Allowing Your Story to Unfold

I consider myself a movie buff. I grew up with a Grandfather who managed a movie theater, so watching movies has been a normal part of my life. And I like all kinds of movies. What I do not like, what I can't stand, is when they try to put too much into one movie. You know, they are trying to tell this whole story but they keep leaving out things we need to know. They either don't allow a character to really develop, or the story to truly unfold. I just saw one recently that kept going back to a particular scene but they never explained it. Apparently it was important to the story. Important enough to keep showing it. But they never really allowed it to shape our understanding. Must have gotten lost in the editing process. They had to cut out some pieces to fit the movie into a particular time frame. As I thought about this, I realized that some stories take a little more time. Some moments need to be captured to bring us to a greater understanding. In life, this is what endurance is all about.

That's what I love about this quote from Dr. Seuss. There are times in our life when we just need to let the story develop. We may not understand every moment, but one day it will all make sense. I've seen it over and over again. I cannot tell you the times that I have looked back on certain circumstances, times I wanted to give up, and have discovered the Lord working so strongly there. I heard His voice, felt His encouragement, or simply experienced His presence in the midst of it all. There were times it felt like Hell. There were other times that it felt like Heaven. What I'm discovering today is that I am thankful for all of the moments. They drove me to His heart.

In today's culture we like everything fast. We like fast food, fast cars, fast computers, fast internet speeds, and fast phones. My generation is what I like to refer to as the microwave generation. I remember when we got our first one. That things was incredible. I remember my Mom trying to cook everything in it. There were a lot of meals that came out of that microwave. I even recall the time we had microwaved eggs. Yeah...some things need to develop slower. And they need more butter! The point that I'm trying to make is that life doesn't work in a microwave. It's more of a slow cooker. It takes time for the flavor to be just right. It takes endurance.

Yesterday I talked about not giving up. That part of this journey is ultimately discovered in our ability, and willingness, to endure. There will be moments in our life when it seems like we are growing really fast. It's like everything is on fire. It's fast, it's raging, and it's hot. Then there will be times where it feels as though we are moving at a snail's pace. Where we just don't know if we will ever get through. Long hours of praying, hoping, and believing that we will make it. All of these moments are important to the process of becoming. Everything in life has meaning if we don't waste them. It doesn't mean that everything is from God. It just means that He can speak to us through them all.

Allowing your story to unfold is no different than reading a book. You can try to Cliff Note it, but you will be missing out on vital information. You might know the plot, but you will not know the story. Stories have to be read. You have to get to know the characters. You need to feel the emotions. You must immerse yourself, visualize what is taking place, and capture the author's heart. Your life is no different. You have to fight the urge to shortcut it. You must capture the heart of the Author and Finisher of faith. You need to see how your character develops.

I am not who I was 23 years ago. That's when I began my journey with the Lord. So much has changed. So much has changed in me. I can look back on the ups and downs, the good and the bad, and I have no regrets. If I had it to do over again, I might have made some different choices. But the reality is that I know that all of those choices have shaped me into the son that I am today. Some of it I learned the hard way. Some of it was really painful. Some of it was really incredible. All of it is a part of the journey. Part of the story. My life unfolding before you.

Don't rush it. This is a lifelong journey of faith. I believe that's the measure of faith that we have been given. It is enough, more than enough, to carry us through. To discover Him along the way, and to see Him when we look back on the memories. So much of life is learned through trial and error. To think that we have to get it all perfect out of the gate is ludicrous. It's not about perfection. Life is shaped in the crucible of patience. Enduring through it all. Trusting that it will all work out for good even if it doesn't feel good right now. If life is a story, then you just in a chapter. It's not the beginning and it's not the end. To quote T.D. Jakes, you are somewhere in the "messy middle." Just hold on.

We want to see the whole of you on display. Nothing taken out. Nothing edited for time or content. This is how we share our story and help others in the journey. A story where nothing is lost. All has been redeemed. I know there has been pain. I'm sure there has been loss. But there has also been some incredible things along the way that we desperately need. Listen to the words of Brennan Manning: "In a futile attempt to erase our past, we deprive the community of our healing gift. If we conceal our wounds out of fear and shame, our inner darkness can neither be illuminated nor become a light for others."

As I have been writing this morning, I keep hearing the James Taylor song "Fire and Rain." I've always though that this song had more to do with loss than redemption. It seemed to speak more about tragedy than triumph. That is, until I read an interview that Taylor did with Rolling Stone magazine. The song is all of the above. It's about Fire AND Rain. It's about Tragedy AND Triumph. It's about Loss AND Redemption. The personal reflection of an artist who was able to endure.

It begs the question:
What will your song be?
How will your story unfold?
Keep going. Please. Keep going.

The Life of An Overcomer

Too often, I believe, we have defined an overcomer as someone who is always victorious. In other words, they never fail. To think that way places a very select few into the category. I mean, a VERY SELECT FEW. What if an overcomer is not someone who is always victorious, but one who will ultimately be victorious? Meaning that they never give up. They may fall, but they will pick themselves up. They may lose every now and then, but in the end they will win. They endure. The continue to move forward. That, my friend, sounds a little more realistic.

Please don't misunderstand what I'm saying here. I honestly believe that we have the ability to live just like Jesus lived. Same integrity. Same honesty. Same character. How is this possible? Because we have His Spirit living within us. With that being said, I realize that we do stumble. We do fall. We often miss the mark of God's glorious ideal for our lives. But that cannot define us. Our mistakes, our failures, and our sins do not determine who we are in this life, that is, unless we allow them to. Instead, we are learning how to be defined by His grace at work within us. To see ourselves through His finished work. To live our lives with endurance. Never allowing ourselves to be so setback that we stop moving forward. This is what it means to overcome.

Let me ask you a question. How do you handle sin? Or maybe the better question is: "How do you handle things after you sin?"
Depending upon your background this could be a long discussion. For many people the answer comes with a list of things like Confession, Repentance, Seeking Forgiveness, Accountability, Fasting, Etc. While I understand this need within us to know that we are forgiven and to know that we have done everything in our hearts to properly represent our remorse, the reality is that even after these things are accomplished we struggle to move forward. Stuck in guilt and shame, many believers don't do anything but try to maintain the ground they have already won. It's not until they deal with this overwhelming sense of failure that they can begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

What if it didn't have to be this way? What if we looked at sin a bit differently? What if we saw ourselves in a different light?

