God in My Random Thoughts...

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us" {Ephesians 3:20}.

Ephesians 3:20 has always been a favorite verse. I love how it captures the extravagance of God in our lives. He truly does exceeding abundantly above all that we could ever ask or think. At least that has been my experience.

I wonder how many times we have limited God in our imagination? How many times have we failed to dream with God? You see, I believe one of the chief dangers of religion is that it always keeps God in a box. We limit Him to our understanding, our definitions, and our agendas. Paul says rather expressively to the church at Ephesus that God is able to do more (immeasurably more) than we could ever ASK or IMAGINE. So...today's blog entry comes with some homework: I want you to dream with me.

What if God designed life in such a way that ensures we could encounter Him daily through other people?

What if the Bible is meant to be more than a collection of historical stories or doctrinal statements? What if it is a permission slip to enter into the same encounters as the people mentioned in it?

What if daydreaming was a way to bring dreams INTO reality rather than escaping from reality?

What if "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" was a definite statement rather than a vague question?

What if holiness is tied to who you are rather than what you do?

What if there is not shame, guilt, or condemnation in your life at all?

What if the time we gave to our families was more important than the time we give to church events?

What if the quality of our relationships means more than the amount we put in an offering plate?

What if LOVE governed everything we did?

What if LIFE was the only power found in our tongue?

What if worry was replaced with prayer? Fear replaced with Love? Doubt replaced with Hope?

What if you could actually see God?

What if you could actually hear God?

What if you could actually touch God?

What if you never sinned?

What if "all things were possible with God"?

What if "I could do all things through Christ"?

What if prayer was meant to be a dialogue?

What if we were completely confident in who we are in Christ?

What if your freedom in Christ is meant to set others free?

What if we have the ability to name what is "right" and what is "wrong"?

What if we never judged someone based upon their actions?

What if...

I could go on all day. I like questions because I believe there are answers. And I believe the answers are discovered in our relationship with Christ.

While you may already know the answers to many of these questions, the question really is are you encountering them? Are you and I allowing ourselves to dream with God? Are we willing to run with God's ideas, God's perception, and God's reality? This is where a religious mindset will always fail us. Our inability (or unwillingness) to imagine a better scenario of faith cripples our opportunities to experience God in all of His splendor. Not only does it keep us from experiencing all of God but it keeps us from experiencing all of who we were created to become.

I just believe that religion in many areas sold us a bill of goods. I also believe that the only way to get out of the cycle is the willingness to go after answers. Socrates was considered a great philosopher. He was was willing to ask questions. He always challenged the conventional thinking of his day. Of course, this eventually got him killed. The establishment doesn't like to be questioned. And unfortunately we have seen this mentality in the church as well.

The purpose of this exercise is not meant to create rebellion within the church. On the contrary, it is meant to bring each of us into a greater reality...a greater experience. The world is filled with people who have an intellectual understanding of their faith but lack experiential knowledge. I believe our faith is to bring us into an experience. Our faith in God unlocks the potential to move into the immeasurable nature of God. Let's go for it! Let's allow our faith to take us into the greatest journey we could have ever imagined! Let's allow God to do more in us than we could ever ask! Let's dream with Him!

The Beauty of Holiness

Leviticus 19:2 "Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: 'Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.'" There's no two ways about it, holiness is to be a part of our lives. The difference in what most people believe is how we get there.

Some people believe that holiness is exhibited in the strictest environments. The Apostle Paul described them as the "Do not handle", "Do not taste", and "Do not touch" crowd. While I'm appreciative of their devotion, I think there is a lot of misguided thinking.

Holiness isn't the result of keeping the law. It's not the result of adhering to the strictest of rules. Holiness is a gift. It's imparted to us at salvation. We all recognize that the law demanded holiness. The Old Covenant is filled with consequences for those who do not live up to it's standard. What many believers have failed to recognize is that Jesus took the handwriting of ordinances that was against us and nailed them to the Cross. The results of His sacrifice in our lives guarantees that we can live holy.

The question then becomes: What does HOLINESS look like? (This is where the discussion gets hairy)

Depending on your idea of holiness it could look much different than mine. Hot topics around the Bible belt typically revolve around drinking, smoking, language, the way people dress, the music they listen to, and the list goes on. To be quite honest...I am tired of those discussions. We have spent SO MUCH time discussing what holiness is that we have failed to recognize what it is NOT.
It's not living up to a standard - it's allowing the life of Christ to be manifest in us.
It's not keeping the rules - it's allowing Jesus to be Ruler of our lives.
It's not our moral perfection - it's His perfection imparted to us.
The problem with the wrong mindset about holiness is that it can trap us into a "works" lifestyle. And we know that by no works of the law can any human be justified (see Romans 3:20). The only way we are made right with God is through His grace and mercy.

Freedom in Christ actually produces a greater responsibility for the believer. When taught correctly we understand that the grace of God empowers us to live out our faith. We learn how to appropriate the grace of God for every situation. Holiness exhibited in our lives is then tied to a choice to live through our faith in Him rather than our own self determination. Freedom in Christ also requires that we make up our minds concerning certain things. We choose what we eat, drink, handle, listen to, etc. It's just that whatever we do, we do in faith. In other words, we are fully persuaded in our minds that these are good decisions. (See Romans 14:23)

Jesus lived the holiest life ever known to mankind and yet the religious leaders of His day called Him a glutton and a drunkard. In their view of things no one could associate with such people and be considered clean. Unfortunately, that same Pharisee mindset has infiltrated many churches:
"Preaching the grace of God means that you can do anything and still get to heaven."
"Teaching the unconditional love of God leads people to live however they want to live."
"Allowing people to make up their own mind concerning certain lifestyle practices means you can't control the outcome."
These are just some of the arguments that come from a religious mindset. The reality of it is that commandments, rules, and the like have never produced holiness in anyone. Only the grace of God can accomplish that. And accomplish that is exactly what He has done.

