Loose Your Life, Invited Into Joy

The Apostle Paul had just told them that they had to have the same mind that the Lord Jesus had.  They, like the Lord, should take on the job of a slave and serve others. They should do as Jesus did and be obedient, even to death.  They should obey not grumble but stand as light in this wicked world.

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  

So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.  

Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain. But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all. You too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me.

He said that he was being poured out like a drink offering   He then called it joy and invited them into the joy.  This is the abundant life that Jesus promised.  This is the joy of losing your life for Christ's sake.  This is the joy of walking close to God. This is the purpose and plan we have all been waiting for. It is also the plan we're supposed to invite others into, including our children.

Philippians 2, John 10:10, Mark 8:35Mathew 28:20, 19:14

Clear Conscience, Serve The Living God

Christ's blood paid the price for our clear conscious. Hebrews tell us "How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the Eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleans our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!" This freedom from guilt is the way ministry must be done, if we are to glorify God. It is the way we move from dead works, even good works done in the flesh, to works that serve God.

Urban ministry is too often fueled through a guilt ridden, preoccupation with privilege and injustice. People desire to set large, societal problem, right. And we must admit that we desire things to be made right as well. But whenever we are motivated by guilt we are creating a new problem. Instead of spreading freedom, we are agreeing with the enemy of our soul.  We are perpetuating sin's hold on us, rather than a heart given to God in thankfulness. He has truly set us free to serve Him.  So, our actions might even be the same as the guilty, but our hearts speak another kind of language. Inaction, could not be imagined by a thankful church. How can we love God whom we have not seen, if we won't love our brother whom we have seen.  Our love must be seen in action, but our words must be seasoned with grace. Our hearts need to be motivated by Him who sent us to the work.

Many ministries uses class struggle arguments to help fund their work, or find new workers. There is a great focus on the problems around us, rather than focus on God Himself. Some see poverty as the great societal evil, when God has declared sin to be at the core of any real problem. Some organizations look to equality conversations to set things right. These arguments are made by people who forget how often the world has used these same arguments and the destruction that has followed. Even good intentioned people find that man made answers are full of unintended consequence.

Works done in guilt are not works done from a thankful heart. Loving your neighbor as yourself is the law of every individual that God has truly touched.  Injustice is changed when we look in the mirror, receive our freedom in Christ, treat others as more valuable than ourselves, and share the news that sets people truly free.  

Hebrews 9:14, Colossians 3:15, I John 4:20, Colossians 4:6, 

Mark 12:31, Philippians 2:3, Isaiah 52:7

Love One Another, Associate With The Lowly

Our community has more trouble in a week than many neighborhoods have in a lifetime. Almost every day we deal with the surprising. We have come to realize that our "surprising" is everyone else's "shocking." Today has, so far, been uneventful. That is, it's down to a low roar. But yesterday, I was asked by a newly reformed addict/prostitute if I could do a wedding for her and her friend. I guess I mean fiance. He looked high. It turns out he had been drinking. She is headed one direction, towards sobriety, I think. He is headed another. We have known this lady, for years. We have seen her go through cycles of falling into the drug life and then standing again. I was amazed at the life risking temperatures she would brave, to stand out on the street for enough money to get her next high. After all these years of ministry to her, years of friendship, and joy when she would get free, they wanted to have the ceremony yesterday! The time of day didn't matter. Anytime I wanted to do it, except, they were in a hurry because of work schedules. That story, which is still going, started just as I was involved in encouraging a family man to pursue wisdom for the sake of his family, community, and ministry. 

I ran into the joyful couple, at noon, when we were taking the academy kids on their monthly excision to fast food. They wanted an answer. I wanted relief. I told them I would call in the afternoon. We headed off with a bus load of kids. Six blocks further someone ran the light at 10th and Sherman. I swerved, honked, all was well.  Though I remember it clearly today. If the wedding request was surprising, then this near bus crash was a hiccup. We unloaded and enjoyed a moment of fast food reward. Then my phone rang. It was our daughter from Vietnam. Only one of us could talk, so I got the privilege. Debbie would continue the "lunch room monitoring."  Our daughter and I were able to laugh at the unexpected things in both places. She was so glad it was fast food day. She remembered it fondly from her days at school. She offered to call back later, when it would be less crazy.  Knowing that would never be the case we continued in the joy of the moment.