The truth is that many people believe that sin is a gross violation of God's Law. It's something that we should not do, or something that we should do that we are not doing. What I'm saying is that our definition of sin is wrapped around our behavior. But what if sin is not behavior centered? What if it has more to do with what we believe (or do not believe)? The point that I'm trying to make is that the latter understanding will bring you to reconciliation much quicker. You will find yourself jumping back in the race a lot faster. You will see yourself through the finished work of Christ, even when you fall. You see, all sin is rooted in unbelief. Whatever is not of faith is sin. When we choose to believe that we are everything that He says that we are, then it becomes much more difficult to sin. We discover that grace is always available to live in this identity. And we understand that sin no longer has dominion over us.

Listen to what the writer of Hebrews says: "...lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith." Most of us understand what a weight is. It's anything that encumbers us, slows us down, brings resistance, or hinders us from running. However, what most people don't know is this thing of "sin which doth so easily beset us." It means to skillfully surround. It's the idea of something keeping you from running at all. What was the besetting sin of the Hebrews? UNBELIEF! It's what the writer has been dealing with all along. They were struggling to believe that all that Jesus did was enough. They were struggling to come out from under everything that was the Old Covenant. They were tempted to turn back into their old way of life and religion. The writer had sufficiently proven his case to them, and now he is effectively telling them to get in the race. They wanted to give up. The persecution was too great. He's saying, "Don't Give Up!" This is the life of an overcomer.

I love his language here:
Lay aside every weight
Lay aside the besetting sin of unbelief
In essence, do away with everything that will keep you from running.

It's verses like this that remind me that our faith is not about sin management. On the contrary, I believe that our faith is more about life management. It's how we live in this incredible identity as a son of God. How we always rise to the occasion. That regardless of what the world may throw in our direction, we will continue to walk with Him. Our minds are made up. Our hearts are fully engaged with the person of the Lord. We will no longer be dominated by missing the mark of His view and opinion. We will no longer be swayed by the opinions of the religious. We have found Him to be an all sufficient Savior. We trust in His finished work.

I may fall, but I will not stay down.
I may struggle at times, but I will find my way.
I may blow it in the next five minutes, but I will not give up.
Shame, guilt, and condemnation will bow down to His goodness, love, grace, and mercy.
I will overcome because He has overcome.
Looking unto Jesus (not my shortcomings, my failures, or my sin) will produce the endurance I need.
This is the life of an overcomer.

Enjoy the journey!

When One Member Suffers...

So...a sinus infection has pretty much taken over the last couple of days. I'm always amazed at just how bad you can feel from one of these: the congestion, the constant blowing of the nose, the breathing through your mouth, and the pressure around your eyes. Today is my second day of antibiotics, so hopefully I will be back to my normal self tomorrow.?. It's true what Scripture says about the body. When one members suffers, we all suffer.

Preparing for the blog today, I cam across another really bad church sign. YIKES! I'm sure the message conveyed was not the intent of the person who put it together. But one has to ask the question: What other messages are we putting out there that wasn't intended? How people view the church matters. It matters because their perception is vital in our ability to minister to them. What if the world saw in us what Paul spoke to the believers in Corinthians? "When one member suffers, all suffer with it..."

A lot has changed with the church since those early days. One of the greatest losses to our perception of the church is seeing it as the body of Christ. I'm not saying that pastors aren't teaching about it. I'm just saying that we don't seem to get it. This is especially true the larger a congregation grows.

Several years ago, a very famous pastor wrote a book dealing with healthy churches. In his book, he talks about healthy churches as growing churches. He uses the analogy of a child. When a child is healthy, he will grow. It's natural. Unfortunately, many people jumped on this bandwagon of "healthy" churches being bigger and smaller churches being "sick, weak, or anemic." Once again, we find ourselves focusing on the wrong things. Bigger churches require more leadership. This led to books, conferences, and focus groups dedicated to helping the church to run like a well oiled machine. Need I go on? What this one pastor forgot, and what many of us have chosen to overlook, is that BIG doesn't always mean healthy. Ever heard of "giantism?"

Church health should be a focus, but our ideas about church health need to change. In particular, as it relates to our relationships with one another. WE are the church. WE are the body of Christ. How WE are in relation to One Another is vitally important. What the world experiences in US, collectively or individually, tells them exactly what they need to know (good or bad).

I know of a pastor, who, over the course of the last few years has struggled greatly. Health problems, financial difficulties, etc., etc. The list just keeps growing. What saddens me is the fact that the church he pastors does very little (if anything) to help. The denomination he is a part of, and the pastors that he knows through that association, have done little (if anything). They don't even acknowledge the struggles. It's business as usual. Keep preaching, teaching, serving, and taking care of things. All the while, this pastor and his family are losing their faith in the "family of God."

What family? I know you asked the question. I've asked it myself. I don't really know where the focus has shifted. I don't really understand the members of any church still thinking they are doing God a service by showing up when they can't even show up for this family. They may not be able to help out financially, but what about food? What about service? What about helping around the house? Something can be done. Something should be done. When one members suffers, all should suffer with them.

"Don't let worries kill you. Let the church help." Doesn't sound so funny now. Does it? The sign would be so much better with "Let the church help you overcome." So would our lives together be so much better with that same message. I told you about a pastor. Could you imagine if it was just an "ordinary member." Just a man in the church. He comes every Sunday. He struggles but no one helps. He has full confidence in God, but his faith in the church is failing fast. Do you see the problem? Much (and I do mean MUCH) of the provision we look for in our lives could come through one another. It should. Just like the early church in Acts, we should have all things in common. We should be sharing with one another. We should be filling the needs within the body. It's who we are.

I've watched people over the years neglect their physical bodies. They pushed past the pain and kept going. Rather than attend to that particular need, whatever it was, they just kept doing what they do. That is, until they are put out of commission by surgery. It takes longer to heal because they let it go too long. This is true in our natural bodies. It's true in the spiritual body as well.

Look around you. We are in this together. Our journey is full of people. People that are made in the image and likeness of God. Let's go all in with them. With one another. Imagine the testimony to the world. Imagine the delight in our Heavenly Father. I believe we can do this. I know that I have shared some negative things about the church, but there are a LOT of good ones out there. Doing great things. Loving one another. Sharing with one another. Meeting a lot of needs. And why not? We do have the Spirit of Christ within us. There should be a family resemblance.

Sonship Over Servanthood

John 5:18, "This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God."

