Holy Spirit

God the Holy Spirit is among His people today. He does not ever leave us, we were sealed with Him when we believed, so there's not really a need to work ourselves up and get into an attitude that we think allows us to experience HIm. We just need to ask Him to fill us - in other words, remind us that He is God, He is in us, and we should follow Him. Another way of saying the Holy Spirit is here, is to say: God is my Leader.

Jesus promises the Holy Spirit to His followers: John 14:15-31. He is the Counselor and Spirit of Truth. That's comforting. Paul calls Him "Spirit of life" in referring to the law of the Spirit of Life. Romans 8:1-2 "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death." The rule of the Holy Spirit is one of life and peace and righteousness.

In Acts, the Holy Spirit works all kinds of miracles and gives direction to His people. The book of Acts is structurally reliant upon Acts 1:8:: but you will be my witnesses into Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. The Holy Spirit empowers this progression. Miracles and signs accompany His work. At pentecost, evidence of the Spirit is in tongues - actual spoken languages that each person understood: the Spirit spoke to each person's heart language. The gospel spreads throughout Judea and Samaria, and the evidence is that the recipients speak in tongues or show great faith. Then, through Paul's missionary journeys, the Gospel is carried throughout the world. But the signs accompanying the Spirit are more evident in the Fruit of the Spirit (see Galatians 5) rather than signs and wonders. Why? The barrier had been crossed from Jew to Gentile in the spread of the good news. The early church now became multi-cultural [it started out among Jewish people only]. The signs of the Holy Spirit encouraged the church in realizing the Acts 1:8 progression of the Gospel. Not everyone who believed spoke in tongues or worked wonders. All were baptized. Hmmm...

So, what about today? Scripturally, passages like John 14:15-31, Romans 8:1-17, Galatians 5:16-26 should guide our understanding. To say "God is my Leader" is one thing. To live like God is my leader is another. The Spirit impacts my life, attitudes, and actions. Being filled with the spirit is emptying the sin [confessing it] and asking God to lead. Exhale sin, Inhale leadership.

So many passages, so little time.

Trinitarian Statement

God
There is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal
Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in
holiness and all other perfections. God is all powerful and all knowing; and His perfect
knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future, including the future decisions
of His free creatures. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. The
eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct
personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.

A. God the Father
God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow
of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. He is all powerful,
all knowing, all loving, and all wise. God is Father in truth to those who become children
of God through faith in Jesus Christ. He is fatherly in His attitude toward all men.

Genesis 1:1; 2:7; Exodus 3:14; 6:2-3; 15:11ff.; 20:1ff.; Leviticus 22:2; Deuteronomy
6:4; 32:6; 1 Chronicles 29:10; Psalm 19:1-3; Isaiah 43:3,15; 64:8; Jeremiah 10:10;
17:13; Matthew 6:9ff.; 7:11; 23:9; 28:19; Mark 1:9-11; John 4:24; 5:26; 14:6-13; 17:1-
8; Acts 1:7; Romans 8:14-15; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 4:6;
Colossians 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 11:6; 12:9; 1 Peter 1:17; 1 John 5:7.

B. God the Son
Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ He was conceived of
the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of
God, taking upon Himself human nature with its demands and necessities and identifying
Himself completely with mankind yet without sin. He honored the divine law by His
personal obedience, and in His substitutionary death on the cross He made provision for
the redemption of men from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and
appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion. He
ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One
Mediator, fully God, fully man, in whose Person is effected the reconciliation between
God and man. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate
His redemptive mission. He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever present
Lord.

Genesis 18:1ff.; Psalms 2:7ff.; 110:1ff.; Isaiah 7:14; 53; Matthew 1:18-23; 3:17; 8:29;
11:27; 14:33; 16:16,27; 17:5; 27; 28:1-6,19; Mark 1:1; 3:11; Luke 1:35; 4:41; 22:70;
24:46; John 1:1-18,29; 10:30,38; 11:25-27; 12:44-50; 14:7-11; 16:15-16,28; 17:1-5,
21-22; 20:1-20,28; Acts 1:9; 2:22-24; 7:55-56; 9:4-5,20; Romans 1:3-4; 3:23-26; 5:6-
21; 8:1-3,34; 10:4; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2:2; 8:6; 15:1-8,24-28; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21;
8:9; Galatians 4:4-5; Ephesians 1:20; 3:11; 4:7-10; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians
1:13-22; 2:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 3:16; Titus 2:13-14; Hebrews
1:1-3; 4:14-15; 7:14-28; 9:12-15,24-28; 12:2; 13:8; 1 Peter 2:21-25; 3:22; 1 John 1:7-
9; 3:2; 4:14-15; 5:9; 2 John 7-9; Revelation 1:13-16; 5:9-14; 12:10-11; 13:8; 19:16.

C. God the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. He inspired holy men of old to write the
Scriptures. Through illumination He enables men to understand truth. He exalts Christ.
He convicts men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He calls men to the Saviour,
and effects regeneration. At the moment of regeneration He baptizes every believer into
the Body of Christ. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the
spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His church. He seals the believer unto the
day of final redemption. His presence in the Christian is the guarantee that God will bring
the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers the
believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.

