You Can Be Confident...

Over the course of this week, I have been reading a lot of the early church fathers. Particularly those within the first 1,000 years. What is remarkable to me is their absolute confidence in God. They saw in Christ the complete expression of the love of God for humanity. They believed that within the incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, & ascension of Christ, our redemption, reconciliation, and recapitulation is found. They honestly believed that all things were summed up in Christ.

As I took time to look back through these writings, I discovered that I'm pretty "old school" when it comes to my understanding of the atonement. Let me share with you some of the thoughts of these church fathers. Be warned, some of these thoughts may challenge you. This is done in love and meant to encourage.

Athanasius, On the Incarnation of the Word:
“It was unworthy of the goodness of God that the creature made by Him should be brought to nothing through the deceit wrought upon man by the devil; and it was supremely unfitting that the work of God in mankind should disappear, either through their own negligence or through the deceit of evil spirits. As, then, the creatures whom He had created…were on the road to ruin, what then was God, being good, to do? Was He to let corruption and death have their way with them?”

Athanasius believed that the Son of God (who was the eternal Word through whom God created the world), came in human form to lead us back into the harmony from which we had fallen away.

Irenaeus, another early church father, believed that the high point in salvation history is the advent of Jesus. He believed that Jesus would have been sent even if man had never sinned; but the reality that they did sin determines his role as Savior. He viewed Christ as the Last Adam, who undoes what Adam did. He also views the Christ as "recapitulating" or "summing up" human life.

Irenaeus, Demonstration of Apostolic Preaching
"6. This then is the order of the rule of our faith, and the foundation of the building, and the stability of our conversation: God, the Father, not made, not material, invisible; one God, the creator of all things: this is the first point of our faith. The second point is: The Word of God, Son of God, Christ Jesus our Lord, who was manifested to the prophets according to the form of their prophesying and according to the method of the dispensation of the Father: through whom all things were made; who also at the end of the times, to complete and gather up all things, was made man among men, visible and tangible, in order to abolish death and show forth life and produce a community of union between God and man. And the third point is: The Holy Spirit, through whom the prophets prophesied, and the fathers learned the things of God, and the righteous were led forth into the way of righteousness; and who in the end of the times was poured out in a new way upon mankind in all the earth, renewing man unto God.

"31. So then He united man with God, and established a community of union between God and man; since we could not in any other way participate in incorruption, save by His coming among us. For so long as incorruption was invisible and unrevealed, it helped us not at all: therefore it became visible that in all respects we might participate in the reception of incorruption. And, because in the original formation of Adam all of us were tied and bound up with death through his disobedience, it was right that through the obedience of Him who was made man for us we should be released from death: and because death reigned over the flesh, it was right that through the flesh it should lose its force and let man go free from its oppression. So the Word was made flesh, that, through that very flesh which sin had ruled and dominated, it should lose its force and be no longer in us. And therefore our Lord took that same original formation as (His) entry into flesh, so that He might draw near and contend on behalf of the fathers, and conquer by Adam that which by Adam had stricken us down.

"37. Thus then He gloriously achieved our redemption, and fulfilled the promise of the fathers, and abolished the old disobedience. The Son of God became Son of David and Son of Abraham; perfecting and summing up this in Himself that He might make us to possess life. The Word of God was made flesh by the dispensation of the Virgin, to abolish death and make man live. For we were imprisoned by sin, being born in sinfulness and living under death.

"38. But God the Father was very merciful: He sent His creative Word, who in coming to deliver us came to the very place and spot in which we had lost life, and brake the bonds of our fetters. And His light appeared and made the darkness of the prison disappear, and hallowed our birth and destroyed death, loosing those same fetters in which we were enchained. And He manifested the resurrection, Himself becoming the first-begotten of the dead, and in Himself raising up man that was fallen, lifting him up far above the heaven to the right hand of the glory of the Father: even as God promised by the prophet, saying: And I will raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen; that is, the flesh that was from David. And this our Lord Jesus Christ truly fulfilled, when He gloriously achieved our redemption that He might truly raise us up, setting us free unto the Father."