When you and I learn to live out our identity in Christ then we discover something amazing about holiness: It's the same quality of life that Jesus enjoyed. That quality of life has been imparted to us and we find ourselves living holy more by accident than we ever did on purpose. This is what we get to enjoy. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says it all: "For our sake He (God) made Him (Jesus) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him (Jesus) we might become the righteousness of God." Folks...we just cannot improve on what God has already accomplished.

I'm sharing this with you today because I want to get the monkey off your back. I want to remove the pressure that some fellow believers may place upon you. I want you to learn how to live without shame, guilt, and condemnation. I want you to enjoy the holiness of God applied to your life. I want you to enjoy the journey of continually being conformed into the image of His Son. I want you to learn how to rest in His grace, be thankful for His mercy, and rejoice over the finished work of Christ.

A Community of "One Anothers"

I believe that God has designed our lives in such a way that we need community - we need one another. God declared in His creation that it is not good for man to be alone. He wanted humanity to enjoy the same quality of life that He experiences in the Godhead. Whether or not we enjoy this kind of community is up to us. We must ask ourselves this question: What am I willing to sow into the lives of others?

The New Testament gives us plenty of things to consider when it comes to community life. It's the "one anothers" of Scripture that allow us to express the nature of Christ in the lives of those around us:
“…Be at peace with each other.” (Mark 9:50)
“…Wash one another’s feet.” (John 13:14)
“…Love one another…” (John 13:34 & 35, John 15:12 & 17, Romans 13:8, I John 3:11 & 23, 4:17, 11, & 12, 2 John 5)
“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love…” (Romans 12:10)
“…Honor one another above yourselves." (Romans 12:10)
“Live in harmony with one another…” (Romans 12:16)
“…Stop passing judgment on one another.” (Romans 14:13)
“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you…” (Romans 15:7)
“…Instruct one another.” (Romans 15:14)
“Greet one another with a holy kiss…” (Romans 16:16, 1 Corinthians 16:20, 2 Corinthians 13:12)
“…When you come together to eat, wait for each other.” (I Cor. 11:33)
“…Have equal concern for each other.” (I Corinthians 12:25)
“…Serve one another in love.” (Galatians 5:13)
“Carry each other’s burdens…” (Galatians 6:2)
“…Be patient, bearing with one another in love.” (Ephesians 4:2)
"Be kind and compassionate to one another…” (Ephesians 4:32)
“…Forgiving each other…” (Ephesians 4:32)
“Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.” (Ephesians 5:19)
“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Ephesians 5:21)
“…In humility consider others better than yourselves.” (Philippians 2:3)
“Do not lie to each other…” (Colossians 3:9)
“Bear with each other…” (Colossians 3:13)
“…Forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.” (Colossians 3:13)
“Teach…[one another]” (Colossians 3:16)
“…Admonish one another" (Colossians 3:16)
“…Make your love increase and overflow for each other.” (I Thessalonians 3:12)
"…Love each other.” (I Thessalonians 4:9)
“…Encourage each other…”(I Thessalonians 4:18, 5:11, & Hebrews 10:25)
“…Build each other up…” (I Thessalonians 5:11)
“Encourage one another daily…” Hebrews 3:13)
“…Spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” (Hebrews 10:24)
“…Do not slander one another.” (James 4:11)
“Don’t grumble against each other…” (James 5:9)
"Confess your sins to each other…” (James 5:16)
“…Pray for each other.” (James 5:16)
“…Love one another deeply, from the heart.” (I Peter 3:8)
“…Live in harmony with one another…” (I Peter 3:8)
“…Love each other deeply…” (I Peter 4:8)
“Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.” (I Peter 4:9)
“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others…” (I Peter 4:10)
“…Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another…”(I Peter 5:5)
“Greet one another with a kiss of love.” (I Peter 5:14)

As you can see, God's Word has a lot to say about the quality of life that should be found within the Body of Christ. What I'm discovering is that the more I'm concerned about what I sow into the lives of others, the less concerned I am about myself. This reality of the "one anothers" will also keep the church from becoming self-serving.

Let me make this a little more personal. In all my years of ministry I have only encountered a small number of people who asked this question before joining a particular church: "Where am I needed the most?" These people were not looking for a position or a title. They simply wanted to see where they could best use their gifts, provide encouragement, and help build up the body of believers. Most people they are told to look for the church that best meets their needs. The problem with this mindset is that we begin with the idea of what works for us rather than what we can bring to the Body.

I'm praying that in the days ahead that the church (the Body of Christ) will recapture the selflessness that we read about in the New Testament. That...once again...we will discover the joy of investing in community, building one another up in the Lord, and expressing the nature of Christ. Let's do this!!!

Preserving New Wine

Matthew 9:17, "And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine is stored in new wineskins so that both are preserved." NLT

It may seem like an old analogy but the truth of Jesus' words still endure. The simplicity of His words are a reminder to us of how we encounter the Lord and carry this new experience into life.

What Jesus brought to Jerusalem was a new understanding of God, a new way of life, and a new entry into the Kingdom. To follow Him meant that you had to be willing to abandon some old, tired, and religious systems. It's quite simple to understand and yet quite difficult to walk out. Difficult because we tend to want to take a new encounter with the Lord and bring it into an old understanding. It just doesn't work. Something has to change. And the only way we are guaranteed to preserve the new wine is to place it in a new wineskin.