Genesis 1:2; Judges 14:6; Job 26:13; Psalms 51:11; 139:7ff.; Isaiah 61:1-3; Joel 2:28-
32; Matthew 1:18; 3:16; 4:1; 12:28-32; 28:19; Mark 1:10,12; Luke 1:35; 4:1,18-19;
11:13; 12:12; 24:49; John 4:24; 14:16-17,26; 15:26; 16:7-14; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4,38; 4:31;
5:3; 6:3; 7:55; 8:17,39; 10:44; 13:2; 15:28; 16:6; 19:1-6; Romans 8:9-11,14-16,26-27;
1 Corinthians 2:10-14; 3:16; 12:3-11,13; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30; 5:18;
1 Thessalonians 5:19; 1 Timothy 3:16; 4:1; 2 Timothy 1:14; 3:16; Hebrews 9:8,14; 2
Peter 1:21; 1 John 4:13; 5:6-7; Revelation 1:10; 22:17.

True Fathers stay close

Ps. 31:11-12
"I am the utter contempt of my neighbors; I am a dread to my friends - those who see me on the street flee from me. I am forgotten by them as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery."

We all do things that put us in crazy situations. Feeling isolated from friends, family, neighbors, is pretty normal at times. Gossip abounds, and it gets to the point where we feel isolated, alone, abandoned. That's not a new feeling. David penned these words over a millenium ago - he says he's like broken pottery: sharp trash that only causes hurt as it is throne out. Ouch.

But the Father is faithful. He stays close. David goes on to say "But I trust in you, O Lord; I say "You are my God." My times are in your hands; deliver me from my enemies and those who pursue me. Let your face shine on your servant, save me in your unfailing love."

We are never too far from God to call to Him. When everything is crumbled and against us - we can still call to Him. Whether I've made the situation, or life made it happen, God listens. Staying close to God reveals the father. Jesus revealed the father, and did what he saw the Father doing. Ps. 31:19: "How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you."

God is my refuge. God stands with me even when I'm alone. That doesn't mean that he always advocates what we do - but He always loves us. Good fathers stay close. If my son disobeys, I discipline him because I love him. I stay close to him. God does the same. He sent his Son to save us, to bring us to Him. And gives His spirit to draw us to Him consciously and actively. That is love, the love of a Father.

God is my Father

When I think about God, it's easy to be thinking things like: powerful, awesome, mighty. It's a little harder to think things like: personal, near, gentle. But God is both. Actually, He's three: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Grasping this reality is a challenge, but I like living in reality so I'm going for it. Here's how Wayne Grudem, a Christian theologian, defines the Trinity: God eternally exists as three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and each person is fully God, and there is one God. Say what? 3=1. Yes, 3=1. There are three persons, one God

God is my Father. Jesus taught to pray this way; He started the famous prayer with Our Father who is in heaven. As a child, Jesus was on a trip with his parents, and when they left he stayed back hanging out and teaching in the temple. His parents noticed he was missing [that can really happen to parents in crowds, especially if they have several kids. I don't have several kids so it hasn't happened, yet]. They turned to go back and found him in the temple. Jesus' reply "Did you not know that I had to be in My Father's house?" Literally, house means affairs - so it would be something like in the things of My Father. Jesus was about doing His Father's will.

Psalms 68:4-6 makes an interesting statement regarding God the Father. I'll quote it in entirety.
Sing to God, sing praises to his name; Lift up a song for Him who rides through the deserts, Whose name is the Lord and exult before Him. A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows, Is God in His holy habitation. God makes a home for the lonely; He leads out the prisoners into prosperity, Only the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

God is worthy of praise and great and can do things we can't. Sorry, I can't ride through the desert. But I can worship, and who is the Father I worship? The One who is just, a father for the orphan and advocate for the widow. He's that way in His home. Not just for show, but in His holy habitation. The Father cares for His people. Just as Jesus is the Good Shepherd, so the Father is good for His people. In Psalm 68:35 we see that "The God of Israel Himself gives strength and power to the people." Any good father empowers His children. A good father also instructs and disciplines His children in love. God does all of this. Those who rebel face discipline, not as a sign of hatred, but of enmity. The rebellious choose to go against their father, and face the consequences. God loves such that the lonely are befriended. God loves such that He gives strength and power to His people. This power comes through the Holy Spirit, but we'll get to Him later. [while we're at it, Psalm 68:19 completes the trinity with "Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden, the God who is our salvation." - Jesus is our salvation].