Another quote comes from Justin Martyr. He was quoted by Irenaeus in Against Heresies:
"And Justin well said in his book against Marcion, that he would not have believed the Lord Himself, if He had announced any other God than the Fashioner and Maker [of the world], and our Nourisher. But since, from the one God, who both made this world and formed us, and contains as well as administers all things, there came to us the only-begotten Son, summing up His own workmanship in Himself, my faith in Him is steadfast, and my love towards the Father is immoveable, God bestowing both upon us."

If you look back into the view of the early church, you will discover great confidence in the love of God. In 1931, Gustaf Aulén wrote was has been considered a groundbreaking book entitled Christus Victor. "Christ the Victor" was a view of the atonement, held by the early church, as a divine conflict and victory over powers that held us in bondage: sin, death, and the devil. He argues that this classic theory is not so much a rational systematic theory as it is a drama, a passion story of God's triumph.

"As the term Christus Victor indicates, the idea of “ransom” should not be seen in terms of a business transaction, but more of a rescue or liberation of humanity from the slavery of sin. Unlike the Satisfaction or Penal-substitution views of the atonement rooted in the idea of Christ paying the penalty of sin to satisfy the demands of justice, the Christus Victor view is rooted in the incarnation and how Christ entered into human misery and wickedness and thus redeemed it. Irenaeus called this 'Recapitulation' (re-creation). As it is often expressed: 'Jesus became what we are so that we could become what he is.'" [taken from theopedia.com/Christus_Victor]

What is my point in sharing all of this history with you?
My point is to encourage you to have full confidence in the love of God. While the church has gone through many changes, many divisions, and even many changes in our views - you can be sure that God's love for all of humanity was adequately expressed through Jesus Christ. Rather than becoming mired in dogma, theological nuances, or debate, let us be consumed with the passion of God. Let us rejoice with the Apostle John as he states, "BEHOLD what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us that we should be called children of God." My dear friends, if we cannot be confident in the love of God then how can we expect others to be?

Be blessed!!!

Resting in Him

If you have been around this blog for any length of time, you have probably heard me encourage you to rest in God. I think the average Christian struggles with this concept. Your definition of rest may look like kicking back in a recliner, laying down for a nap, or simply leaving things undone. While rest in Him CAN look like that, how do you rest in Him when you are busy?

Exodus 33:14 places us in the middle of a conversation between Moses & Jehovah (the Self Existent One). Here we find God trying to encourage Moses as he leads Israel. God says, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Hopefully you can see through this passage that there is a way to rest even when you are moving forward. That should be good news for you.

Rest, as it is used in this verse, means to "settle down and be at rest." It means to know the presence of God is with you & take comfort in it. It means to be so fixated upon Him that nothing can stir you to worry. One of the greatest issues we find in Israel's history is that they often struggled with this concept. How could they rest entering into the Promised Land? How could they rest knowing that they would have to fight off enemies? How could they rest when they were not sure where the next meal was coming from? It is this lack of rest (or lack of confidence) that was the root for many of their problems.

In Matthew 11:28, one of the most famous quotations from Jesus, we find that He longs to give rest to those who come to Him. Thayer defines rest in this way:
1) to cause or permit one to cease from any movement or labour in order to recover and collect his strength
2) to give rest, refresh, to give one’s self rest, take rest
3) to keep quiet, of calm and patient expectation
Apparently, this was quite different than carrying out the Law. If the people could have found rest in it, I believe Jesus would have just taught them how to live in it correctly. However, what we discover about the ministry of Jesus is that He came to fulfill the Law on our behalf. In this way, we can RELAX and be REFRESHED by His goodness in our lives.

I hope you understand by now that resting in Him doesn't mean that you have to take a day off. In fact, I believe you understand the true nature of rest when you learn how to do it in your busyness. Learning how to rest in Him when you are dealing with a family crisis. Finding rest in Him when you aren't sure of your next move. Seeking to rest in Him when it looks like all hell is breaking loose around you. You and I need to discover how to enter into, live in, & enjoy the rest that comes from relationship with Jesus.