Consider what Paul went through with the church in Galatia. This was a group of Gentile believers who were birthed into true freedom in Christ. They didn't have to go through the process of aligning this new way of life with an old religious system. They were saved, filled with the Holy Spirit, and taught the basic fundamentals of their faith. What happened was a group of Jewish "believers" showed up wondering why these new converts had not been circumcised according to the law of Moses. The letter to the church that Paul wrote provides incredible insight to us of how we should not revert back to a religious system and how to walk in the freedom that God has granted. To put it simply: You cannot take a new way of life and keep it in an inferior system. You can't start in the Spirit and then be made perfect in the flesh. What starts in the Spirit is maintained through the Spirit. This is the only way to maintain the proper mindset that keeps moving us forward in our faith.

Personally, I have had to go through this process in many areas of life. Here are some topics for discussion that have forced me to look into old ways of thinking:
The finished work of Christ
The unconditional love of God
Living out the new nature in Christ
To be honest with you, while I really wanted to come into an understanding of these things, they didn't fit into my belief system. They didn't fit into the way I was taught to know the Lord, experience Him, etc. While most people say they believe in the unconditional love of God, it doesn't fit into their belief system. For instance, how can we say that God loves us unconditionally and yet we can lose our salvation? Think about it.
How can we say that we believe in the finished work of Christ and yet still believe that mankind is stuck in a fallen nature?
How can we say that we are living in our new nature in Christ and yet still hold to the belief that there is an old nature at work in us? These types of beliefs cannot co-exist. There must be a willingness to allow the Lord to teach us and at times a willingness to scrap old wineskins.

This does not mean that every belief that has been handed down through the church needs to be scrapped. On the contrary. Jesus never said destroy the old wine with the wineskins. He simply said that new wine must be kept in new wineskins. Why? Because new wineskins have the ability to stretch and can handle the pressure of fermentation. A wineskin for us is our mindset and anytime our mindset is set in an inferior system we cannot handle what the new wine offers.

There are many in the church who will bristle at the thought of changing things that have been around for centuries. And yet the Bible has many examples of where the Lord was doing a "new thing". Whenever the Lord does a new thing in your life then you are required to move into that new level of experience. It raises the playing field if you will. The difficulty you will go through is typically trying to bring this new experience or new understanding into a tired/old/religious system.

We must always maintain a freshness in our relationship with the Lord. We must be willing to allow the Spirit of God to bring us into new experiences even if they clash with old beliefs. Be assured that the nature and person of God will not change but our understanding of Him will. Be assured that Jesus is always the same yesterday, today, and forever but our experiences of Him can be new. The Spirit of God is all about bringing God's children into newer and greater revelations of what is possible. We cannot be willing to simply sip on the old wine of religion and treasure the old wineskins of the past. There must always be a willing to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.

It's an incredible part of our journey with the Lord. It keeps us in a place of trusting in Him, learning from Him, and experiencing Him. There is so much the Lord wants to bring us into but the question will always be how much mobility does the Lord have in our lives? The Bible says of Israel that they "limited" God in all He wanted to accomplish. It was their lack of faith that hindered them. Faith in Him - not a religious system - is what is required to move into this new territory. There will be battles, there will be places of resistance, but the promise is that He will walk with us to claim the new ground. Let's do this!!!

Dealing With Authority

Matthew 20:25-26: "Jesus called them together and said, 'You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave — just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'" (emphasis mine)

When Jesus wanted to portray genuine leadership to His disciples, He put a towel around His waist and a bowl of water in His hands. This has always amazed me considering our ideas of authority. The world's model of authority and leadership always gives us a picture of someone in charge, someone with a title, and someone with the final say. However, in the Kingdom of God it looks very different.

The authority that God has granted me in the lives of others is not so I can control them. The authority that I have is to empower, equip, and encourage. Whenever I move outside of that understanding of authority then I'm moving into the world's definition. Think about in this way:
How much authority does God have in your life? ALL
How much does He control you? NONE
Instead, God offers you a relationship with Himself where He will empower you, equip you, and encourage you. And regardless of what some may say, God doesn't manipulate you to do His will.

The reality of our relationship with God should help us understand this point. His authority in my life doesn't mean that He controls me. I still have a choice. His authority in my life does mean that He gets to influence me. He gets to speak into me. He gets to guide me and direct me. Why would the authority He has granted us into the lives of others look any different? Could it be that we really don't understand God's view of authority and leadership?

Let's take the New Testament as an example. God's Word has much to say about leadership and authority. We have been taught that Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors/Teachers are the authority figures of God within the church. Since we tend to view this as a top to bottom listing then we assume that the Apostle is the "boss". Why is it that we have never considered that those "titles" are placed in chronological order rather than hierarchical order? In other words, they are listed in reference to how they work in the church based upon the history of the church. Apostles typically come first because they were the church planters. Prophets would come along and provide vision into their particular purpose. So forth and so on. The world's way of looking at things will never allow us to see this. And this view of leadership within the Body of Christ has crippled us in understanding authority.

This same approach has hurt us in understanding the "leadership" that God provides in the church as well. Most teaching on pastors, overseers, and elders will give you the idea that since they are in authority that they call the shots. A simple word study into the Greek text will show you that almost all leadership in the New Testament is leading by example, providing guidance, and persuading others. No hierarchy. No top to bottom listing. In fact, to try to impose this upon Scripture is to go against what Jesus taught His disciples. "NOT SO WITH YOU."

