Living Under the Lordship of Jesus

Interesting conversation–a friend and I were talking about our experiences in visiting other locations on mission trips. His comment, “They live as though Jesus really is their King!” Wow!
What does it mean to live the Christian life? Surely it is more than worship attendance, or more than worship plus some prayer and regular Bible reading. In our U.S. culture, we little understand the concept of kingship or royalty, but I think few kings would be satisfied with subjects who merely read the edicts of the king, told the king what they needed or wanted, and attended all of the state functions.
How does an authentic Christian live out the lordship of Jesus daily? What does it mean to us when we read “we are not our own, we are bought with a price,” or that “we are slaves to righteousness”? What is the focus of our lives? What do we think about more than anything else?

I do not pretend to answer for you. I only say that I am humbly called to evaluate more closely my own life and to consider what it means to live as though Jesus is Lord!

It’s Sunday Again: What Time Is It?

My blogging friends know that the posting date/time stamp may not be the actual time of writing!  I confess–I am writing this on Saturday, but setting it to post on Sunday morning.
The spring time change! Spring forward! I call it the “bad” time change!

It is the “bad” time change because people refuse to get ready for what they know is coming. When our boys were growing up, Jan and I set the clocks forward early so that the time change occurred in our house on on Friday evening and Saturday morning. The boys got up on Saturday morning with the time change already done. Saturday was a shorter day (but not noticeably shorter). Despite all that has been written about how the time change is challenging because of body rhythms, our boys never seemed to notice. Sunday dawned fresh and new–with our family ready to worship God. This procedure may or may not work for you and your family, but I can tell you what won’t work.
What won’t work is to spend Saturday as normal, even stay up a little later than normal, and suddenly at bedtime remember that the clock has to go forward an hour. While some things are not easy to prepare for, I can guarantee you that total lack of preparation is almost certain to fail.

It is the “bad” time change because the church has forgotten that it has the responsibility of telling people what time it is. During our ministry at one church, the typical Sunday morning schedule was reversed–worship first, Bible classes second. [Not the subject of this writing, but if you’ve never experienced the freshness of fellowship and worship assemblies before Bible classes, you have no idea how it feels, what it does for the heart, how much calmer the kids are…..the list of positive observations is long!] With the worship assembly first, it was easier to manage scheduling. On several occasions during the year, the church shared worship without Bible classes following. We didn’t have Bible classes when we had guest speakers who were likely to preach longer than normal. We didn’t have Bible classes when we shared “special focus” worship times, for example, focusing on missions. And, we didn’t have Bible classes on the “bad” time change.
The instructions to the church members were to “come on the old time” and “leave on the new time”. We worshiped on the old schedule, and at the end of worship, set our clocks forward together. I usually preached on something related to “time.” Is it not the job of the church to let people know what time it is? In a previous time when churches had bells, wasn’t the reason to remind people of the time? Perhaps the church needs to rethink its responsibility to constantly tell people what time it is!

Understanding the Christian Life

The words from Mark Bergin caught my attention: “And so we open the Scriptures and say our prayers, not in an effort to be with him, but because he is already with us.”
What a wonderful truth, shining light clearly on a common misunderstanding of the Christian life. Bible reading and prayer is not a part of a daily checklist to be pleasing to God. For the Christian, communication with God is not courtship and seeking relationship. It is the faithful action of the bride of the Lamb seeking ever-deepening relationship and understanding, ever growing love.

It’s Sunday Again: Relating Faith and Wisdom

First Sunday of the New Year, what to say, how to begin. Thoughts from the book of James. Seeing clearly in a world of shadows. An unchanging God in an undependable, ever-changing world–waves, burning sun, temptations, shadows. Ours is a world of trials and challenges. Sin easily overcomes. Only a singular focus on God will guide the journey.

  • Seeing God clearly helps us see ourselves and others clearly.

  • The faith that sees God clearly acts in response.

  • When one sees God, God’s wisdom shapes faith and life.

  • Seeking God requires establishing priorities.

2015: Seeking a beginning, or an ending?

As I get older, I am more and more amazed at the emphasis placed on the beginning of the New Year–almost as though there is something magical in turning the calendar and learning to write a new number. What I really want for 2015 is not a new beginning; I want a more certain ending! Since my beginning has already been written, what I am really looking for is the ending.
In one sense, a new beginning is not possible. I cannot ignore or undo what has gone before. I cannot pretend the past did not happen. Louisa Fletcher got it right in her poem, The Land of Beginning Again. “I wish that there were some wonderful place In the Land of Beginning Again.” Beginning again is wish, not reality.
I cannot begin again, but I can change my future. I cannot rewrite the past, but as I write my present my future is changed. Each day, the ending is nearer, in fuller view, in better focus. Therefore, in 2015 I am not seeking a beginning, I am focusing on the ending.
In 2015, learn from your beginnings (your past) and move certainly and faithfully toward the ending God has in mind for you. Keep your eyes on the goal! There is a resolution I may be able to keep!