The Father does not abandon His children, He is sovereign over everything, and Jesus prayed to Him. But He is not remote; God is love and personal: making homes for the lonely and caring for the orphan and providing for the widow. God loves. "See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God." [I John 3:1-2a]. All children have a father, and God that father has made Himself known. For those who rebel or reject, there is only a parched land. Sin is leaving the water fountain and drinking dirt when you're thirsty. The Father turns on the fountain for His children. Those who reject decide they like dirt. "Only the rebellious dwell in a parched land." Ps. 68:6. "But as man as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name." John 1:12.

count me in... count us in

Throughout the New Testament there is a little guy who doesn't get a whole lot of press. His name is Barnabas. He was a Levite, meaning he was from the line of Israelites who served the priests in the temple. He probably grew up learning how to serve others. He was also from Cyprus - an Island in the Mediterranean, yet the Levites still had particular responsibilities in Jewish worship, no matter the locale. Though things changed by the time Barnabas was living compared to the time when the Levites were first assigned duties in worship, the line was still responsible in religious affairs.

But Barnabas was a believer. His real name was Joseph but he was called Barnabas by the Apostles. Joseph means "may he add" and Barnabas means "son of encouragement." It's interesting, this little name play, because the first we hear of Barnabas, he has sold a field [things changed, originally the Levites weren't given any land] and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet. Not necessarily an action indicative of a man known as "may he add." Better to call him an encourager.

He was an encourager: he saw the potential in people and sought to lead them in God's way. He mentored Paul, encouraged the early church, and was highly trusted. He vouched for Paul - pretty important at the time because the first leaders of Christianity weren't about to accept Paul [aren't we glad Barnabas stood up for his friend!]. He was so trusted by the early church that they sent him around investigating, to see if the reports of Greeks believing on Jesus were true. He went to Antioch and "saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts." [Acts 11:23]. He was described as a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith. He co-taught the church at Antioch with Paul, this is where the disciples were first called Christians. Even though prominent in the church, they weren't called Pauline's or Barnabasians {okay, I'm making that one up} but Christians. His focus was christ. His life wasn't about himself - he sold his land and gave the money to be given to the poor. He wasn't obsessed with material or money or power or fame, but Christ. Because of his obsession Paul was accepted, and the disicples were knows as Christians 'little Christ's'.

The church in Antioch sent a gift to the Jerusalem church, and they sent Barnabas and Paul to take it. Barnabas saw the potential in people, and raised up leaders, so the church wasn't "his" but God's. It didn't need him or Paul to survive, but Christ. And they had leaders to take them further and deeper with Christ. Most of us today, we'd stick with Paul. We'd work to keep Paul as our Pastor. Some would even move to where Paul went. That's called cultish. Paul and Barnabas - they were Christians, and people who followed them knew they were only pointers - pointing to Christ.


Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch, and the Spirit told the church to set them apart. They took what became Paul's first missionary journey. They went first to Cyprus - Barnabas' home. An encourager isn't scared to encourage his hometown in the way of Christ. No matter how close the friendship, an encourager seeks to speak truth. Along the journey there was a huge response to God's word and God worked miracles through Paul and Barnabas. At one Greek town, Barnabas was called Zeus and Paul was called Hermes, because he did all the talking. Encouragement is more about action than talking, doing than saying, and being than doing. The Greeks also recognized the leader of the two was the encourager. Barnabas was, in our terms, the "older, more mature" Christian [doesn't feel right saying that compared to Paul]. Anyway, the priest to Zeus brought them a bull and wreaths. Normally, when people pay me for religious services, like a wedding, a prayer, a memorial service, for preaching at a church - I'm pretty happy to take the money. The worker does deserve their wages. However, Zeus and Hermes weren't working for Zeus, they were working for Jesus. So Barnabas and Paul didn't take the bull. If you're hungry, a bull is a pretty attractive thing. If you want fame, a wreath is great to wear around town because people look at you. But if you want to glorify Jesus, don't take the bull. They went a step further - Paul and Barnabas tore their clothes and yelled at people to turn from their worthless things to the living God. Some Jews showed up and turned the crowed against Paul - stoning him and dragging him out of the city thing he was dead. But the disciples gathered around him and he got up and went back to the city. whew. that was close. Anyway, the next day Barnabas and Paul left - encouragers aren't afraid to help out in the worst of circumstances. Encouragers are also team players.

They took along a friend - John Mark, who would later cause them some problems. He left for Jerusalem, leaving Paul and Barnabas to complete the journey. The next time around Paul wanted nothing to do with him, but Barnabas, ever the encourager, did. And he took John Mark and went a different way. That's pretty much where the close attention to Barnabas ends. John Mark was later an encouragement to Paul, in prison at the time - Barnabas rubbed off. Later in Antioch Barnabas was pulled astray, along with Peter, and followed some Judaizers - he stopped eating with Gentiles. This is the big weakness of encouragers: being a people pleaser. The big lure: encourage people: affirm them, don't confront them. That's why Paul and Barnabas were a great team. Paul: he could confront. Barnabas: he could encourage. And neither of them cared about things, they cared about people. Our strengths, together, when we all say "count us in" grow stronger. God calls us to join Him and join His church and do our part. It doesn't have to be done alone. Life doesn't have to be lived alone. We all need some encouragement, and we need to encourage.

