The Blessing Continues

I trust that everyone had a Merry Christmas. I stopped by the blog today to wish you all a Happy New Year & to remind you that the blessing of the season continues.

In fact, this is not a seasonal blessing but an eternal one. I trust that you will discover in Christ the joy, peace, love, and purpose that is meant to be yours. My prayer is that you see the Kingdom continue to manifest in your life.

Jesus' coming was only the beginning. His life displayed all that is possible when man walks in relationship with the Father. His ministry proved that love is the most powerful tool in seeing people reconciled to the Father. His death proved that He was willing to go into the depths of our darkness so that His light could be fully seen. His resurrection became the re-birthing of humanity as we were loosed from the bondage of death & the grave. His ascension has restored humanity to our rightful place in face to face communion with the Godhead. The coming of the Holy Spirit calls to remembrance the words: "In that day, you will know that I am in my Father, and you in Me, & I in you."

The government was always meant to be upon His shoulders. We simply get to carry it in our hearts. We have the opportunity to see the righteousness, peace, & joy of the Holy Spirit (which is the Kingdom) manifest in our daily lives. We get to share it with everyone around us.

The blessing continues...

ENJOY THE JOURNEY!!!

Living in a Reconciled World

I made a statement this past Sunday which I think speaks specifically to the problem of religion. Religion, the way in which I define it, is any system we create to to appease God. It's steeped within our insecurity about the nature of God. And...unfortunately, it's something we pass along to many unsuspecting seekers. Including our children.

The statement I made is quite simple: "You will never have to lead a child to the Lord if you never lead them away." In other words, a child will never believe they are far from God unless you teach them. This is one of the greatest problems that religion possesses. In religion we have steps that have to be taken - hoops that must be jumped through. The idea that a child could grow up naturally into the faith seems so foreign to us. However, that is exactly they way they were meant to be raised.

If you buy into the goods that religion has sold us, this may be hard for you to grasp. However, I want you to stick with me for a minute. Religion tells us that in order to accept Christ then one must first admit they are a sinner. It's an interesting theory, but you just don't find it in the Gospels. In fact, you see something quite different. Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 19:14 to, "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven." Those in religious circles believe that a child has to take our adult "steps" to come to faith in Christ. Jesus would tell us that we have it backwards. We need to become like them.

I cannot tell you the times I have seen children turned away from making a profession of faith. Not only have I seen it, I've done it. Wanting to make sure they understood it all. Believing that I had their best interest at heart. And the reality is that it was my own misunderstandings about the nature of God that got in the way. No child, or adult for that matter, has to fulfill some religious obligations. The Bible simply calls on us to believe.

It is my belief that you could raise a child to know that they are loved by God and that they will love Him in return. You teach them about Jesus coming into the world to rescue humanity and their faith is awakened. They naturally want to follow Him. I've seen it over & over again. To put anything more on them other than believing is to hinder them in coming to the Father.

You might think this isn't a big deal but I want you to understand the implications. We have raised countless generations of children who grew up into adults believing that they are far away from God. We have taught them that there is something wrong with them. Something that happened to them by just simply being alive. We have taught them that they are sinners through no fault of their own but that God is going to hold them accountable. This is not the testimony of Scripture. The Apostle Paul actually told a group of idol worshipers that God was not far from them at all. If they would believe, they would experience the abundant life of Christ.

The Father gave to the Apostles & the early church the ministry of reconciliation. The message of this ministry was that the Father was in the Son reconciling the world unto Himself. This message was proclaimed nearly 2000 years ago. Fast forward to the day of your birth. You were born into a world that had already been reconciled. There was peace between you & the Father from the moment you came out of your mother's womb. You could have been raised with that understanding. You could have been raised with an awareness of the Father's love for you. Because of the grace of God, you could have been empowered to walk in relationship with Him from the time you were a little child. The majority of us were not raised in this manner. Instead, we were raised with the religious understanding of our parents or culture. The belief that we are sinners from birth actually creates rebellion in our hearts. To make matters worse, we had the Law placed upon our shoulders. Need I go on? Can you see the difference?

I'm believing for a generation that is raised with the awareness of the Father's love. A generation who doesn't have to wait for an "age of accountability" before they make a decision for Christ. A generation who walks naturally in faith & professes Christ through their life. A generation who never has to question who they are in Christ. I'm committed to this generation while trying to help mine gain the foundation they were always meant to walk in. There's a lot of work to be done. However, the more childlike we become in our faith the greater the possibilities.

The Narrative of Redemption

Have you every considered that the Gospel is a part of a much bigger narrative? I was reminded of this when I considered how much of Jewish history was passed down through oral tradition. This is why when you read the Bible that much of the history is presented in narrative form. Unlike a history book, the Bible doesn't gives you dates & facts. Instead, the writings tell a story. During this holiday season, I want you to consider the coming of Christ as crucial to the narrative of man's redemption. The WORD was made flesh & dwelt among us.

Rather than retell the story, I want to help you with the perspective. The Incarnation of Christ set in motion events that would change everything in the world. Your story is tied to His in more ways than you may understand. Jesus is the hope of the world, not just the Christian.

I want you to consider being born into a Jewish family during biblical days. The story of man's creation, fall, and the promise of the coming Seed would be a practical part of your upbringing. The hope of a coming Messiah who would deliver Israel once & for all would be commonplace to your faith. They had heard the promises of God. They knew that the Seed of the woman would one day crush the head of the serpent. They had heard the stories of a coming Savior. This was normal faith during the days before Christ.

The narrative after the coming of Christ changed dramatically. The story of man's creation & fall would still be a part of the narrative. However, the promise of the Father & the prophecies of His servants had been fulfilled. The promised Seed had come & the serpents head had been crushed. The virgin had conceived & delivered a Son. He had lived a perfect life in relationship to the Father. He died a cruel death and was raised from the dead. His death, burial, & resurrection ushered in a new age for humanity. We had been redeemed.

When you begin to look at the Gospel in narrative form, you can clearly see how Jesus changed everything. You begin to see the coming of the Christ as a child, the taking on of flesh, the life He led, the ministry He performed, and His finished work in a whole new light. What Jesus did, He did for all of humanity. Period. What Jesus accomplished, He accomplished for all of us. It may not fit neatly into our doctrinal stances, but it fits perfectly into the narrative of God. This is why Paul could write the words, "before the foundation of the world..." God always had a plan. He knew the fall of Adam & Eve would take place. The promise of the Seed was not a reaction to their sin, but the response of His will. If the Father were telling the story, He could easily say that He created them - they fell - but I redeemed them.

The Apostles & the Early Church carried this message of the Good News. IT HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED!!! The Seed has come. The enemy has been crushed. We have been reconciled to the Father. The question still remains: Will you believe?

What is so important about believing?

What you believe determines how you live. You can rest in the finished work of Christ or you can somehow try to be reconciled to the Father through your own efforts. You can eat freely from the Tree of Life or you can try to work it out. You can embrace the Father's demonstration of love through Jesus, or you can embrace a religious system. It is quite a game changer. The Father knew humanity was lost. He knew that were trapped in the darkness. He knew they were separated from Him in they way they thought. He came to restore, to redeem, & to rescue.

I ask you to look at the Gospel as a part of the narrative of God & humanity. The Gospel is the GOOD NEWS portion. When you do that, you understand why the coming of Christ was announced as "Good Tidings of Great Joy that will be unto All People." If mankind were left to our own devices, our own way of thinking, & our own systems of religion, the narrative would look much different. However, in the Father's narrative of His creation, Jesus changed everything.

Religion today has robbed the narrative of its power & beauty. It has kept us bound in the fall of Adam & fails to see us in the light of Christ's finished work. It makes us the center of attention rather than the centrality of Christ. This is especially true in our Western Culture. It's time for us to recapture the wonder, the sheer excitement, and joy of the Father's heart. It's time to see ourselves included & invited to participate in relationship with the Father. May we no longer be unbelievers of the Father's goodness, but my our hearts burst with gratitude for His unfailing love. It's the narrative of our redemption. It is the Greatest Story ever told.

Thoughts on Christmas

First of all, allow me to apologize for the sporadic behavior in my writing. It seems as though every year around this time, the time between Thanksgiving & Christmas, that I struggle to keep up with the blog. I appreciate your willingness to stick it out with me. Now...some thoughts on Christmas.

