This Sunday, Pastor Mike   preached out of Matthew 7 and  John 7. More specifically, he taught about the process of “de-logging”. This process speaks to the need to lovingly speak the corrective truth of the Bible to those in need of correction but also of the need to examine ourselves and to deal with the sin in our own hearts and lives. This sounds pretty easy. The problem with things that sound easy is that they generally tend to be much harder in practice than in theory.

This is, in fact, an area that is extremely difficult for me to practice consistently. It is easy for me to be critical. It is easy for me to find fault in situations, in people, and in pretty much anything else. It is also easy for me to hold grudges and to, in turn, contemplate the possibility of refusing to love people who have caused damage, hurt, or trauma in my life. Yet, if I refuse to deal with the sin in my heart (taking the log out of my own eye), I run the risk of turning into a bitter, unloving person who is concerned with constantly finding the faults in others (removing the speck out of another’s eye).

I find it helpful to be reminded of the grace of God that has been poured into my life. God freely chose to take my sin upon Himself, thus forever freely offering the grace to pull a rainforest full of logs out of my eyes and forever forgiving the sin that is so rampant in my heart. I thank God for His grace which reveals my sin for what it is. It is by His grace that I am able to be in a right relationship with God and ultimately am able to be in a right relationship with other people. I pray that if you struggle with being critical or judgmental that you begin with realizing that the only way to really love people begins with realizing God’s grace in your life through the free gift of salvation that has been given in Christ Jesus. As you realize God’s grace, it is my heartfelt desire that you walk in that same grace as you relate to other people…even in the midst of their sin and failures.

Pastor Mike, in his series “What Does Christlike Look Like?” presented a challenging message last Sunday concerning the capacity that believers have to love like never before.  In fact, his message clearly demonstrated the overarching power and impact of God’s love expressed through His followers.  However, PM (Pastor Mike) couched the sermon in a word picture of Christ showing up on Sunday and asking what if He did, what would He say about love?  The idea of Jesus coming to church, on any given Sunday, is both intoxicating and horrifying.

It is intoxicating because we would know experientially that He exists.  We could see Him, speak with Him, yea verily, shake His nail-scarred hands.  We would have our faith invigorated, enlightened, emboldened.  Jesus in the house would move the folks to abandon their facades and pick up the praise in honesty and truth.  Oh, that would be a great day for the likes of us puny disciples.

Of course, PM is a good theologian, so he reminded us that Jesus was already in the house.  He had come in with each and every one of us that claims the name of Christ and has given our lives to Him.  Jesus of Nazareth, the Savior, the King, was there!  So the second reaction to His presence, the tremendous call to pay attention for real (thus horrifying, based on our usual demeanor at church), is a natural response when the Owner of the Universe shows up!

It would not be horrifying because Jesus is evil and would lop our heads off; rather it would be so because He has a demand on us to obey Him (and often we do what we want instead, and you know we do!).  He has the right to speak to us straight, no hyperbole, no sweetening the truth, no wiggling from the task.  He would, as PM said, “Teach us, Command us and Expect us to live a lifestyle of love.”

That’s what is uncomfortable.  He would call us to task relative to His gracious love, showing us that He did not just desire for us to revel in His prowess, but to learn to live it also.  His model is not to be put on the shelf, but put in to practice.

That’s why He would command us and does command us.  We have the capacity to love like Him, so He tells us to get to it!  “Just do it,” PM said.  We can, so we should.  Jesus demands it from us, so we must.  The Christian who does not love is an anomaly.  It is incongruous, absurd, for the follower of Christ to not love.  We are commanded to “Do it,” because it is part of our Christian character.

And as if Christ would put our feet to the fire, He expects us to live that way consistently.  There is no room for the believer to say, “I loved yesterday, so I’m taking today off.”  Jesus actually is waiting for us to conform to the command based on His teaching and modeling.  That is what is so terrifying.  Jesus expects us to put love into action.  1 John 3:18 (NIV), as quoted in PM’s sermon, says it all, “Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and truth.”  And that is the challenge, if Jesus showed up at church.

This Sunday, Pastor Mike gave us an overview of the series, “What Does Christlike look like?”. This is an incredibly important question to ask if we, as Christians, have been called to Christlikeness in our lives. It is important to clarify that we have not been called to a performance driven existence. There is, however, an expectation that each and every follower of Christ will be growing to maturity in their faith. While complete maturity is beyond the grasp of the believer in this life, God intends for His people to be constantly in the process of maturing.

The intention of God to use the church, as a body made up of individual parts, in order to bring maturity to each individual. There is an ever-present temptation that beckons us to try to grow in a vacuum. The temptation is to believe that we don’t need other believers in Christ in our lives. The reality is that the church is more than a one or two hour-per-week social gathering. The church is more than a place where our preferred praise and worship music is performed. The church is more than our favorite preaching style. The church is more than potlucks and tradition. The church is a group of believers who are committed to the Lord and who are committed to one another. The church is committed to the teaching of God’s Word, to the fellowship of the believers, to prayer, and to ministering to one another according to the spiritual gifts that God has graciously given.