Some people have such a confidence in the Lord that it can be perceived as arrogance. I can assure you it's not. What we don't know is the wrestling match that took place deep within them to trust fully. To leave excuses behind, and to trash all the mistaken identities. To work through the wounds of the past, and to rest in Him. No, it's not arrogance you see. It's the confidence that each of us are meant to walk in. Pride, insecurity, and misunderstanding the nature of the Father clouds our vision. It's the same religious spirit that enraged the Pharisees. How could anyone call God Father? But a trusted Son knows His place.

"Behold, what manner of love the Father has lavished upon us...", John said. The fact that we could be called children of God was an incredible thought. It's an even greater reality. His finishes this verse by saying, "And that is what we are." John didn't get there by accident. He walked with the Lord. He was there when Jesus taught His disciples to pray: "Our Father..." He understood the change that was coming into their vocabulary. No longer would God be seen as a distant solitary figure, but He would now be known as Father.

This type of intimate language was too much for the religious crowd of Jesus' day. To know God as Father is to make yourself equal with God. They sought to kill Jesus even more over these statements. To know God as Father means to be a son. And their religious system had no place for sons. Only servants. The best you could hope for was to appease this God. To satisfy His need for blood. To try and live by His rules. Sonship is a far cry from servanthood.

What's amazing to me is that Jesus is teaching His disciples to pray "Our Father" before the atonement. He shared with them His intimate relationship with the Father and showed them how to walk in it. It would take time to detox. Time to remove all of the elements of the old way of doing things. But eventually they would get it. It definitely helped when the Holy Spirit came. His inward witness of this truth would release them to walk as sons.

Understanding this truth in your own life creates unbridled confidence. Knowing that He is your Father. Not through anything you have ever done. Knowing that you are His Son. Not because you fulfilled some type of requirement. Knowing this will set you free to rest in Him, to walk in peace, and to experience His unconditional love.

It saddens me that more and more people in the church don't experience this reality. I have come across hundreds of people who don't know the Lord personally, but believe in the love of God with a greater confidence than those who claim to be His children. Why is that? What have we been teaching people in the church that would cause them to question the nature of God and their relationship with Him? Do I really need to ask those questions?

You've been there. You have heard some of the claims about G-O-D that causes you to flinch. Causes you to think differently about Him than the way Jesus presented Him. You have sat under the teachings that makes God out to be more like Zeus rather than the Abba of Jesus. Don't you know that you can walk in the same confidence as the Lord? You can know Him, really know Him, to be your Father. You can have the assurance that He hears your prayers, knows your heart, and is working all things for good in your life. You can experience His love, and walk in His compassion. You can, if you are willing to overcome the junk you have been willing to believe.

He is a good Father. He's not abusive. He lovingly speaks to us. He reassures us of our place in Him. He speaks to His nature and character within us. Always. He is not disillusioned about you because He never had any illusions. He knows who you are. He knows exactly why He created you. You are His child. He wants you to take your place as a son. Do you know the difference?

The difference is in how we understand adoption.
The adoption spoken of in Scripture is not like the adoption we know of in the West. Our idea of adoption is bringing a child into your home who was not previously your child. However, in the Eastern culture, adoption also expressed through the maturation of a son coming into the family business. A day when a father would proclaim that this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. It is a turning over of all things into his authority. This is the adoption that the Bible speaks of. Children coming into sonship. Finding their place within the Father's business. Carrying His authority. Working to fulfill what is needed in His Kingdom.

This happens when we being to trust in who we are.
That arrogance you see in that person who is walking in confidence, it's calling to you. It is inviting you in. It is demonstrating who you could become.
Are you ready?
Are you tired of seeing yourself on the outside?
Are you willing to step into the awareness of how the Father sees you?

He is.
He's been waiting for you to take your place.
Your Father has been drawing you to this time.
Rise up Son of God. An adventure awaits.
Oh, this confidence will infuriate the religious crowds. But keep going. They just haven't come into this freedom yet. You get to show them how to live as a trusted son. Enjoy the journey!

A Narrow Gate to a Wide Open Life

One of the greatest tools of communication is imagery. If I can get you to see it, then I can help you understand it. It's one of the reason we use similes, metaphors, and allegories. It's also one of the reasons that Jesus used parables. When He speaks of a woman looking for a lost coin, you can see it play out in your mind. With that being said, some of the imagery we use to describe life with the Father falls way short of describing the goodness of life with Him.

In Matthew 7, we read where Jesus is telling people to enter into the "narrow gate." Broad is the way that leads to destruction. The way that leads to life, on the other hand, is discovered through a small gate and a narrow path. This imagery has been embedded deep into our psyche. However, how does one describe the journey after you have entered and experienced this life for yourself? Is the way continually narrow? Does it take on the form of a tightrope? It seems to me that we have done a marvelous job explaining the path to life, but we have failed to describe what follows. If you had to paint an image of what your life looks like as a follower of Jesus, what would the finished product look like?

The point that I am making is that we have been told that this life is narrow. We didn't stop short of describing the gate, or the path to life, but went on and described the remainder of this journey as a perilous venture. Making sure that we stay on this straight and narrow path. My problem with this type of imagery is that I see it playing out in the lives of so many people, and it's not pretty. It's not full. And it is definitely not abundant.

What I am sharing with you is a personal reflection. This reflection comes out of my own experience with the Lord. I spent years trying to walk this tightrope. The image I had was walking this fine line with dangers on every side. One false move to the right or the left could mean plummeting to my death. What I failed to realize is that the gate to life, and the path to life, are the same. It's Jesus. Can't get much narrower than that. He describes Himself as the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He's it. There's no one else coming. There's no other way being invented. If you really want to experience abundant life, and true relationship with the Father, you experience it through Him. What no one ever told me was just how wide open life is within Him. It's like that moment in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory when Willy Wonka stoops in front of the tiny door that would allow everyone into the factory. Everyone is looking at the door thinking there is no way they can make it through. Suddenly, as he pushed on that tiny door, you discover that the door was much much larger. When it opens, you discover a world of "pure imagination."

I realize that some of you may not like that analogy, but it's what I see. Jesus narrowed down our vision. He allowed us to see Him as the only way in. But it's not until we get into the writings of the Apostle Paul that we see just how HUGE this door really is. A door that was not only opened to the Jews, but One that allowed the Gentiles to walk in as well. A world full of joy, peace, grace, and love. A world where anything is possible in Him. A relationship of genuine trust. That's what we were invited to enjoy. This is the fullness of life that we were guaranteed.