I did something yesterday that I rarely do. In fact, I can only think of 3 other times I have done this in my adult life. I bought a Christmas album. The temptation was too great. Unlike my daughter who begins playing Christmas music immediately after Thanksgiving, I've never been a big fan of it. Sure, I have some favorite songs out there, but to buy an entire album means that I have dedicated myself in a purchase to the sounds of a season. In other words, it's an album that I listen to once a year.

What made this album so different you might ask? It's Kim Walker-Smith! Not only is her voice captivating, the thoughts behind her doing a Christmas album meant that the songs wouldn't be the same. The album has not disappointed. It is an incredible blend of spiritual Christmas carols & holiday favorites. It's also exactly what I needed this holiday season. A perfect 17 song collection where I can meditate, reflect upon the joy of the season, & simply enjoy the atmosphere.

What has prompted this kind of thinking? To be honest with you, it's been an extremely busy time of year. My wife's grandmother is in the hospital, our calendar is filled with obligations, and (like so many of you) we have been running in all kinds of directions. That's the mental & physical side of it. On the spiritual side of things, I woke up the other morning with "Joy to the World" playing in my head. I was amazed at the amount of comfort this song brought to me. Immediately I was whisked away to a childhood memory. There I was as an elementary school age kid standing on the stage of Lambsburg Christian Church. We were holding our annual Christmas program. I could clearly see the dimly lit sanctuary, the poster boards down front reminding people of their lines, and the smiles of family & friends. All seemed right in the world. I stuck my chest out, raised up my head, and was singing to the top of my lungs "JOY TO THE WORLD - THE LORD HAS COME - LET EARTH RECEIVE HER KING..." In that moment I was reminded of the simplicity of the message. I felt the peace, the joy, & the absolute assurance of the love of our Father.

He Has Come & We Will Never Be The Same!!!

Our world forever changed in that moment. The arrival of the Christ child signaled the dawning of a new age. Humanity had been lost in darkness. Groping to understand life, the nature of God, & how to live in peace with one another. The Incarnation demonstrated the heart of the Father for humanity. The Son chose to identify with us so much that He took on flesh. His name would be Emmanuel - GOD WITH US. Of course, we know the rest of the story. History reveals to us the life that He would live, the ministry He would perform, and the rejection that would be poured out upon Him. The Godhead knew all of this in the beginning. They stuck to the plan. The rejection of man would not stop the reconciliation of the Father. Emmanuel came to be a Redeemer. He came to Rescue. He came to Restore. "You will call Him Jesus because He will save His people from their sins." All of this wrapped up in the birth of a baby. All of this is what we celebrate this time of year.

Is it any wonder that the angel proclaimed, "Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to ALL PEOPLE..."? The dawning of this new age meant and end to old one. It ushered in a greater existence. It reminded us, once again, of what had been lost. Our misunderstandings of the nature of the Father would be replaced with the awe inspiring knowledge of His love. His affection for His creation would be on full display. The blind would see. The lame would walk. Broken hearts would be mended. The prisoners & captives would go free. What I fully knew within my spirit as a child, what I sang about with all my might, & what I am now re-learning as an adult is that all is right in the world as it relates to the Father. The Lord has come & we will never be the same.

It is my prayer for you, that in the remaining 13 days you will be swept away in these thoughts. May your heart be forever persuaded about the love of the Father. May you be reminded that in the hustle & bustle of the season, that almost 2,000 years ago, PEACE arrived. Reflect upon His goodness. See the heart of the Father for you & all of mankind. REJOICE!!! THE LORD HAS COME!!!

Speaking the Truth in Love

In Ephesians 4, we hear the Apostle Paul encouraging the believers to "speak the truth in love." His words fit nicely into the remainder of the conversation. Unfortunately, as with many verses in the Bible, this phrase is often handled out of context & not within the writer's original intent. To speak the truth in love is not an excuse for criticism or condemnation. Speaking the truth in love is meant to propel each of us to see the fullness of God manifest in our lives.

To fully understand Paul's words, one must understand the backdrop of his letter. The greatest distractions from the truth that was found in Christ in those days were Legalism & Gnosticism. Legalism required a strict adherence to the Mosaic Law, along with faith, as a means of righteousness. Gnosticism, on the other hand, did not believe that the fullness of God could be manifest in a human body. This is why they rejected the idea that the Christ could be fully human & fully God. If you pay careful attention to these two different philosophies, you will discover at least one similarity: being human isn't good enough.

The reality is that within humanity we discover God's image & God's likeness. To be sure, that image & likeness is often shrouded with fear, cloaked in hate, muddied in the consequences of our choices, or even flat out rejected. However, image & likeness is still within the DNA of every individual. This is what Christ came to rescue, to redeem, & to recover. In order to rid the world of the notion of separation, He took on flesh. He became one of us. He demonstrated that the fullness of God could be manifest in our humanity. Not only was it manifest in His humanity, but also on display in the motley crew that followed Him. His teaching also pointed to a greater truth about the nature of our Father. In His death, He broke down the middle wall of separation (which was the Law), buried the old creation of Adam, and birthed a new creation within Himself in His resurrection. His ascension to the right hand of the Father, fully human & fully God, ensured that humanity was brought back to its rightful place. The Good News of the Gospel is the proclamation of this truth.

What does all of this have to do with "speaking the truth in love"? EVERYTHING!!!

Speaking the truth in love requires that I know the truth & that I am willing to see the truth in others. The way that I view people is no longer dictated by the rules of legalism. It's no longer clouded by the ideas of Gnosticism. I regard NO ONE according to the flesh. Instead, I choose to see people in image & likeness. The truth about them & myself is not rooted in our actions. The truth is rooted firmly within the finished work of Christ. If I choose to point out bad behavior, I do so from the place of seeing the truth manifest in the life of a person. It's not enough to tell someone what they are doing wrong. That's criticism. It's not enough to label someone with a particular sin. That's condemnation. In Christ, I have an obligation to dig deeper, to look deeper, and to discover the reality of Christ within them.

Speaking the truth in love also means that I am willing to walk with the individual until we see the truth manifest. This is what love does. Think about it. Jesus walked with His disciples for 3 - 3 1/2 years and they still struggled. What makes us think that just because a person prays a prayer, or commits to following Christ, that their lives are going to be perfect? The men & women who walked intimately with the TRUTH still fought against selfish gain, pride, walking in love, etc. The goal is being conformed to His image & the process is life. It's going to take time. This is why love is attached to the statement. Speaking the truth is not enough. Love is required to see the truth come to the surface.

You have to look back at Paul's letter to understand why this is important. It's done so that we can all "grow up in all aspects into Him who is the Head." The point of speaking the truth in love is so that we can all attain to the fullness that is Christ. It's a fullness that is ours, but it's in relationship that it is allowed to come forth. In Christ we discover a life that is connected with our brothers & sisters - those image & likeness bearers that often fail & often forget. It's also a reminder as to why KOINONIA is necessary. Our shared life together & our joint participation is crucial in seeing every person rise up to their potential. All of our gifts, everything that He has placed within us, work together so that He is fully manifest.

Too many people have believed that speaking the truth in love means pointing out what is wrong in the world. It's labeled as "calling sin, sin" and has been used to accuse, judge, and condemn. Without realizing it, the church is often partnering with the accuser of the brethren & agreeing with the lies that are evident in the lives of people who don't know who they are. The issue that I take with this is that you never see it in the ministry of Christ or the Apostles. The ministry of reconciliation tells people what God has done to reconcile humanity to Himself (and they have been reconciled) and it also points to the reality that they don't have to live life outside of it anymore. To label a particular group & bring down condemnation upon them actually further entrenches them in that lifestyle. It's the goodness of God that leads people to think & live differently (repentance), not any judgement that you might bring upon them.

I believe that it's high time for the church to recapture the view of humanity that our Father possesses. A humanity created in image & likeness. A humanity that is loved. A humanity that is not meant for condemnation but salvation. A humanity that finds its living, moving, & being in Him. A humanity that is still the object of His affection, the greatest means of filling the earth with His glory, and the inheritance of Christ. Speaking the truth in love calls out a greater reality than our current way of life. It also speaks to the depths of our existence. We know we were made for more. The truth in love creates an environment where we see this reality, this fullness, come to fruition. "Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is..." (1 John 3:2) "...as He is so also are we in this world." (1 John 4:17). WAKE UP my Brothers & Sisters!!! There is more to you than you realize.

