University and has been accepted into their Torrie Honors Program. He hopes to study music production. 

We couldn’t be more proud of him.

Since Kindergarten, Wendy has been home-schooling him and now - once he graduates in a few short weeks - all of that ends.

It's been especially hard on Wendy to watch both her boys grow up so fast. Now our little boys have beards and drive cars and talk with deep voices.

Wendy has been David's teacher his whole life, and now that phase of her life is done. At least academically.

Along with this huge life change comes the departure of our dear sister in Christ, Marlys, who has been with our house church family from day one. We've known her longer than that, of course, so saying goodbye to her is going to be very difficult for us when she moves to Florida.

Another sister in our house church is also moving away - along with her whole family - to Georgia.

Wendy doesn't handle good-byes very well. Not that any of us enjoys them, but these are especially difficult for her.

Saying goodbye to this season of her life with David, and saying goodbye to her dear friend Marlys, and saying goodbye to this sister and her family...it's all coming down on us at once.

My struggle isn't so much with the good-bye portion - although it does hurt to let go of these wonderful people who have been so much apart of our personal family and our church family. No, my struggle is mostly with the unknown factors like, "How will we pay for David's tuition which is more than triple what Dylan pays for school?" and "Should we buy a new car and go deeper in debt so that David can have a way to get to class?" and now that Wendy has to find a job to help cover these additional expenses, "Where will Wendy work and how will she get there every morning?"

And a half-dozen other questions like this that I have no answers for right now.

You can probably relate, I'm guessing. I'm sure many of you are going through - or have already gone through - similar situations in your life.

Here's all I know: God loves me. He loves my family. He knows what we need before we ask. He has a plan. He is in control. I am not.

So, I do what I can, which is simply to let go of my fears and trust Him.

If I can count on Him to walk with me through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I can certainly trust Him to be with me through the Valley of the Shadow of Uncertainty and Change.

Not only will He walk beside us, He has already gone ahead of us to prepare the way.

If you think of it, please hold us up in your prayers as we keep our eyes on Him.

Change is never easy, but it's how we learn to trust in our Abba.

Blessings,

Keith

JESUS UNTANGLED: The book in progress

Over the last few weeks I've been taking some time to start writing my next book.

The title of the book is "Jesus Untangled" and it's inspired by the 14 part series of articles I wrote a few months ago.

Just to summarize it: The book will look at how the Christian Church has become entangled with nationalism, politics and denominationalism. We'll also examine why it's so important to become untangled, and how we can set ourselves free.

So far I've finished writing the first 3 chapters of the book and if I can keep on pace to write a chapter each week I should have the first draft completed by sometime in early July.

After that I'll go back and do re-writes, edits, and add in any missing quotes, references and foot notes before going to the final edit stage.

That should take me until the end of July to wrap up.

Hopefully by then I'll be ready to publish this project and then we'll start thinking about the cover, sending out pre-pub copies for review and lining up interviews with various Blog Radio shows and podcasters to get the word out about it.

If you're really curious about the book and my progress going forward, I've created a closed group over on Facebook called "Jesus Untangled" [pretty creative huh?] where people who want the "inside scoop" can follow along with me as I go.

Would you like to be in that group? If so, please follow me on Facebook and then message me about being added to the group. I'll add you and then you'll get to hear how things are going.

Some of what I've shared so far with the group is:
*Chapter updates on the book so far
*My outline for the book
*My process for writing the book
*Articles, posts, quotes and videos related to the topic that have inspired the book

Going forward here's what I plan to share:
*Chapter-by-chapter updates on my progress
*Insight into my research process before I write a book
*Other books that have fueled my research on this topic
*Additional notes or thoughts that may - or may not - make it into the final book
*Updates on getting the book published
*Cover ideas and designs  [Vote for your favorite!]
*Ideas for Guerilla Marketing the book online and in the real world
*And more!