As I reflected upon this yesterday, I was reminded of one of the most pivotal moments of my life. Unknowingly, my Dad taught me what it meant to live in the grace of God. How would tell you that he really didn't know what he was doing. Faced with the task of raising two teenage boys on his own, this seemed to him the only solution. With 5 simple words he empowered us: "How About I Trust You." An amazing God moment. A lesson that I would come to fully realize years later. How did I respond to this empowerment? I lived as a son. I understood the responsibility before me. I recognized the weight of this trust. But I also knew that he had already put so much into us. It was time for me to live it out.

Freedom is more than just doing what you want to do. True freedom is the ability to live as a trusted son. It's understanding all that has been given to us. It carries the weight and responsibility of poor choices, as well as, the praise and glory of good ones. The difference in this kind of life is that I wasn't called to "walk the line", I was called to carry His heart. What was true in my Dad is also true in my Heavenly Father. He trusts me. He trusts me to carry the family name. He knows there will be times when I fail. He knows that I won't always get it right. But He trusts me. And in His trust I am able to experience what fullness of life is all about.

I see too many people with the walk the fine line mentality. I see them trying desperately to live out this narrow faith. It's full of lists, do's and don'ts, steps, and procedures. Burdensome. Tiring. And it's all about how they see the Lord. They believe Him to be so narrow that they have to live in a narrow way. "This way is right." "This is how you should believe about ___________." Straight laced. No room for error. While this may have been the faith that you grew up in, I want to ask you a question: If what this life is all about is just following rules, then why do we need the Holy Spirit? Why do we need grace? Is Holy Spirit in you just to make sure you can follow the Law? I think not.

You and I were invited into abundant life in Him. A life full of choices. Full of possibilities. A life full of grace and full of mercy. A life of asking questions and discovering answers. A life where you are free to become all that He has created you to be. That's what this life is all about.

I find it interesting that in Isaiah the "Way of Holiness" is described as a highway. Not a footpath. How's that for some imagery? But our understanding of holiness gets in the way. We see holiness through the lens of sin (and separation from it) rather than through the lens of being set apart in Him. Just as the Father is holy, completely set apart from everything else; you are holy, completely distinct from the rest of creation. There is no other species upon the Earth like you. You are unique in every way. A new creation. A son/daughter of God that is able to live in His trust, to carry His heart, and to be a true reflection of your Father. We stand as imagery. A lens through which everyone around us is able to see the love, the compassion, the justice, and the goodness of God.

Are you starting to see? Is the image starting to come into view? Jesus was/is the way into a Kingdom. This Kingdom is a world of the Father's pure imagination. Within this Kingdom, we learn how to do life. We learn how to share this life with others. It's a wide open place full of mountains, valleys, and people. All kinds of people. We will stumble. We will fall. But we will ultimately rise to the occasion to take our place among them.

This is why religion fails us. The Father doesn't need robots. He doesn't need a community of rule keepers. He longs for sons and daughters who carry His heart. This is who we are. This is what we are meant to experience. Not the narrow mindedness of some religious system. It's a full life. A good life. A journey in Him.

Enjoy!

"Let it go Indiana..."

How many of you remember the scene from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade where Jones was trying to retrieve the Holy Grail while his Father was desperately trying to save him? The scene had already played out with the female character. Indiana Jones was trying to save her but she would not stop reaching for the relic. Now faced with the same dilemma, it was Jones trying to save the artifact while his Dad was trying to keep him from perishing. 4 simple words would prove to have a powerful impact: "Let it go Indiana."

What a powerful scene. It's a beautiful depiction of the struggle we face when truth is encountered. Will we continue to reach out, trying to save the relic we have pursued for so long? Or will we let it go, and be pulled to safety? This is the tension we find in the Gospel records. Jesus came to bring life. Life that was free. Life that was abundant. Life that was built upon a true understanding of the nature of the Father. And yet, so many chose to reach out for the faith they pursued for so long. They would rather struggle to preserve an artifact than be pulled to safety. What will you choose?

I see so many people who would rather hold to an Old Testament view of God rather than receive the revelation of the Father in Jesus. The goal for them is to preserve a faulty understanding of God rather than reinterpret His nature through the Son. The goal of our faith is not finding Jesus in the Old Testament. The goal is to renew our thinking based upon what is revealed in Jesus. And what He revealed is the true nature of the Father.

This mentality astounds me. What is it about what is revealed in the Old Testament that is more life giving than what is revealed in Jesus? What is it that we are trying to preserve?

Is it the belief in a nationalistic deity? You do realize that much of these writings were based upon the premise that Jehovah was simply the God of Israel don't you? It's not like Jesus' coming meant that God was somehow converted. It wasn't like He suddenly changed because of what Jesus was willing to go through. It seems to me that many of the West believe that God is now the God of America. He blesses us. He is on our side. What we fail to consider is that Jesus displayed the Father's love for all nations and all people groups.

Is it a felt need within us that God simply be for us and against everyone else? This goes a little deeper than the national deity idea. It preserves the idea that God only loves a certain portion of His creation while He still holds animosity towards the "others." That somehow God likes separation. That there are those who have His favor and others who don't. Didn't Jesus go after this type of thinking? Didn't He say that His Father caused it to rain on the just and the unjust? Blowing the idea that the Father only blessed a certain portion of the Earth's population out of the water.

Come on people. We have go to let it go. Jesus was the EXACT REPRESENTATION of the Father. Everything that came before Him was types and shadows. Understandings of God based upon finite thinking. It wasn't that the Old Testament writers were "wrong" but they were seeing through a limited understanding. They did not see the Abba of Jesus through unconditional love. They didn't see the grace and mercy that was continually extended to them because of His great love. They viewed God through the lens of performance, ritual, tradition, and sacrifice. They failed to recognize that the coming of Jesus would signal the depths that the Father would go to in order to reach us. All of us.

"Let it Go Indiana." There is safety in what Jesus has revealed. There is life beyond the holy grail of our thinking. This is what repentance is all about. It's the ability, and the willingness, to change our minds. To move beyond many of the ideas about God limited to the Old Covenant (and Old Testament) and to step into the abundance of life that is found in Jesus.

