The Power of Questions

Luke 2:46-47, "Finally, after three days they found Him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers."

I've talked about this before, but it is so powerful. Mary and Joseph have lost Jesus. They took Him to the temple at the prescribed time. However, somewhere along the journey back home they realized He was nowhere to be found. Now...before you think they were bad parents, I honestly believe that because of the tradition of the Jews that they didn't "lose" Jesus the way we often lose our kids (or forget about them). They just expected Jesus to be making the journey back home with them. Little did they know that He had been invited to sit at the feet of great teacher in Israel. Beginning His training as a rabbi. All because of some really good questions.

Most of us know that Jesus is the answer. The problem is that most of us don't know the questions. Or we haven't learned how to ask the right questions. So much of our journey has been to sit at the feet of knowers. People who have all the answers. We have been trained to think logically, to reason Scripture with Scripture, to know "yes and no." What we haven't learned how to live with is paradox or tension. And many of us were even taught to not ask questions because we might be perceived as questioning God. Well, here is God questioning man.

Jesus, as a young boy, had to come into an understanding of who He was. I'm sure there was the counsel of His mother. The reciting of the prophecies concerning His birth. The Scriptures that He had grown to understand. Along with His own relationship with His Heavenly Father. All of these things combined to create an inquisitive boy who could ask questions that no one had dared to ask before. It was all a part of the recruiting process for rabbinical training. What amazes me in these verses is that they were amazed at His understanding (which was clearly noticed in His questions) as well as His answers. Why? Because you cannot have solid answers without asking the right questions.

Our faith is a mystery revealed. However, within this revelation is even more mystery. Not a mystery that cannot be solved, but enough mystery that keeps us coming to the Father for understanding. Enough mystery to drive us deeper into the Spirit. Enough mystery that keeps us asking questions, believing that we will receive the answers.

Questions have led to some incredible revelations in my own life. They have allowed me to know the Father at a depth that I would have not come into otherwise. They have allowed me to understand more about myself, how I do life, and how I relate to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It keeps me humble. It keeps me intrigued with life and creation. It helps me to be gracious to others who ask questions as well. I think this is important because quite honestly we have so limited our understanding of GOD. We have put God in a box, carried Him in our pocket, and somehow thought we have cornered the market on Him. We have our explanations. We can give you Scriptures. But do we really know Him and have we really experienced Him. Our questions are a vital part of this journey. Without them we become stagnated. Life cannot flow through.

Deer Season opens up here in VA and I have plans to be in a tree stand. I cannot wait. Not so much for the opportunity to be successful in my hunting, but because I love the silence. I love being in this creation. I love the peace that it brings to my spirit. And the opportunity it provides to clear my mind, fellowship with the Father, and ask the questions that I have failed to ask up to this point. So much revelation has come in a tree stand. So many intimate moments with the Lord have taken place in the middle of the woods. So many answers have been confirmed in my spirit. All because I took the time to ask.

I heard a teacher the other day say these words: "Sometimes one good question is better than a thousand answers."

Enjoy the journey!

The Grace to Lose

It doesn't take long to figure out that Paul is dealing with some major issues in the Corinthian Church. It seems as though there is division on every level. They were divided over who to follow. Divided over the gifts they carried. Divided over how to handle conflict. This letter is strong but full of love and compassion for the people. Even though there are these major issues, this letter is probably contains some of the most quoted verses. The verse I want to share with you today, however, is not one of them. In fact, I wonder how many people actually know these verses exist.

Every Friday night, our High School football team repeats a prayer. In that prayer they actually recite these words: "If we should lose, let us stand by the road and cheer as the winners go by." I don't know of anyone who actually means these words. However, it is still part of the prayer. A recognition that in the game of football there are winners and losers. We don't always play our best game. We don't always pull it out in the end. Sometimes it just doesn't come together. Winning is the ultimate goal. We pray about that as well. But here in these words we discover the right way to handle loss. A humility that is willing to recognize the accomplishment of another. Believe it or not, there is GRACE to lose.