Returning to Child Likeness

Several years ago I read an interesting fact. It was stated that when churches would hold a "Favorite Hymn Sunday" that the most requested song is "Jesus Loves Me." The amazing part was that the song was not requested by the children but by the senior adults. That's right! The elder members of the congregation chose to sing one of the first songs they ever learned in church. I believe there is something to learn here.

When Jesus walked upon the Earth, He praised His Father for revealing things to the children. It wasn't the intellectuals, the scholars, or the theologians that grasped the simplicity of what God was doing in their time. It was the unlearned. It was the uneducated. It was the ones who seemed to be so far away from God who received the message of God's grace. Maybe it's time we do the same.

I have a friend in ministry who is on staff at a particular church. When the opportunity arises for him to share with the congregation, He always shares messages about the unconditional love of God & our acceptance in Christ. Without fail, the older ones in that church come to him & thank him for preaching the truth. Some have even said things like, "This is something that I always knew was true in my heart but had never heard from the pulpit." Please pay careful attention to those words. They reveal something deep inside of you.

Think about it. If you grew up in church, then as a small child you heard the story of creation. You were brought to an understanding that God created the world, you, & everything in it. You were told that God loved you. You might have even made a paper crown that said "Child of the King." And then you were taught the words & tune to "Jesus Loves Me." Oh, how you would smile when you sang that song. You would throw your head back, stick out your chest, and sing with all your might the words "Jesus loves me this I know. For the Bible tells me so..." This song, as simple as it is, resonates within your spirit. You didn't realize it at that moment, but God was establishing something in you.

So what happened? How is it that so many people who are raised with this awareness lose the idea of God's love? It's quite simple actually. We lose it in complexity. We lose it in theology. We lose it within the ideas of works based faith. We lose it within our doctrines & our religion. It's still there. Still burning deep within you. However, we get swept away with so many other things. I find it interesting that what we teach kids about a loving God and His acceptance of them is considered right/proper, but when you try to teach these things to adults it's considered wrong (at best) or heretical (at worst). No one seems to have an answer as to why.

Where am I going with this? It's simple really. The more seasoned saints within our midst understand what I'm getting ready to point out. The older you get, the more eager you are to think upon the things that bring comfort. You are less confident about your ability to sustain the love that God has for you. You are old enough to know better. You have tried to jump through all the hoops & in the end there is one thing you are relying upon: the love that God has for you. That's why the first song you learned in church stirs your heart. There are no expectations. No religious hoops to jump through. No laws, rules, or traditions. All you know is that Jesus loves you. Why? Because the Bible tells you so. And that assurance is enough.

What if you were never taught fear?
It's the fear within so many that has questioned the simplicity of the Gospel.
The result has been a presentation that has mingled Grace with Works, Love with Fear, & Acceptance with Separation.
What has been lost is the simplicity of why Jesus came: to Redeem, to Rescue, & to Recover a lost humanity.
The Gospel has been reduced to the idea that you can accept Jesus. It has missed out on the incredibly GOOD NEWS that He has accepted us. Jesus said it Himself, "God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."

During this Holiday season, I want you to reflect upon the goodness of God. I want you to see the coming of the Messiah through the lens of God's love. This is a time of "GOOD TIDINGS of GREAT JOY which shall be to ALL PEOPLE..." What God has accomplished in Christ is so much greater than what many of us have believed. He, who is our life, came to give us life abundantly. Don't miss it. The Messiah has done what He came to do. Our belief in Him doesn't make it true, it simply allows us to experience all that He has done. That may sound too simple, but my encouragement to you is to return to child likeness. Return to what you already knew was true in your heart. YOU. ARE. LOVED.

What Do We Believe?

Ever have one of those days where you struggle to put into words what you are actually thinking? I'm having one of those days. I have so many thoughts running through my mind, so many topics that I would love to discuss (not write), and so many things I would love to tackle. However, that doesn't make for good blogging. So I will just go with this...

This question is not meant to set forth a line by line format of proper theology. I simply put it out there to stir your thinking. I'm finding more & more people who are more interested in what they believe rather than in WHOM they believe. Is it any wonder why there are so many Christian denominations (a nice way to say sects)? I honestly believe that if we would learn how to gather around "WHO" we believe in, then the "WHAT" we believe in will take care of itself.

When I read the book of Acts, I discover a group of people who have a confession. They know WHO they believe in. They have trusted in the Gospel message. They believe that Jesus Christ is exactly who the Apostles said He was/is. And this confession was enough for them to begin to live in community with one another. How times have changed!!!

In today's world, the community of the saints are gathered around a core set of beliefs and/or practices. It's these beliefs that actually create the community. To be sure, most of these groups do require a confession of Jesus as Lord, but there seems to be such an emphasis on everything else that He gets lost in the mix. Go look at the "What We Believe" section of most church websites & you will discover what is meant to set them apart from other churches. What most people don't consider is that many of the sections are generalities. It's not until you get into those churches that you begin to discover some of the specifics. But that is not the point of my blog today.

The point of my blog (today) is to ask the question: "What Do We Believe?"

Have we become so consumed with the specifics of our faith that we have failed to recognize the greatness of WHO we believe in? Have we become so bogged down in our theology & doctrines that we have missed out on the simplicity of Christ? He we become so preoccupied with crossing our "t's" & dotting our "i's" that we have lost the childlike faith that ushered us into this relationship in the first place?

I'm simply longing for a return to simplicity. A simplicity of faith that says "Jesus is ENOUGH." A simplicity of relationship that allows God to be a part of everything. A simplicity that recognizes that God doesn't need religion so that He can be a part of my life. A simplicity that recognizes Jesus' death, burial, resurrection, & ascension as a means of God restoring His fallen creation. A simplicity that rejoices in the finished work of Christ & realizes that I cannot add to or take away from it.

With all that being said, I'll tell you what I believe. I believe we have been playing a religious game rather than realizing that faith was meant to be a NORMAL part of life. So normal that I am awakened each morning with the understanding that God has given me breath in my lungs, a family to enjoy, & a life to live. So normal that I don't go through any part of my day without the realization that He is with me & for me. So normal that every person I encounter has the potential to experience the love of the Father in that moment & time. So normal that prayer isn't just a time of petitioning but a dialogue between my & my Father. So normal that the movement of the Holy Spirit in my life is not some whipped up emotional experience but like a continual wave of motion pulling me in the direction of the Father's heart. So normal that to live any other way would be abnormal.

So the question remains: What Do We Believe?
Do we believe in our beliefs or do we believe in Jesus?
Do we believe that someone's confession of Jesus as Lord is enough or do they need to jump through a few more hoops?
Can we return to an unbridled confidence in the finished work of Christ for all of mankind?
Can we trust the Holy Spirit to awaken people to this reality?
Can we love people in the process?
Do we believe that is enough?

Maybe I didn't answer the question. Maybe you are still wondering where I was going with all of this. Or...maybe you have felt the same tugging in your spirit. If so, then welcome to my world. Enjoy the journey!!!

They Will Know Us By Our...

You may grow a little tired of hearing this, but it cannot be said enough. Of all of the things we consider important, the greatest litmus test of our faith is wrapped up in a four letter word: L-O-V-E. Of all of the things that Jesus told His followers they should do, LOVE was not only the greatest of them but the root of them.

Jesus said the world would know that we are His disciples by our love for one another.
Period.
Not by our demonstrations, our t-shirts, the size of our church buildings, or our fish symbols on the backs of our cars. It might be time for us to pay attention to how the world perceives us.

I came across a graphic this morning that got my attention. This led me to run a test of my own. Many of you know that when you type in on a Google search that they often try to finish your statement (or question) based upon popular searches. In other words, what the majority of people type in comes up as an option. These are the searches that I came across:
Why are Muslims so...angry
Why are Christians so...mean
Why are Jews so...smart
Why are Buddhists so...happy
I would simply type in the beginning phrase & Google would offer the most popular word for that search. While it may not be a research poll that can offer some hard data, these questions should cause us to ask a few of our own.