Trust me. This is life changing. Your liberty awaits you. Everything you need is found in Jesus. Stop thinking you have to preserve this Old Covenant type of thinking. All the promises of God are found in Jesus, and they are "YES" and "AMEN." Come into the freedom of the sons of God. Discover the fullness that is experienced in knowing the Abba of Jesus. A God who is LOVE. A Father whose love is everlasting, whose mercy endures forever. "Taste and see that the Lord is GOOD." Always good. And ALWAYS has been good. Jesus didn't change the nature of the Father. He revealed it. He welcomes us into it. "Let it go Indiana." Let it go.

Flame On!

As I walked into the room, the environment was charged with anticipation. People were seated. Many of their faces asking the same question: "What will this look like?" As I sat down among them, a sense of insecurity began to come over me. A thought flashed through my mind. Maybe I will just sit back and take it all in. They don't need anything from me. This room is filled with some incredible people. What could I possibly give?
FLAME ON!

Flame on. It's the phrase that the Human Torch uses right before he is engulfed in flames. In one moment he can go from the average looking guy (or really good looking guy if you ask my teenage daughter) to a man that is literally on fire. It's a phrase that would take on a whole new meaning for me this past weekend. A mindset that I would adopt. Knowing what I possess, what's inside of me, means all that is within the Holy Spirit is readily available. Regardless of how I feel. FLAME ON! is a reminder to tap into everything that the Father has provided.

WHO Koinonia became the incubator for this kind of thinking.
I recognized that our worship was not about having to bring God into our reality. It's quite the opposite. It is to bring us into His. As our hearts were turned to Him fully, I heard the words FLAME ON! I didn't have to work it up, but I did have to stir it up. Huge difference. Paul encouraged Timothy to "Stir Up the gift that is in you..." That's the classic way that we have read the text. Many of our newer translations read "Fan Into Flame..." Could Paul have been telling his young disciple to FLAME ON!?

This is what Koinonia is all about. It's where we fan into flame what the Father has placed within each of us. As we determine within our hearts to see the Lord among us, in us, and within one another, we are calling to remembrance what is already inside. We are moving past all of the negative thinking. We are not regarding the mistaken identities. We refuse to become mired in a person's shallow thinking of themselves. We look them in the eye. We speak life to the real identity. And we watch them burn.

I watched this process time and time again over the course of 4 days. Men and women alike, seeing themselves through the faulty lenses of performance. Focused on what they are not rather than who they are. Some were frustrated. A few were disconnected. Others were content to hide. Their minds had become consumed with the wrong things. I watched them fight. I watched others fight for them. I saw them determined to "take the land of their own heart." All of it coming to a beautiful climax: Hundreds of people burning with Him. Engulfed in His love. White hot with His passion.

This is the mindset that I want to carry every day. To be instant. In season and out. To FLAME ON! at any moment. I want it for myself and every other son and daughter of God. I want us delivered from the religious thinking that tries to douse the flame. I want us set free from the rituals that do nothing but try to cover the light. I want to see men and women, young and old, absolutely consumed with His love for them. I want that fiery love to spread beyond the walls of the church buildings and into the communities. I want the world set on fire.

FLAME ON!

How Do You Hear The Gospel?

Daniel 9:24, "Seventy 'sevens' are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place."

When Jesus stood to read in the synagogue, He chose to read from the portion of Isaiah's prophecy. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." When He finished, He sat down, and told the crowd that this Scripture had been fulfilled in their reading. What does this have to do with Daniel 9:24? Because the "seventy 'sevens'" were upon them!

The Father has spoken to us through His Son. What has He said? Or maybe the question is: How do you hear it?

New Testament Scholar, Author, and retired Anglican Bishop N.T. "Tom" Wright talks about our hearing in the Gospel this way:
He says to imagine you are in a room with four speakers. The volume level of the speakers are not what they ought to be. Some are too loud and some are too quiet. Wright would tell each of us to keep these speakers in balance.
(1) The Gospels are an organic fulfillment of the story of Israel (The Old Testament), and not simply Genesis 1–3
(2) The story of Jesus is the story of Yahweh visiting his people, and this means that his deity is assumed
(3) Jesus comes to launch God’s renewed people into the kingdom or into kingdom life. This is what eternal life is all about
(4) The kingdom of God conflicts with the kingdom of this world, because it subverts the expectations of worldly kingdoms. In many ways, this
means the Christians are called to live out this new life that Jesus’ life, death, resurrection and ascension inaugurated.

Depending upon where you are seated, and which speaker is the loudest in your life, you may be focused upon one or the other. However, I wonder if you have even heard the Gospel through any of these speakers? Western Christianity has often focused upon Jesus' coming through a totally different lens. We have failed to view the message of the Gospel through the lens of Israel. We have also forgotten the implications of the answer to Daniel's prayer that I quoted earlier. These lenses (or lack thereof) have created a dialogue that falls short of this glorious Gospel. Missing out on the heart of the Father for Israel and the rest of the world.

To be fair to my brothers and sisters, I believe that we all believe Jesus "finished" something.
To be fair, I believe that we all believe that what Jesus did was accepted by His Father.
To be fair, I believe that we all believe that Jesus has granted forgiveness and opened up a new way of life for humanity.
But what I don't see among my brothers and sisters is an agreement on how all of this plays out for us. Which probably has a lot to do with the "speakers."

I've wrestled with this idea myself. I have thought about the speakers. I've even considered the way in which we interpret the Gospels. It seems as though a lot of people hear the words of Jesus and elevate them to a sense of heightened spirituality. Almost a Nirvana type of existence. That...maybe...someday...we will come into. But I often wonder if Jesus wasn't demonstrating, and teaching, the glory in which humanity was always meant to live. Self giving love, compassion, and forgiveness. Peace rather than discord. Mercy over judgement. This reality all wrapped up in the restoration and reconciliation of humanity. All of it, a possibility, through the finished work of Christ.

Did we need Jesus to die for the sins of humanity? Yes!
Did we need to be reconciled to the Father? Yes!
Did we need someone to set humanity free from the fall of Adam, to release us from the captivity of the darkness, and to usher in a new creation? Yes...Yes...a thousand times, YES!
All accomplished. All finished. All of it, beautifully displayed in the incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus.

What each of these speakers will tell communicate with you, what you will hear through each of them, is a need for you to come to terms with this reality in Jesus. He is the way, the truth, and the life. He is the door. The abundant life we have been looking for is found in Him. Not a life filled with "rule keeping" but a life that is ruled by the reconciliation of the Father. A life where you can truly "become."