God’s promises of completing the work that He has finished in the lives of His people (Philippians 1:6) and of using all things for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28), demand that we take the call to maturity seriously. How might God be calling you to a more committed walk with Him and with a local church body?

What’s Next?

The idea of a hell, a place of absolute darkness and separation from God for all eternity, is not a savory thought.  Jokes are made of the fun that the incredulous will have with their buddies, partying the “night” away, as if this design was somehow a subset of an afterlife that included only good or its shadow.

The idea of a heaven, of course, the epitome of goodness, grace and wonder, is a magnificent thought.  The jokes surrounding heaven are mostly ironic in nature:  How could so-and-so be here, and the like.  It is the biblical nexus of the fullness of God’s presence, wherein His children enjoy Him forever and ever (where “ever” is a very long time).

In the mean time, we find, as Pastor JC so clearly presented this last Sunday, that human kind who are still living on the earth can be categorized into three types of people:  The sold-out person for Christ, the stumbler from Christ and the seeker after Christ.  All of us find ourselves in one of these three camps.  Perhaps we will at times fluctuate between a couple of them.

Nevertheless, the sold-out finds the joy in the Master at every turn.  Whether life deals from the bottom of the deck or not, the sold-out are sold-out.  They will waver not from their stance of trust in the Master.  They find their earthly joy in Him and will find their heavenly bliss in the same.  You see it has always been about Jesus and will remain the same for all eternity.  The sold-out know this.

The stumbler speaks too intimately to me.  I know this guy and what he is all about.  I know I am a pastor, but this guy has some pretty intoxicating ideas.  Yet, every stumbler stumbles.  They are not immune to the trip lines of life and though they would have it otherwise, they trip because they play at the life that they really know is the only way.  The stumbler knows who God is, yet will choose to do what he or she wants over what the Lord wants.

The seeker is the pre-believer.  He may have his world out-of-order from the outside looking in, but he knows no other way.  Often the seeker is seeking in strange and sordid ways, not seeking truth, but fawning at experience.  He or she may live in search of the next experiential high, never to find that elusive goal.  Some may even find religion as the experience that moves their soul, but religion never can save that soul from the hell that waits.

All three of these people types have one common thread; being alive in this world still gives them hope.  The sold-out truly hope in the Savior.  The stumbler may be confronted by a friend, a family member, the word of God or the Savior Himself and realize his hope again in the Savior (reminding him the Savior has been there all along).  Or the seeker may discover the finder, Jesus Christ, who gave His life up for the seeker so that hell would have no hold on them.

It is a wonderful reminder of the Savior’s love to us all, all the way to His heaven.

The reality that Jesus is returning escapes me most of the time. Living with the kind of intentional purpose that such a reality demands is difficult at times. Maybe you are like me and it is easy to take for granted that there is a definite end in sight. There is a definite point in the future when Jesus will return physically with the fullness of His glory on display. This thought alone is one that causes me stop in awe-filled wonder. The picture of Jesus in the fullness of deity is not one that we are familiar with. After all, Jesus came in humility. His “triumphal entry” into Jerusalem saw Him riding on the back of a young donkey. He didn’t come in such a way that we should esteem Him (Isaiah 53). We think of Jesus being meek, mild, and quiet. Yet Matthew 24 shows us a very different picture of Jesus. He will return in the fullness of His power, glory, and majesty. It will truly be a glorious day.

The truth of Jesus’ return reminds us that we must be about His business, being faithful in following Him with our lives. The parable of the good steward as opposed to the evil steward is a very clear reminder that we have to take the gospel ministry seriously. We must be serious about living out the gospel in our lives as we seek to be reach maturity in Christ (Ephesians 3-4). We must be serious in our commitment to our church family in growing together and serving together in light of the gospel. We must be serious in taking the gospel to the nations (i.e. everybody) recognizing that there will come a day when the spread of the good news will stop because the object of the gospel has returned. We are called to be serious and sober-minded regarding the good news that has been entrusted to us as the church. My prayer is that we become gripped with the reality of God’s goodness to us through Jesus Christ and as a result we will walk in a manner worthy of the salvation that we have been freely given.

I’m not a huge fan of perilous times…or of being affected by them. I don’t like it that Jesus said that believers would suffer or be the object of persecution. I hate that there are believers around the world that are ostracized from their families, or put in prison, or even killed because of their faith in Christ. Deep down I want comfort for myself, for my family, and for my fellow followers of Christ. The problem is that the kind of comfort that I desire runs contrary to Jesus’ promise of hardship to those that would follow Him. We have been promised suffering, heartache, persecution, and pain because we have identified with Christ.

Are people who embrace this kind of suffering crazy? What about believers such as the Indonesian pastors who are pulled out of their churches and are killed by angry mobs? Surely they are aware of the danger of being a christian pastor in such a place! It is not as though they are oblivious to the dangers of following Christ. They have placed their full confidence in Jesus, believing that following Jesus is more important than chasing their own comfort. Pastor John jokingly asked anyone who was ready to die for Jesus to make a line at the front of the church yesterday. The idea is a shock to us and yet suffering has been promised to us. We have clearly been told in Matthew 24 that hardship and suffering are sure to come upon those who follow Jesus.