Approaching the idea of authority from a faulty mindset will always produce faulty results. In this way authority will actually keep people from becoming all that God has created them to become. Think about how many fathers and husbands have assumed the role of Spiritual Head/Authority of the home. Since most of them got their ideas of authority from the world they are a force to be reckoned with. Rather than living as a servant or a slave, they will seek to bring everyone else into submission. And most of us have seen how that plays out. What if the spiritual authority God has granted us in the home is not meant to control people but to help control the environment? What if the greatest thing we can provide for our families is a safe place to learn, to grow, and to mature? What if we lead by example rather than by our sheer power? What if...?

I'm not writing any of this to create anarchy. I'm simply pointing out a flawed understanding of authority. If Jesus had authority but was willing to lay down His life - how can I do any different? If Jesus had authority but was willing to wash His disciples feet - how can I not follow Him? This is what makes Kingdom life so amazing because we have all been given authority. That's why mutual submission is so important in the Body of Christ. We learn to recognize authority operating in someone's life. They don't have authority because they have a title. They don't have authority just because someone calls them "Pastor". They don't have authority because they claim to hold a particular anointing. No...we recognize authority on a person's life when they are speaking and ministering in the Lord. Now THAT is something to think about!!!

Love...and God...

Acts 2:47 says, "...And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved." While this may not be a profound statement, what comes before these words is very profound. What was it in the life of the early church that caused them to grow daily? What was it that impacted their society so heavily that people were coming to the Lord left and right? I believe, in essence, it was 6 simple words that were lived out on a daily basis. Simple...yet powerful: Love God - Love Others - Serve Both.

Sometimes I wonder if this is just too simple for people to understand. Or, maybe, it's just not creative enough. Regardless of the reasoning, in a church culture that is looking for the latest fad and the latest program to get people to "come to church" and thus "come to the Lord" - we are missing out on the greatest tool for revolution the world has ever seen: L-O-V-E.

Love God:
Most of us know that this is the 1st and greatest commandment. We realize that Scripture has an awful lot to say about our love for God and the quality of that love. However, we tend to miss it in the interpretation. And by interpretation I mean how we live it out. It doesn't really matter how much I understand the love of God in theory. It really doesn't matter how many Bible verses I can quote about the love of God. What the world is looking for and what should be required in our lives is a genuine, deep, and intimate love for God.

Love Others:
After saying that Love of God was the 1st commandment, Jesus went on to say that the 2nd greatest is like it - Love your neighbor as yourself. Somewhere or another we have missed the interpretation of this verse as well. We forget Jesus teaching about the "Good Samaritan" and the question "Whose your neighbor?" What I have seen in many churches is that we typically just love the people who are just like us. We love the people who believe what we believe, go through the same religious motions that we go through, and run in the same circles as we run. The Samaritans in Jesus' day were not just anyone. They were considered dogs. They were considered outside of the love of God and untouchable by the promises of God. And yet Jesus always messed with this mindset. He was always willing to embrace the "outsiders." He was always willing to bring people into contact with the Love of God through Him. Should we be any different?

Serve Both:
I want to be careful here because many people have taken this simple approach to life and made it a program in the church. Geesh...why do we always do that? "Servanthood Evangelism" (for example) isn't servanthood. It's evangelism. I'm okay with people wanting to share the Gospel with others but let's be honest about it. Serving people is NEVER about getting something in return. Why do you think Jesus took the time to encourage people to invite others to dinner who could not invite them in return? Or to give to people who could not give back in return? The point is very simple: Doing for others, serving others, and giving to others without the expectation of receiving is true servanthood. It's true love. Love is not selfish. Love is willing to give of itself without any expectations.

Bringing it home:
I hope that I'm challenging your way of thinking today. The reality of what I'm sharing with you when lived out is quite amazing. Love for God looks like something. It comes out in our worship, in our time spent with Him, and in our devotion to the things that matter to His heart. Love for God also looks like love for my neighbor. It's loving the people that were made in His image. It's loving people who may not have the capacity to love you back. Love for God and for others looks like service. It is shown in the conversations about life, marriage, and difficulties. It is shown in incredible acts of kindness, and in the most simple tasks. It looks like dinner, a cup of coffee, a card of encouragement, and financial help. Love that leads to service takes on various forms. I have seen love pumping gas into the car of an elderly lady. I have seen love putting a tarp on a roof that was just torn apart by a tornado. I have seen love go into prisons to visit people who have no one that will come. I have seen love give a kid a lollipop, a stranger a greeting, and an enemy forgiveness. Love isn't a program in a church or a rule that can be regulated. Love is the very essence of God. And we have the opportunity to share it with the whole world.

It is said of the believers in the book of Acts that they "turned the world upside down." I'm starting to realize that they were actually turning it right-side up. The community the followers of Christ shared with one another was a shining example of what was available to everyone. Their love for God. Their love for others. Their loving service to both. It created the possibility for the "and God added to the church daily those who were being saved." What could these 6 simple words do for us today? I think it would be safe to say that we could open up the door for an "and God" moment.

Deeply Loved...

"My deepest awareness of myself is that I am deeply loved by Jesus Christ and I have done nothing to earn it or deserve it." ~ Brennan Manning

Regardless of what you may think about his writings, or the ministry he has done; the reality of Brennan Manning's experiences in his own life left him with this one powerful understanding. He feels the love of God deeply. He expresses the love of God extravagantly. And if there is one thing that I have taken away from his life it's that there is a reality of the love of God that we should all seek to encounter.