The degree to which we do not trust in the finished work of Christ is the degree to which we will try to fulfill some religious duty.
The degree to which we trust in the finished work of Christ is the degree to which we will rest in Him.
What's the difference? How does this play out?
It's the difference between "doing" and "being." As you rest in all that He has done, what you do will flow from who you are in Him. Not the other way around.

Do you hear what I hear?

Study + Revelation

John 14:26, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you."

A couple of weeks ago I reached 1,000 blog posts. I held a mini celebration. Not really...the day sort of passed me actually. I just happened to look at the counter to realize that this milestone had come and gone. It's been an interesting journey. I started this blog as a way to stay connected with my Pioneer family, to hash out my own thoughts on spirituality, and as a means to bring encouragement into the lives of those seeking the Truth. I will be the first to say that I'm not pleased with every post. In fact, I've considered going back through them and deleting the ones that don't agree with where I am in my thinking. However, I've chosen to leave them alone. A memorial to the journey. A reminder that the Lord is continually teaching us.

The Holy Spirit will teach you all things. Have you ever considered the implications of that statement? I grew up in a church environment that was very Bible heavy. The belief was that the Word of God, aka the Bible, was the complete revelation of God. We were told to study it, memorize it, and apply it. All that we believed was based upon this collection of writings. While I understand it, and honor the place the Bible holds in our faith, these statements in and of themselves fall way short in grasping what the Lord is wanting to teach us. The Holy Spirit is our teacher. He will use the Bible. But the complete revelation of God is found in a person. The person of Jesus.

I believe what Scripture says about itself. That it is good (profitable) for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. It's not the Scriptures that I question but our handling of them. Much like my journey with this blog, we must leave room for revelation, for enlightenment, room for the Holy Spirit to bring His understanding into the equation. Church history is filled with stories of men and women who lived in that tension. Men and women who were willing to be taught by the Spirit of God. While they honored the faith traditions set before them, they were willing to go deeper. To study. To listen to the Holy Spirit. To allow the Lord to reveal Himself.

What I have come to believe is that the Word of God is not a book. The Word of God is a person. Jesus, Himself, is the Word made flesh. The Bible reveals Him, but the Bible is not Him. Most people don't even realize that the Bible does not call itself the Word of God. Most people don't understand that a lot of the attributes we give to this collection of writings are not things that it has declared itself to be. The Bible is a collection of writings. A collection of the Hebrew Scriptures, Hymns, Poems, and History of Israel. A collection of the Gospels, early church history, and letters to the early church. All important. All necessary in understanding the origin and practices of our faith. All profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training. It's not the Word of God, but it contains the words of God.

So how do we proceed? How do we gain insight into the faith? How do we unravel the mysteries of life and the nature of the Father? It all happens within an encounter with the person of Jesus - the living Word. Allowing the Holy Spirit to teach us, reveal to us, and remind us of all that He has said about Himself. Giving Him the opportunity to define the Father for us, to understand the Scriptures that He inspired, and to come to a greater understanding of who we are in Him. This type of life allows for a growing revelation of the Lord. Study + Revelation. Taking us deeper into His heart. Recognizing that faith isn't just something that can be mapped out, charted, and simply explained. It is something experienced, caught rather than taught, and is real and abiding. We need the living Word, active and alive among us.

I believe 98% of our theological errors can be fixed by understanding the finished work of Christ. The other 2% could be fixed by a good word study. Wrapped up in the finished work of Christ is the true nature of the Father. The true nature of who we are in Him. The plan and purpose of God for all of creation. We desperately need this. To grasp the goodness and love of our Father. To be still and just know Him. The word study I suggest for the other 2% is just a way for us to understand the original language. There's a lot of error in our thinking because we haven't done the work. We have allowed our limited English understanding dominate certain words in the Bible. Because of that, we are creating doctrines based upon some flawed concepts. We have too many resources available to us to be stuck in someone else's misunderstandings.

This type of growth is not embraced by everyone. Some people see the faith as something that has been passed on perfectly. Therefore, we just carry on what has been passed down to us. Good or bad. We have somehow forgotten that the church, and the faith that we carry, has gone through a lot of changes over the centuries. From Orthodoxy to Catholicism to Protestantism. From 500 years before there was a completed Bible translation to where we are today with more translations than we know what to do with. Lots of changes. While much of what the early church carried has endured, we have also embraced the greater revelations the Holy Spirit has provided.

Pay attention to this quote from St. Augustine:
"Accordingly, when anyone claims, 'Moses meant what I say,' and another retorts, 'No, rather what I find there,' I think that I will be answering in a more religious spirit if I say, 'Why not both, if both are true?' And if there is a third possibility, and a fourth, and if someone else sees an entirely different meaning in these words, why should we not think that he was aware of all of them?"
Augustine, Confessions 12.31.42

Something to consider in the midst of our dogmatic thinking.
Imagine a living faith. A growing faith. A faith that brings with it a revelation of the Living Word. A greater understanding of the who the Father is, and who we are in Him. Study + Revelation = just that.

Enjoy the journey!

His Own Received Him Not

John 1:11 tells us that "He [Jesus] came unto His own, but His own did not receive Him." What was it about Jesus that brought about this rejection?

I have always loved the "Christ the Redeemer" statue in Brazil. Christ the Redeemer, with open arms, was created as a symbol of peace. What a magnificent statue. What an incredible gesture. As one of the seven wonders of the world, it is a wonderful visual reminder of the Lord. I often wonder, especially considering that I'm living in 20125, what was it about Jesus that caused the Jewish world of His day to reject Him. Think about it. AND PLEASE don't just settle for the "Christian" answer. What was it about a man who preached love, peace, and reconciliation that stirred up so much anger? What was it about a man who healed the sick, restored sight to the blind, raised the dead, and caused the lame to walk that made them want to have him crucified?

There's a line in John's Gospel where he says "men loved the darkness rather than the Light." There's not too many details in that statement, but it's probably more accurate than we understand.

The "Logo" of God (what we have termed as the "Word") is more than just a word. Wrapped up in the logos is the wisdom of God - the structure of God's order. In Jesus, the logos was made flesh and dwelt among us. The question I asked earlier has more to do with the rejection of the logos rather than the rejection of a person. Was it really Jesus they were rejecting, or was it the wisdom of God that they despised?

Jesus talked about G-O-D in a relational way: ABBA.
That one really stirred them up.