In Chapter 6 of this letter, Paul is condemning the actions of the people. They had started taking one another to court rather than handle things themselves. He even asks if there is not an elder among them that could settle the matters they are facing. Verse 7 really highlights the difficulty we face in many of our relationships. An unwillingness on our part to give up, to give in, and to allow others to be the winner.
"Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded?"
Let me ask you: How often do you quote this verse? How rare is the humility to allow others to think what they will, say what they will say, and allow yourself to be done wrong? If we are honest, most of us fight. We argue. We try to validate ourselves. We don't stand for accusation and we do not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of. While I haven't seen a lot of believers take one another to an actual court, I have witnessed this need to be justified play out over and over again. What we don't realize is that when we accuse an accuser that we are operating in the same spirit. And it is one thing to be accused and quite another to take the role of the accuser. You might remember that the enemy is referred to as THE ACCUSER in Scripture. Something to think about.

I understand that this is a difficult thing to talk about. We weren't raised to be doormats. We were not brought up with the idea of giving up a fight. However, it seems that what Paul is teaching the people is that there are some fights that are not worth winning. Especially when they put the Church is such a bad light. How often do we think about that? How often do people actually consider that there actions are a reflection of the Lord to the world. Good or bad. If that is the case, and it is, then it might be time for us to lay down our arms.

Jesus stood before His accusers and was silent. Oh the grace to keep my mouth shut!
He didn't argue. He didn't fight for His life. He barely even answered their questions. He knew who He was. To fight and to argue would have only complicated the matter. He knew where He was going. He kept silent in the face of persecution, knowing that the Cross was to follow. And maybe that is the thing that we have to understand. That in the end He knew that His Father would validate Him. That there comes a time where you don't fight for what is rightfully yours but that you trust in who the Father is for you. That you believe in the face of horrible circumstances that He will work all things for good. Even the loss of possessions, reputation, or stature. How you and I handle these moments actually says a lot about who we are in Him. Paul's advice? Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded?

Not only is there grace to keep my mouth shut, but there is grace to know my identity in the face of false accusations. There is a grace to lose whatever I have to lose and still come out on the other side victorious. I realize that we have no idea what these people were going to court over. The letter doesn't go into detail about that. However, there is enough detail to know that the way they were fighting was wrong. That they hadn't learned how to govern themselves. Which is probably the greatest tragedy in all of this. Paul speaks this to their shame, and is a reminder to us that as believers we have an incredible amount of authority among one another. We have to trust in the judgement of the elders among us. Believing that they have the grace to carry out justice. In all honesty I believe that Paul was saying that if you are not willing to handle this within the Body then you should just give up whatever you need to give up. And if the outcome isn't what you would like then you need to trust those who are over you.

What a lesson for the church of today. Many of our churches are set up with a democratic government. Majority rules is the status quo. And while most people sign up for this type of structure, I'm amazed at how many people abandon a family because they did not like the decision of the majority. I'm not saying that this is the best style of church government, I'm just stating that there is an issue when we take our toys and go home. Does this not demonstrate how immature many adults have become? What do we think this says to the world? Forget our validations for just a moment and consider what damage we have done to the Kingdom. The admonishment of Paul still stands. Which is, in essence, why not allow another to win.

Peter told the church to humble themselves under the mighty hand of God. Then he followed it up with this brilliant line: "He will exalt you in due time." I realize that this goes against everything that we have been taught in a democratic western society, but the church was never meant to be governed this way. We were never meant to treat one another in this fashion. His love among us speaks a different language, and His grace within us looks very very different. I know this isn't a popular topic. I know that most people want to know about the grace to win. I understand. But there are times when we need to learn how to lose. When we have to learn to not validate ourselves. To trust that you can be right while being wronged and the Lord knows all about it. How we carry ourselves will make all the difference. In fact, you can WIN while losing. Grace will teach you.