Honestly, I'm not entirely sure what else I'll share in the group, but I'm also asking everyone to share their own videos, quotes, links, etc. on the topic to help keep us focused on the subject matter and - who knows - maybe even influence what I write in the final draft of the book.

My hope is that this group will also help me to stay focused on the goal of writing at least one chapter per week and staying on track to finish everything up before August, if at all possible.

In short, I need your help!

Thanks for your prayers and your support as I write the book.

I appreciate it more than you know.

Peace,
Keith

If Jesus Is Lord Then Why Don't We Obey Him?

"Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord' and do not do what I say?" - Jesus [Luke 6:46]

It's a very good question. Our answers are usually of the "Nobody can do what Jesus commands" variety, but that answer isn't supported by the New Testament.

Instead, we're left with these annoying verses that say that we already have "everything we need for a godly life" if we are in Christ, and that the same grace of God that saves us also "teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives IN THIS PRESENT AGE" and that "we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us", and on and on.

So is this all just bad theology mixed with a dash of "I don't feel like it"?

Yes, partially.

We mix our opinions about "keeping the Law" and our failure to "be perfect" with a side of complacency and wallow in our illusions of powerlessness. Partly because we prefer this reality, and partly because we sort of believe it is the Gospel.

But it's not the Gospel. It's a theology of partial truth marked by a cross, but missing the resurrection power of Christ.

Yes, Paul does stress that we are powerless to keep the Law of Moses. Because of our failure to do so, Jesus came and fulfilled the Law for us and took our sins to the cross. 

But is that it? Is that the end of the story?

Not at all!

The end of the Old Covenant - marked by a strict adherence to a Law that brought death - has been overshadowed by a New Covenant that writes God's law on our hearts and empowers us by His indwelling Holy Spirit to fulfill the Law of Christ by loving God and loving others as He has loved us.

That is the complete Gospel message. 

We are not powerless anymore. Jesus and the Father have made their home within us if we love Him and if we keep His commands. 

That abiding presence is what empowers us to put His words into practice. It's a symbiotic process where His Holy Spirit within us provides the power to love as He loved, and because of this we show our love for Him by obeying His commands which "are not burdensome".

"By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith." - 1 John 5:2-4

These "commandments" are not the Ten Commandments. Those are now obsolete and vanishing. No, the "commandments" that "are not burdensome" are the commands of Jesus to "Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength" and to "love your neighbor as you love yourself."

How can we do this? Because we are now filled with the transformational agape love of Jesus which is something brand new and miraculous.

Now that the love of Jesus is alive and active within us, we can actually "love one another" as Jesus loved us!

That's good news!

When Jesus said that his "yoke was easy and [his] burden was light", he was contrasting that with the yoke of the Pharisees [which was the Law of Moses and the Old Covenant] which was heavy and impossible to carry.

Why is Jesus' yoke "easy"? In what way is His yoke "light"?

It's because Jesus, unlike the Pharisees who would not lift a finger to help those under the yoke of the Law, actually DOES help us to stand up under His yoke. It's easy and it's light because Jesus is abiding within us and He gives us "all we need" to "surpass the righteousness of the Pharisees".

[See "Effortless and Free" for more on this]

Does this mean we never blow it? Does it mean we are now perfectly capable of always loving everyone at all times? No, and yes: We ARE capable, but we are not always willing to.

This is why Paul admits that he "has not yet attained it" but that he does "this one thing; forgetting the past and pressing on the high calling of Jesus Christ". [See Phil. 3:13-14]

If Jesus is Lord, then we not only must do what He says, we are capable of doing it because He is alive within us.

Abide in Him and He will abide in you.

That's a promise.

-kg

FOR FURTHER READING:
*Effortless and Free [The Easy Yoke of Jesus]
*A Difficult Path and An Easy Yoke
*If Jesus Tells Me To Do Something, Do I Have To Do It?
*If I Love Jesus, Can I Ignore What He Says?

If I Love Jesus Can I Ignore What He Says?