Jesus talked about loving your neighbor, but the neighbor in the story was a Samaritan.
OUCH!

Jesus often reinterpreted certain Scriptures about the nature of Abba. "You've heard it said...but I say to you..."
That didn't sit to well either.

Jesus taught the people how to live in peace with one another. Particularly the Romans.
But the Jews of that day really wanted to rebel. And they eventually tried. History tells us that much.

The more I recognize some of the issues He created, the more I realize that the logos of God is so different from us. His Wisdom, His Love, is peaceful, genuine, compassionate, and truly relational. He sees beyond our petty disagreements. He goes deeper than religion ever could. Even His take on the Law was very, very, different.

Was their motive political? Were they afraid that His teachings would lead to a peace loving society that would make it very difficult to raise up a rebellion.
Was it purely spiritual? Did they believe Jesus was so off base that He would lead people away from the One True God?
Was their anger motivated by their societal standing? He seemed to really put everyone on an even playing field.

Maybe John was right in his estimation. They truly loved the darkness rather than the Light. They really loved their concept of God, their ideas on religion, their hatred of other nations, and their Law. Even though it was darkness...they loved it. They held on to it with all of their might. They refused the logos of God, tried to extinguish the Light, and crucified the Lord of glory.

When I begin to think of Jesus' rejection in this way, it causes me to stop and think about myself. What would I have done in that day? What am I doing now? Is there an area of my life where I am rejecting the logos of God? Are there people that I am unwilling to call neighbor? Is there some kind of authority that I'm not willing to live under? Are my ideas of GOD more important to me than the Abba of Jesus? I ask these questions because I realize how easy it is to embrace the darkness of our own thinking rather than the Light of His glory.

The Good News:
Jesus took their rejection.
Jesus took their shame.
Jesus embraced the crucifixion.
Why? Because He knew that it was only way into the darkness.
"He who knew no sin became sin for us, that we could become the righteousness of God in Him."
Christ the Redeemer. Arms opened wide. Hallelujah! What a Savior!

And On The Fourth Day...

On Monday a friend of mine posted this on facebook: "And on the fourth day the disciples had some swagger."
BRILLIANT!

The last few days were a whirlwind. On the first day, their Master had fallen. Betrayed by a disciple. Killed by his own countrymen. Buried in a borrowed tomb. On the second day, the silence was deafening. The questions were swirling. What could they have done differently? All hope seemed lost. On the third day...RESURRECTION! He's ALIVE! They had encountered the risen Lord. On the fourth day...?

I want you to imagine the boldness these men and women now possessed.
Their Rabbi, their Master, their LORD had overcome death and the grave.
What's next?

Over the next few weeks (40 days), Jesus would continue to unveil truth. He would remind them of coming Holy Spirit. He would continue to speak into their lives. He would tell them of His plan: "Go and make disciples of all nations..." In 10 days the Feast of Pentecost would be upon them. That is when the Spirit will come. That is when they would be endued with power. That is when they will know that He is in the Father, they are in Him, and He is in them.

The resurrection of Jesus changed everything. EVERYTHING! The tomb became a womb that would birth new life. Jesus unleashed His disciples to walk in His power, to share of His Good News, and to teach the world what it means to walk with Him. For years I believed that the only way that we could fulfill the Great Commission was by preaching and evangelism. However, here's how the Lord has been teaching me recently. I pray that it will enable you to walk in the same boldness as these great men and women.

"Go and make disciples of all nations and teach them what I have given to you...
Teach them Love for the Father and One Another.
Teach them Forgiveness, Compassion, and Mercy.
Teach them how to walk in Abundant Life, Peace, and Joy."

How do we do that?

"Wherever men receive you, allow your peace to remain. Share your life with them. Give of yourself fully. Bless them - don't curse them. Freely you have received, freely give. Testify of my goodness in your life. Walk with them in the Fruit of the Spirit. It won't be easy, but I am with you. My Spirit goes before you. They are my inheritance. Whatever you do for the least of these, you do unto Me."

Does this sound too simple? YES! Is this attainable? ABSOLUTELY!
As we begin to see the Father's love for all humanity, begin to understand the finished work of Christ, then fulfilling the Great Commission doesn't mean I have to stand on a soap box in the middle of town, knock on all the doors in the neighborhood, or necessarily get on a place to an impoverished country. I can do those things. They are definitely within the realm of possibility. In fact, I've done most of them. But the reality of the Gospel also means that I can live out my faith through love, through acts of service to my fellow man, and by walking in my identity every day of my life. I can fulfill the Great Commission during a cookout. I can share of His goodness in any conversation. I can walk in extreme confidence that Jesus got what He paid for and I get to awaken people to that reality.

The disciples of Jesus began fulfilling the Great Commission in Jerusalem. The message caught fire. It wasn't easy but it was happening. Eventually they left home and went into the neighboring places. Turning the world upside down. Thousands upon thousands would come to the faith. In the wake of this amazing move of God, families began opening their homes. Communities would come together. They would pray, share, laugh, cry, eat, and worship together. They began sharing all their possessions. Meeting the needs of everyone they could. They had all things in common. It's a beautiful picture of the Kingdom of God. It's life full of love, full of joy, and full of remarkable peace. Sure, they had their issues, but they overcame with Him.

This is the confidence of the Lord among us. Starting with our very own community, the church, we spread out in our neighborhoods. We extend the same grace and love that was extended to us. We speak of the reality of His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. We minister to the broken and the needy among us. We are not content to keep this life to ourselves. We have experienced the abundant life that Jesus promised, and we see that it is the right of every human being to experience it as well.

Fulfilling the Great Commission meant death for all of the disciples except John, but they never wavered. They walked like Abraham, fully convinced that Jesus was able to do what He promised. They believed that all He accomplished would change everything. EVERYTHING. And it did. We are here today, professing faith in Jesus, because they were willing to walk in this confidence. They had seen the Risen and Ascended Lord. What could He not do through them? To quote C.S. Lewis, "He's not safe - but He's good."

Statements, Questions, & Declarations (Good Friday)

Good Friday.
Good Friday?
Good Friday!
Punctuation makes all the difference doesn't it? Good Friday can be a statement, a question, and/or a declaration. From what I understand of the Gospels, and church history, it is all of the above. The interesting thing about Good Friday is that it hinges upon what happened on the following Sunday. Sunday changed everything. What could have been seen as just another martyr dying for a religious cause, another rebel dying because of a failed insurrection, or another fool dying for an unworthy cause; Jesus' death left a mark on all of humanity.

