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“Did you follow me, or did you do your own thing?”
God’s eternal purpose is to bring people into and under the protective, saving Lordship of Jesus.
The purpose of a church that is fulfilling God’s purpose is to be involved in saving people and keeping people saved. When we have succeeded in the treasure hunt, we join the rescue mission.
Loving God means loving what God loves. Christians are passionate about souls because God is passionate about souls. Christians pray about souls. When Christians make a “blessing list” or a “most wanted” list, they show they are looking at people and are aware that that those people have souls.
We go out to bring them in. We send others to bring them in. The question is always the same, “How is the harvest going?” When Jesus taught about the harvest, he spoke of the need for more harvesters. The church has a lot of workers who are not harvesters.
Disciples of Jesus make more disciples.
We go out to bring disciples in. We are present where they are to bring them into Jesus. We proclaim him to bring them in.
We go to teach people how to become disciples.
When disciples do not know how to make disciples, we teach them how to make disciples.
When disciples struggle with following, we seek to strengthen them and teach them how to follow more closely.
Look at the ministry of the church. Look at the mission work of the church. God is going to ask one thing. “Did you do my work or did you do your own thing?”

Attitudes are like background music in our lives.  Attitudes are ever present, ever influencing our lives, playing in the background during every moment of our lives.  Attitude is a key to consistent Christian living. The attitude we should have is that of Christ (Phil. 2:5). When Christ’s attitude permeates our lives, we are unceasingly in prayer, focused on things that make no sense in this world.  Four attitudes can make a big difference in our daily efforts to live the Christian life–availability, sensitivity, responsiveness, and gratitude.

First, live with an attitude of availability. God, I am available for you to work through me to accomplish your kingdom purposes. I have no personal agenda, I am emptied (Phil. 2:9), I am totally available for you to do your work in and through me wherever and whenever.
Second, live with an attitude of sensitivity.  God, make me sensitive to the world, let me see you, make me aware of your presence in the world, assure me with the presence of your Holy Spirit. Help me see where and how you are at work, help me see opportunities. Make me “kingdom sensitive” so that I see you and your work and your way in the events of my life.
Third, live with an attitude of responsiveness. God, make me responsive to the opportunities you provide. Let me live in integrity, demonstrating the beauty of your plan for your human creation. As I am going, wherever I go, may availability and sensitivity combine to make me a responsive instrument in your hand to accomplish your will.
Fourth, live with an attitude of gratitude. When we understand the love of God for his human creation, we come to understand what he did to save us.  Having invested so heavily in our eternal salvation, he continues to do all he can to protect us from the world about us and Satan’s snares.  For Christians who clearly see this truth, it is harder to turn one’s back on God than we have thought or taught. Living in and basking in the love of God for us empowers us and motivates us (2 Cor. 5:14).

When the background music of my life reflects availability for God’s purposes, sensitivity to God’s presence, responsiveness to God’s power and guidance, and gratitude for God’s provision, life is different. This continual background music, coupled with unceasing prayer, changes lives. It can do the same for you.

Through the years, Christians have understood Sunday in various ways.  In years past, even during my childhood, Sunday was a day of rest, and the majority of businesses were closed. In many parts of the world today, Sundays are so secularized that Sunday differs little from other days of the week. In the United States, the majority of people do not attend church.

One of the reasons for assembly and worship is to rebalance life.  I need continued transformation, adjusting my mind and heart. I need to be reminded. I need to be refilled. The average time it takes for the human brain to react is measured in milliseconds.  This is the amount of time it takes for what is inside of you to come out. “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34).

When I was a youngster, my family and I spent most of our summers visiting Grandma. One of the jobs I had to help with was watering and slopping the pigs. Every day, we had to carry water to the pigpen. We filled the water bucket as full as possible, so we did not have to make as many trips. I know a few things about a water bucket that is filled to overflowing. First, when the bucket is really full, you cannot put any more water in it. Second, it is almost impossible to carry a really full bucket without sloshing a little water out. Third, what comes out of the bucket is what is in the bucket. We also had to carry the slop bucket to the pigpen. Knowing the “full bucket” principles mentioned above, we made sure we slopped the pigs before the slop bucket got full.

Lessons for life. When our hearts are filled with God things, there is no room for other things. We get bumped as we go through life and what is within us will spill out. When that happens, what comes out is what is in our heart. The nature of our lives is reflected in how we react. What is in you will come out…so let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly.

It’s Memorial Day weekend.
In thinking about church and preaching, I always try to do something significant about remembering, sacrifice, and love.
For many in today’s culture, Memorial Day has lost its meaning. It is too little about remembering and memorials. It is too much about the first long weekend of summer and going to the lake or the mountains for recreation.
When I was in high school, Memorial Day meant the high school band had to march in the parade even though school had been out a week or more. (We knew about community service before the phrase was coined.) For whatever reason, the holiday, the parade, the march to the cemetery, the “taps”, the prayers and addresses–all of these parts of the occasion seemed somber to a teenager. Someone had made a sacrifice for me, and I would get a Selective Service number when I turned 18.
Remembering is a source of hope. If we do not know hope, we aren’t interested in thinking about the past, the present, or the future.
Hope is renewed in thinking about the past, especially about the actions and work of God.
Hope is sustained in a careful awareness of the future.
Hope for the future is made certain–the things seen in the past and present secure the unseen future. Thus hope and faith connect. Faith has as its foundation hope. Things seen guarantee things not seen.

