A pastor friend of mine recently asked this question on his blog. All parents have heard this most familiar question whenever they pile the kids in the car and head out for a predetermined destination. As Christians, we should probably ask the same question of our journey with Jesus - "Are we there yet?" Have we matured in the faith? Are we growing to be more like Christ? Ephesians 4 says that we are to be equipped for ministry so we mature and grow to the full stature of Christ. Are we there yet?
Here are some additional questions my pastor friend asks that I want to pass along. (Thanks Shawn).
How will I know when I get there?
Where is there?
Do I know where I am going?
Do I have a destination in mind?
Have I prepared for the journey?
Did I forget to pack something?
Do I know where to get directions?
Do I trust the directions?
Am I willing to ask for and follow directions?
Have I started the journey?
Here is a link to an article I read this morning that also challenges me on spiritual growth. Enjoy.
http://www.crosswalk.com/spirituallife/11633550/page0/
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Thoughts on Spiritual Maturity
At Bellwood, we began a class study on Spiritual Maturity recently. I am consumed with this topic because I don't think spiritual health and maturity just happen. There are intentional disciplines that must be done on a consistent basis for results to be evidenced (fruit to bear).
I am currently reading a book entitled, "UnChristian - What a new generation thinks about Christianity". It is like holding a mirror up to anyone who claims to be a Christian. The authors surveyed people ages 18-41 to see how they perceived Christians - and it's not good. For the most part, Christians are viewed as being judgmental, too political, anti homosexual, and hypocritical.
In Ephesians 4, the apostle Paul says we are supposed to walk worthy of the calling to which we have been called. We have been called to love, not judge. So what is one way we can become more spiritually mature / healthy?
The book says on page 59 that "spirituality is not measured just by the number of sermons we hear, the piety of our lives, or the goodness of our actions. It's easy to miss the fact that so much of our lives is made up of the simple conversations and interactions we have with people - what is said in the hallway after church, the tone of voice someone uses, the parties you are invited to (or not), the genuineness of people's concern".
The way we react and respond to people and to their life circumstances is one measure of our spiritual maturity. Before we act or speak, may we bring every thought captive unto the obedience of Christ so that we are led by His Spirit. Maybe little by little, we will not only change the image that people have of Christians, but we ourselves will be more conformed to His image. Amen?
I am currently reading a book entitled, "UnChristian - What a new generation thinks about Christianity". It is like holding a mirror up to anyone who claims to be a Christian. The authors surveyed people ages 18-41 to see how they perceived Christians - and it's not good. For the most part, Christians are viewed as being judgmental, too political, anti homosexual, and hypocritical.
In Ephesians 4, the apostle Paul says we are supposed to walk worthy of the calling to which we have been called. We have been called to love, not judge. So what is one way we can become more spiritually mature / healthy?
The book says on page 59 that "spirituality is not measured just by the number of sermons we hear, the piety of our lives, or the goodness of our actions. It's easy to miss the fact that so much of our lives is made up of the simple conversations and interactions we have with people - what is said in the hallway after church, the tone of voice someone uses, the parties you are invited to (or not), the genuineness of people's concern".
The way we react and respond to people and to their life circumstances is one measure of our spiritual maturity. Before we act or speak, may we bring every thought captive unto the obedience of Christ so that we are led by His Spirit. Maybe little by little, we will not only change the image that people have of Christians, but we ourselves will be more conformed to His image. Amen?
Friday, May 14, 2010
Christians called to be radical followers of Christ
This is a must-read article, but it might make you uncomfortable. Click link below.
Francis Chan calls on Christians to be radical followers of Christ
Francis Chan calls on Christians to be radical followers of Christ
Friday, May 7, 2010
What Can I Do?
What can I do to help the people in Greece whose financial markets have collapsed?
What can I do to help the people affected by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico?
What can I do to help to the people in Nashville whose homes are ruined by water?
I can pray...
Almighty God, in whom we live and breathe and have our very being, we join believers around the world to worship you and pledge our desire to follow your son Jesus with our lives. And yet, Lord, we confess our way is cloudy. The voices around us are enticing and at times intoxicating, causing us to forget whose we are and to whom we belong.