While the death of Jesus adequately demonstrated the love of God for humanity, it also demonstrated man's complete ignorance and utter blindness towards the Father. Who could have ever conceived that our betrayal would lead to our deliverance? That our misplaced anger would shed light upon the Father's goodness? That the worst of humanity would showcase the beauty of our God? Little did we know that Jesus' death would be wrapped up in the predetermined purpose of God. That all of our misunderstanding, our fear, our shame, and our sin was wrapped up in the Father's plan. That Jesus would absorb every last drop and carry it with Him to the tomb. This is the "hidden wisdom" to our glory.

The Statements
What does the crucifixion of Jesus really say?
It says that Jesus was right. Men truly loved the darkness rather than the Light.
It says that the Father was unmoved by our ignorance. That His love would endure.
It says that religion can bring out the worst in us.
It says that, more often than not, we have no clue to what the Father is doing.
It says that God's purposes are greater than our plans.

The Questions
What does the crucifixion of Jesus bring into question?
It brings into question our understanding of G-O-D.
It brings into question our understanding of the Scriptures.
It brings into question our understanding of ourselves.
It brings into question our religious practices (ALL OF THEM).
It brings into question our sense of justice, mercy, grace, and vengeance.

The Declarations
What does the crucifixion of Jesus declare?
It declares that we are loved!
It declares that "IT IS FINISHED!"
It declares that humanity will never be the same!
It declares that history was forever changed!
It declares that God is Good!

Of course, the death of Jesus makes more statements, creates more questions, and offers many more declarations than what I have listed. But the reality is that we struggle with just these few. Here we are 2,000 years later still wrestling with the implications. Still arguing over theology. Still missing out on the abundant life that was provided. Jesus' death marked the end of Adam's race as we knew it. His resurrection would signal a rebirth - a new creation - a humanity where He was known as the firstborn among many brethren. Oh, the mystery of the Gospel.

The Apostle Paul penned these words: "None of the rulers of this age understood it, for IF they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." They missed it! No one saw this coming. No one imagined the reward of the suffering servant of Isaiah. No one could see past the tip of their religious noses. No one understood the implications of this one day in history. "He made Him who knew no sin to become sin for us..." Did anybody see that coming? "...that we might become the righteousness of God." How could we? This sounds nothing like the God who needed appeasement. This sounds nothing like the God of wrath, judgment, and utter displeasure that we had grown accustomed to. This is not the God who cannot wait to condemn the masses. This sounds more and more like the Abba of Jesus:
"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him."
"I did not come to be served, but to serve and to give my life as a ransom."

Are you beginning to understand? Do you now see why I wrote yesterday that the main question for Paul was not "How can an individual be saved?" but that it was more about "How is this possible?"
How did the Father wrap up all of humanity in Jesus?
How were we included in His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension?
What does all of this mean as we move forward?
Jew and Gentile, Slave and Free, Male and Female - all divisions are gone. All are one in Christ. Not by our faith but by His. Not by our trust in the Father's plan but by His trust. Humanity for a moment became pawns in the hands of the purpose of God. In their ignorance, they partnered with the Father. Once again we would find a Tree at the center of the story. Once again we would hear the words of a deceiver. Once again we would find ourselves on the wrong side of a decision. The difference? The fruit of the latter tree versus the fruit of the former. Where one tree led to death and destruction, another tree led to life and glory. Where the fruit of one tree plunged humanity into darkness, the fruit of another pulled us into the Light. Where the First Adam fell, the Last Adam triumphed. This is the beautiful Gospel!!!

Good Friday? Only when you consider the goodness of God.

May we never forget.

Isaiah 53 - A Gentile Perspective

As the Western Church approaches its celebration of Easter (a time when we remember the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus), I cannot help but to be in awe of the foreknowledge of God. I have always believed that the thrust of Paul's Gospel was the inclusion of the Gentiles within Christ's finished work. It is against this backdrop that I found myself reading Isaiah 53. What a beautiful Gospel!

The Apostle Paul argues that the inclusion of the Gentiles is at the heart of the gospel. Often calling it the "mystery of the gospel" (Eph. 6:19), he explains that it was something not previously revealed (Rom. 16:25; Eph. 3:3-9; Col. 1:27). But now, through the teaching of the apostles, it's being make known. Much of the church has typically thought that the main question for Paul was "How can the individual be saved?," but it seems to me that the more pressing question is, "How is it that the Gentiles are included in the New Covenant?" This is what I call the tension of the New Testament. There is an individual aspect of salvation along with the belief of universal redemption. Which begs the question: "Whose iniquities (the ALL OUR of Isaiah) were laid upon HIM (the Messiah)?"

This question, along with many others, goes to the heart of the matter. How are we to interpret Isaiah 53, as well as the many other texts that give reference to the finished work of Christ? What are we to believe about God so loving the world? How do we apply what Paul refers to as the predetermination of the Father in Ephesians 1? Even more important than our answers to these questions would be our communication of these truths.

Isaiah 53 begins with this question: "Who has believed our report?" I often wonder if Isaiah could see the mystery of the Gospel in what would follow. Did He understand the inclusion of the Gentiles when he spoke of the iniquity of us all? Could he see the reward of the suffering servant including ALL nations/ALL people?

See this text through the eyes of a Gentile:
"Surely He carried the griefs of ALL; even though we considered Him stricken, smitten, and afflicted of God. But He was pierced through for the transgressions of JEWS AND GENTILE, He was crushed for the the iniquities of EVERYONE; the chastening of the peace and well being of HUMANITY fell upon Him, and by His stripes WE WERE ALL HEALED." (verses 4-5) *paraphrased based upon the mystery of the Gospel.

We can no longer view Isaiah 53 based upon a purely Jewish perspective.
We also cannot translate the finished work of Christ simply based upon the experience of the Church.
The "One New Man" that the Apostle Paul speaks of has been established in Christ. Jew and Gentile are finally together in Him. Our part in history, in this story, is the unfolding of that revelation.

As we approach Good Friday and our celebration of the resurrection of Christ, I pray that our eyes would be opened. May we see ALL PEOPLE in Him. May we rescue the mystery of the Gospel from all of our schisms. May we determine in our hearts to see the love of the Father for THE WHOLE WORLD.

YOU ARE INCLUDED!!!