Total Transformation

Last week I heard someone speaking about total conversion.  He suggested that we need a conversion of our mind, emotion, and our will.  I like that.

I think that it is easy to speak of being saved or born again as something that you believe in your mind.  This is true, but belief is not just a belief in the mind. Salvation is intellectional.  But it is also emotional and volitional. 

If we only have a intellectual conversion, then we may find ourself to be like the soil in the parable of the sower that sees the seed choked out when the cares of the world make life difficult.  We must allow our conversion to invade our mind, our emotion, and our will.  As Romans 12:1 says we must be living sacrifices.  Transformation must be all of us, not just a part.

Has your will been converted?  Do the emotions of your inmost being proclaim that Jesus is Lord?  How complete is your conversion?

Imago Dei

"We stand in awe of the ocean, the thunderstorm, the sunset, the mountains, but we pass by a human being without notice even though the person is God's most magnificent creation".
Augustine

Each person is created in the image of God.  Oh, if we could learn to live this out in how we treat one another.

STOP!

Come away from rush and hurry

To the stillness of God's peace

From our vain ambition's worry

Come to Christ to find release

Come away from noise and clamor

Life's demands and frenzied pace

Come to join the people gathered

Here to seek and find God's face

This is the first verse to a hymn written by Marva J. Dawn.

We live in a fast paced time.  Our country is a nation that expects and demands busyness.  Working hard is a good thing and an important part of holistically living for God.

But for many, we have denied our need to rest.  We struggle to stop.

In the Old Testament, God instituted the Sabbath which comes from the root meaning "to cease".  Yet today we often act like there is no need to stop.  We wear terms like tired, exhausted, or drained as badges of honor to validate our worth or even our spiritual life.

Yet the fact that these terms exist should be reminders in themselves that we have limits and need to honor God by honoring those human limitations.

Could I suggest that stopping might be an honorable thing? Would it be stretching to propose that resting can be a spiritual act of service to God?  Am I being outrageous to say, that being too busy is actually a boast of pride against the sufficiency of God Himself?

Do you need to cease?  Have you taken time to stop lately?  When do you regularly rest?

Striving to live for God

Asceticism is "an austere, simple way of life in which persons renounce material pleasures and devote their energy to moral or religious purpose".  Many today think of giving things up that they enjoy as a bad thing.   Most don't have enough concern for personal spiritual growth to consider releasing some of their own pleasures.

Bradley Holt suggests that "a biblical asceticism leads to a healthy sense of being able to say no to a good thing for the sake of a better or higher one; it gives self-confidence while enabling people to serve others."


Is there anything that God is leading you to forsake for the purpose of knowing Him more?

Time to follow Jesus

Any human tragedy is hard.  For those who are poor, tragedy can be overwhelming. 

All of us our aware of the devastation that the earthquake in Haiti has caused.  As has been widely reported, this country is extremely poor.  This makes matters even worse.  Think of the slow response to a disaster like Katrina and that happened in America with our endless resources. 

It is time to follow Jesus.  The people of God need to be involved.  It is wrong to ignore such a tragedy.  We must start by caring.  Sometime it is hard to even have compassion with the 24/7 bombardment with crime, death, disaster, etc.  But this is huge and God's people will be known for our compassion for the poor. 

Everyone must do something.  Give if you can.  I give through World Relief, but there are many good options.  Pray.  Even if you feel that you cannot give you can prayer.  Go?  Maybe God is calling you to be a part of a group to go and serve the people of Haiti.

It is time to follow Jesus.

Is right doctrine an end?

"Those in the knowledge camp put the emphasis on getting our doctrine in line. Right belief is seen as the means to life...But notice this- the Pharisees knew more about the Bible than most of us every will, and it hardened their hearts. Knowledge just isn't all it's cracked up to be. If you are familiar with the biblical narrative, you will remember that there were two special trees in Eden- the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life. We got the wrong tree. We got knowledge, ad it hasn't done us much good."