If LOVE is to be the basis for all that we do, and the proof of what we believe, then why doesn't the Googler search for "Why are Christians so loving?" What are they experiencing that is so different from the life of our Savior? While we often tout our separation from the world as a credit to our abiding faith, the reality is that the world ran to Jesus when He was here. They sat at His feet. They hiked to the top of a mountain to hear Him. They crowded into homes, climbed up trees, and crossed over to the other side of lakes. They longed to be in His presence. While I don't expect everyone in the world to love us, I do believe that we should be getting their attention in a good way.

Please note that this post has nothing to do with your standards. I want you to live by your convictions.
This has nothing to do with affirming or rejecting certain types of lifestyles. We are in the world - not of it.
All I am trying to convey is the fact that while we talk a lot about loving one another, our neighbor, & our enemy; our lives (as a collective whole) are not indicative of the love that changed the world. How the world perceives us is only as important as our ability to reach out to them. And I have been to places where people were shocked at the love we showed to them. Our actions left them amazed. Our willingness to put ourselves out there made a huge difference. They didn't expect the love & support of the Christian community. You want to talk about doors being opened to share the love of God? When they experienced His love through us, it made all the difference.

I realize that we often get thrown into the "bad lot" of people's perceptions. I'm from Southwest VA. With that being said, I'm not a racist, I have all of my teeth, and I live in a pretty technologically advanced area. You would be amazed at how many people are shocked by this. Why? It's all about their perception. The same could be said of any of those groups listed above. Not all Muslims are angry. Not all Christians are mean. And the list goes on. However, the perception must be dealt with.

While I cannot offer solutions to every group, I can offer some advice to my Brothers & Sisters in Christ.
#1 - Let's stop with the hateful rhetoric
There is a way to preach truth IN love.
#2 - Let's rid ourselves of our own disunity
This is a call to action for all the schisms within the Body of Christ. I don't care if we have denominations as long as we can honestly share common ground...i.e. Jesus.
#3 - Love has to come to the forefront of our thinking
Love should be the root of all that we do. All of our ministries, mission projects, service programs, etc. should be propelled by this one thought: How can we demonstrate love to these people.
#4 - Immerse yourself in the love of God for you
This is bigger than you might think. As long as you struggle to accept the unconditional love of God for your own life, the harder it will be to demonstrate the unconditional love of God for others.
#5 - Love starts at home
I think we are missing it here more than we want to believe. I should be able to teach, preach, and minister to people in a way that doesn't cause my wife & kids to flinch. In other words, they should be experiencing love through me on a daily basis. Too many pastors are saving the world while losing their kids. This has to stop. Today.

Sure...there's a lot more we could say about this topic. But maybe if we could work on these things, the rest would work itself out as well. I'm a firm believer that the most loving places in the world should be our homes & our churches. Period. There's absolutely no reason why people should feel the need to run elsewhere to experience love. Love is a part of our original design. It's in our DNA. Maybe we should stop trying to love like Christ & start loving AS Christ. Hmmm...now there's a thought.

Don't underestimate who you are.
Don't underestimate the difference you can make.

How Will You Spend Your Life?

We've all seen the billboards & church marquees: "How will you spend eternity?" Many of them will even give you a choice, Heaven or Hell? Some try to be cute in their presentation, Smoking or Non-Smoking? While I understand the desire of people to ensure that your soul is secure in salvation, I believe our focus on the hearafter has kept so many from embracing the herenow.

When you look into the Gospels and Apostolic writings, you discover that their presentation of the Good News was/is quite different from what we hear in Western Christianity. Much of what we have preached & taught has focused on eternity. Even our discussions on how we live right now is consumed with the idea that we don't want to mess up that destination. What has been lost in all of this is how faith in Christ affects our lives this very moment. Our relationship with Christ should affect every relationship. Our time spent with Him should affect our time spent everywhere else. Jesus said, "I have come that they may have LIFE, and that LIFE MORE ABUNDANTLY." It's time to get busy living.

I saw a post this morning that stirred my thinking in this direction so you will just have to bear with me. The constant focus on Heaven & Hell within much of Christendom has hindered us from embracing life. Always looking for the "sweet by and by" causes us to miss out on the glorious here and now. Don't you find it interesting that we spend so much time talking about leaving Earth & going to Heaven while Jesus prayed that Heaven would come to Earth? We are telling people how to avoid Hell in eternity but not teaching them how to avoid Hell now. The questions that we have to answer revolve around what Jesus taught. Was He simply trying to affect eternity or was He trying to affect the present? To be sure, the "afterlife" would be affected but the "nowlife" matters much more than we realize.

There are certain passages of Scripture that have been twisted in this current train of thought. When Paul talks about "keeping your mind on things above", I don't believe he is trying to get you to focus on the reward of Heaven. I believe he wants your thought life to be consumed with the atmosphere & environment of Heaven. It's the understanding that there is a pattern of life set forth in Heaven that should be emulated in the Earth. It's the recognition of the Kingdom of God in all of its purity, all of its light, & all of its glory that needs to be manifested here & now. Many Christians are content to leave the world in an hellish state rather than see it transformed through the life that is in us. AND...this is the reason why I'm going after this type of thinking. Our desire to escape, our thinking that it's only going to get worse, & our belief that this is necessary/proper keeps us from engaging the culture.

Think about it this way:
"If you were to live 100 more years, would your life be Heaven or Hell?"

Jesus spoke to people where they were & in what they were experiencing.
"If anyone thirsts..."
"Come to me all of you who are weary & heavy laden..."
"I am the Bread of Life..."
These are all statements & declarations that were meant to alter their current experience of God & life. The affect of Western Christianity upon our thinking has kept us from seeing the "NOW" aspects of what Jesus is saying. His desire was to affect life which would ultimately affect eternity. He had seen what Adam's Fall had done to His creation. He saw the current Hell they were living in. He had witnessed firsthand what Death was doing to their lives. He chose to defeat it all so that we would no longer have to live in fear. We would no longer have to be bound by shame. We would no longer have to bear the yoke of the Law that continually condemned.

My dear friends, I'm not saying that there isn't an eternal aspect to the Gospel. I'm not saying that there isn't a reward for believing nor consequences for rejection. I'm simply saying that Jesus wants to affect your current state of life. Why else would Jesus spend so much time teaching on how we treat one another, how to respond to our enemies, or how to handle trials & tribulation? If God's ultimate goal was to get us to Heaven then He could transport us at the moment of our conversion. Yet here we are, here and now. How are we going to spend our lives?

You may not think this is a big issue, but I want you to consider that this is exactly how so many people are introduced to the Christian faith. One of the most popular evangelistic tools of our day opens with these two questions:
"Have you come to the place in your spiritual life where you can say you know for certain that if you were to die today you would go to heaven?"
"Suppose that you were to die today and stand before God and He were to say to you, 'Why should I let you into my heaven?' what would you say?"
Has anyone ever heard Jesus proclaim the Good News in this way? What about any of the Apostles? Jesus would say things like "This is why I have come", and the Apostles would simply tell the narrative. Why? Because His coming was meant to affect their current experience of God & their current experience of life. Most of us don't even realize that Jewish thought on life was that our current experience would carry over. "From Judaism’s perspective, our eternal soul is as real as our thumb. This is the world of doing, and the 'world to come' is where we experience the eternal reality of whatever we've become." In other words, the now would affect the later so focus upon the now. There is very little teaching about eternity. At least much less than what we have in our statements of faith. Why is this important? We have visited this question before. It's important because the Bible you read was influenced by Jewish culture. The cultural relevance of the Gospel must be carried over into our understanding or we miss out on the experience.

In closing, I want you to imagine a Christianity that focused upon us living in our identity in Christ. A Christianity that recognized that we are continually being conformed into the image of the Son. A faith that drew upon that experience to affect the lives around us. A Christianity that recognizes that the Kingdom of God is within us & needs to be let out. A faith where we lived in the moment & affected the culture around us. This is why you are here. How will your spend your life?

My Greatest Investment

The last couple of days have allowed me to do a lot of reflection. Anniversaries & Birthdays can do that. As I continue to be amazed at the wonder that is my life, I'm reminded that this is my greatest investment.