Running on empty minus one

Working through a theme called "count me in" [a response to god's love in Christ]; I've been challenged to sum up my life purpose and goal in a sentence. What would it be? It's a hard question to answer, especially at times when I feel like my life is going in 30 different directions and the demands are increasing on every side. But for a purpose - how about - loving God with everything. That sounds good, but can I do it. What about now, right now, I'm tired, frustrated, feel like I'm not connecting with others in conversation. What about now, I'm running on empty, and God is all about fullness.

Ephesians 6:10 is an odd kind of challenge: Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Or better, be strong in the Lord and the strength of His might. Or, as some put it, be empowered in the Lord and in His mighty power. It all starts with one word of conclusion: finally.

After 6 chapters of ephesians Paul has just dealt with some of the hardest relationships we will ever encounter in life: marriage, children, and employers. Each one causes stress in unique ways, and the overarching call to the Christian in all of these relationships is: submint one to another. There is stress in relating to the opposite sex, whether boyfriend/girlfriend or husband and wife of 50 years. There's a beautiful mystery always inside the opposite, and loving them exposes that mystery. But sometimes life happens and it gets hard. Their affections stray, our eyes stray. We build emotional walls as boyfriends and girlfriends to protect us from hurt, and then they have to come down or else marriage doesn't have the intimacy it deserves and requires. And then there's divorce... it just hurts. How can we survive? be strong in the Lord.

An after thought of divorce is children. I've talked with a lot of adult kids whose parents broke the news at the worst possbile time, though there is never a good time for news like that. So instead of escaping the stress of a relationship all the anger and hurt is poured onto the kid's shoulders, and the parents do their best, but one usually ends up doing everything while the other becomes just like a child, shirking responsibility. Not just the financial sort, but the emotional, spiritual type of responsibility that only comes by journeying through life with your child, not on the phone or email. Kids also do things that make parents unhappy - we all have. We probably enjoyed it. I remember one time hiding a... well, that doesn't matter. Family life is hard.

And then, on top of all that, is work. Work usually drains some energy, if it doesn't you might find yourself without it very soon. And there are always other people to work with and sometimes they are all kinds of annoying, we'd rather lock ourselves in a cublicle and hide under the desk than spends 5 minutes talking to them. It can be draining, but there must be more than just trying to appease a co-worker or a boss. How does the toll-collector get motivated to go to the booth every morning? How does the janitor find joy in cleaning up a middle school locker room? How does a hospice nurse find hope? There can only be one place... Finally, be strong in the Lord. Faith in the Lord is the only place to find strength in difficulties. I've never been powerful enough on my own to overcome difficult times, especially relationship difficulties. It's required faith and humility and strength in the Lord. But being strong in the Lord is also about shining for God, who alone fills me enough to carry on when I'm empty. In many ways being empty is good - God's strength is that much more evident, all praise to Him.

What's the deal with bread and wine?

I've grown up in a specific Christian heritage that views the elements of the Lord's Supper [or Communion] as physical symbols of a spiritual reality. I wholeheartedly agree with that view, and believe it to be Biblical. I live in a place where most disagree with me. They view the elements [bread and juice or wine] as physically the body and blood of Jesus. Coupled with this is a belief that taking communion is accepting the body and blood [the sacrifice] of Jesus and assures salvation. Dangerous ground to be treadding? Why?

1. Ephesians 2:8: For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.
Salvation, then, is only by God's grace - which is represented in the Lord's supper - through faith. Faith in what? Faith in Christ: back up to Ephesians 2:6-7 and we see that we are seated with God in Christ Jesus in the heavenly realms, which is totally gracious. And ultimately this grace is in Christ Jesus: v. 7 reads "in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. The grace is expressed in Christ, the means of Grace is Christ, the object of faith, then, is Christ.

2. Okay, so Jesus is our salvation, He brings us to God, by His death and ressurection [I Peter 3:18]. So what is the Lord's Supper? Matthew, Mark, and Luke all have written record of the Last Supper, which is the model for the Lord's supper. Jesus takes bread, gives thanks, and breaks it - passing it out - saying "this is my body, given for you." and with the wine he says "this is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you." The bread and the wine represent the sacrifice Jesus would [and now has] complete[d]. The Passover, which they were celebrating, was the time when the Passover lamb was sacrificed. The religious people all celebrated the passover, but they did not eat THE passover lamb, but representations of the lamb. They celebrated God's forgiveness and looked forward to the completion of the the sacrifice, which was completed in Jesus. So now, we look back in the Lord's supper to what Jesus has completed on the cross and in resurrection. Hence, Luke records Jesus saying "do this in remembrance of me." [22:19] The Lord's Supper, then, is a visual picture to remind the believer of what Jesus has done. The Bible does handle the subject in the Epistles as well. See "The Fundamental Significance of the Lord's Supper" by B.B. Warfield for more info. Check it at google.com.