In this country there is so much for which we are thankful, freedoms, opportunities and resources which abound. But Lord, we also know, just as the children of Israel discovered, prosperity of a people sometimes displaces You as the object of our worship and allegiance. Lord, re-awake within us the vision to be your people.
In our journey of life, may we continue to listen to our brothers and sisters around the world. May their words encourage and challenge us to be the people you have called us to be. May we be attentive to your kingdom which is larger than our homeland and broader than our borders, contained only by the breadth of your love.
Help us to catch the vision of what it means to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Help us to be the church.In humility, grant us the clarity to see ourselves as you do, called to invest ourselves in the mission You have to love the world through Jesus Christ, your son and our savior. Amen.
adapted from National Day of Prayer (MCUSA)
What can I do to help the people affected by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico?
What can I do to help to the people in Nashville whose homes are ruined by water?
I can pray...
Almighty God, in whom we live and breathe and have our very being, we join believers around the world to worship you and pledge our desire to follow your son Jesus with our lives. And yet, Lord, we confess our way is cloudy. The voices around us are enticing and at times intoxicating, causing us to forget whose we are and to whom we belong.
In this country there is so much for which we are thankful, freedoms, opportunities and resources which abound. But Lord, we also know, just as the children of Israel discovered, prosperity of a people sometimes displaces You as the object of our worship and allegiance. Lord, re-awake within us the vision to be your people.
In our journey of life, may we continue to listen to our brothers and sisters around the world. May their words encourage and challenge us to be the people you have called us to be. May we be attentive to your kingdom which is larger than our homeland and broader than our borders, contained only by the breadth of your love.
Help us to catch the vision of what it means to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Help us to be the church.In humility, grant us the clarity to see ourselves as you do, called to invest ourselves in the mission You have to love the world through Jesus Christ, your son and our savior. Amen.
adapted from National Day of Prayer (MCUSA)
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Reward vs. Gift
Romans 4:4-5 says, "When people work, their wages are not a gift. Workers earn what they receive. But people are declared righteous because of their faith, not because of their work."
My family and I (along with Mitchell Martin) had the privilege of attending the FCA Banquet last evening. Their focus is to proclaim Jesus as Lord. There were several analogies made to "the game of life" in the speeches given, but one thought that stuck out to me was this:
In sports, you have to really work hard and train hard in order to receive a reward. If you want to win a medal, you can only earn it by being the fastest, strongest, etc. Thank God salvation is not like that (although many of us view it that way). How many of us are still trapped in the mindset that we are trying to "win" God's favor or attention? Or that if we "work" really hard we can "earn" His love or get a medal? Yes, even the apostle Paul used a sports analogy in 1 Corinthians 9:24, but here he is talking about the self-control involved to run this Christian race with faith. He is not saying that believers have to earn the reward.
Ephesians 2:8-9 captures it well: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast". Athletes can boast when they cross the finish or have that medal draped around their necks. But Christians cannot make that claim for it is because of God's grace that we may receive eternal life. The medal that God hangs around our neck is not because of ANYTHING we have done, but all because of what Jesus Christ did FOR us.
Here are some pictures from the banquet. It was great to meet Jim Tressel (head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes). You may recognize the other two guys. I guess they are sort of into football, too...
My family and I (along with Mitchell Martin) had the privilege of attending the FCA Banquet last evening. Their focus is to proclaim Jesus as Lord. There were several analogies made to "the game of life" in the speeches given, but one thought that stuck out to me was this:
In sports, you have to really work hard and train hard in order to receive a reward. If you want to win a medal, you can only earn it by being the fastest, strongest, etc. Thank God salvation is not like that (although many of us view it that way). How many of us are still trapped in the mindset that we are trying to "win" God's favor or attention? Or that if we "work" really hard we can "earn" His love or get a medal? Yes, even the apostle Paul used a sports analogy in 1 Corinthians 9:24, but here he is talking about the self-control involved to run this Christian race with faith. He is not saying that believers have to earn the reward.
Ephesians 2:8-9 captures it well: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast". Athletes can boast when they cross the finish or have that medal draped around their necks. But Christians cannot make that claim for it is because of God's grace that we may receive eternal life. The medal that God hangs around our neck is not because of ANYTHING we have done, but all because of what Jesus Christ did FOR us.