When we got back to the church building the couple was on the street near our stop. I talked to them and declined the opportunity to perform the ceremony. They were sad and told me that you couldn't get married by judge at the City County building any more. I told them that I would look into it. I have, and it is complicated.

By the time small group rolled around we had survived torrential rains, finished at school, cooked for fifty plus people, answered most of the after spring break phone calls, and found a man sleeping on the front steps of the church building. Small group was going to be a relief.  And it was!  The Scripture says to "love one another with brotherly affection. Out do one another in showing honor… do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight."  Small group was the place that all the concerns of the day could be talked about. It was the place that surviving the day could be put aside for the care of those around us. It was the time and place where we could find the joy of a church that loves each other.  As for associating with the lowly, when it is done right, you find out that you are the lowly too. That is all right, because brotherly love makes the day better, especially if we are all lowly.

Romans 12:10-16

Make Sure, You Are Leaky

Last week, a seven years old boy, in my Sunday School class said "I want to make sure I'm saved." It was the end of class.  We had been working through memorizing the names of the books of the Bible. Our teaching was about Joseph and the coat of many colors.  I wondered what had spurred the question. This young man has a particularly Biblical name. But up until the question about salvation, I thought his name was the only bit of Bible he knew. He and I worked through the Romans explanation of salvation. He already believed that God had raised Jesus from the dead.  He confessed that Jesus was Lord.  He seemed to have a clear enough understanding of the concepts.  So clear, that I could tell him "if these things are true, you are saved!" I took him to the lady who brought him to church.  She brings lots of kids to church, as do all our leaders. I found out that he and his brother had gotten into so much trouble that they were not welcome in another church.  Of course he was worried about his salvation.  

This is the case for all of us who know the Lord. We receive Christ. We grow in our knowledge and relationship with the Lord.  We learn more of His Word. We begin to live the abundant life.  We are filled with the Holy Spirit. We have prayed the prayers.  Then we find our feet dirty from living in the world.  Sin has intruded into our fellowship with the Lord and we feel a need to make sure that we are in Christ. The Apostle Peter tells us to make our calling and election sure.  We are people who should be in the habit of confessing our sins to each other and especially to God, so that the faithful and just One will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  For those who attempt to keep short accounts with the Lord, we can agree with DL Moody, the best known evangelist of the eighteen hundreds.  He answered about the filling of the Holy Spirit, "I need a continual infilling, because I leak." We all must agree with the Apostle Paul, "Oh Wretched man that I am who will deliver me from the body of this death? But thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

The victorious life is one of moment by moment submission to God. But when sin stands in the way of the deep parts of walking with Christ, then we feel like that seven year old in my Sunday School class.  Yet we have an answer.  Make sure you are in the faith.  Look to Jesus, the author and finisher our our faith. Then press forward with the confidence of a seven year old.  And know that unless you change and become like a little child, you can not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Romans 10:9-10, John 10:10, 13:1-17, James 5, I John 1:9, II Peter 1:10, I Thessalonians 5:19, Romans 7:24, Hebrews 12:2,  Matthew 18:2-4

Good Friday, What Will You Do?

I was dead in my sins and then I was made alive in Christ on a Good Friday in 1971. At least that is how I experienced it. I have never been so silly to think that I found God, even though the "I found it" stickers of the 70's and 80's and now 2000's spurred evangelistic questions. I recognized from my earliest days that God drew me to Himself.  I was in the Baptist movement.  We had lots of terms for salvation.  They were: 

"accepted Christ,"

"prayed to receive Christ,"

"went forward",

"washed in the blood,"

"got saved," 

and to clearly date my self "born again."

These were useful descriptions of the work of God in my life from a human perspective. These terms did little to describe the magnificence of God. They do not describe the suffering, or intense love that called the Savior to the cross. They do not hint at the perfection of life that Jesus Christ lived. No. These words and all such words are limited. They can not describe the perfect, powerful God, who made all things by speaking them into existence. They can not express how God saved me from the penalty of my sin, by the blood spilled on the cross on that first Good Friday.

So, if the words we once used are inadequate, how do we express the wonder of God and His work? First, words are only limited, but not useless. When we use God's own words we find out those words are powerful to describe and powerful enough to change people.  Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.  Words, yes! Actions, too. We obey Him! If He is Lord of our lives, then we must obey.