Dear Father, may we worship today with gladness, yet with seriousness. As we remember the past, may we be especially grateful for the sacrifice of Jesus which gives us hope for tomorrow and forever. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

A long time ago in another millennium, I read a book that changed the way I have looked at life across almost five decades. The book is The Compulsive Christian by David Mason, first edition 1969.
Our society tends to measure life by what we have or by what we do. Mason reminds that God’s standard is being, not having or doing.
Further, each of these three verbal concepts has a past, present, and future. Nine possibilities! One can measure life by what one had, has, or will have. One can measure life by what one did, does, or will do. One can measure life by what one was, is, or is becoming.
I think about these options, and it is clear that God is most interested in what we are becoming. May I today be transformed to resemble him more closely, bringing him more glory, participating more fully in his purpose and will.

We don’t know what to do with God!

We want to control him, box him, understand him. We want our Christianity in neat, little, predictable packages. We want a Holy Spirit under control. We are so committed to “decently and in order” that we limit God.

Christianity is a personal treasure hunt! Treasure hunts are exciting, challenging, rewarding. No price is too great to pay when seeking a treasure of inestimable value! No sacrifice is beyond comprehension–the desire to achieve the treasure controls every thought and action. It is all we think about! It is what we dream about!

Today I am thinking about a treasure in a field and a pearl. We have read these parables too casually! Some things are found by accident; most things are found on purpose! Everything we seek is found in the last place we look! Are you still looking, or do you think you’ve already found it? Are you on an adventure, or are you gliding down the last hill, content and satisified?

Dear Heavenly Father and God of all, surprise us this day with your presence, your power, and your part in our lives. Help us restore the wonder, the awe, and the spirit of fresh worship. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Life is filled with choices. A few choices are basic! Once they are made, they provide the foundation for the rest of life’s choices. If the foundational choices are not made in place, the rest of life is a constant struggle. Let me be specific. Here are two foundational questions that provide orientation for the rest of life. Who am I? Who is in control in my life?

For a Christian, the answer to number one depends on grasping God’s love and God’s forgiveness. Warning! If we make love easy or forgiveness cheap, our identity in Christ will be constantly blurry. This is not an easy love that says “You’re OK” and “I can put up with you like you are.” This is love that acknowledges problems and the necessity of change. This is no unconditional love. This is love that rightly expects obedience and commitment.
Impossible? That is where God’s forgiveness enters. What is impossible with us humans is possible with God. God’s forgiveness affirms our identity in Christ. Warning! Do not make this forgiveness cheap and unconditional. Do not fall into Satan’s trap of thinking that God is so loving that forgiveness is automatic and universal with only an unthinking acknowledgement of God’s existence. God’s grace is extended at great cost, and is faithfully accepted only with intense, unending gratitude.

Who is in control in my life? First, I must establish that I am not! Jesus Christ is Lord. The Bible is God’s Word. Here we see the written word and the living word. God reveals himself to us so we can understand him. When we see God for who he really is, we see ourselves as we really are. When we see God in all of his glory, we rejoice that he is willing to take care of our every inadequacy, fault, flaw, sin, shortcoming, and weakness. It is not about us, God is in control!

Today as I worship among God’s people, I seek to be reminded of these basic truths. I want to be reminded of who I am. I want to be reminded that God is in control. Basic life choices! Without these in place, the week ahead can get pretty rough and intense. With these in place, a lot of other life choices will also fall into place!

The movie “City Slickers” popularized the concept that life can be defined by the “one thing.” The Bible more often speaks of two things. Jesus said, “Love God, love your neighbor” (Matt. 22:34, and parallels). John says the one who is of God practices righteousness and loves his brother (1 John 3:10). John adds that our love for God’s children is measured by our love for God and obedience to his commandments (1 John 5:2).

Today I am contemplating two things. What does it mean for me to love God and keep his commandments? What does it mean for me to love my neighbor?
Jesus told his disciples that the one who loves God obeys his commandments (John 14:15; 15:14). I cannot affirm that I love God without seeking his will. Loving God includes doing what is right.
Loving my neighbor sets a high standard. It is a lot easier to love one another than it is to love my neighbor. That his followers will love one another is described by Jesus as a way in which others can recognize his disciples (John 13:35), but not as a final or exclusive measurement. Loving my neighbor is more difficult than loving my brother because my neighbor is often anonymous, unknown, impersonal, out of sight, and at times even unloveable.

“Dear God, help me today to evaluate my life honestly as I seek your will in my life and as I love others. Show me your way, open my eyes to opportunities to love those about me, especially to opportunities to share the gospel as I seek to love the world as Jesus loved the world. You know that I live life imperfectly–strengthen me and forgive my blind spots. Forgive me when I fail to do what is right; help me set my heart on your will. Forgive me also when I do not live out my love for others. Help me today to become more like Jesus. Lead me this week with your presence and power. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Today I will worship with the believers in Sololá, Guatemala. I will have the privilege of delivering God´s word, but always the fellowship shared as the church assembles, sings, prays, and surrounds the Table is delightful. Pray for God´s people around the world, many of whom assemble in relatively remote places to worship God, to strengthen one another, and to celebrate what God has done and is doing among his people.