I will admit that I easily fall into the "knowledge camp". I am a strong believer in sound doctrine.

But I have often seen those with great head knowledge, who live dull lives that lack transformation. They seem to be lacking an abundant life. It seems quite obvious that right doctrine, although important, is not the end. Life transformation and passionately pursuing God and His glory is what it is about.

May we not stop at sound doctrine!

Thoughts or reactions?

The Next Evangelicalism

I dare you to read this book! It attacks many sacred cows and challenges us to rethink what is going on in the church in America.

I am not yet finished with Soong-Chan Rah's book "The Next Evangelicalism", but to this point it has been engaging, convicting, enlightening, confusing, and many other things. This book is prophetic and bold. It is a needed voice to the evangelical world which often ignores some of its most powerful and needed voices.

Rah confronts the false gods of materialism and consumersism, racism, white privilege and the pride that goes with it, and offers a starting point to understanding a more wholistic theology.

The Next Evangelicalism is a must read for anyone serious about growing God's kingdom effectively in the years to come. So get it. Read it. Talk about it. Learn from it.

7th Annual Church Retreat

Each year since the our church began, we have taken an all church retreat. It has always been a fun time. Everybody pitches in to make the weekend happen. Some people put in a lot of work.
We stay up late.
We play games.
We walk a lot.
We have a popcorn campfire.
Children get sick and there are many minor injuries.
Teenagers get loud and competitive.
Adults get worn out.
Memories are made.

Each year it is a blessing to spend time together being challenged spiritually and growing in our relationships with each other.

I thank God for the church family that He has blessed me with. It is good to know that you are not alone.

What do you appreciate about your local church?

Kingdom Minded

Our family doctor is a Christian. She opened her own private practice as a ministry. It is called Cornerstone Family Health. The office is a distinctively Christian setting and all of her employees are believers. After each visit she offers to pray for her patient whether they are a believer or not. The local newspaper recently wrote an article about her unique practice.

It is encouraging to me to know people who use their vocational calling as a direct ministry to others.

How have you seen people using their profession to glorify God?

Gratefulness

Yesterday at church, we were challenged by Deshaun to be thankful. I know that this is something that I consistently feel God calling me to. This is also something that Lisa and I have been teaching our children over and over again.

I don't like it when children whine and complain about every little thing. Unfortunately, my children are still learning in this area. The sad thing is that many adults have this same problem. They always see the cup as half empty. They always see the 5% that is wrong instead of the 95% that is going well.

What a miserable life they have chosen for themselves.

One of the things that Deshaun said yesterday was that many people like to "compare and complain". He pointed out that often people look at others and complain about how their life could be better. He also pointed us to three things to be thankful for: relationships, our church, and our salvation.

What are you thankful for?

Food

This topic alone makes many of us interested. Most of us like to eat.

Have you ever wondered what God thinks about food? What is it's purpose? Why does it exist? Some things are obvious, but not all.

To survive
To give us energy
For nutrition?
To enjoy?
To foster relationships?
To share?

For many in the world, food is only for survival. People hope to get just enough to keep them alive. Should this fact affect how we perceive food?
Is it wrong to enjoy eating food that we like?
When does food become an idol?

We know that gluttony is a sin. Do you know what gluttony is? When does eating become gluttony? Is our thinking about food more defined by our culture or by God? Where does God talk about food and what does He say?

Any thoughts?

Is being anxious a sin?

Is being anxious always a sin?

Is it always wrong to worry about bills that you don't have the money for? How about being anxious about public speaking or a big test? What about anxiousness about a new job or a new school? The list could go on and on.

Phillipians 4:6,7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

So what do you think.
Is being anxious always wrong?

Album release

I wanted to mention the release this month of my guy Kareem's debut album. Be sure to check it out.