The question for us becomes whether or not Jesus is worthy of our lives and devotion. Is Jesus really worthy of my complete obedience. If the answer is no, we need to smash the false idol of comfort and complacency and in turn pick up our cross and follow Jesus Christ, our Savior and LORD.

We are blessed to be almost entirely free of violent persecution and suffering (we certainly face oppression). Let’s not forget our brothers and sisters in Christ who are not.

“Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.”- Hebrews 13:3

In the center of Greece’s ancient and modern capitol lies the gem of her history and culture.  The Parthenon, the ancient Greeks’ temple to the city’s patron goddess, overlooks her city from the lofty Acropolis.  Her pentelic marble columns rise above their resting place of massive foundation stones that have survived wars, explosions, earthquakes  and  nearly 2500 years of weather.  And yet she still captivates the attention of the city and the world which comes to visit her architectural wonder.

The Parthenon remains because it was built to remain.  Though the tides of war have trampled her steps, though the violations of treasure hunters have stripped her of her art, though the ebb and flow of religious and political change have assault her purposes, she remains.

The Parthenon is a picture of the lasting nature of building right.  It is a picture of the Christian’s glory in his Lord remaining and enduring because his life was built on a solid foundation.  The true follower of Christ is clear enough to know that the only foundation that will endure is the one which is called Jesus Christ.

He is not a building constructed on sand, rather, He is the very solid rock, foundation, that will endure every assault of the world.  The person seeking to confront life’s challenges with victory will only find victory with those challenges there on that foundation.  Paul was clear in 1 Corinthians 3:10-11 when he said, “According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it. But let each man be careful how he builds upon it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

Dealing with the disasters of life, disappointment, hurt and personal relationship will only be better when we rely on the One who took our sin and shame and nailed them to the cross.  This Jesus is enough for our every chaotic choice, experience or fear.  As Pastor JC so aptly said this last Sunday, when the stones of life’s buildings seem to be dismantled, Christ remains, Christ endures, Christ protects, Christ surrounds and Christ continues to love us through it all.

Hopefully we will all realize that on this foundation in Christ, we are built to last.

“For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.”                (Galatians 1:11-12 ESV)

Most of us probably laugh about the notion that the end of all things will come to a head in 2012. We probably laugh at those who have banked everything on the Mayan calendar. We probably laugh at people who constantly fall for every conspiracy theory. We probably laugh at people who lose their money in pyramid schemes. We probably laugh at people who buy into get-rich-quick ideas. 

But how are we deceived? Do we cheapen the grace of God by trying to obtain God’s favor through works? Do we place our hope and trust in our possessions instead of hoping in the Lord? Do we build idols that look like our spouses, our children, or our jobs…all the while thinking that we are honoring our Savior? Do we buy into the idea that God’s greatest desire is to make all of our wildest dreams come true? Do we slander God by believing that He is not able to do all that He says He can? We are all tempted to be led astray. We have the incredible capacity to be deceived. Maybe we deceive ourselves by thinking, “this doesn’t apply to me.” 

The only proven antidote to deception is the Word of God. God’s Word pierces us to the heart and convicts us of our incorrect thoughts about ourselves and about God. The written Word and the Living Word are actively working at redeeming us from unbelief and correcting our deceived hearts. I pray that we will truly be a people committed to God’s Word and that we are actively seeking to align our hearts and minds with the Word of God.

I  love the Christmas season because it is a time where we, as a people, have the opportunity to fix our gaze on Jesus Christ. It is a time of year that has the potential to make us stop and consider what God has done. Admittedly, our gaze should constantly and consistently be upon Jesus, our Lord and Savior. For whatever reason, however, it seems that we need to be prompted to remember what God has done and what God is continuing to do.

Christmas is more than a time to tell a story about how a baby was born in Bethlehem. It is more than a time to tell a heart warming story about a baby who was born in a manger because there was no room for his family that night. Christmas is more than tradition. It is more than spending time with family. In fact, it is impossible to over-hype the importance of Christmas.

Christmas reminds us that God came in the flesh, born of a virgin, in order to redeem His fallen creation. More specifically, Jesus came to redeem fallen people. Jesus came to make straight the path of salvation. Jesus came in the flesh in order that our flesh might be put to death. Jesus came so that the wrath of God, which is rightly and deservedly due to sinners, might be poured out on Jesus instead of on sinners, like me.

“For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.“
(Colossians 1:19-20 ESV)

It was God’s good pleasure to send Jesus in the flesh so that all things might be reconciled to God through God. It was God’s good pleasure to make peace for us by the blood of Jesus’ cross. Jesus is the fullness of God’s grace in the flesh, just as He is the fullness of God clothed in humanity. Does the reality of Christmas give you pause to stand in awe of God? Does the reality of God dwelling among men humble you in such a way that you can do nothing but praise and bless the name of Jesus? Does the reality that Jesus’ name has been fixed above every other name cause you to stop in humble adoration of the Lord? Does the reality that at the name of Jesus  every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that HE is Lord cause your heart to leap in worship? Don’t waste the opportunity that Christmas provides to worship the King of kings, our Emmanuel.

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