Yesterday’s blog post inspired a lot of conversation over on Facebook yesterday. Some of the comments seemed to indicate that a few people were getting tripped up on my basic question which was “If Jesus Tells Me To Do Something, Do I Have To Do It?” and started arguing about the “Have To” aspect of the question rather than focusing on the essential idea behind it.

So, in an attempt to better frame my question, and to continue the conversation, I wanted to approach the issue from another angle.

Jesus talks about obedience in terms of our love for Him and the Father. He assumes that if we love Him then we will do what He says.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus says it every possible way:

“If you love me, keep my commands.” – John 14:15

“Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me.” – John 14:21a

“Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.” - John 14:23

“Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching.”  - John 14:24

“If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.”  - John 15:10

Our obedience, then, is not only something that Jesus expects from us, it’s an indication of our love for Him and the Father.

So, if I love Jesus can I ignore what He says?

Clearly the answer is “no”, according to Jesus.

One very important thing I feel the need to address is this idea that we just need to “try harder” or “just do it” when it comes to obedience.

Here’s why: Because a lot of us have already “tried harder” to love our enemies and turn the other cheek, and lay down our lives for others, and we have failed miserably.

But why have we failed? Simply because we are trying to be like the Son of God without resting on the power of the Son of God to accomplish the task.

Or, as Jesus phrases it – immediately after all those verses about how love and obedience are connected:

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” – John 15:5

That is the missing ingredient for many of us.

We are trying to squeeze out enough love from within ourselves to pray for our enemies or forgive those who hurt us and it simply isn’t possible. Because the brand of love that’s inside of me isn’t strong enough for that. Until the "Jesus Brand" of love is filling me up and gushing out of me like a river, I can’t come close to doing what Jesus commands me to do.

So, rather than focus on “trying harder” we actually need to focus more on “abiding in Christ” and resting in Him.

For example:

We come to the place where we know we need to love our enemies or pray for those who hurt us and we say, “Jesus, I know you want me to love this person, but it’s just not in me. Please help me now to love them the way you have loved me.”

And then you prayerfully and deliberately step out in faith to show love to those people as Jesus commanded.

That’s walking by faith.

I can remember a time in my life when a friend of mine had hurt me deeply. The betrayal was painful and devastating. I got up early in the morning and went into our den to pray. 

I knew that Jesus had commanded me to “bless those who curse you and pray for those who mistreat you” in Luke 6:28, but honestly I didn’t want to do it. I kind of wanted the guy to get what he deserved, which in my mind was to get hit by a truck.

But, against my flesh, and in obedience to My Lord Jesus, I started to pray a blessing for him anyway. 

I prayed for God to bless his family, and his marriage, and his children. I prayed that God would shower him with blessings, and answer the prayers and desires of his heart. I prayed that God would bless his finances and his health, and his friends.

Honestly, in the beginning there was no conviction in my prayer whatsoever. I was still hurt and angry. But as I continued to pray, I began to weep. My heart broke for him and soon I was sincerely begging the Lord to bless this brother with every good and perfect gift in the heavenly places. I sincerely asked the Lord to open the storehouse of heaven and rain down blessings without end on this brother who had so deeply hurt me. 

And I meant it.

The bitterness was gone. The anger faded. I had truly forgiven him and I seriously wanted God to reveal more of Himself to this brother.

That’s how you obey the hard commands of Jesus.

Step 1: Admit you can’t do it alone

Step 2: Ask Jesus to help you obey Him

Step 3: Begin to obey Jesus even if you don’t feel it

Step 4: Receive the Grace of God necessary to follow through

And maybe I could add

Step 5: Experience the joy of the Lord as you express your love for Him in humble obedience.

If we love Jesus we will obey Him.

If we abide in Jesus, He will abide in us.

If we trust in Him to provide what we lack, He will supply it so we can follow through.

In this way, we can do what Jesus commands us to do, in love, and we can experience His indwelling Spirit as He empowers us to walk like Himself.