A leader is a servant

I was reading the other day in the book of Matthew and came across Jesus giving some specific teaching about a quality of greatness. In Matthew 20:26-28, Jesus reminded his disciples that the greatest would be a servant to all. This was a good reminder to me of a truth that I have known for a long time.

If I want to improve as a leader, than I need to continue to commit myself to serving others. I have so much to learn about being a person who serves people.

It is also a good reminder to me about teaching others how to be leaders. Many people, especially young people, want to lead. What they really often mean is that they want to be in charge. They want authority. They want to make decisions. They want others to follow them. But when it comes time to do the dirty work, the volunteer list can be short.

It is my observation that a lot of people are critical of leaders, but few people are willing to pay the price of leadership. Many people desire a position, but few are willing to walk the path of humble service.

Most of what I know about being a leader has come from observing and listening to humble servants of God who modelled good leadership. My challenge to those who desire to be a leader of others for the glory of God: Start serving people!

It is my prayer that God would help me to be a better leader. It is also my prayer that God would continue to develop more and more servant leaders for His kingdom.

Who is someone who has been a model of leadership for you?
What have you learned about leadership?

Are you in Christ?

"you can be baptized in the church, raised in the church, confirmed in the church, serve in the church, marry in the church, die in the church, and have your funeral in the church and still wake up in hell if you are merely in the church and not in Christ".
Mark Driscoll, Vintage Church

Many who have gone to church throughout there life may be surprised when they die.

Do you think that there are a lot of people who go to church, but don't know Christ?

The Lord's Supper

Have you ever notice that I Corinthians 11:17-34 is all about the church being unified? This is the classic passage about the Lord's Supper. It is used whenever communion/Lord's Supper/Eucharist is observed in churches. Paul is addressing the Corinthians behavior while observing this ordinance, but his challenge has to do with how they are treating one another.
The Corinthians were dividing over class. The rich were eating a lot and leaving the poor without. They were disgracing the unity that comes from the cross. They were more concerned about their appetite than about there brother and sister in Christ. This was a disgrace to the "Lord's" supper. From verses 17 and 18 to verses 33 and 34, Paul is talking about sharing with each other without divisions.

Verse 29 says "For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself". Makes me wonder if the "body of the Lord" is talking about the other believers. Maybe the warning is about acting like you are the church, but not really being considerate of the other members of the body.
It seems that the Christian life was meant to be lived in the context of community and not in isolation. It seems that the Lord's Supper has a lot to do with Christian community and not just personal reflection.

Just some things I am have been considering. Any thoughts?

A challenge to keep Christ central

Coach Wayne Gordon spoke this morning at the conference. He started out as his usually energetic self, but then became very serious and said that he wanted to share what was heavy on his heart about CCDA. He said that he wanted to warn us as an association about some things that could become detrimental to the work. There were three things that he talked about:
• Charisma without character is catastrophic.
• Bigger is not necessarily better.
• Success without spiritual depth is superficial.

The first one was a reminder that just having good leadership and energy is not enough. The character of the individual is vitally more important than anything else.

The second one was a warning about not believing that because something is big it is the best way. The opposite of that is that just because something is small does not mean that God is not at work and doing amazing things.

The last one was a key. He challenged us personally to be people of great spiritual depth. To not be doers, doers, doers who were not really close to God personally. This is such an important warning for the busy urban minister who has a million “urgent” needs always in front of them. It was a reminder to not build “kingdoms” or “ministries” that look for successful, but lack real spiritual depth. He challenged everyone to spend at least sixty minutes every day alone with God. He talked about spending at least five minutes of that in silence. I know that I struggle to take this time alone with God.

We were warned not to put Christ on the “margins of the page”, but to put him at the top of the page. It was a clear reminder that all that we do should be centered around Christ. We were reminded that we should not spend all of our time talking about our programs and never talk about the significance of Christ in what we are doing.

I appreciated the emphasis that he gave today and hope that all who were present have ears to hear.