Here are some pictures from the banquet. It was great to meet Jim Tressel (head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes). You may recognize the other two guys. I guess they are sort of into football, too...
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Don't go to church...BE THE CHURCH!
As a follow-up to my sermon Sunday, I hope this video and lyrics from Casting Crowns' song, "If We Are The Body" will motivate and inspire you.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
A Story of Hope!
These are excerpts from a recent article I read in Christianity Today. It was written by J.R. Daniel Kirk, entitled "A Resurrection That Matters". It's pretty powerful.
"At his resurrection, Jesus becomes something that he was not before. Jesus becomes the enthroned king of the world—the Messiah. He has received God's anointing as the chosen king, but another king is currently on the throne. The story of the Gospels is one in which Jesus inaugurates a new reign of God and deals a deathblow to the imposter king through his death on the cross. If the Cross is the defeat of the old king, the Resurrection is the enthronement of the new. Jesus now literally sits in the space that the kings of Israel had figuratively occupied before him: at the right hand of God. Though the preexistent Christ has always been God's agent in the creation and rule of the world, the human Jesus is now joined to that role as Lord and king over all.
Having vanquished the Enemy, who had usurped authority over all the kingdoms of the world (Luke 4:5-8), Jesus reclaims for humanity its original purpose: to rule the world on God's behalf (Gen. 1:26-28). Jesus' resurrection by the Spirit begins the re-creation of God's family. Resurrection and new creation are inseparable. The future for which we long and hope is the moment when God recreates this world and populates it with renewed, embodied people. Resurrection tells us that a new creation is coming. The resurrection of Jesus tells us that this new creation has already begun.
Paul depicts the created order as an active participant in the drama that moves from suffering to resurrection life. Creation groans, says Paul. But these are not the pangs of death, but rather the pangs of new life. But if this creation is groaning for redemption as we ourselves are, then we discover, to the surprise of many, that the fate of this world is not destruction but redemption. In the mysterious economy of God, what we do here on earth is of eternal consequence.This plea to work in the present as though it mattered for the future is nothing less than the call to take hold of creation's destiny and bring it to bear on the present.
The old powers have been defeated, the old self has been crucified, and the futility of creation is being undone. A new king is lord, the new self has been raised, and the creation is catching a glimpse of an eternity with hope. This is the Good News: not only a story of forgiveness but also a story of power, of transformation, and of hope."
"At his resurrection, Jesus becomes something that he was not before. Jesus becomes the enthroned king of the world—the Messiah. He has received God's anointing as the chosen king, but another king is currently on the throne. The story of the Gospels is one in which Jesus inaugurates a new reign of God and deals a deathblow to the imposter king through his death on the cross. If the Cross is the defeat of the old king, the Resurrection is the enthronement of the new. Jesus now literally sits in the space that the kings of Israel had figuratively occupied before him: at the right hand of God. Though the preexistent Christ has always been God's agent in the creation and rule of the world, the human Jesus is now joined to that role as Lord and king over all.
Having vanquished the Enemy, who had usurped authority over all the kingdoms of the world (Luke 4:5-8), Jesus reclaims for humanity its original purpose: to rule the world on God's behalf (Gen. 1:26-28). Jesus' resurrection by the Spirit begins the re-creation of God's family. Resurrection and new creation are inseparable. The future for which we long and hope is the moment when God recreates this world and populates it with renewed, embodied people. Resurrection tells us that a new creation is coming. The resurrection of Jesus tells us that this new creation has already begun.
Paul depicts the created order as an active participant in the drama that moves from suffering to resurrection life. Creation groans, says Paul. But these are not the pangs of death, but rather the pangs of new life. But if this creation is groaning for redemption as we ourselves are, then we discover, to the surprise of many, that the fate of this world is not destruction but redemption. In the mysterious economy of God, what we do here on earth is of eternal consequence.This plea to work in the present as though it mattered for the future is nothing less than the call to take hold of creation's destiny and bring it to bear on the present.
The old powers have been defeated, the old self has been crucified, and the futility of creation is being undone. A new king is lord, the new self has been raised, and the creation is catching a glimpse of an eternity with hope. This is the Good News: not only a story of forgiveness but also a story of power, of transformation, and of hope."
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