It’s never too late to start doing what Jesus said.

His love endures forever.

-kg

FOR FURTHER READING

*If Jesus Tells Me To Do Something, Do I Have To Do It?

*Crazy Pills?

*Our Biggest Problem

*Ignoring Jesus

If Jesus Tells Me To Do Something, Do I Have To Do It?

Seems like a simple question, and you might assume the answer is obvious, but sadly, you would be wrong about that.

I asked that exact question on social media and the responses I received were along the lines of:

"You can't."

"Even Jesus' closest followers didn't obey Him"

"I can't."

"Mountains can't be moved even though He said they could."

"I tried."

And I have been fielding those sorts of responses for years now. Every time I suggest that we who follow Jesus should actually follow Him, and put His words into practice - or even that we CAN do these things - I am constantly told that we simply cannot.

I've been through a lot of this kind of thinking the last few years and I'm at the place where I can see that Jesus does empower us to do everything He asks us to do.

That's why He can say, "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord' and do not do what I say?"

Because if we are in Him, then we can! Otherwise, Jesus is just messing with us, and I don't believe that's what's going on at all.

I think our problem is that Christians today need to move from a Romans 7 mentality into the Romans 8 reality.

Romans 7 is where Paul goes on and on about how the good he wants to do he cannot do and the evil he doesn't want to do he ends up doing anyway. Many Christians live in that chapter and never move on from there.

But Romans 7 ends with Paul asking a question:

"What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?"

Which he then answers triumphantly:

"Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!"

See, Paul knows that we are all likely to focus on our weakness and less likely to embrace our ability to actually obey Jesus the way He asks us to. So, that's why he gave us Chapter 7 of Romans to sort of get that all out in the open and let it sit there for all of us to see.

Yes. We are powerless against sin. We all feel that way sometimes, don't we? Yes, sure we do.

And then...Romans 8 comes right along and blows the whole thing to smithereens.

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death." 

- Roman 8:1-2

That freedom is about so much more than salvation, by the way.

We are set from from the law of sin and death which keeps us pinned down in Romans 7. In Romans 8 we are set free by Christ and we are given life and the power to rise above our powerlessness to sin.

Paul then goes on in Romans 8 to talk about how we are now living "according to the Spirit" and not according to the flesh.

"You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ." - Romans 8:9

See, we often tend to accept the Grace of God as being only strong enough to save us, but not strong enough to transform us into people who are like Jesus.

But the NT says otherwise:

"For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives IN THIS PRESENT AGE, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, " - Titus 2:11-13

And...

"His divine power has given us EVERYTHING WE NEED for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires." 2 Peter 1:3-4
And of course,

"If you abide in me, and I abide in you, you will bear much fruit" - Jesus, John 15:4

And my fave: 

"This is how we know we are in Him: If anyone claims to be in Him, he must live as Jesus did" - 1 John 2:5-6

Do we fall down? Yes. But so do little children learning to walk. No parent says, "Well, he'll never walk, I guess. He just keeps falling down. I guess I'll stick him in this walker forever."

We shouldn't do this to ourselves, either.

More and more we learn to walk in Christ, and we learn to stand more than we fall over time.

It's not about us trying harder. In our strength we know we can do nothing. But we also know that if we abide in Him and if He abides in us, then we will "bear much fruit" and that fruit is the working of the power of the Holy Spirit within us who empowers us to live like Christ in this present age.

It really is about daily resting in Him and learning to abide in Christ. 

It's a process, but it's possible.

If it weren't, Jesus wouldn't say to us, "Follow me" and expect us to do what He says.

-kg

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FOR FURTHER READING
Our Biggest Problem
Crazy Pills

Jesus and Torah

Does Jesus break the Torah? Does He encourage others to do so? Here, in this guest post, my friend Chuck McKnight makes some very insightful observations which I believe are on the right track.