I want to say out of the gate that you cannot define the love of God by your experience. His love for us is always defined through the Cross of Christ. Romans 5:8 tell us that "...God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." This need to be the focal point of your life as it relates to the love of God. To quote Henry Blackaby, it is the backdrop that we place all situations or circumstances against. If we allow our emotions to rule our thinking then we will never fully walk in the love of God. If we all the problems that come up in life to the be litmus test of God's love then it will be hard to encounter His love in reality. When God's demonstration of love is solidified in our hearts, it doesn't matter what the world throws in our direction. We will know that we are loved.

Since today is Valentines Day I thought it would be a good day to settle this matter our hearts. Once it is settled then we can move forward into the encounters of His love. We will be able to discover His love through friends and family. We will be able to hear His love being poured out in the Scriptures. We will be able to express His love freely to others. I desperately want people to understand the unconditional, unqualified, and no-strings-attached love of God. However, I also want you to experience it for yourself.

This type of thinking isn't just wishful thinking. I'm not trying to lure you into something that cannot be experienced. This is a reality that can and should be a part of our lives. If there is one thing that I have discovered in the Christian life it's this: I can tell you about something - model it for you - and it may touch your life. But when you encounter it for yourself it will change your life. When you hear the Lord speak His love over you, you will be changed. When you feel the love of God poured over you, you will be changed. When you see the love of God manifested through an act of kindness, a display of honor, or through the embrace of another, you will be changed. All it requires is that we have settled in our hearts once-and-for-all the love of God and that we are open to experiencing it in our daily lives.

Find a quiet place where you can get alone with the Lord. Put on some worship music that is soft and intimate. Get into your best receiving posture. Then tell the Lord that you are there simply to encounter His love. This may mean getting in your favorite chair, closing your eyes, and simply allowing the Lord to sweep you away in His love. It may mean lying on the floor or your bed, and the Lord begins to show you things that continually speak love into your life. It's in those moments that we cannot take anything for granted. The Lord may show you images of your family, your spouse, your child, or take you to a memory. Regardless of what it looks like - you have to allow the Lord to speak to you through those moments. In the end, I believe you will be in awe of the love of God for you.

This encounter may mean simply reading through the Bible. Picking out particular verses to meditate on. Asking the Lord to give you specific Scripture that you could own for yourself. It may mean praying with the intent on listening. Or it may mean serving someone else. It's not my intent to provide for you a fail-safe listing of what works as much as I want to stir your thinking. You know better than I do about how the Lord speaks to you. These are just things that have worked in my life.

This past weekend during worship with the PBC Family, I was so aware of the majesty of God that I could do nothing but cry. I was in awe of His presence, His goodness, His unconditional love, and His greatness to me. It was personal. It was vivid. It was real. Those are the experiences of His love that will take us further than just a mere head knowledge. There may be times where I would question His love and I'm able to capture those thoughts and say "I remember when...."

Go ahead and celebrate the loves of your life today. Buy flowers, give presents, share cards. Do whatever it is you do to enjoy Valentines Day. But...please...take some time to think about the love that God has for you. Allow your identity to be consumed with the fact that you "are deeply loved by Jesus Christ" and you "have done nothing to earn it or deserve it." Enjoy the LOVE!!!

Into the Depths of God

I have found myself truly captivated by a very important topic. Much of this has come from the conversation I am having with a friend of mine that I mentioned to you yesterday. What I want to talk with you about today is something that often gets overlooked in the modern church: The DEPTH of our spirituality.

Eastern cultures carry with them a depth of spirituality that is often lost in the American Church. I'm not implying that there we do not have mature believers. There's plenty of people who know what they believe, why they believe it, and can recite it. The church is full of people who are well versed in their Bibles, can pray nice prayers, and witness to the saving faith of Jesus Christ. What is missing (in my opinion) is the way in which we carry our spirituality.

Let me see if I can explain:
I'm longing for the day when I see in the American Church a deeper sense of faith. It's what Paul described in Acts when He said, "In Him (speaking of God) we live and move and have our being." It's carrying the reality of God in all things. It's being enamored once again with the grace, love, mercy, and reality of God. It's a recapturing of the "mystery" of the Gospel.

What does that look like to me? Well...that's hard to put into words. It's more than a sense of reverence - although that is needed. It's not a longing for weirdness - we've got plenty of that just being ourselves (lol). It's like what you see when you watch a movie that has a group of monks who have devoted themselves to a life of seeking God. The holiness is evident. The sincerity of their faith is rich. They have discovered God in all things. And yet, they continue to seek Him. It's the mystery of what drives these men to these places that truly intrigues me. There is an aura if you will that comes off of their lives. Where we understand that in their silence, in their seclusion, and in their community they have been with God.

When Peter and John stood before the council we read that they took not of these men. They recognized that they had been with Jesus. This is the reality that I want to enter into. I'm not looking for people to float across the room. I'm not asking that we have such a sense of holiness that people cannot come in contact with us. It's just a depth of God that hasn't been expressed very often in the church. That sense of knowing WHO we have been in communion with. The "mysticism" if you will that has been vacant for some time.

It's a topic that many people never deal with since we have allowed the New Age Movement to set the agenda. However, I believe that we can live with such a consciousness of God that we can carry His presence. I believe that there are greater depths in God that have been left undiscovered simply because we are stuck in the basic cycles of learning (more books, more reading, more studying). Where is the contemplative prayer? Where are the times of solitude where we get into the presence of God? Where is the depth of spirituality?