It's one thing to get married & quite another thing to create a marriage.
It's one thing to have kids & quite another thing to create a family.
It's what we do in these relationships that make the difference. While each of these carry their own struggles, marriage & family carry a joy that is all their own. How we invest ourselves matters.

Let me be the first to say that I have not been the perfect husband or the perfect father. I have learned a lot of hard lessons along the way. One of the greatest lessons: there is more to learn.

That may sound too simplistic for many of you. However, it was this lesson that reminded me that there is more to that family thing than I understood. There is not one person alive today that has gotten it all right in marriage and/or parenting. Of course there are many books on these subjects. There are a ton of workshops. What each family has to discover for themselves is what works in their home. While there may be some foundational principles we can all live by, the differences each spouse & child possess require that we adapt.

Thankfully, I have learned how to call out the best of my children & my wife before it was too late. I also learned how to be "all in" in our relationship. I stopped thinking that there were others things I could invest my time, life, & resources into that would be better. I discovered that my marriage & my kids were the greatest investment. They will be the legacy that I leave in the Earth. The love, honor, & care I give to them is my greatest currency. And today I am a proud man because of what I see in their lives.

I remember learning that marriage was a continual pursuit. That is what it means to "cleave" unto your wife. In the Hebrew we discover that this word can be defined as "pursue to overtake." The "one flesh" notion of a man & a woman does not happen by accident. I have learned how to pursue my wife. I have invested in our relationship. She knows her place in me.

This same lesson has been applied to my children. I have discovered what communicates love to them. I have learned how to discipline through honor. I have chosen to be the greatest encouragement in their lives. When they want to be built up, they know they can come to their Dad. I continually call out who they are in life. I see their strengths. I pray for their weaknesses. They know they are loved.

In the end, I believe the last statement is the most important. My wife & my kids know they are loved. It's not just a word in our home. I embrace them. I pray for them. I speak to them affectionately. I prophecy into their lives. My love for them is never in question. While we may have our disagreements and conflicts, they know that I will humble myself and apologize when needed. We forgive. We laugh. We share life together.

This is the investment of ourselves.
Our spouses & kids are not more secure when we can give them the best of things. They are more secure when they receive the best of us.
It requires being intentional. There is no room for laziness in these relationships, but in our families we can uncover one of our greatest rewards. May the love of God permeate our hearts for our families. May our homes be a place for the discovery of His goodness.

The Light Has Dawned

Isaiah 9:2, "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone."

The Light has come.
Scripture has been very clear about this.
Church history declares it.
What we experience in our day & time is when the light comes on in us.
And that is what I want to talk to you about.

I had an incredible experience with my son this past Sunday. One I will never forget.
We had just finished up our service. People were beginning to walk out of the sanctuary. You have to understand that it is not unusual for my 14 year old to hug me. He does it all the time. However, on this particular day, he walked up to me and fell into my chest. All he could say is "Thank You!" Then the tears began to flow (from both of us I might add). I didn't realize all that had taken place in that moment, I simply embrace it. I realized that the Lord had done something significant.

Later on, I was able to talk to him. I found out that "Thank You" was meant to be followed by "for teaching me about God's goodness." This wasn't a new conversation for us. Hayden has had multiple conversations with me about this very thing. He has heard some of the things his friend's believe about the nature of God that is so contrary to what I have taught him. But what happened on this particular morning is that my son experienced it firsthand. He went on to describe what happened in his heart, what he heard, and how he felt. In essence, the light came on & he will never be the same.

Today's blog will be short. I want to ask you a question. Do you know of a time when the light has come on in your own life?

Each of us have been designed to hear the voice of our Heavenly Father. It's when we respond to His voice that makes all the difference. What my son experienced this Sunday was not some charged up emotionalism. We weren't going through some sort of religious exercise. He sat, he listened, and he experienced the Lord all by himself. And it is an experience that no one will be able to take from him.

The Light has dawned.
He has shown Himself in our hearts.
May we be swept away in His goodness.

Why We Go Deeper

"...I pray that the Koinonia of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ."
[Philemon 1:6]

All of this reflection upon koinonia reminded me of the Casting Crowns song from a few years ago. "Stained Glass Masquerade" was so effective in pointing out the need to go deeper with one another. The need to stop playing the game. The need for authenticity. The need for the walls to come down.

"Are we happy plastic people
Under shiny plastic steeples
With walls around our weakness
And smiles to hide our pain
But if the invitation's open
To every heart that has been broken
Maybe then we close the curtain
On our stained glass masquerade"

Paul's prayer for the koinonia (the sharing, the joint participation, & the communion) of our faith is such a revelation. It's within the koinonia that every good thing that is in us is allowed to manifest. There is nothing missing. There is nothing hidden. The greater our koinonia, the greater the manifestation.

As this week draws to a close, which means you are getting closer & closer to sharing in the fellowship of the church, I want to encourage you to show up. Refuse to play the religion game. Refuse to shrink back. Refuse to go through the motions. Be seen. There is so much in you because of Christ & it needs to come out. This is the point of our fellowship in the faith. We were meant to draw out of one another the nature of Christ within.

I realize that this type of vulnerability may be new for you. I know the struggle of putting yourself out there. However, I also recognize the beauty of hearts that are truly open to one another. I've seen the manifestation of Christ through my brothers & sisters. Could it be that the reason why much of the world has rejected the notion of church is because they have failed to see this in us?

This is why we go deeper. It's for ourselves & for others. It's about seeing Christ in one another. It's about embracing the brokenness & allowing others to fill the gaps. It's the Body of Christ, fully functioning, fully present with each member, and revealing the glory of God. You are a part of this manifestation. Not as a bystander. But as an integral part of the equation. This is part of your becoming. And we are simply joining others on the journey. We are "closing the curtain on our stained glass masquerade."

I join the Apostle Paul in praying that you may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

Naked & Not Ashamed

Genesis 2:25 provides a glimpse into a reality that I believe every person want to experience. Contained within this verse are three words that compel us to go deeper, to see people in a different light, and champion the purpose of honor among one another. Speaking of Adam & Eve, the Bible says "And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed."

I'm a bit of a thinker. It is something that I can get lost in quite easily. I think about Bible verses, life, relationships, the news, etc. I search for meaning & understanding. As I have taken the last two blog posts to talk about koinonia & relationships, my minds has been consumed. These things have me thinking. What is it that we are really looking for in life? Even more specific, what are we looking for in our relationships? I believe that we are all attempting to get back to this place of original design. This place where we can be naked before one another and without shame.

Of course, I'm not talking about everyone having to physically undress. However, I am talking about relationships where we are truly exposed to one another. Relationships where we do not need walls. Relationships where we do not need to shrink back. A community that allows us to stand up, fall, & pick ourselves back up. A type of koinonia where I can be me & you can be you. I believe there are a couple of reasons Adam & Eve could stand in that place & feel what they feel. This is the journey I want us to take this morning.

#1 - I believe that Adam & Eve could be naked & without shame because they saw each other for who they really were.
They saw each other in image & likeness. There was nothing distorted. Adam knew that He came from the Father & that Eve came from him. They were a part of one another. There was no distance...no separation. They both had been beautifully designed by their Creator. They were His substance in the Earth. Fashioned from the very nature of God.

#2 - Adam & Eve could stand there without shame because they had not received the knowledge of good & evil.
Immediately, the Bible says, when they ate of that tree, their eyes were opened & they hid themselves. Whatever happened in that moment changed their ability to see one another in light of who they truly were. Rather than having their eyes opened, I believe they began to see through the lens of the lie. They saw one another as lacking. They saw themselves as sinful. Once sin entered the world, shame came upon both of them. The ran. They hid. They tried to cover themselves up. And they set in motion a race that would continually struggle to see themselves through image & likeness.

Now I realize that the Fall goes much deeper than this. However, I want you to notice the immediate effect it had upon them. Not only have they hidden themselves from one another, but they try to hide from the Father. In this existence, they foolishly believe that God cannot handle them in their current state. When asked why they were hiding, Adam says "I was naked." The Father's response? "Who told you?" Then begins the process of the cover-up: Blame, Shame, & Projection. What else can you do when you don't feel secure? How else will we live when we can't be true to ourselves? Most of us know the rest of the story. We know how this played out in human history. What most of us don't know is that Jesus came back to redeem the original design. He came to remove the sin & the shame. He came to restore humanity back to the dream of the Father's heart.