**

Jesus and Torah

Guest post by Chuck McKnight

I made this list a while ago of just a few examples where Jesus deliberately breaks Torah. Take it or leave it.

According to Torah, the Israelites were commanded by Yahweh to swear in his name.

"You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name." - Deuteronomy 6:13

Jesus not only contradicted this command, he said that it came from the evil one, which certainly means that it did not come from Yahweh 

"But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one." - Matthew 5:37

According to Torah, "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" was an absolute mandate. The Israelites were commanded to "show no mercy" in carrying it out:

"Show no pity: life shall be for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot." - Deuteronomy 19:21

But Jesus directly contradicted this mandate, commanding his followers not to follow Torah's instructions:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also." - Matthew 5:38–39

According to Torah, adultery was to be punished with death. No exceptions were given.

‘If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death." - Leviticus 20:10

But Jesus broke Torah in order to show mercy to the woman caught in adultery. [See John 8]

According to Torah, no work was to be done on the Sabbath.

"But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do." - Deuteronomy 5:14

But Jesus flaunted his disregard for this particular command on many occasions. Let's look at one of the most direct violations:

When Jesus healed the man by the pool of Bethesda, he not only did so on the Sabbath, but he specifically instructed the man to break the Sabbath with him by carrying his mat.

"Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath" - John 5:8–9

This was nothing less than a deliberate contradiction of Jeremiah 17:21–22, which states that Yahweh specified not to carry any burden on the Sabbath. This command wasn't one of the traditions that had been built up as a hedge around the law; it came straight from Scripture.

"This is what the Lord says: Be careful not to carry a load on the Sabbath day or bring it through the gates of Jerusalem. Do not bring a load out of your houses or do any work on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your ancestors." - Jeremiah 17:21-22

If Jesus was merely concerned with healing the man, he would have simply done so, but he went out of his way to go against the law in the process, [by asking the man to take up his mat and carry it] and that action was what specifically raised the ire of the Jews:

"...and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.” - John 5:10

**

So, what are we to make of this? I [Keith] have a few thoughts:

First, Jesus himself was the first one to point out the differences between the Old and the New Covenant realities: "You've heard it said....[quoting Moses and the Old Covenant]...but I say to you...[speaking a new way of living under the New Covenant]."

Second, the New Testament writers document these two realities and wrestle sometimes with the ways that the New replaces and modifies the Old in the book of Acts, and in Galatians and Romans, for example.

Third, Jesus is the clearest picture we have of who the Father is, and what the Father is like. The prophets were men like us, but Jesus was, and is, the Word of God made flesh. He is God the Son. So whenever there are apparent contradictions, we take Jesus and apply what He says, not what those ancient prophets said through a veil that is only removed by Christ. 

Finally, Christians are never instructed to keep the Torah or the Law. So it doesn't really matter if Jesus and the Torah are in conflict. We follow Jesus, not the Torah. Christianity is not Judaism with a cross on top. It's based on Jesus and who He is and what He commanded us to do. 

The Old Covenant is "obsolete". [Heb. 8:13]

It is "fading away and vanishing". [2 Cor. 3:7-11]

We should "get rid of it" [Gal.4:30]

Jesus is "the end of the Law" [Rom.10:4]

I'm very thankful to Chuck McKnight for taking the time to identify the specific ways in which Jesus opposed the Torah and corrected it for us.

We are no longer under the Old Covenant. We are gloriously alive in the New Covenant reality that the prophets longed to see. 

God Himself, and Jesus, His Son, has made a home within us. We are now called His children. We are His beloved. 

-kg

Follow Chuck McKnight at his blog: Hippie Heretic

FOR FURTHER READING:
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE OLD AND NEW COVENANT

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW

Learning To Abide

Fear, worry, and doubt are un-Christian practices.

How can I say this? Because Jesus says this.

Jesus tells us not to worry. If we ignore him and practice worrying, then we are disobedient to Jesus. 