We carry a mystery. Yes...a lot of that mystery has been explained. However, it's still a mystery nonetheless. I like that word because mystery requires searching. It requires investigation. It requires going after something. Maybe this idea has been lost since we tend to view salvation as a 1 time event rather than an ongoing lifestyle. We have been saved, but we are being saved and we will be saved. It's a journey. It's a lifelong process. Our salvation is secure in Christ but our experience in Christ needs to keep going. They are depths in God that we have yet to discover.

Doesn't that make you want to jump in? Doesn't the thought of something more make you want to immerse yourself in Christ? This is what we were called to live. This is where the Lord is taking us. A faith that permeates your very existence. A belief that there is always something available in the Holy Spirit that we haven't entered into.

Oh God, help us to recapture this hunger. Help us to move deeper into your heart. May our ambition of life be to know you and to make you known. May we never stop short. May we never become complacent. May we always be willing to go deeper in you. May our lives become a testimony of what is available in you.

Let the journey begin!!! Let's stop looking at the water and take a jump off the dock!!! Let's dive in!!!

Asking & Answering the Tough Questions

Over the last few days I have been in a conversation with a friend of mine about faith. I know...we aren't supposed to talk about religion and/or politics but he started it. There has been a common theme that comes up in the discussion that is worth sharing: Know WHAT you believe & WHY you believe it. Sounds like something that I have said on here before.

Before we go any further I want to say that I am not inerrant. I feel as though I have done the necessary study, covered all the bases, and have learned to communicate my faith. Of course, this doesn't mean that everyone is ready to side with me but I'm o.k. with that. For me this journey has required that I be willing to ask and find answers to the tough questions. I have had to accept the fact that not all my beliefs were accurate, repent, and take on the new understanding. I have had to maintain humility through the process - not easy for people who are trained to believe in having a confident assurance about faith matters. In the end, I hope to see that what has been achieved through this process is a real, relevant, and lasting faith. In other words, that I possess a faith in God that cannot be shaken.

Let's talk...
Throughout this process I have appreciated Paul's admonishing to the Church in Philippi: "I hope all of you who are mature Christians will agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you" {Philippians 3:15}. What an incredible verse of Scripture. It's especially incredible when you consider that we live in a faith culture that is so concerned about who is right and who is wrong. The majority of this thinking is centered in denominations where learning how to spout rhetoric is important. Paul is assured of God's ability to bring guidance to the Body of Christ AND he is assured of their ability to receive it. There is no doubt (I believe) in the mind of Paul that God can help the believers come into a mutual consensus in their faith.

What a concept! Mutual consensus that is brought about by the Holy Spirit. Mutual consensus among believers! Oh, this gets better and better. The reality of the Christian life is that we can attain this. The priesthood of every believer assures us that we each have access to God, that each of us can hear from God, and that each of us can share in the will of God. Nowhere are we told in Scripture to blindly follow. In fact, we see the necessity of becoming schooled in the Word of God and in our intimacy with the Holy Spirit. We recognize the need to hold to the basic fundamentals of our faith but we also understand that God is able to speak to us about certain practices. This has held true from the New Testament days till now.

Of course asking the hard questions is often as difficult as answering them. It takes courage, faith, and sometimes even a little foolishness to question what has always been. This is not only true as it relates to beliefs but even church practices. Why do we do what we do? Why do we believe what we believe? These questions must and can be answered. But first...they have to be asked. Some will never ask because they are comfortable in what they believe. Some will never ask because they have grown accustomed to their logic or their experience in the faith. Regardless of the reason for not asking, many will never ask the tough questions. The flip side of that is that some will never seek answers either. Churches today are filled with people who may ask a tough question but rarely seek it out to the conclusion. How frustrating is that? I mean...to ask is one thing but to get an answer is quite another.

GET READY, I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT SOMETHING CONTROVERSIAL (shocking I know)...

Have you ever considered the stance that many believers have taken against alcohol? I mean, to talk to many believers you would think that America was still in the days of prohibition. The reality of this controversy still remains in the Church of 2013.

I remember several years ago being challenged in this area. I went to the Bible for answers. I found every verse that referenced wine or strong drink. What I found was shocking to my belief system. I found absolutely no verses that condemned drinking. The only thing that was condemned was drunkenness. What is my point? My point is that so often we are indoctrinated so heavily in certain areas that we don't even use the brain that God gave us. We don't pursue a faith where our questions get answered. We just keep on believing what everyone else believes. When it comes to this particular topic many don't want to believe that Jesus made wine, drank wine, and didn't condemn it. There are even "scholars" who will try to convince you that wine in the Bible isn't actually wine, etc.

It was a part of the culture. God fearing people drank wine & strong drink. It was a part of their feasts and celebrations. I heard a quote that I will share on this topic and we can move on: In the American culture we have removed alcohol from the Lord's table & the family table. Now in America people drink to escape and we have a culture of individual alcoholics.

Winding it down...
There will be plenty of people that will disagree with what I'm trying to share with you today. They see a danger in believers discovering Truth for themselves. However, this is what the Bible encourages us to do. It's exactly what the early church did. They learned to work through the tough questions. They learned to trust the Holy Spirit within them. The discovered the Truth together. I believe it's possible for us as well. We possess the same Holy Spirit. We have the Bible. We have the Author and Finisher of our faith to follow. We have the testimony of the early church. We are not without tough answers if we are willing to ask the tough questions.

The Church Experience

Before you read the following verse, it's important that you understand that I added the emphasis. I want to be sure that we understand what the church is so that we can do what the church should do. "And God placed all things under His (Jesus) feet and appointed Him (Jesus) to be head over everything for the church, which is His (Jesus) body, the fullness of Him (Jesus) who fills everything in every way." {Ephesians 1:22-23}

The question you need to ask yourself is: Is the Church an EVENT or an EXPERIENCE?