What if you knew there was a community where you didn't need to wear a mask?
What if you knew that there was a place where you could tear down all the walls & allow others in?
What if you could experience a fellowship where people were real?
You see, this is what people are looking for. It's exhausting trying to put on a show. I mean how many people look for opportunities to let their hair down? How many folks are longing for a place to be themselves? Unfortunately, the search often leads people down paths they wish they did not take. Often the definition for just trying to be myself has nothing to do with original design. It tends to have much more to do with a poor understanding of who we really are.

Living with shame leads to defining ourselves out of that shame. We see ourselves for less than we truly are. Gone is the idea of image & likeness. Buried under a lifetime of seeing ourselves through failure, hearing over & over again how sinful we are, and hidden behind the walls of our own design. Paul's statement to the church of Rome was not meant to create a definition of who we are but to demonstrate that we have all been down the same path. "All have sinned & fallen short of the glory of God..." was meant to move us toward compassion, not to create a judgement upon the human race. And, in particular, not to bring judgement on certain aspects of our population. Lost is the context from which these words were written. Ingrained within our minds is the idea that God cannot handle us at our worst. Believed is the idea that He can only handle us in Christ. In other words, He only loves us when we have truly trusted.

Scripture declares, "For God so LOVED the world that He gave..." We also read that it was while we were sinners that Christ died for us. This was the demonstration of the love of God for humanity. Then you go over to Ephesians & you discover that this was God's plan from before the foundation of the world. Once we make this discovery, we can begin to see one another in a different light. Once we understand the heart of the Father for His creation, we can stop viewing ourselves through the lens of the Fall. It was God who came after His image & likeness in us. He had determined to find us in the darkness. He came to seek & save that which was lost. Why is this important? It's important because you discover that He is for you, not against you. There is no reason to hide anymore.

This understanding of the Gospel should lay the framework for our fellowship with one another. It should provide a basis for how we see one another. Worthy of Love. Worthy of Honor. Worthy of Dignity. Redemptive love should create an environment where we no longer feel the need to hide from one another. If Jesus could take on our flesh & dwell among us, then surely we could learn how to live life together. If Jesus could extend mercy, provide grace, and minister to people without condemnation, THEN WHAT IS KEEPING US FROM DOING THE SAME THING?

Naked & Not Ashamed.
Do those words scare you, or do they stir something deep within you that you want to experience?
Your answer will determine who you surround yourself with. You will either choose to fellowship with people who play the game as well as you do, or you will join yourself to a community of people who have discovered the beauty of being real. You will either choose to join those who easily judge those who are "worse than they are", or you will join those who give mercy just as they were given mercy. You will either find a church that operates on the basis of rules, or you will find a church that sees relationships as a reason to gather together. The difference between these two choices is our view of God & one another.

God is love & perfect love casts out fear. When our fellowships are centered around this revelation of God, the greater our opportunity to tear down walls & to live in true koinonia. Are you ready? Can you take off the religious wardrobe & be authentic you? Or maybe a better question would be: Do you want to?

Intentional Relational Living

For the longest time I believed that if I learned enough, studied more, and could articulate what I believed, then I would be able to walk these things out. I took Paul's admonishment to Timothy about studying to show himself approved strictly to an intellectual level. It never occurred to me that where I was trying to go could only be accomplished through relationship.

Like so many other things in the Kingdom, there is so much of this life that is caught rather than taught. While I am all for digging into our Bibles and rehearsing what we believe, I have discovered that the best way to grow is in relationship. If there are areas of my life where I want to advance, I need to surround myself with people who live intentionally in those things.

Discipleship has often been handled as an educational thing. This is the premise behind Sunday School, Discipleship groups, and almost all of the ways to "learn & grow" that our churches put before you. These things are all meant to educate you. And while there is value in being educated, the greatest teacher in our lives is experience. Accumulating knowledge doesn't necessarily mean that we will walk out the things that we say we believe. Discipleship, in the Bible, is always relational because it's in relationship where we get to learn, ask questions, and are allowed to employ the knowledge we have gained. Not only that, it is in relationship where we see someone model things for us.

I'm a firm believer, now, that if I want to grow in grace, love, humility, etc., then I need to find someone who carries these things well. I need to learn from them. I need to see them in action. This is the format for growth in my own life that I have followed over the last few years. The Lord would stir my heart in a particular area and then He would allow me to walk in relationship with someone who has already been down that path. In relationship I have learned how to live life in the Spirit, how to appropriate the grace of God for me, and how to walk in redemptive love. These were not lessons learned in a classroom. These were not things I received by placing myself in isolation. They all came through relationship with my brothers/sisters in Christ.

I have a friend that I used to get around simply because he provoked me to jealousy. That may sound odd but it wasn't a bad kind of jealousy. I would hear his stories, watch him in action, and talk to him about the deep things of God. I never walked away from him feeling bad about myself but encouraged to go deeper in my own walk with the Lord. I paid careful attention to the things he said, I trusted his heart, and I found myself being able to walk in these same areas.

Another friend of mine carries redemptive love so well. I made a point to be in his presence as much as possible. I watched him care for the people he led. I heard him speak into their lives. I witnessed firsthand what redemptive love looked like and sounded like. I was then able to employ these same approaches with people in my own life. Life became the classroom & the Holy Spirit became the guide.

This is the same approach I have used when it comes to spiritual gifts. I have people in my life who function in several areas & I wanted to learn. It's one thing to read a book or Scripture on the subject, it's quite another thing to sit across from someone who can impart their wisdom & help you learn, grow, and practice. The depths you are able to go into while walking in relationship are so much greater than what you can do alone.

We learn best through living, breathing, examples. We must surround ourselves with those who walk in redemptive love, empowering grace, and life in the Spirit. This culture, this Kingdom Culture, is where the cultivation of these things take place. I have watched far too many people try to grow in particular areas that went against the current culture they lived in. While they were able to take a few steps in the right direction, it was only when they partnered with someone - lived in relationship with them - that they could flourish. This is what our churches desperately need.

Allow me to encourage you. I don't know what areas of life where you feel the need to grow, so my encouragement is to find someone who is strong in those areas. Walk with them. Talk with them. Pray with them. Be challenged by them. Don't allow another day to go by before you act. There is a good chance that the Holy Spirit is pointing these things out in your life and wants to take you on a journey. He wants to lead you in an experience. Trust me when I say that it's much easier together than it is alone. Growth is much more exponential in relationship. Become INTENTIONAL. Great things are ahead.

The Koinonia Experience

Koinonia (pronounced koi·no·ni·a) is a transliterated form of the Greek word, κοινωνία, which means communion, joint participation; the share which one has in anything, participation, a gift jointly contributed, a collection, a contribution, etc. It's a word that we have translated in the English through the simple word "fellowship." I can tell you from experience that koinonia is much deeper.

The first time we find this word is in the book of Acts. Acts 2:42, "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." It's here where we discover the lifeblood of the Church.

Koinonia, like many things in our Western culture, has been reduced to a cliché. Men have formed ministries & churches have formed groups centered around the word, but rarely does koinonia find its true expression. Just a couple of days ago I returned from a conference (for lack of a better word) where koinonia was more than a word. I saw it. I felt it. I witnessed its effects on the people around me. I was in awe of its beauty. I am determined to dwell in its grace.

The Greek word translated as Church is "Ecclesia." It's a word that is used to give expression to those who have been called out & gathered together. It points us to the structure. I have been in ministry for over 20 years and can say that this is what I was trained in. I was taught how to build the ecclesia. How to gather it together. How to keep it together. The structure. What I have discovered is that without koinonia the Church is nothing but a shell. The ecclesia, as a result, has become a place to hide. A place to gather for a religious experience. A place to practice my individual spirituality. While I may gather a few friends along the way, there is no real sense of community. No sense of otherness. And this is what needs to change.