Or, to put it another way, worry is a sin.

When we worry we are saying that we doubt that God is in control. We give power to our fear and we act as if God isn't big enough to handle our life.

Jesus also tells us not to be afraid. He tells us not to fear men, who can only destroy our body but not our soul. He even tells us not to fear Him. 

His Apostles remind us in the New Testament that perfect love casts out fear, and that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 

So, if we are ruled by our fears, we are not behaving like a Christian.

Doubt is a natural human emotion, just like fear and worry. But like those other emotions, doubt isn't something that a follower of Jesus can practice. 

If we are abiding in Christ, then we cannot doubt Him. If we go all in with Jesus, then that means we place all of our hope in Him, and if we do that we are not doubting, but trusting. 

Of course, none of us ever perfectly avoids these three things - fear, worry and doubt - but the point is that we do not practice these things. We don't allow fear, worry and doubt to remain. We cast those things out quickly and we refuse to be ruled by those because Jesus is our King and we are submitted to Him.

If we are abiding in Jesus, then we are practicing faith, hope and love, not fear worry and doubt.

Let's continue to walk in our new nature, which is Christ in us.

-kg

**

READ MORE:

THE SKY IS [NOT] FALLING>

FEARLESS>

WORRY NOT> 

Beloved One

The entire Universe resonates with love for you.

Your name is on the lips of the Almighty.
Your face is precious to Him.

Your laugh is music. Your smile is His everlasting joy.

The planets spin in response to this love.
The stars burn bright with the heat of it.

Everything He has made is designed to declare His everlasting love for you.
None of it means half as much to Him as you do.

He longs to gather you to Himself. 

He dreams of one day dancing with you at a feast that He’s been preparing for the last 2,000 years.

One day you will see Him face to face. 

On that day, you will look into His eyes and see for yourself how deep and endless His love is for you.

But until that day, He invites you to come away and sit with Him. Listen for His voice.
Delight yourself in Him as He delights Himself in you.

The entire Universe resonates with love for you.

Your name is on His heart.

Make your heart His home. 

Let Him come and live and breathe in you now.

Start today.

-kg

You May Hate Yourself, But God Is Crazy In Love With You

You make His heart sing.
He can't stop thinking about you.
He throws back His head and He sings over you.

The voices of the angels ring in His ears night and day, but what He yearns for most desperately is to hear your voice calling out His name.

You think you're worthless, but He thinks you're worth dying for.

The value He has placed on you is greater than you can imagine.

He literally gave His life to be with you.

When He saw how much it would cost to make you His own He didn't blink an eye, He paid the ultimate price and now you are His.

Now nothing can ever separate you from His love.

He created Eternity so you could get to know Him better.



When God looks at you, He sees His beloved. He sees His child. He sees a face He cannot wait to kiss, and a hand He cannot wait to hold. 




His fondest desire is to be with you forever.

He has plans for you. Good plans. Fantastic dreams designed to fill your heart with joy and your eyes with wonder.

So, you might hate yourself, but God is crazy in love with you.

Let that love change your heart. Let His love transform you from within. 

Trust in Him. He wants nothing but the best for you.

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.

But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit." - 1 Cor. 2:9-10

-kg

CRIMINAL MINDS

All of us struggle with this.

We know that God has forgiven us. We’ve read the verses. We’ve even quoted them to other people. But sometimes, in the darkness, when we’re all alone, we start to lose touch with who we are and fall back into that old pattern of thinking.

“I’m a loser,” we whisper to ourselves. “I’m a failure,” we say.

Maybe we blew it. Maybe we said something, or did something, that we regret.

Maybe it was yesterday. Maybe it was ten years ago. It doesn’t matter how long ago it was, we drag it back up. We dig up old bones and we reenact the crime, playing it over again in slow motion within our memory.

We just wish God would fix us, but what we’ve forgotten is that God is already fixing us. In fact, He tells us that we’re new creatures who are in the process of being made into His image.