Praying for Our Nation

As I laid in the bed last night, the images of rioting in Charlotte continued to play out through my mind. As I prayed for the people there, I also prayed for our nation. It was during my time of prayer that I heard the words of one of my favorite Christmas carols/hymns come flooding into my heart and mind:
HIS LAW IS LOVE
HIS GOSPEL IS PEACE

Then it occurred to me that we were meant to rule together not rule one another.

May His Gospel of Peace remind us that we should be living in peace and goodwill toward all men. May we walk in love with one another. Red, Yellow, Black, and White...they are all precious in His sight. Pray for the peace of America.

It May Sound Cliché...

I have never been a fan of church marquees. It just always seems to me that so many of them went up in a hurry without any true thought going behind them. I read some of them and have to wonder where in the world they found such a bad one liner. Irregardless of how I feel, there is a church marquee that most of us have read. As cliché as it may sound there is a whole lot of truth to it.

I write this on the heels of news that broke just recently about a couple of megachurch pastors who have resigned for various reasons. The last one stated that he was tired, broken, and had been leading on empty for months. As I reflected upon his reasoning I couldn't help but wonder how many authentic relationships he had around him. How many people did he have in his life where he could be real. You know...the ones you can tell anything to without judgement. The ones who will pray for you in your struggles and actually know your struggles. The people who don't need the facade, the mask, or the celebrity self. I also wonder what in the world the rest of his staff was doing during all of this (or if he was one of those guys who felt the need to control everything). It served as a reminder of why we need to rediscover koinonia.

In Acts 2:42 we read that the people who came to know the Lord had devoted themselves to the apostle's teaching AND TO THE FELLOWSHIP. The Koinonia. It wasn't enough to simply believe. It wasn't enough to say that this was their new community. They were all in - all the time. They went from house to house. They shared life together. They committed themselves to the building up of the family. They prayed, the sang, they communed, the lived in a constant state of koinonia (shared life/fellowship/your part).

What we have witnessed in these resignations is the lack of genuine fellowship that we are supposed to share. Most of these megachurch pastors feel the need to be good CEO's rather than pastors. They step way outside of the calling and move into an executive role within the Body of Christ. The problem is, in my opinion, is that most of these guys got into ministry because of genuine call and a need to influence the lives of people. Taking on such a huge task means that their calling, their vocation, has little to do with relationship and more to do with reputation. Many of them get caught up in speaking at conferences, writing books, making public appearances, and the like. It's rare for these men and women to have actual relationships with the people that sit under their teaching. The koinonia is lost for them and it has been replaced by the corporation.

What's missing? U R!

I realize that in western society, in particular within American Christianity, we have grown accustomed to our current church models and structures. It's so ingrained within us that we honestly don't know how to function outside of the regular Sunday Christianity. We have come to expect buildings, expect programs, expect multi-layer staff, and expect big productions when it comes to church. Without much engagement on our end at all. We can come and receive what we have paid good money to receive. Plugging into the Body is really only something that we do when we want. Can you imagine what the Early Church would have looked like if they had our consumer mentality?

The Body needs U.
There are gifts and callings that U possess.
There is a part of the Lord that U carry that only U can give expression to within the church.
If U R missing then WE are missing out.

It's time for the members to step off of the sidelines. To let the leaders know that they can be counted upon. To engage in authentic relationships and stop playing church. It is time for the Body of Christ to become the community that we were always meant to become rather than be de-legitimized within the world. They need us and we need them. But we have to give them something they have not experienced: KOINONIA.

I know we have talked about this before, but I will continue to talk until this dream within the Father's heart becomes a living breathing reality among us. This is our journey. Let's go there together.

Where Did You Get That Idea?

There is no doubt about it. If you choose to proclaim a good God, a God who who is full of love, grace, and mercy, you're going to upset some people. I'm not sure why. I haven't figured out why Good News isn't good news to so many people. Especially those who speak of loving God. You talk to some people about the God who was revealed in Jesus and they stare back at you like a calf staring at a new gate. They are trying to reconcile this good God that you are sharing with the schizophrenic god that they have grown up with. You know...the one that they can't really trust. The one that they have to appease and satisfy. The one who seems to be blessing you one day and taking it all away the next. Where did we get this kind of idea about God?