Jesus has designs on the church. What may surprise you is that it looks nothing like a building on the side of the road. The church that is in the heart of God has nothing to do with services, nothing to do with signs that light up, and nothing to do with what we have commonly called "church". This is hard for a lot of people to swallow simply because we haven't experienced church in any other way. The reality is that what most of us have come to know about the church is that it is an event. In some places it is one event after another. The event oriented church has done great harm to God's original intention. I'm not saying that He cannot bless it. I'm simply saying that we have strayed far from the blueprint.

Malachi 1:8 provides some great insight into what happens when our faith becomes centered around an event. The setting is an Old Covenant relationship with God filled with tradition, ritual, and sacrifice. Israel had been going through the motions. They were still bringing their sacrifices. They were still making their offerings. However, God was not satisfied. Listen to these words: "When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the LORD of hosts." What we lose in an event oriented faith is the heart of worship. God's people had made their worship a routine, a tradition...an event. As long as they went through the motions they believed they were blessed. What we discover in Malachi's prophecy is that this was not at all what God wanted. He has always desired a people that would serve Him from their heart.

The coming of the Holy Spirit created a new people on the earth. This community of believers that were called out are referred to in the Greek as the "Ekklesia". As a people who were filled with the Spirit of God, they became the Body of Christ within the earth. Just as Jesus came to represent the Father, we now re-present Jesus to the world. Paul's imagery of the church and the language he uses to describe it are breathtaking. The church IS the body of Christ - the fullness of Him. Think about it. WE (as a community of believers) are called together to be the fullness of Christ! We are His Body! Jesus, of course, being the Head. The problem is that as long as we keep church as an event then we will miss out on the genuine relational experience that God intended it to be.

As long as we are "going to church" or "attending church" - we keep church as an event.
When we understand that "we are the church" - church remains an experience that happens through relationship.

Church as an event struggles with change in schedule, structure, and systems. Church as an experience that comes through relationship never struggles with these things because the experience is never about these things. Church happens wherever the church is present. And the church is present wherever we are assembled.

Think about it this way: How many times have you heard of a church splitting over forms of worship, styles of leadership, the color of carpet, etc.? If you are like me then you have heard of it too often to keep count. How is it possible that "churches" could possibly split over these things? It's possible because of the event mindset. Church as an event cannot handle change. Any change to the event changes the experience. And when you change the experience of the event...well...we know how that works out. Have you ever attended conferences that were basically the same layout every year and they were good but then one year they change it? Take notice of how people respond to the change. Any change to the event creates a change in the experience. Is it any wonder why so many churches today struggle to change?

On the contrary, when church is an experience that happens through relationship then we understand that splitting is not easy. It's not easy because we are members of the same body. The last time I checked, the Body of Christ was never meant to be amputated. You don't read about Jesus walking around lame, or missing an arm, or losing an eye. What read about Christ is that He was whole. His Body in the earth is to walk in wholeness as well. The relationships that we have entered into are not easily severed. This is true because we understand the value of having all the members present.

You know what else gets lost in the "church as an event" mindset? LIFE
We cannot share life through an event.
We only share life through relationship.

The church in America needs to move quickly in this area. Although I doubt we could totally lose all the structure that has been established and be considered valid to the world. I do believe we can make it much more about relationship. In fact...I know we can. This is what the church was designed to be - a community of believers who continually shared life with one another. This community was a light to the rest of the world. They would see our love for one another and know that we were disciples of Jesus. They would see our good works and it would glorify God in heaven. They would see our holiness as a community and they would be reminded that there was one other person who lived this way. There was one other person who demonstrated this kind of grace. There was one other person that would walk in this kind of power. They would see us living together as a community of believers and they would see Jesus.

Bring on the Experience!!!

Don't Swallow the Hook & Don't Drink the Kool-Aid

Obviously...I'm trying to get your attention. I guess if you are reading then it worked. For years religion has been viewed as an opiate for the masses. A way to kill the pain of life. Some have said that Christianity is a crutch. It's something that we lean on because life is too hard. While I disagree with all of those statements, I understand why they have been made. So I want to issue a challenge to you (maybe even a warning): KNOW WHAT YOU BELIEVE & WHY YOU BELIEVE IT!

2 Timothy 3:16, "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right." NLT

I have run into a great number of people who are really good at regurgitating everything that has been fed to them. It's rare to find people who really know what they believe and why they believe it. Take for example the Christian faith. We have countless denominations of people who say that what they believe is biblical truth. It's one of the obstacles that we must overcome in reaching people for Christ. These different sects of faith have created more questions that answers & more problems than solutions. Too often we hear the banter between opposing sides about who is right and who is wrong, who is going to heaven and who is not, etc. Believe it or not, I'm not here to tell you who is right. I'm not here to defend a particular denomination. I'm just here to stir up your thinking.

The danger is that we can so consume the belief systems and practices of a particular group of believers that it becomes fatal. Where do you think the term "kool-aid drinkers" came from? Just as fatal as a fish swallowing a hook - trying to rip out false belief systems can be detrimental to the life of a believer. Trust me when I say that there are a lot of genuine believers who have nothing to do with organized religion because they have been through this process. If you are a follower of Christ then I want to encourage you to Pray, Read your Bible, and Trust the Holy Spirit. Does this mean you will never get it wrong? No. However, the Holy Spirit will never get it wrong.