Some practical applications:

#1 - Discover who God is for you.
Take some time to look back through some of the revealed names of God in the Old Testament. You will find Him to be Provider, Healer, Righteousness, Sanctification, etc. Can you rest in that?
As you go back through these names, you may find that the Lord draws you to certain ones depending upon the season your life may be in. That's o.k. Allow the Father to teach you everything you need to know about that name. It will require you focusing intently, but you will discover the "peace that passes all understanding."

#2 - Realize the grace of God that is available to you.
I was talking to a friend the other day who was telling me about some of the changes he was going through. He termed it as "trying to do better." He wanted to be a better Christian, a better husband, & a good father. I looked at him and said, "There is grace for that." What I was saying in that moment is that you don't have to try to do any of these things under your own power. God knows the longing of his heart. He is more than capable of giving him what he needs to become in each of these areas. I think we have gone so far in our separation from God mentality that we don't realize that those longings came from God. He wants you to experience the best in your relationship with Him. He wants you to experience His best of your marriage, or His best in your parenting. He's willing to help you, and (in fact) He has already given you everything you need through the Holy Spirit.

#3 - (and by know means is this list exhaustive) Praise & Worship.
If you don't have good praise & worship music in your library of songs - GET SOME!!! Find music & lyrics that speak deeply into your spirit. Listen to them. Learn them. And use them in your daily life. What these songs can do for you is help you to keep your mind stayed upon Him during the busyness of the day. Oftentimes, I will have music playing in the background while I'm doing other things. Other times I deliberately put music on just to help me focus.
I recently purchased a new worship album and decided to listen to it while I was eating supper one evening. There was no one in the house but me. As the music played, and I ate, immediately there was such a rush of peace that came into the room. It literally changed the atmosphere around me. AND that my friend is what resting in Him feels like.

There may be times that you have to stop all the activities. There may be moments in life when you have to say "NO" to certain things just so you can rest. However, for the majority of us, we need to learn how to rest in the moment. And my encouragement to you is to learn how to rest before things get out of hand. When you can make rest a part of your daily life, you will know how to do it when the chaos tries to creep in. It is a journey, but there is REST along the way.

Be Blessed!!!

Cutting Through the Confusion

With all the different denominations, and all the different ways to believe, where do we find our commonality as believers? What can help bring unity within the church? The answer is, I believe, quite simple. The question is, will we keep our pride from getting in the way?

During a conversation some time ago, a friend of mine suggested that the differences we have in how we approach salvation was simply schematics. If that is the case, then why do we get so caught up in them? Why do they become the make or break tie in our fellowship with one another?

1 Corinthians 14:33 states that God IS NOT the author of confusion but of peace. Therefore, doesn't it seem appropriate to state that if confusion is present then we or the enemy created it? How else can we explain the differing views? How could we take something as simple as salvation (which is a pretty big ticket item in the church) and make it so complicated?

What my friend termed as schematics actually goes much deeper. The technical term is soteriology. Soteriology is the study & application of salvation. It is how we view & accept the redemptive work of Christ. If you look into all the denominations you will discover that this is an area of disagreement/division. Some of the questions you could ask are:
1) Is salvation by faith alone or is there work involved?
2) What role (if any) does baptism play in salvation?
3) Once saved always saved, or can we lose it?
4) How does the death, burial, resurrection, & ascension of Jesus affect the world?
5) What about repentance?
This is not an exhaustive list of questions, but it gives us a starting point for reflection. Depending on your church background you may have grown up to believe that a person is only saved through baptism. Maybe you grew up believing that you could lose your salvation. You may have been involved in a church culture that stressed repentance as necessary for salvation & they gave you a clear presentation of what that looked like. So the question remains, are we divided over schematics or does soteriology play a much larger role?