Have you seen charisma take people far while they obviously lacked character?

Do you find yourself believing the lie that bigger is better?

Is God using you to be “successful” in serving Him, but without a real spiritual depth to that work?

Young and unashamed

I am encouraged. Over the last month or so, I have been noticing a common theme. The theme is in a group of young people who are not ashamed of the Gospel. When I say the Gospel, I am speaking of the message of the Gospel that Paul talked about in Romans.
The message that says that all are sinful.
The message that says that all deserve punishment.
The message that says that Jesus died to save sinners.
The message that says that God is sovereign and in complete control of past, present, and future.
This is the Gospel that I am speaking of.

The people that I have been noticing are people who I have been around the most lately. I have listened to them. I have conversed with them. I have observed their passion.

This group that I am talking about is for the most part under thirty years of age. Some of them are just teenagers. They are almost all from the city. Most grew up “poor”. All lived or live in the “hood”. Many of them don’t have a relationship with their earthly father. Most of them are black. Some of them are Hispanic.

They are actually all individuals. All of them have names and individual stories. Each have their own personality. Some are very soft spoken and others are bold. A lot of them know each other, but some of them have no earthly connection.

But they have a so many things in common.

They share a common commitment to the Gospel as I began with. But they are not postmodern in their gospel like many of their white suburban counter parts.
They may dress more casual then their “modern” parents.
They may not be bound by a sense of strict rules like no dancing or no rap music.

But they are committed to the traditional Biblical Gospel.
They are committed to the authority of scripture and sound doctrine.
They believe in pursuing holiness as a lifestyle.
They care deeply about the lost.

They are not looking to follow the trends of “enlightened” new theology. They care about the poor because the poor are in many cases their family, their neighbors, and their friends from childhood. But they have not put concern for the poor ahead of the centrality of the gospel like many of their white urban counterparts.
They still talk about Hell.
They still say that there is only one way to God.
They call abortion and homosexuality sin.

I could list their names, but the list would be long. Most of them will never receive worldly recognition. But their faith and their stories are an encouragement to this quickly aging urban Christian.

I am inspired by these urban prophets, reformers, evangelists, and servants.

“Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.”

Has anyone else seen this younger generation of reformers?

Any thoughts? Sound off.

God is in control

Last night, some men from our church spent time discussing Romans 9 and the fact that God is in control. The sovereignty of God is comforting, but sometimes the situations of life still seem overwhelming. Here are some examples of circumstances that Christians in our community have faced or are facing:

• Preparing for college when most in your high school will drop out before graduation.
• Your brother steals your identity leaving you in debt and with bad credit.
• You find your 20 something neighbor dead in her bed.
• Trying to trust God and others knowing you have been abused.
• Being harassed by police for “looking suspicious” while walking down the street.
• Moving from place to place as a child because your mother can’t keep a job or pay rent.
• Your 12 year old brother is shot and killed while riding his bike.
• Your mother is fighting for her life with cancer.
• Trying to follow Christ knowing your mother has AIDS and your brother is in and out of jail.
  

The Christian life was not promised to be easy. Sometimes life can seem unbearable. On our own we want to quit. We may even question God.

But He is in control. He knows best. We must learn to trust him. I have learned that from the Christians around me. I am inspired by their faith and their perseverance. It is a testimony to their belief in a sovereign God.

Do you have trouble believing that God is in control?
Are their situations for you that cause you to question God or his judgment?

DON'T WASTE YOUR LIFE!

"How many lives are wasted by people who believe that the Christian life means simply avoiding badness and providing for the family. So there is no adultery, no stealing, no killing, no embezzlement, no fraud- just lots of hard work during the day, and lots of TV and PG-13 videos in the evening (during quality family time), and lots of fun stuff on the weekend- woven around church (mostly). This is the life for millions of people. Wasted life. We were created for more, far more".
John Piper - "Don't Waste Your Life"

I don't want to waste my life!

How about you?