The picture that I place above speaks volumes. What if the "Truth" we say we believe is founded in lies? Maybe a better question to ask is "What if what we believe is right is built upon the wrong perspective?" If you have all of these groups that say they are believing biblical truth and yet they disagree - then what should we believe? The truth of the matter is that all truth is discovered in the TRUTH - Jesus Christ. How many times did Jesus say "You've heard it said, but I say to you..."? Whatever we believe should be grounded in the life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. The question that should be asked is "Is what I believe consistent with Him and His nature?". This is where the Holy Spirit plays such a vital role in our lives. He is the Teacher and Jesus promised that He would guide us into all truth and call to remembrance everything that He taught.

The Holy Spirit is our guide to understand the Scriptures that are according to Paul "God breathed" & "Useful for teaching, correction, reproof, and correction." What needs to happen in your life and mine is that we place our belief systems before the Lord and a Bible and we ask Him to give us direction. We allow Him to tell us what is right and what needs to be corrected. We ask Him to lead us into all truth. And by design - that is exactly what the Holy Spirit will do.

With all that being said, I want to give a warning. I'm not trying to put you into a place of doubt. I don't want you to become so critical and full of questions that you cannot receive from anyone. I've seen that happen even with the best of intentions. What I am saying and what I am trying to encourage you to do is to take everything before the Lord. Whenever someone teaches something or says something that seems to be out of line with what you think or believe - ask the Lord to give you understanding. I'm learning to do this with people who think differently than I do. I'm also learning that not everything I believed was right. I've had to be willing to change. I've had to be willing to be challenged. I've had to be humbled. Even when it comes to beliefs that have been handed down through the centuries. Even when it would have been way easier to "Toe the line", I've had to endure the scrutiny of others to follow after what I believe to be the Lord. This isn't easy in our culture. When it comes to beliefs people dot their "I's" and cross their "T's". There's not a lot of room for error. The question you need to answer is what do you want your life to be built upon?

This life is a journey. And in the journey we will make mistakes. There will be times of being right and there will be times of getting it wrong. But I honestly believe if following the Lord is what is in your heart then God will work it all out. In the end, you will be stronger in your faith, stable in what you believe, and excited to share what the Lord has revealed to you.

Running From Love...

Whenever I talk to someone about conflict resolution, we always discuss the way they deal with conflict. While there are different ways to deal with problems, many of us fall into a particular category: Escapist, Icebergs, Cowboys, Nuclear Bombs, etc. The point is that none of these tendencies actually deal with the problem at hand. In fact, while they may give us a sense of "dealing", they are keeping us from encountering genuine reconciliation.

I was talking to a friend of mine who is a "Runner". At least that is how they have defined themselves. Whenever the problems get too big, the situation becomes fearful, or the topic is hitting too close to home - they run. Rather than deal with the problem at hand - they jet. What we fail to realize is that the Lord is right there waiting to go through the situation with us. Instead...we go in the opposite direction.

This conversation with my friend reminded me of the movie "Runaway Bride." This movie is about a lady who has left a lot of men standing at the altar. She gets to the point of walking down the aisle and she takes off. Even when she finds the guy that she feels like is the "one" - she leaves him as well. It isn't until the end of the movie that she finally understands why she runs. Pay attention to this line: "When I was walking down the aisle, I was walking toward somebody who didn't have any idea who I really was. And it was only half the other person's fault, because I had done everything to convince him that I was exactly what he wanted. So it was good that I didn't go through with it because it would have been a lie. But you - you knew the real me...I didn't. And you being the one at the end of the aisle didn't just fix that."

Too often, when we are running away from the problem, we are leaving the Lord standing at the altar of our problem. Rather than marrying ourselves to Him in the situation - and He is more than willing to walk through it with us - we leave. What we miss out on is the opportunity to experience Him through the difficulty. We miss out on the chance to learn more about Him and ourselves through the problem. We may be running out of fear but the reality is that we are running away from love.

Do you realize that the Lord always encounters the real you? Not the pretend you. Not the masked you. Not the disillusioned you. He always encounters who you really are in Christ. In this way His relationship with you is always unconditional. His relationship with you is always based upon the finished work of Christ and not your behavior. Even if He has to deal with your behavior in the midst of difficulty, He has this amazing way of redeeming it and you in the process.

Never dealing with a problem means that it never goes away. Until we are ready to resolve it and overcome it, IT will always come back up. I've seen this happen in so many relationships. Once the fighting is over and everyone has "dealt" with it according to their style of conflict they think the problem is over. It's not. It may quiet down for a little while but it's not going anywhere. On the other hand, when we are willing to walk through these things with the Lord we are telling the problem that it no longer has a home with us.

Stop leaving the Lord at the altar of your problems. Embrace Him there. Tie your heart to His in this place. Allow Him to give you strength, teach you through the process, and help you overcome. This can be true of you regardless of what you are going through. Maybe you are dealing with a personal issue. Maybe you are dealing with a problem in a relationship. Maybe there is some conflict that you need to endure. It doesn't matter because the Lord has promised you that He will never leave or forsake you. He knows the real you. While you may not think that fixes anything it will help you come into a better understanding of who you are in the midst of this. And in the end...when you know who you are and whose you are...you can do anything.

Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." Don't you think it's time to rest? Don't you think it's time to give Him all the stuff? Yes...you will still have to walk through it but you don't have to do it alone. He can give you rest in any situation. He can give you peace in the midst of conflict. He can give you joy in the midst of sorrow. There is nothing that you need that will not be taken care of in that moment. Go to Him. Don't run away. If you do...you are only running away from the one true love that can set you free.