When God looks at us, He doesn’t see someone who needs to be fixed. He sees someone who is a new creation in Christ; someone so dearly loved and fully accepted.

We might feel like we’re not even worthy to ask for help, but we don’t need to be worthy. He is worthy and that’s all that matters.

If we’re in Him then we’re promised:

*There is no condemnation

*Nothing can separate us from His love

*We are new creatures

*We are His children

The next time you find yourself in this place, try reminding yourself of who you are now, not who you used to be.

Focus on drawing nearer and nearer to Jesus and not on how far apart you feel from Him.

As Paul reminds us, "Think on these things...":

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things" [Phil. 4:8]

Going forward, it's important not to dwell on the past. As Paul also reminds us, 

"Forget the past and reach towards what lies ahead of you. Press on towards the goal which is Christ Jesus" [See Phil. 3:13]

Resist the temptation to return to the scene of the crime.

You were found innocent. Washed clean forever of all guilt by Jesus, two thousand years ago.

Your debt is paid in full. You are free to go.

All charges against you have been dropped.

We’ve checked with the Judge and you have no criminal record on file.

Keep reminding yourself of who you are now, not who you once were long ago.

Today you are free. There is no condemnation against you. There is nothing in this universe strong enough to separate you from God’s love.

Case dismissed.

-kg

Optimistically Organic

[My response to Frank Viola's recent post about Organic Church]

A few days ago, author Frank Viola shared an article about Organic Church that has garnered much attention. This isn't surprising given that Frank Viola is still seen as an authority on the movement, even though he hasn't been involved in an organic church for 8 years. He also admits that he's not interested in writing about the topic and he isn't planting organic churches and he typically refrains from posting anything at all about organic church on his blog, although he does still believe what he's written in his books.

So, this post was a bit of a surprise to me, given his inactivity in an organic church for nearly a decade now and his admitted lack of personal interest in the topic.

Still, he did write the definitive book on the subject and therefore his opinion carries a lot of weight with many people in the organic circles.

That's why his post caught my attention, and it's also why I felt the need to respond to some of what he shared.

It's probably a good idea to mention that I contacted Frank privately about this before I wrote this response. He and I corresponded back and forth on this already. I'm not against Frank. I love him and I do sincerely believe that Frank loves me, too.

Frank also mentioned to me that he had shared his post with several others in the Organic Church movement and that about 95% agreed with his statements. So, please keep in mind that my opinion on this matter is in the apparent minority.

Please don't read this article as an attack on Frank or an opportunity to pick sides. I'm simply responding to what Frank has said as a way to add to an ongoing conversation about a topic that we all happen to have an interest in.

So, having said all that:

In his post, Frank points out several things about the Organic Church today that I totally agree with.

*He says that it's not as popular as it was back when he wrote his books.
*He says that it's very hard to find an organic church in most communities.
*He says that most of those involved in the movement tend to be in the 50's and older range.
*He says that God isn't fanning the flames of revival in America like He used to.
*He says that many "organic church" groups aren't truly organic.
*He says that the term "organic church" is misued and abused.

I honestly agree 100 percent with all of that.

But the relative popularity of the ekklesia of God isn't relevant to me. What's relevant to me is that God has identified a specific design for His Body. Even if I was the only one following His instructions, it would still be important to obey Him in this area.

Are organic churches hard to find? Yes, they are. Mostly because they are word of mouth and not visible on the street corner or found in the yellow pages. It has always been that way.

For example, someone in Orange County, California [where I live] could search for an organic church and very easily conclude "there aren't any organic churches here" simply because they are hard to find. But there are at least seven organic/simple churches in Orange County that I am aware of. There most certainly could be more, but I haven't heard about them yet.

Simply put, just because they might be hard to find doesn't mean they don't exist.

But, what if they really DON'T exist in my community? Well, I would encourage you to start one in your home and begin to pray that the Lord might help you connect with others in your community who are yearning for the same organic expression of His Body.