Let's go a little deeper. I have been involved in denominational life on an executive level. I have heard how pastors think. I can tell you, at least for the majority of them, this discussion has greater ramifications. Listen to some of these statements:
Those who are baptized as a means of salvation aren't really saved.
Those who believe you can lose your salvation can't be genuinely saved because they a placing their works above the Cross.
If you didn't pray the "sinners prayer" then I seriously doubt that you have been born again.
I don't know if you noticed it or not, but these guys have lost their focus on the real means of salvation. We get caught up on our schemes and man made dogmas that we neglect the 1 thing the Bible declares to be the salvation of all men.

My question (and only question) is, what do you believe about Jesus?
It's salvation discussion like this that always draw me back to the Cross. It's there that I find a criminal hanging beside of Jesus. In the midst of all the confusion, all the yelling, and all the hostility toward Jesus; this man believes Him to be the only hope that he possesses. "Remember me when you come into your Kingdom." Those were his only words. No repentance. No baptism. No "sinners prayer." Just a simple request. Jesus response: "Today you will be with me in Paradise."

How many times does Jesus have to blow our paradigms out of the water? How many obstacles to true & genuine faith does He have to knock over?
He forgives - Not because people followed the right steps but simply because it is His nature.
He loves - Not because someone has jumped through all the hoops but simply because it is the expression of His Father.
He heals. He restores. He provides. All as a means of proving the Father's desire for His creation.

Regardless of how you apply Jesus' work of salvation, it seems to me that most Christians understand one vital truth. We believe that Jesus came for us. We believe He died on our behalf. We see in Him the love of God fully demonstrated. We know that His death, burial, & resurrection was the vehicle that God used to bring us out of darkness. You see, what gets lost in our schematics, our soteriology, and our dogmas is the unquestionable love of God for humanity. We confuse the grace of God in our lives and demand that people believe in our system more so than the finished work of Christ. This is where our troubles begin.

We start throwing around biblical terms like "heresy" or "false teaching" as a way of moving people out of the differing opinions and into our own. And what we fail to realize is that the Apostles used these terms do describe any teaching that stripped Christ of His deity or His humanity. They used these terms to warn the church of anything that would be used to add to or take away from simple faith in Christ. In the wake of our confusion are hundreds, thousands, and maybe even millions of people who struggle to believe in the love of God found in Jesus. Paul declared in Romans 10 that the word of faith was in each & every one of us. He said that if we would believe that Jesus was resurrected from the dead & confess Him as Lord that we would be saved. He said it was WITH THE HEART that man believed unto righteousness. He said it was WITH THE MOUTH that confession was made unto salvation. It doesn't get any easier than that.

This is God cutting through our religious demands.
This is God demonstrating that He doesn't need a sacrificial system or a set of legal rules.
This is God coming into our darkness, setting things straight, & reconciling the world to Himself.
The only question I have to ask is: Do you believe?
Your belief, or lack thereof, will determine how you experience the abundant life of Christ.

"HE SAVED US, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to HIS OWN MERCY, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom HE POURED OUT on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by HIS GRACE we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life." [Titus 3:5-7]

To Step Out of the Classroom...

I was asked by one of our college students if I had ever read the Essay by Emerson titled "The American Scholar"? I had not. That is, until today. What I discovered was an address in Cambridge to a college fraternity. How it affected me will be what follows.

This past Sunday I shared a message from 1 John 1:1-4. In his introduction, John instructs the readers that what he is sharing with them comes from first hand account: What he heard, saw with his own eyes, and handled with his own hands concerning the Word of Life (Jesus). I am personally challenged by John & Peter's letters to the church because they do not speak of "cunningly devised fables." They preach, teach, and share from experience.

How does any of this relate to Emerson's "American Scholar"? I'm glad you asked.