Saying Good-bye to 2014–Anticipating 2015

One of my favorite “end of year” sermons when I was active in full-time ministry was titled, “Ending the Old Year Well.” Here is an updated version.

As one year closes and another begins, is it possible to fine genuine renewal? Can resolutions last longer than a few days? The answer is “yes.” Here are three steps I find helpful: Reflection, Relationships, Renewal.

As a first step, I reflect upon the past year. Some parts of the past year were not pretty. Other parts of the year are highlights and memorable. The human tendency is to dwell on the pleasant things. The problem is that we may fail to learn from the less pleasant things. Here is something different.
When I reflect upon the events of the past year, I look for two things. First, Where can I see that God was at work? What did God do? Second, What did I learn about God’s nature? As I recount the year, I consider God. I am trying to understand God, learn more about God, learn to depend on God. You can do this however you like. I like to use a page with two columns–God’s actions, God’s faithful nature. We cannot be still as the Psalmist teaches (Psalm 46) and find peace until we are confident that God is God–-active and consistent.

Reflection is a mental process that seeks to touch the heart. Celebrating and strengthening relationships is a matter of the heart and emotions. Relationships are not only emotional–relationships are where the values of our life are lived out. This second step has two parts. The first part has to do with my relationship with God. Does my life reflect my confident trusting relationship with God, based on his nature and actions? My loving relationship with God compels my relationship with others so I must begin with God. Then I can honestly consider how my heart connects with those around me. How are my interpersonal relationships, with spouse, family, friends, neighbors, coworkers? Celebrate the relationships of your life. Pray about and resolve to strengthen the weak points.

The ultimate goal is renewal. The average New Year resolution does not reach the goal. Renewal is a life-changing process which occurs only when the foundations (biblical principles) are in place and the current situation is understood with the values clearly defined. Our behaviors are the result of what we think and value. Paul wrote to the Romans (12:1-2) that transformation is the result of a changed mind (changed from the inside, not as a result of external pressures), and changed lives that no longer conform to the value systems of the world.

Every step of this process is so important. Thinking + values = behavior and changed lives. God + the present = the future.
Certainly there are other ways to end the year well, but here is a memorable and easy tool. Why not invest some time over the next couple of days? Spend that time with God thinking about who he is and what he has done, is doing, and will do. Take an honest inventory of your present reality, both where God is and where God isn’t in your life. Seek to rebuild and restore relationships. Seek to understand God’s plan and will for your future. I believe you will find renewal in trusting, experiencing, and depending on God.

It’s Sunday Again: Mystery?

Christmas is past. For most, that means the holiday season will begin to wind down. Yes, one more less than routine week remains between Christmas and New Year’s Day, but the gift returns and exchanges are already planned, the decor will soon come down to be stored for another year, and life will return to “winter normal.”

The Sunday after Christmas is a sort of “let down”. The pews are emptier, the spirit less buoyant, the Nativity all but forgotten. What should one say on the Sunday after Christmas? What can be said after all of the happy experiences and the excitement of Christmas?

Listen carefully. What I want to say is in the form a question, and then more questions. “What if there remains a mystery we cannot explain?” The Christmas story we know, but what if we don’t understand? What if familiarity has blinded our eyes? What is this process of a divine Word becoming flesh, a divine Being emptying himself to become human? What kind of God penetrates the human experience once for all with his own presence, fully participates in what it means to be human (including death), and blasts open the God-human, Creator-created barrier to restore full fellowship? What kind of transformed life is made possible when those trapped in human experience, temptation, and disgust are allowed to become participants in the divine nature?

What if we don’t have it figured out? What if 1+1+1+1+1=5 doesn’t reflect the whole truth? What if S+P+P+C+G=W is technically correct but practically lacking? (Singing, Praying, Preaching, Communion, Giving = Worship) What if it is more than H+F+R+C+B=S? (Hearing, Faith, Repentance, Confession, Baptism = Salvation) What if the older version which includes life applications is more accurate? (F+R+C+B+LF=S, that is, Faith+Repentance+Confession+Baptism+Live Faithfully = Salvation)

The Supper is a good time to ask such questions. What if there remains something mysterious that is beyond comprehension in the three-dimensioned existence of this world? Something that has been revealed, but remains in the “not quite” category? “This is my body….this is my blood.” Do this, declare my death (not life) until I come? Something strange is going on here! Will you take a moment to touch the strangeness, or are you already back to the routines of a “check list” Christianity?

It’s Sunday Again: Doing a Lot with a Little

I spend a lot of Sundays involved in mission efforts–Mission Emphasis Sundays in the U.S., mission reports, teaching and preaching. I spend many more Sundays in various parts of Latin America. In the average year, I talk to a lot of churches and a lot of church leaders about missions. Speaking generally, U.S. churches are tremendously blessed with financial resources. Today I am thinking about how churches are involved in missions.
As I think about how we use our blessings and how we are involved in missions, churches have several options. Most churches receive blessing after blessing from God. Some receive more than others, but all are blessed. We have to decide what we will do with those blessings. We must decide what we will do. Some do a lot with a lot; others do a little with a lot. We can do nothing with a lot; we can also do nothing with a little. We can do a little with a little; we can do a lot with a little.