3. Is the bread body and the wine blood? Jesus gives a hint of this himself: Matt. 26:29, and Luke 22:18 - He, Jesus, will not drink the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes. So Jesus saw the wine as wine. Moreover, would Jesus need His own blood to enter the kingdom? Is He not God incarnate? Why would Jesus need blood, he lived perfectly and it's only by His blood that we have entrance. Jesus' view was that the bread and wine were representations. In Luke 22:16 he says "I will not eat it [bread] again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God." Jesus, again, does not need His own body for salvation. He purchases and gives salvation because it's His. So he must be saying that the bread is physically bread, representing His body.

4. The Epistles reiterate that the Lord's Supper is in remembrance: I Corin. 11:24. There is a serious tone regarding the Lord's supper in Paul's 1st letter to the Corinthians, but it is about the spiritual nature. Taking the Lord's supper without thinking on Christ is judgment - there are no benefits without the requirements. The requirement is Christ and the benefit is the spiritual blessings, eternal life, God Himself, and the joy of the Lord's Supper. The Lord's Supper is a physical picture of a spiritual reality [and the physical reality of the death of Christ - I Corin. 11:26, but it is a proclaimation of His death, not participation in it by eating the body or by eating the bread. It is proclaimed in the Lord's supper, and Christ's death is participated in by faith, just as His resurrection is joined by faith.]
4a. The wine represents the new covenant more than the blood. "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." I Corin. 11:25. The new covenant supercedes the covenant of the passover. In the Last Supper, the passover was completed and the new covenant commenced, and we celebrate it in the Lord's Supper today. The new covenant commenced with the death and resurrection of Jesus. We look back to that historical point in faith for our salvation, and the Lord's Supper points us that way. It doesn't save us, but it points to the Savior.

5. Also in Corinthians, Paul remarked that the church was gathering for the Lord's supper, but weren't really taking it: their spirits were wrong before God. Evidence of this was in the church's fight to be first at the table and getting drunk at the Lord's supper. Wine causes drunkeness, not blood. Spiritually, the Corinthians were not examining themselves and confessing sins and trusting Christ on the cross and celebrating in the Lord's supper - they were missing it's purpose. They took it to excess, and made a mockery of it. The Lord's supper is a valuable tool toward sanctification in the Christian's life.

Their, All, and My time

O.k, so I'm going to try out this new thing I read about in a book called Habitudes. It's about reading a passage, and then journaling what the original audience responded, what principles are for all time, and what I need to do about it. Kind of public being on the web and all, but typing is easier than writing.

Passage Matthew 3:1-6

Their Time: John was preaching in the jungle, and people were coming to hear him. They were leaving the city and going to the jungle and being baptized in the Jordan river. John didn't dress cool either. He wore camel hair - I think camel leather would be cooler, but he wore the hair, all itchy. He did wear a leather belt, and ate bugs (locusts) and wild honey. So he wasn't someone you'd bring home to mom. His sermon was "repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." And the people came from Jerusalem, all Judea, and the Jordan district. Why? God's hand was upon him and he was appointed by God to minister. He was fulfilling scripture Isaiah wrote hundreds of years earlier.

All Time: Going with the flow isn't always God's way. John and Jesus really upset the religious establishment. But in John's case, it didn't matter about his clothes, his location, or his table mannerrs - his message was from God and people hungry for God came. Preach the truth. So I guess a principle is to be concerned with the message, not the messenger. Also, John was walking in his God-prepared destiny: preparing people for God. A timeless principle is to be concerned with pleasing God, not man [in v.8 John urges religious leaders to bear fruit in keeping with repentance]. The fruit of a changed life and a life living for God is timeless.

My Time: 1. make the message clear and speak truth
2. prepare people for God
3. live for God's pleasure, not man's
Lord, help me in all things to please you, to speak of your glory in a true way, and to love people in such a way that they desire you. God, may my life be for you - I pray that you take pleasure in me. Amen

Sum Total

Sometimes I wonder how my life would be summed up. What would people say? If I had to describe my whole being in one sentence, what would it be? Sure, I'm a human, and that means that I'm complex. My wife and I have been married 7 years and are just getting to know each other. How could I sum her up in a sentence? I couldn't - there is no single sentence that would do justice. But, what about my passion? Could that be summed up in a sentence? Is my life that focused that my passion drives it all and that passion is so focused that it can be put in a sentence? Was that last sentence even focused?

John the Baptist's whole passion and life and ministry came down to his message: "repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." That's his passion - it doesn't tell us a thing about his parents who were really old priests, the potential everyone saw in him, his life in the woods, his life with God and relationship with Him from a young age. None of that, but the passion bleeds through and his concern is simple: God is coming, repent. Not tomorrow or next week, but today, right now. He knew God and loved God so much and saw that all of life was meaningless without God. He didn't have a big bank account, gap jeans, or A&F shirts. He didn't eat at the nice restaraunts. His life had to be pretty bland - except that it impacted so many people and changed the course of history. His concern, wasn't himself. It was God, and it showed. And, because he lived his passion, people believed. There was proof in the pudding. The religious leaders, you know, the pastors and bishops and priests all went to go see him and hear his message. They didn't always get along, but John's life and simple message couldn't be swept under the carpet.