Words like communion, joint participation, and shared life have to move to the forefront of our thinking. I can no longer abide in the safety of my own spiritual experience. It's within the depths of true fellowship (Koinonia) where I discover all that is within me. The Church cannot be allowed to be a place where we hide, but a community from where we emerge. It's within koinonia where we live in honor, where love is our foundation for life, and where we live out the one anothers that have found themselves among the pages of Scripture. Koinonia is not a ministry. It's not a word to describe life groups. It's not a catchy phrase that can be attached to any type of fellowship. Koinonia is the thread that weaves in & out of our lives. It's what binds us together. It empowers us, calls forth our identity, and creates an environment for sons/daughters to arise.

In koinonia, everyone matters. No one can be left behind. It's a place where when one member suffers, every member suffers. And it's also the place where one member rejoices, and everyone joins the celebration. It's no longer about the anointed individual - the grand leader. While leadership has it's place, the ecclesia is not bound to heights unto which one can take it. It relies upon every individual member taking their place within the Body. All of us working together. All of us advancing the Kingdom. All of us sharing in the corporate life.

I ask you, does this sound like church to you? Most people are scared to step out of their individualistic spirituality. Most have not found the safe place of expression & intimacy with others. They have become content to keep everything on the surface. They have not been challenged to dig deeper into themselves or one another. Koinonia refuses that type of lifestyle. It embraces people where they are but will not allow them to shrink back. It continually calls out to the expression of Christ within one another. It sees each of us for who we really are in Him. Why? Because koinonia is devoted to one another in brotherly love & is clothed with honor & humility.

This is the culture I long to see within the ecclesia. True Spiritual Family. A place of belonging, of beholding, & becoming. This is our life together. This is our community. May we never be satisfied with anything less.

Practicing Oneness

Colossians 1:16-17, "...all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together."

Today...I rest. I rest in the knowledge of the Father's goodness. I rest in knowing that all of life is wrapped up in Him. I rest in the security of His unconditional & unending love. I rest in His grace. I drink in the beauty of all that He has accomplished. I meditate. I find myself completely at peace.

Our Father is not like the child who made a paper airplane. He did not form us out of the dust, send us into flight, and watch how we land. He's not timing us to see how long it takes until we descend (or crash). He has always been, and will always be, tied to His creation. Adam & Eve were the beginning of a species that would walk in unique relationship with their Creator. His image & likeness would always be represented in them. Their offspring were destined to fill the Earth with His glory. However, much like the paper airplane, they fell from the heights they were created to soar in. They neglected one of the basic rules of life: Relationship with their Father held everything they would ever need.

The Father did not cease relating to them. He continued as Provider, Protector, and continued Sustaining life. He would eventually find His way into their darkness - their fall. It would take some time. He would overcome some great obstacles. But He was committed. He never relented. He never scrapped the work to start all over. He would always have, in essence, what He had created. And this creation was meant to thrive.

When I read through verses like the one from Colossians, I'm reminded that the whole of life is not separate from the Creator. All things were created through Jesus & for Jesus. In His life, in the work of atonement & in His resurrection from the dead, He was given preeminence. He has become the firstborn of all creation. While the first Adam was a living soul, the Last Adam became a life giving spirit. He would sustain. He would preserve. He would hold all things together. We are His crowning achievement. We are the inheritance of the Lord.

It seems as though we recognize the glory of God in birth. There is something about watching a child emerge from the womb that causes us to be in awe of the Creator. We are reminded of our partnership with Him. He created life & gave us a part in it. However, somewhere in the middle, we seem to lose touch with this sense of awe. Somehow, our minds shift to the idea that we are doing it all on our own. We lose the wonder of connection. Much like Adam & Eve, we forget how intimately tied our Heavenly Father is to us. Somewhere in the end we tend to find peace. We often find God so intimately close in death. We feel His peace. We see our loved ones no longer struggling. He's there. But the question remains: Where was He in the middle?

Jesus declares that He is the Alpha & Omega - the Beginning & the End.
Scripture states that He is the Pioneer & Perfecter of Faith - He initiated it & is unequaled in its accomplishment.
What we often miss in those statement is that we cannot go from A to Z without hitting everything in between. He has lived our life. He has carried our burdens. He has experienced the darkness & was able to shine throughout. This is why the Apostle Paul could declare, "In Him we live & move & have our being." He was reminded that the "I am with you always" of Jesus is the connector to the whole of life. He was there in the beginning, He will be there in the end, but it's in the middle that we truly experience the uniqueness of this relationship. The discovery is only a part of the journey. Then the revealing can begin.

The writer of Ecclesiastes remind us to "Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth..." It was a call back to this connection we have with the One who has made us in His image. He knew the pitfalls of life. He knew how easy it was to neglect this understanding. He wanted those who read His words to never get to place where life was darkened & without pleasure. We were created to live in Him. To live with the awareness of His closeness. To see within ourselves & others the image & likeness. We were never meant to go at it alone.

One of the greatest secrets of life is practicing oneness. Jesus said, "Abide in Me, and I in you..." I love the definition of the word "abide." It means (among other things) "to continue to be present" & "to remain as one, not to become another or different." This is the Lord's way of saying "don't disappear on Me." Practicing oneness has so much to do with our mindset. It's all about awareness. It's reminding yourself who you are & whose you are. It means to dwell in this understanding. I am in Him & He is in me. This is where we see the fruit of relationship. This is where we encounter the connection. This is the life we were meant to live - what we were created to enjoy. This is Him right in the messy middle of our lives. This is Him reminding us to stay connected to the source of life.

So...today I rest. I rest in the awareness that He is with me. I rest in the security that comes from His love. I feel His presence. I'm in awe of all that He has accomplished. I hear His voice. I experience His life. This is not a form of emotionalism. This is more than just an experience that will soon be fleeting. This is life wrapped up in Him. And...today...I am AWARE!!!

Peace With God

Ephesians 2:17, "And He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near."

There are times in life when we don't need to learn anything new. We need to immerse ourselves in the truth that we already know. Jesus declared that the truth will set us free. Over the last few days I have chosen to meditate upon and abide in the truth of His finished work. The more we allow ourselves this kind of time, the truth we possess flows even more freely through our lives.

I want you to think about the phrase "Peace With God." It's not a new phrase. Most of us have heard about it, prayed for it, and even been told how to get it. What is amazing to me is that when I read the New Testament, I see that we already have it.

Paul said that Jesus came & preached peace to those who were far off & peace to those who were near. In other words, it didn't matter where they were in their journey. Jesus proclaimed peace. It didn't matter what they believed, how they perceived God, or whether or not they were actively pursing Him. Jesus declared peace with God for all of humanity.

The fact that Jesus IS OUR RECONCILIATION with God should be enough to get our attention.
The fact that Scripture declares that HE IS OUR PEACE - has broken down the wall of separation - should be enough for us to rest.
The fact that Angels sang "Glory to God in the Highest. On Earth, PEACE & GOODWILL TOWARD MEN" should have signaled it for us.
God has declared peace over our lives. He has done everything in His power to ensure that we would be at peace with Him.

Jesus was/is the Prince of Peace. He came to establish an everlasting peace ONCE & FOR ALL.

When you view this verse above in context, you will discover that Paul is referring to the Jew/Gentile relationship with God. The Gentiles were considered far off. Jesus proclaimed peace over them. The Jews were considered near. Jesus proclaimed peace over them. In one stroke of absolute genius, the Father accomplished what He had always been after. The Jews were to be a light to the Gentiles. However, they chose to live in separation. This was not the Father's heart. He ensured that what Jesus did, He did for all. There would not longer be Jew or Gentile, Male or Female, Slave or Free. All were brought in through the death, burial, resurrection, & ascension of Christ.

What if you knew that God was at peace with you?
What if you knew that anything that is keeping you from being at peace with God is on your end of the equation?
What if you knew that trusting in all that Jesus has accomplished would allow your heart to be established in peace?
What would you do with that kind of knowledge?
This is the GOOD NEWS. This was the message that the Apostles carried to the ends of the Earth. This is the reality that each & every one of us should live in daily. The Father has declared peace. He has accomplished it through the Son. It is an abiding gift in our lives.