Here's a thought: Why don't we lay aside any ideas we have about God and look for Him in the revelation of Jesus?
According to the writer of Hebrews, Jesus is the EXACT REPRESENTATION of the Father. It seems only right that we would get our understanding of God through Him. If I wanted to know a father in those days I would rather hear from a son rather than a servant. I would rather learn from the one who has been in relationship from the beginning rather than the one who is trying to box the father into their own understanding. Think about it! We have all met someone after hearing about them from a person who didn't have a good opinion of them. It taints our view. After we have a conversation or spend some time with them we walk away saying "That was a much better experience than I expected." I really do believe that the more we get to know Jesus' Father the more we will walk away from our misunderstandings. Amazed at just how good He is.

I was thinking along these lines the other day when I was considering the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. For the first time in my life, after 25 years of walking with the Lord - 23 of those invested in ministry, I discovered something in the fruit of the Spirit that I had never seen before. I saw the nature of our Heavenly Father. I realized that what His Spirit produces in us when we walk in Him is nothing short of the very things that our Father possesses in Himself. We are not supposed to read about the fruit of the Spirit and separate it from the character of the Spirit. However, I think that is what we often do. We read through this list and begin to ask ourselves how much we can check off. We have made them things that we must fulfill rather than things that we get to enjoy. We have placed it all on our shoulders rather than allow the Spirit to produce them. And we have completely kept the Father out of the equation.

God does not ask us to walk in anything that He is not already. He's not saying to walk in love while He walks in the contrary. He's not telling us to be joyful while He is perpetually upset. He's not requiring us to be good while He is evil. Where did we get that idea? It comes from the god of our own imagination. The god that we grew up with. The god that was fashioned in our darkness rather than the Abba of Jesus. If this is what the Spirit produces in us then it is fair to say that these things are in the Father as well.

Love - AGAPE - We have Scripture to verify this one: "GOD IS LOVE."
Joy - cheerfulness - aka calm delight. Who speaks of God in these terms? I remember reading that the joy of the Lord is our strength.
Peace - prosperity of soul - quietness - rest.
Patience - steadfastness and/or endurance. "The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise...but is patient towards you."
Kindness - carries the idea of peacemaking. God was in Christ reconciling the world. Oh...and why are the peacemakers blessed?
Goodness - uprightness of heart and life. "Taste and see that the Lord is good."
Faithfulness - "God IS faithful."
Gentleness - meekness - strength under control. Sounds like our Heavenly Father.
Self-Control - ability to master desires and passions. Our Heavenly Father isn't controlled by His emotions. He's driven by what He has predetermined in His heart.

This is more than God simply revealing truths about Himself. He is revealing Himself. This is a relational encounter with the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control of our Heavenly Father. This is not a list of the attribute of a Christian but a manifestation of the Spirit of God in our lives. WOW!!! What a difference.

I'm not saying that God is a teddy bear. I'm not saying that He cannot speak to us sternly, discipline us, or not be pleased with some of the boneheaded decisions we make. What I am saying is that the Father is predisposed in His affection towards us. He speaks to us as His children. Any discipline is for our good - not His. He is always working in us, conforming us into the image of His Son, reminding us of the life that He has placed within and before us. He's not for you because you are behaving correctly. He was for you before you were ever born. He loved the world and gave His Son. That love has not failed, has not been extinguished, and will not fade away. It's His choice. You may be able to choose to experience this love personally, but you will not deter what He has already chosen to do in your life or change Him from who He has decided to be for you.

Take some time to look through this for yourself. Ask Jesus to reveal His Father to you. I'm not saying that this is an exhaustive list. What I am saying is that it is a good place to start. When we walk in the Spirit we will encounter His nature, and His nature will be revealed in us. Enjoy the journey!