When I'm done, will people be able to sweep me under the carpet? Or will the message stand and force decision? What is that message?

Destiny

People who follow God are a pretty zealous bunch. They aren't usually lazy about it. They aren't usually half-hearted about it. They're like pro-athletes: its what you do. People have been known to walk away from jobs, money, family - all to follow God. What is it about God that is so attractive? Probably, everything. Deep in my heart I have this urge, this desire to live life significantly. If I make a lot of money, great - maybe my kids will enjoy it. If they don't, someone will. If I survive the disease I've got, great! Maybe some day they'll find a lasting cure and method of control that works for everyone. But what's significant about my life in all of that? God. He's significant in all of it. I now know that I am meant to be more than a worker. My life is meant for significance - to change lives and turn light on all around. This is the life of a God-follower: to follow the One who satisfies and gives significance which isn't found in money, success, or survival. But rather significance is found in Him - His purpose and peace spread to others.

Before Jesus changed everything, there was his cousin - John the Baptist. He was a preacher, but a relevant one which means he wasn't long-winded. This is what he said: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." That's His whole message. My blog's bigger. (by the way, he didn't wear much either - clothes of camel hair and a leather belt - perhaps this visual added effect to his message). But His message had significance: it was truth, hope, encouragement, and challenge all at once. John wasn't calling half-hearted people to give up somethings, like, say stealing paperclips or bandwidth. He was calling for passionate people to change everything about themselves. Why? Because good times were coming - the kingdom of heaven: a place of belonging, community, and connection with God. Beats the desert where he lived. John the Baptist had a God-given destiny for His life, and His life had signficance: call people to the kingdom of heaven. That's the kind of significance I pray for: spreading hope and encouragement and love for God's glory.

Other things to consider: his Biblical destiny (Isaiah 40:3), his appearance, and his diet - the last two probably didn't matter as much as I think about my appearance and what I eat. Also, he had major doubts when he was in jail, his disciples left him, and followed Jesus. His destiny was done. He got answers to his questions, but am I willing to end significance in insignificance?

God's Mountain

Your righteousness is like the (mighty mountains) or (mountains of God); Your justice (or judments) like the great deep. Psalm 36:6

Let's face it, God is pretty righteous. The best picture He gives us on earth is, say, Mt. Everest. Big, climbing past altitude levels where most of us can breathe, and then some. It's cold and solitary at the top (ever seen the pictures of people who get to the top - there's not a village or a city up there.) His righteousness is just like that - lofty, grande, and singular. No one else is righteous like God. No one really comes close. His righteousness stands true and faithful like the mighty mountains. God, in other words, never chooses to take a short cut, the easy way, or "sin" against His nature. He is true, through and through. He is righteous, through and through. And He has personality. The mighty mountain of God can show pleasure and displeasure. When Jesus was baptized, the righteous God said 'you are my son, with you I am well pleased.' Pretty exciting! Imagine Everest bowing down and asking to take you for a climb! The pleasure of God is just that - righteousness abounding in joy that is rooted in, you guessed it, righteousness!

God is also just. Righteousness and justice can be a pretty deadly combination. The ultimate standard of right and wrong (there is such a thing) and true justice applied by the standard. God also makes the right decision every time. Like the ocean depths, the justice of God can seem unfathomable - God, why did my baby die (true question asked)? What's just about that? I'm neither Everest nor the Pacific. I don't know fully the heights of righteousness and the depths of justice. But I do know that God's love is infinite, so there is no reason to doubt His judgments and justice and righteousness. Rather, I desire to know Him and His righteousness and justice. God's righteousness protects the weak and humble. God's justice serves the broken and lost. Better than Everest, better than the Pacific, the best picture of righteousness and justice is Jesus.

[faithful:love]

Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Psalm 36:5

God's love doesn't stop, ever. Never. I can't escape it or leave it, it's so big He always loves me. Spatially, the heavens and the skies are a long way off - I won't ever travel through the "heavens" = space. Even if I were to go to the moon, God's love is there. Emotionally, I can feel distant from God. When I'm not still, listening to Him. When I run, run, run through life - caring for kids, family, friends, and not taking time to listen. Or just run through life to, you know, "get things done." And the whole time it seems like life is passing me by, I'm never on the edge, in the lead, setting pace, but always trying to keep up. Even then, God is faithful in love.