On this Good Friday I glorify God for what He has done.  I am thankful for what He has done for me. As part of fulfilling Jesus commands, I invited my neighbors to hear the Word of God at our church's service tonight. There is more I will say today. There is more that I will do today because of what God has done for me.  I want to glorify my Lord by talking about Him and obeying Him. What will you say and do today?

 Ephesians 2:1-5, John 1:12, 3:7, 14:15,  Revelation 7:14, Romans 10:17

God Bless You, I Mean Something "Nice"

It has done our souls well to memorize parts of the Scripture. We wish we had more, so we work at it. I mull passages through my mind long before I preach them. Difficult situations arise and my mind goes immediately to Biblical narratives, or proverbs. Debbie and I talk about the Scripture every day. I love the wisdom of Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, James, and Jesus short sayings. They resonate in my inner being. I have been reminded lately that "wisdom is proved right by all her children." Time will tell you, and every one around you, who was wise. Time tells so much. Time tells that the Scripture is true.

As you might imagine, I quote a lot of Scripture in my conversations. I believe the verse that says "the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple." (Ok, I believe all of them :-) ) I know that I have been simple and I have seen God bless others too. He has made them wise and hopefully He will continue to make me wise, but it is a process. The Scripture is a great part of the story telling I do. It gives me another standard, a true standard, to handle the world.   

In the process of communication I have developed my greeting. Any Saturday, it is my job to be door man and cheerleader at the free clinic at our church building. Most clinic days I great dozens of people individually. I resort to calling on God to bless perfect strangers.  "God bless you!" to a poor, sick, neighbor is almost universally a welcome, healing, balm. It is the help that the poor people know intuitively is our ultimate help. Those neighbors, the patients, usually smile and greet me with "God bless you too!"  I am equally helped and healed by this interaction. 

I greet the students who come from three Universities at the same door as I do the patients. These students hear the same greeting, "God bless you!" The students reaction calls to mind one of Jesus sayings "However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?" The students, with rare exceptions, put their head down and rush in to the clinic area.  It has become so noticeable that I have told the students in our group gathering that I mean something "nice" when I say it. They laugh, and now a few know that they should respond with "thank you" or "God bless you too." Yet it is an indication that Biblical literacy, a common place in American history, has long turned to illiteracy. God help those who know His Word to believe it enough to share it.

Psalm 19:7, Luke 7:35, Luke 18:8

Bad News, Real Hope

Bad news came yesterday. It is not life threatening but some of our fear have fallen on us. It was an unexpected diagnosis at our church's free clinic.  (That God has given our church a free clinic to care for the needs of our community and then in turn it cared for us is part of the beauty of the work we are in.) This mix of bad then good is one of the ways we see the glory of God in the world. We are called to lose our life for Christ and in doing so we gain real life, abundant life.  We see the pattern of bad then good often, but that does not mean that we don't struggle. There is often so much bad new in the city that we can feel overwhelmed.  We make jokes to help us in the trouble.  For this bad news we immediately tried to categorize what stage of grief we were in. I thought that we had skipped over denial (what do doctors know anyway?), anger (how can God do this to us?), bargaining (if you fix this Lord then…), and headed straight to depression, on our way to acceptance. At least that seem to be what the two boxes of Little Debbie's snack cakes said to me. I got the strawberry rollup kind for me, and the nutty bars for Debbie. We have never been good at bargaining any way. We want our comfort to be in God alone. But we struggle. "I'll have another snack cake. Thank you."

God, our Father has good in store for us. We have little doubt. We point out these verses to others, God, and ourselves. "All things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose." We then pair that with the fact that "Jesus was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief." We expect to live this abundant life. It is a condition where we know we will live in the heights of joy and occasionally the depths of sadness, but whatever the feeling we know the presence of God. "We rejoice with those who rejoice. We weep with those who weep." Now, others will do some of the same things with us. They may share in our snack cakes, but what ever we all do, we will look to God to help.

We will call the elders to pray and anoint with oil. We have seen the Lord heal both quickly and slowly. We will expect that the prayer will accomplish much. We will check things out with other doctors. But like other trouble, we will look to the Lord to go through this with us. We will then comfort others with the comfort we have received. Praise the Lord. 

Job 3:25, Luke 9:24,Romans 8:28, 12:15, Isaiah 53:3, 
James 5, II Corinthians 1:4