Without going into great length about the nature of this essay (many have done a much better job of it than I could), I would like to go into a deeper understanding of man that seems to drive what Emerson is really saying. Emerson has always been viewed as one who celebrates the individual. The internet is full of these types of quotes. What I saw in this essay, however, is how humanity is linked together. Every individual coming from the same "root" as he puts it. He sees Man on the Farm, Man in the classroom, Man in the studio, etc. What he believes has been lost in all of this is the fact that the Scholar is first of all a man. Here's a quote that might be helpful: "In the right state (speaking of the scholar) he is Man Thinking. In the degenerate state, when the victim of society, he tends to become a mere thinker, or still worse, the parrot of other men's thinking."

Emerson then goes on to talk about the way in which the scholar should learn & experience life. He puts forward the idea of Nature, Books, & Action as the great teachers/educators of life. He longs to impart the need for DISCOVERY into the hearers. He wants them to honor the past but look into the future. What he warns against is the idolatry of heroes, the misappropriation of inspiration, & the bookworm mentality. It is not appropriate for the scholar (whatever form he may take) to exclude himself from life or to cast himself into some ivory tower. There is so much more to be learned through the first hand experience.

And this is where I see the comparison with what John spoke to the church. The knowledge he had gained about Jesus was through firsthand experience. He shared in the life of the Christ. Every day was a new adventure. He heard Him speak, saw how He ministered to others, and he embraced Him. He learned about the WORD OF LIFE through experience. Something that seems to have been lost through the years.

Most of my life I have heard that we need to question the experiences of others. Even if their experience seemed to bring them closer to the Lord, we should cast a doubtful eye. This type of leading in our spiritual lives creates a strong skepticism within the Body of Christ. Has anyone every considered how the early church learned Jesus? Sure...they had the teaching of the Apostles, but until the letters were written they were simply feeling their way through. Many of the corrective language in the New Testament is there to help these new believers better function as the Body of Christ. They didn't have Bible verses to throw around to one another. They were learning how to edify, encourage, & comfort one another in the Holy Spirit.

In today's Christianity much is made about the Bible and how our churches and lives are directed by it. This is not a bad thing. However, if we are not careful, we will simply become scholars of the book without any encounter of the Divine. Not only that, but we will interpret the Scriptures through our culture, our preconceived ideas, and our own dogma. In this way we become what Emerson described as the degenerate thinker: "the parrot of other men's thinking." Jesus made a profound statement in John 8:31-32, "So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, 'If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." To KNOW is through intimate relationship. This comes as we walk with Him, talk with Him, and encounter Him in our daily lives. It is through the hearing, seeing, and experiencing of the truth that we come into true freedom. This is not something that can just be learned through the book. It's one thing to be able to talk about freedom & quite another thing to experience it for yourself.

Ask yourself these questions:
What do I know about Jesus from firsthand experience?
What will I pass on to my children: Book Knowledge or an Experiential Relationship?
What do I know about the Bible that the Lord taught me versus what someone else taught me?
What have I learned about the ministry of the Holy Spirit?
What is my testimony about the nature of God?

These are all questions that force us to look into relationship. To look into our own personal relationship with the Lord. To step out of the "classroom" and into real life. This is Experiential Christianity. It transcends routine & ritual. It produces life. Until we step out of the classroom then all the knowledge we gained is theory. It must be experienced. It must be lieved out. Wouldn't it be wonderful if people peered into our individual & collective lives and say "Man...they really know how to live!"?

To Proclaim the Favorable Year of the Lord

It is my firm belief that Jesus publicly announced His ministry in the synagogue of Nazareth (His hometown). It was here that he stood & read from Isaiah 61. There are so many interesting things about the way in which Jesus did this, but one of the most interesting things is that He didn't read all of the section. He stopped with the words: "To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord."

This announcement, along with the way in which Jesus ministered to the people, gives profound insight into the heart of God. After reading these words He closed the scroll, sat down, and said "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." I can almost hear a disciple saying "THAT JUST HAPPENED!!!"