Are their limits to God's faithfulness? No, He is true to Himself and always true. "Even when we are faithless, He remains faithful." How about rejection? Does God ever reject us? No,

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neighter height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

Nothing can separates us from God's love. Nothing, but there is one important word in the above quote - the second to last: "our." Until God is mine, I'm not His. He remains faithful, yes, but I am outside of Christ, and therefore outside of the love of God that is in Christ. God's love is seen in Christ. God's faithfulness is in Christ. In Christ, nothing separates from the love of God. Count me in.

the veil & the darkness

Only God does things in increasing glory. I tend to peak, God always outdoes. It's like the best is yet to come - when Jesus turned water into wine, it was the best wine of the party - and the last wine served! When God sent the law it came with glory, but the glory faded: Moses covered himself with a veil so that people wouldn't see the glory of God fading on Him. When God came in Jesus, the glory grows, to the point that the law seems to have "no glory" compared to the glory believers have in the spirit. My glory grows as I become more and more like God - like Jesus. Imitation only gets better - it starts good and grows better. But the glory is God's. No one raves about people who love like God does, they rave about God who loves so greatly [i hope]. God assures me that I am "being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

Imitation #1

Ephesians 5:1-2 are such loaded verses. They read:

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children, and live a life of
love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragant offering to
God.

In the NASB, the verses start with "therefore." The whole book, it seems, is building up to this command, which seems awfully strong and how do you keep it? How can you imitate God. It starts with knowing God, His character, His heart. Only when my heart and His are united can true imitation begin, anything else is not fully imitating, it's more impersonating. Therefore - God's love before time began, God's love in action, God's power for us, God's grace to us. All, therefore.

[Success]

Welcome to Blackaby Ministries: "Delivered into Your Hand
And the Lord said to Joshua, 'Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hand; not a man of them shall stand before you.' (JOSHUA 10:8)
'No greater confidence will ever come to you or to any other Christian than the confidence of knowing you are doing God's will. God will not commission you to do anything without ensuring your success. God assured Joshua that there was no reason to fear as he prepared to battle the Canaanites. God would allow the Israelites to fight the battle, but the outcome was settled before they ever picked up their weapons. What confidence this gave them as they fought! Even though their enemies fought relentlessly, Joshua's army was certain of eventual victory.
God does not promise you victory in every task you devise, but He does promise that you will be successful whenever you follow His will (Deut. 28:7, 2 5).
Does it appear that people are keeping you from obeying God's will? Rest assured that God will not allow anyone or anything to prevent His children from accomplishing His purposes.
Be careful to evaluate success in the way that God does. Perhaps He is working to produce His peace in your heart as you face troubling times. Perhaps He is working to develop a forgiving spirit in you when others mistreat you. Perhaps He is working to eliminate a particular sin in your life. If you accept the world's understanding of victory, you may feel defeated. If you look to see what God is accomplishing through your situation, you will find that He is succeeding. When you face opposition but know you are doing what God has asked, have confidence that He will accomplish everything that He desires.'"

[Wow! Victory is totally redefined in God's hands. This is something for me to think about for awhile.]

One

Unity - what an elusive word. I've been part of teams with great potential, that were never unified but a group of individual stars. All star teams rarely win world championships. Unity means being one, despite differences. Not that we don't have a whole lot of individual differences, but that we are one, united, and our differences showcase the whole, not the individual.

There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of
your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is
over all and through all and in all. But to each one of us grace was given
according to the measure of Christ's gift. Ephesians 4:4-7

Diversity in Unity. Each of us is different: abilities, talents, dreams, but the same destiny in Christ. Christ is One, unified with the Father and Spirit, and His body is one... hmmm... does it look that way? Is His body one? What do we do that communicates "one"?

Unity in calling. Ephesians 4 is about walking - walking - in the calling. The call should be anchored in our minds, like the minor league played called up to the big show. That call is anchored. In Christ it is a call to God, to change our minds and actions, and a call to belong. The call means we belong with Christ - not my lifestyle, not my good deeds, but the call to me from Christ. It is again, all founded, based, laid on Christ.

the walk of the call(ed)

o.k. this has been a tremendous week. We welcomed our 2nd child, and 1st girl into our family. How exciting! Mia arrived with joy last week and everything's kind of crazy at home. Both kids need attention and when the whining starts, the patience stops. But, not always.

therefore i, the prisioner of the Lord, implore you to
walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you were called - with all
humility and gentleness, and patience, showing tolerance for one another in love
(ephesians 4:1-2).

Wow! Talk about a wake up call. The call to follow is not a call to think selfishly - it is a call to think of others. How do you follow without thinking of someone else? But a bigger question, and what I am still grappling with is this: I have a great call, from the great, awesome God. What walk is worthy of Him? What walk is worshipful and glorious and awesome and humble and patient and tolerant all at the same time? It's not the walk of the snubbed nosed, "I'm better than you" elitist, nor is it the walk of the foolish. It is a walk sold out to Christ. Willing to love the un-lovable, do the impossible, and care for the careless. It is powered by a new heart that, though different, is not exclusive, but rather beats in love for others to join the walk - a kind of follow the leader. THE leader.

every generation

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. [Ephesians 3:20-21]

To every generation? Being Christian is being part of a river of history, flowing through every generation. It is a river of people who love God - not an idea of God or something about God or a religion; but God. The God. Being in the river means going with the flow and spreading love for God everywhere we splash - and all for Him. The river is His, not mine. He determines its course, not me. He determines its flow, the obstacles, the falls, and the quite pools, not me. My job is to flow - to follow. Why? to Him be glory.