A congregation of God’s people may have limited resources and think they have only a little to contribute to mission work. I remind us that God can do a lot with a little. The question is not one of quantity but one of heart. When we set our hearts on fulfilling God’s purpose in the world, God does great things with our little efforts and our little resources. The Bible is filled with stories of God doing a lot with a little—Gideon, David, a little boy with five pieces of bread and two small fish.

Regardless of how God has blessed you—with a little or with a lot, pray this day that he will in his power turn that which you willingly hand over to him into a lot! He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we have imagined, thought, or usually ask. Let us dream, think, plan, and pray!

It’s Sunday Again: Approved!

Today the people of God around the world assemble as a grand Christian community and declare His praise and virtue. God is acknowledged and recognized–songs of praise exalt him, his purpose, his wisdom, his compassion, and his love demonstrated in the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. The church speaks to God and listens to God. We listen in the word read and preached. The Christian community seeks his will for the coming week; remind us what God wants from us. Remind us of our glory, our potential, our responsibility. Remind us of our capacity because of his presence among us. Refresh our commitment to his cause and his work–generate within us renewed strength so that we go forth restored and whole resonating with his presence in our hearts and lives.

A significant part of the weekly assembly for the first century church was the opportunity to “break bread”. This biblical phrase refers both to fellowship meals, sometimes called “love feasts”, and also to the weekly observance of the Lord’s Supper or the communion. The church assembles to remember and give thanks to God in the Supper.

When I lead God’s people in thoughts and prayers to prepare mind and hearts for the Supper, I am constantly in search of fresh words and translations. Today I share the first few verses of Romans 5.
“Now that God has approved us, thanks to faith and through our Lord Jesus Christ, there is peace between God and us. Through faith, Christ has delivered us to the generous love of God that we now enjoy, and we are happy with the hope of sharing the glory of God. There is more. We are able to feel this happiness even when we suffer because the sufferings teach us to be patient. If we have patience, our character is strengthened and with a strong character, our hope grows even more. That hope is not going to fail us because God gave us the Holy Spirit who has poured out God’s love on us. Christ died for us in the necessary moment when we unable to save ourselves, being enemies of God. It is difficult to imagine that someone night die to save a righteous person, but perhaps someone might risk their life for a very very good person. But God demonstrated his love in that Christ died for us even we were sinners.”

Time does not permit a complete treatment of this text, so I call attention to only a few concepts.

  • Approval. God has stamped us “approved”. We have God’s approval, we are being “let through”. We may not feel approved, we may not look approved, we may not act approved, but God has put his seal of approval on us and in us. (This is the way Paul describes the Holy Spirit in other biblical passages.) Today as you partake of the Supper, relish and enjoy the fact of God’s approval.
  • Peace. This is not only the peace of God which Paul describes to the Philippian church, but peace with God.
  • Hope. We enjoy love and are happy in hope. Is the love of God something you enjoy? Does hope make you happy? Notice the cycle of happiness which we celebrate in the Supper: hope, problems, patience, character, more hope.
  • Love. The love of God provides the great bookends for this repeated cycle. We enjoy God’s generous love because Christ has introduced us to it and because the Holy Spirit pours it out in our lives.

As described in the next chapter of Romans, the continual poured out love of the Spirit is only possible because of our transition from enemies to friends. The text of Romans 5 does not apply to those who continue to live as enemies of God. That we are now friends of God is shown by the fact that we do with our lives what he did with his life. We participate in his activities. We attend his parties. He is our hero–we imitate him. We participate in his death (through baptism) so that we will participate in his glory. The hope of his glory in the text of chapter 5 is made reality as we are assured of participation in his resurrection–both in renewed lives here on earth, and also in the ultimate resurrection at that final day.

The approval God grants is not random; it is not fleeting. The foundation of this approval is firm; God has acted in Christ, we have reacted, God continues to bless. Approval, peace, hope love. These we celebrate today as we eat this Supper together.

Ephesians 4: the church that genuinely serves

Churches that understand their identity, mission, and eternal purpose are most likely to do the things God wants. The church exists in God’s eternal purpose to unite all things under Christ. In Ephesians 4, the church participates in this purpose through the ministry of every member, facilitated by the leaders Christ places in the body.

What factors encourage genuine service?

  • 1. Attitude of SPIRITUALITY, Eph. 4:1-2
  • 2. Environment of UNITY, 4:3-6
  • 3. Acknowledgement and acceptance of God’s GENEROSITY, 4:7-10
  • 4. Commitment to GROWTH–teamwork and variety in the body, 4:11-13
  • 5. Churches functioning in MATURITY, 4:14-16