Isaiah 61 definitely defines the ministry of Jesus: Preach the Gospel to the Poor, Proclaim Release to the Captives, Recovery of Sight to the Blind, Set Free Those Who Are Oppressed, & the Proclaim the Favorable Year. When we read the Gospels, we see that Jesus has come against the darkness that has blinded men from the one true God & the religion they had created in the midst of that darkness.

Probably one of the most radical elements of Jesus' ministry is that He lives with an unoffended heart towards those on the outside. He saw within the prostitutes, the tax collectors, and other "sinners" a genuine desire to come into the light. He points this out to the religious leaders by saying that when John came baptizing with water, these people showed up. He could look past their problems, their sins, and could see them trying to get to the light.

Is it any wonder that Jesus could say, "God did not send His Son into the word to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved"? He didn't come to exact vengeance. He didn't come to pronounce judgment. He came to rescue & to save. Knowing the heart of the Father for His creation, He came right into our midst to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord. It could be that we just don't realize the significance of these words. Most of us did not grow up in this type of environment. It may be hard for us to understand the isolation, the shame, and the condemnation that this culture had created. In a Law driven society, rocks are at the ready. Jesus steps right into this time period and says "Let him who is without sin among you cast the first stone."

The ministry of Jesus causes me to question the way in which I interact with people. In particular, can I live with an unoffended heart? I mean if Jesus can stand in the midst of those struggling through the darkness...if He can be with those condemned by the Law and not pronounce judgement...if He can dine with the most notorious of people...it may be time to reconsider just how good our Good News is to the world. It seems to me that our greatest struggle can be our greatest asset. The unoffended heart opens the door to the outcast and welcomes them to the loving heart of the Father.

***Just a side note: Have you ever noticed that times that Jesus referred to God as "God" rather than Father?
Jesus almost always spoke of His Father. If we read of Him talking about God, you can be sure that He is doing it for the benefit of the listener.***

Here's what I'm discovering about the ministry of Jesus: There is no one outside of the Father's love. When we read the story of the prodigal we find that both sons are loved by the Father. The elder & the younger have a place in His heart. It's amazing to consider that God's love is so far reaching. While He hates to see us struggling in the darkness, He also hates to see His children hardened towards those who are coming home. This is the year of the Lord's favor. A year of jubilee when the captives go free. It's what Jesus came to proclaim, initiate, and pass on to His disciples.

Let me encourage you today. Ask the Father to give you His compassion for all people. May we not only proclaim the year of the Lord's favor but may they see in us a light in the darkness. May they discover the way home to the Father's heart through us.

Whistling Feet & Other Nonsense

The Church, in Scripture, has many names. One of those names speaks to our diversity more than any others. Often referred to as the "Body of Christ" we see the church as something that is whole but possessing many members. How does this picture fit in with how we define church?

I can never expect my leg to operate the same way that my eye operates. I don't expect my toes to hear or my feet to whistle. The point of these nonsensical suggestions is to capture your attention. The body (our human bodies) have different members. They all have their part to play. Your heart cannot do the job of your liver & your kidneys cannot act as your sweat glands. There is a purpose to all of the differing parts. The older I get, the more I appreciate the functionality of each of them.

It's references like these in the Bible that remind me of the importance of diversity in the Body of Christ. We recognize, affirm, and appreciate all of the various members. Scripture doesn't command us to be of the same theological stances or hold to the same doctrinal views/practices, but it does teach us be of the same mind and to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Can I get an AMEN?

With all of the advances we have seen in the Church, why is this becoming more problematic? Why are we still so bent on our denominational thinking (there are only thousands of Christian denominations)? How is it possible that we can even consider that our particular camp has a corner on the truth? Don't get me wrong, I appreciate our willingness to think through doctrine and to have the most accurate interpretations; but the reality is that not every believer has the same opinion.

I recently read about a church where the pastor drew a 2 mile circle around the building location. Within that circle were thousands of people. If they were to reach each & every person within that 2 mile circle, their current facility would not hold them all. The demographics of that 2 mile circle also demonstrated the need for various kinds of churches. There is not one particular flavor of Christianity that could reach them all. Which, to be honest, is an idea that many denominational leaders have a hard time swallowing.