Finishing last

My freshman year of high school I ran cross country. It was the perfect sport - you couldn't get cut from the team. To say that I "ran" might be a misnomer. No one ever accused me of being fast. Some encouraged me to "run" - meaning I must not have been. It sure felt like I was running inside.

Going into the last race of the season, I had never placed to win a medal (the top 10 spots). There were 11 runners in this final race. I knew it was my moment. I didn't have to win, I just needed to pick one person and stick to them like peanut butter and then slide by at the end. It ended up not being close - 10 of us finished as a group (I was proudly 10th) and I'm not sure if the 11th finished or not. So, in other words, I was nearly last. Is being last horrible? It defies success to finish last. It's not how I was brought up or ever taught in school (just to clarify, by my senior year I did do well in track - but never cross country). But is it bad to be last?

Just think! Though I did nothing to deserve it, and though I am the least deserving Christian there is, I was chosen for this special joy of telling [others] about the endless treasures available to them in Christ. Ephesians 3:8 (NLT)

That's what the Apostle Paul, an early advocate of Christianity, said about himself. God likes the least and last. He uses them for great purposes. My success means nothing ultimately, but God's work in me and through me means everything. Life is not about finishing first, it's about running the right race with the right power. Paul changed races in his life - he used to hate Christians; but then he became one. He never made much money, never wrote a book (though he did write a lot of letters), never was a celebrity. He was usually hated, and often a prisoner. Not a real successful life. But God chose Him to bring light to millions.

Purpose anyone?

I'm tired of running in hamster wheels. All kinds of crazy motion going no where. The best thing that is happening is that I'm getting a good workout. You gotta love that benefit - running on a treadmill is probably the most boring kind of running, so if I'm going to run I want to run somewhere. The more I run, the thirstier I get, so the more I run to find satisfaction - but it's not there.

Here's the good news, I know I'm here for and with purpose. Life isn't meaningless, it's meaningful as I fulfill my purpose. It's not without difficulty; there's all kinds of difficulty, but I have the opportunity to be courageous in difficulties. Because I can have strength of purpose to overcome, face, and withstand difficult times. What is my purpose?

To shine the Light of the World to everyone I meet, in action and word. On campus, in church, in community, in family: live for Christ. What's that mean? It means I put myself behind the rest. When I got off the hamster wheel to nowhere, I only began to get anywhere as I put myself aside and served Christ and others. It's not about me - that's good news. And it is satisfying. My life is now hidden with Christ in God. I don't have to live a life of self-denial, I live a life of joy and satisfaction because God is my satisfaction. More than denying myself, I want more of Him. He's better than anything I chased hard after on the hamster wheel, because no matter how much I got, I still had to run and got nowhere.

Purpose? I like purpose, and I like satisfaction. I like to live purposefully, courageously, so that I will be more satisfied.

Clutz meets Grace

Grace, what a concept. I don't encounter it much in life. This morning I was driving, and stopped to make a right-hand turn. The (rather expensive) car behind me wasn't all that excited about me stopping to make the turn - at a stop sign none the less. I was honked at, and promptly passed in a rather dangerous maneuver, in city traffic. Maybe they were on their way to the hospital! Or maybe they were an undercover police car chasing Osama bin Laden or someone else who we want to catch. Or maybe they just need a little grace to give a little.

We all need it. I need grace everyday. Not that I'm a clutz, but because I'm a clutz. As hard as I try, life doesn't come out right. I have desires that turn me in the wrong direction. I go the wrong way and need grace to see the light and go the right way. The good thing about Grace is that I, or you, can't ruin it. It is always good, never worn out, and when pure, always given. It does have its requirements though. It doesn't come cheap.

Grace requires faith. Faith in the One who gives grace. Otherwise, we reject the grace. What does that faith look like. It means accepting the grace-giver. It looks like Christ in real life. Check out Ephesians 2, it's all about grace, and forgiveness, and wholeness - even unity. Pretty amazing grace.

Thick Clouds

Ever feel like you want something but can't quite get it? Like the sun on days with thick clouds. You know it's there but... it can't be reached. The sky is gray, the day seems murky, attitudes get sullen. Rain would replenish, sun would refresh, but there's neither. Or, like my son at the grocery store. He wants to play with everything in the cart, but he's strapped in a seat. Twist and strain and cry and mope; it's all useless until he's set free. Cravings, desires, hope gone hopeless.

It's not uncommon. Our souls cry out to open spaces, with no return. Distant, separated, lost. Jeremiah, a prophet of God, knew what it was like. Don't get me wrong, he knew God, but he also knew separation. He spoke about God, "You have covered Yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can pass through." Looking for sun and finding clouds. Jeremiah's experience didn't end there, because later he wrote, "You drew near when I called on You... You have redeemed my life."

Harbor of Grace is meant to be a place where you can look for satisfaction and find it. It is a safe place: express your hunger, your thirst, your journey, your hurt, your confusion, your cloud, and your desire. Pierce the clouds to light.