I pray to the Father that you will be able to comprehend this peace. That you may know it fully. That your heart would be established. I pray that your eyes would be open to see, and your ears be open to hear the Lord's declaration over your life: "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you...Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

Under Lock & Key...NO MORE

There are times in my faith where I find myself genuinely frustrated. Not the small, petty, frustrations that each of us experience from time to time. But major, gut-wrenching, almost infuriating frustration. You know...the kind where you would like to just grab someone & shake them (not that I would actually do it)!?! This sense of frustration generally shows up when I hear people talking about the New Covenant using Old Covenant language. When I hear legalism wrapped up in so-called "grace preaching." When I hear people teach on the finished work of Christ and trying to get us to add something to it. I find this frustrating because we have kept the truth under lock & key. I'm going to share with you a secret: the door is UNLOCKED!!!

If you own a Bible, I want you to go ahead & get it out. There are some things you need to read for yourself. There is so much truth in plain sight that we often overlook it. The beauty of the New Covenant often becomes shrouded in our religious thinking. Today, I want you to throw away any misconceptions you may have about the nature of God, misunderstandings about the finished work of Christ, & see the glory that you were created to live in from the day you were born. Are you ready?

The letter to the Hebrews is one of the greatest writings we possess regarding the sacrificial nature of Jesus' ministry. The writer takes great pains to help those who came out of Old Covenant Judaism to enter into New Covenant Relationship. He places enormous emphasis upon the centrality of Christ. He talks about the types & shadows of the Old Covenant. We read about the priesthood, the role of mediators, and the significance of Jesus' blood as it relates to sacrifices. While we may not always understand many of these references since most of us did not come out from under this type of religion, the truths within these pages are remarkable. While many people have misused many of the verses to try and convey a different understanding of God, the reality of the New Covenant is there for the taking.

I want you to take some time to look at Hebrews 8. I will not post the verses here for the sake of time & space. However, I do want to draw attention to a couple of quotes found in this chapter & the writers summation.

VERSE 10: "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people."

VERSE 12: "For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”

Now...VERSE 13: "In speaking of a new covenant, He makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away."

Verses 8-12 are quotes from the prophet Jeremiah in particular. You can also find other aspects of these verses in Isaiah & Ezekiel. What's my point? My point is that the writer of Hebrews is trying to help these Jews understand the fulfillment of these prophecies concerning the New Covenant. Verse 13 is a cap stone to all that he is saying. He is saying that the first covenant (Moses) is obsolete. It's growing old. It's ready to vanish away. This is important. What the writer is trying to tell his readers is that what they used to experience has changed & is changing. What I am trying to tell my readers is that what was ready to vanish away THEN has completely vanished NOW.

We were not born into a dying covenant. We were born into an already established & fully functioning covenant. A covenant that was not based upon our performance. A covenant that was firmly established between the Father & the Son. Jesus prophesied the end of the age to his followers & the writer of Hebrews is declaring that the end of that age is coming to a close. In 70 AD, when the Romans invaded Jerusalem & destroyed the Temple, they did away with the last remaining ties to the Old Covenant. You were born after that time. You were born into the New Covenant. How can I say that? I can say that because many of the Old Testament prophets envisioned a time when the Gentiles would be included in the God's Covenant with Israel. They envisioned a time when there would be an inclusion of all nations, tribes, & tongues into the blessings of God. What you & I read about in the book of Acts is just that. The WONDERFUL GOOD NEWS that the Gentiles had received the same blessings of the Jewish believers. You were included!!!

The Father, before the creation of the world, looked down through times & space. He saw the failings of His children. He saw the darkness that would come upon them. He saw all that He would have to go through to win back the heart of His creation. An agreement was made. The Son chose to come into our darkness. He chose to take on our flesh. Once, and FOR ALL, the Father had a Son of Man who would walk in covenant relationship. Jesus would establish what Adam could not. Jesus would be obedient were Adam failed. As a High Priest, Jesus would be the Once & FOR ALL mediator. As the Lamb of God, Jesus would take away the sin of the world. He is our atonement. He is the Author & Finisher of faith. He is the one who took upon Himself "the handwriting of ordinances against us" and nailed them to the Cross. He would establish a covenant that could not fail. How? If you look back at the verses in Hebrews 8, you discover the issues of the Old Covenant. The issue was humanity. This is why Jesus took on flesh. The New Covenant cannot fail because the Man who established this Covenant with God is none other than Jesus. Did anyone see that coming?

Do you now understand my frustrations? Can you see how old covenant thinking & language has hidden the beauty of the New Covenant? Can you see how our vain attempts at keeping the Law has kept us from enjoying the reality of the Law that was already placed within our minds & hearts? Is it any wonder why Paul said, "If our Gospel is veiled, it is veiled from those who are perishing..."? What are they perishing under? The Jews would be perishing under a system of religion that was fading away. The Gentiles would be perishing under false misconceptions about God. The light of the Gospel was to be shed abroad among all people groups. No one should be left out of its hearing because none have been left out of its reach. It is a Gospel of inclusion. The Good News that we have been included in the Son's relationship with the Father. The Good News that we have been redeemed, reconciled, and restored to our original design. This is what you were born into. This is the reality that you get to live in. Your belief about the finished work of Christ simply gives you access to what Jesus paid for. The door is unlocked. In fact, it is standing wide open.

I hope you will take the time to read through chapter 8 of Hebrews. I pray that the eyes of your understanding would be open to reality of all that Jesus has accomplished for us. May you be amazed at the goodness of the Father on your behalf. May you live in the freedom of Christ.

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I just wanted to mention that I will only be writing two more entries this week. I will be attending a conference beginning Thursday & do not have plans to write during this time. Have a great week!!!

Sons not Slaves

Identity is crucial in it's ability to cultivate security. The longer we go through life trying to figure out who we are, the more difficult it becomes to rise up & take our place in any circumstance. This is a call to the sons of God. The whole of creation waits for you to be revealed.

One of the reasons I quote the Apostle Paul so much in this blog (other than the fact that he wrote the majority of the letters in the New Testament) is because he speaks so much to our identity. He doesn't want there to be any confusion about who we really are. In his letter to the church of Galatia, he says "you are no longer a slave, but a son..." (Galatians 4:7)


I want those words to sink in for a moment. I want you to consider to whom he is speaking. I want you to realize the freedom that comes from this understanding.
Slaves are not free
Slaves do nothing of their own free will
Slaves are forced labor
Slaves are lower class people in regards to their social standings
WE ARE NOT SLAVES!!!

Sons...quite different.
Sons are free
Sons have the ability to exercise their will
Sons work in partnership with the Father
Sons are heirs - their social standing is the same as the Father
WE ARE SONS!!!

It's an area that desperately needs to be addressed within the church. We have all heard preaching/teaching that has designated us as undeserving, wretched, worthless, and not really worth God's consideration. But this could not be further from the truth. The Father has created us. He has placed within us image & likeness. In the sending of Jesus, God has demonstrated the infinite worth of each and every human being. He did not see us as something worth losing. He did not glory in our fallen humanity. There was something in us worth saving. There was something about us that they believed was worth going after. The Father saw children who were estranged from Him. Children who had given themselves to all sorts of bondage. Children who had embraced darkness rather than the light. The Abba of Jesus, being a good Father, was not content to watch us slip away into nothingness.

Paul's letter to the Galatians, reminds us of the standing of sons.
It reminds us that there is nothing we need to do to get His approval.
It reminds us that there was nothing that we did to have this place of favor.
It reminds us that there is overwhelming security in our identity in Christ.

Think about it. Slaves do not have a sense of security. Slaves don't even have a sense of belonging. All they know is that they are trapped. They have to work out their time with a particular owner. They have to do his bidding. Sons, on the other hand, know they belong. They know who their father is. They know about the inheritance that is coming so they partner with the father. They are loved. They are secure. They are provided for.

Paul has made a profound statement in this verse. These men & women are not slaves to a legal contract. They are not slaves to ritual & tradition. They are sons - joint heirs with Christ. All that the Father has promised the SON is available to all sons. And I believe one of the greatest acts of humility in our lives is to realize that we are not self made. We celebrate who we are because of the grace of God in Christ Jesus. We don't have to talk about our unworthiness but celebrate the worth He has placed upon us. The Spirit of God within us - the Spirit of adoption - cries out "Abba, Father!" It's time for our dialogue to come into alignment.

We are SONS, not slaves. May our Father continue to reveal this amazing truth in our lives.