Are most organic church members eligible for a Senior Discount at Denny's? Yes, maybe. I agree that there was a time very recently when I was beginning to despair that the next generation wasn't going to pursue the organic church. Our local conferences were beginning to look like my High School Reunion. But lately we've experienced a very encouraging shift. Our house church family is now mostly single adults in their 20's and 30's. Another new house church group has started recently among students at Biola University. This is encouraging. Granted, my experience isn't necessarily indicative of the rest of the movement, but it does give me hope.

I also noticed when hosting my "Jesus Without Religion [Or Politics]" groups on Meetup.com that dozens of young adults were very desperate for community and searching for other young Christians who wanted to get together and focus on Jesus. They wouldn't call that "organic church" but regardless, what they're hungry for is what we have and maybe we just need to find more creative ways to share it with them.

I also agree that many "organic" churches are not truly organic. They do not practice the priesthood of all believers. They still have a designated pastor or central teacher who makes all the decisions. They still operate like an institutional church but they've traded their pews for sofas. I get that, and I agree, that's not something I want to promote.

That being said, here are a few things I feel like I need to stress:

*Church has always been what God is doing, not what we are doing

*The growth of the Ekklesia might be hidden, but it continues to thrive apart from our observation

*Organic church has never been about numbers or popularity

*God’s design for His Ekklesia has never changed

*If we truly desire Ekklesia in our community we can start one now

For the last 10 years now, my family and I have been very blessed to experience the true Koinonia in the Body of Christ.

Yes, I do understand that not many people have this same experience, but I want to encourage you - if you're still searching - it’s not impossible. It will take a resolve and a determination – and it might be just you and your family for a long while before God sends others your way, but giving up isn’t a solution. Starting one in your living room, is.

Here’s my optimistic view of Organic Church:

*There are more free resources for the organic church today than when I started 10 years ago

*Most of those who are leaders in this movement are highly accessible and willing to help you

*There are people near you who are just as hungry for community and ekklesia as you are

Finally, as I read Frank's insightful post one sentence jumped out to me:

“As I write this, we’re in a season where the waves of a Spirit-generated revival are non-existent in North America. There’s also no significant awakening regarding the restoration of God’s house.”

My first thought after reading that was a quote I heard from an old surfer dude once. He said, “We don’t make the waves. We just ride them.” Which is great advice for those of us in Organic Church! But then this thought came to me:

“If you’re not in the water when the wave comes, you’ll miss it.”

So, my resolve is to stay here in the water. Maybe there are no big waves coming along at the moment, but every good surfer knows that if you stay in the water long enough, you’ll catch the big one when it arrives.

I would also encourage you, and others in this movement, that there are organic churches being started outside of our field of vision. For example, through my friendship with Herb Montgomery, I’ve discovered a new movement within the Seventh Day Adventist denomination which is identical to organic church in every way, but they don’t call it that.

It’s my firm belief that God is stirring up many other such movements like this here in the States, and all over the world, that might not bear the “organic church” brand but is still based on the simple church model found in the new testament where the priesthood of all believers is freely practiced and encouraged.

Thanks for taking the time to read my perspective and for allowing me to contribute my voice to the ongoing conversation. I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

NOTE: If you're currently searching for an organic church in your area, please feel free to contact me. If I can't help you find one, I can help you start one. I’ve already made almost every mistake possible, so you can benefit from my failures.

Also: Be sure to search out the numerous Organic Church groups on Facebook. I'm a moderator over at the Organic Church Movements page along with Jon Zens, and Richard Jacobson. We'd love to have you join us.

Peace,

Keith

FREE RESOURCES:
*Free Organic Church Resources>
*Free Ebook Download "This Is My Body: Ekklesia As God Intended" by Keith Giles >

Other Links:
Organic Church Movements [Facebook Group]> 
Herb Montgomery>
Milt Rodriguez>
Jon Zens>
Neil Cole>