Thankfully, I grew up with a little bit of variety in church culture. I spent most of my early years in two different denominations. I was able to glean things from both of them. Later on in life I became familiar with the charismatic variety of Christianity. I was saved while attending an Independent Baptist Church, licensed/ordained in a Southern Baptist Church, maintained fellowship & preached in some charismatic churches, and have learned to appreciate them all. While I'm not a big fan of denominational thinking, I understand the need for variety. I have also determined to keep the unity of the Spirit with them all.

The body needs elbows, knees, and eyelids. Without them we don't operate properly. While there are some things we can definitely agree upon, the one main thing that unites us all is the person of Jesus. What if we looked at our brothers & sisters from different churches to see the family resemblance rather than our differences? What if we determined to love one another as Jesus commands and set aside some of our disagreements? When we keep it on a relational level, it is difficult for us to create separation. To separate myself from a denominational machine is easy. However, to separate myself from a person is all together different.

This morning the thought occurred to me that we will always struggle to teach our kids about peer pressure when the church culture they grow up in creates such a superiority complex. There are churches out there that say:
Believe exactly what we believe.
Carry the exact same Bible that we carry.
Dress the exact same way we dress.
Listen to the same exact music we listen to.
And the list goes on and on.
Where, in any of that type of thinking, do we learn to appreciate diversity? What if church was a place where love was expressed & experienced? What if we develop a Culture of Honor that learns to empower people rather than disempower? What if we spent more time developing a strong identity in Christ & confidence in the father heart of God? This, to me, is one of our glaring failures. Is it any wonder that many people reject organized religion? They have seen/heard our disagreements. I remember talking to a man on the phone several years ago who was looking for a church. Once he discovered the denomination we were a part of, he could tell me everything that was wrong with us. Unfortunately, this is all too common.

Whether or not we agree with this statement, the truth is:
There will be believers who disagree on hell & eschatology. There will be believers who have differing views on God's power & sovereignty, the atonement, & church leadership. There will be believers who vote Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, etc. There will be believers who have different views on some of the hot button social issues of our day. There will be believers who allow women to teach and some who don't.

Some of those statements may be hard for you to swallow. I get it. I used to be one of those who questioned the authenticity of someone's faith if we disagreed on what I thought were major issues. Some may ask, "Where do we draw the line then?" My answer would be that I don't know that I draw any lines. I have my beliefs. I don't have to validate everyone else's. What I can do is love everyone. I can appreciate their sincere devotion to Christ. I can view them as my brother & sister even if we don't agree on theology/doctrine. I can be at peace with them and them at peace with me. It's all about our mentality.

If we took the same approach to human life the way we have with church life what would it look like? Would we only associate with the blond hair blue eyed crowd? Would our brothers/sisters dress the same, have the same hairstyles, and only have 10 fingers & toes? Would we shun people and discredit them if they were in a wheelchair or had to use braces to walk? How would we handle the overweight or anorexic? The point is that humanity is full of diversity. Is it any wonder that our churches are as well? Where does LOVE draw the line? What does LOVE not cover? This is how ALL MEN WILL KNOW that we are His disciples: LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

The Grace Life

Several years ago I was asked to pick out a life verse. After much consideration I was drawn to Galatians 2:20 "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; not I but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now life in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." It dawned on me for the first time today how instrumental my Heavenly Father was in pointing me to these words.

For the longest time I simply focused on the crucified portion of this verse. Like many people in my culture the emphasis was on the crucified life. From where I stand today, I realize the significance of God's grace through the words of Paul. God had set me up!!!

You do realize that Galatians 2:20 is more about resurrection than crucifixion don't you? This verse is not about death but is directly focused upon life. The reason that I said God had set me up is because He took my focus back then and used it to attach a verse to my life that would speak directly to where I am today. He placed my heart in a letter to the church that would shape my life, ministry, and purpose. He placed me in one of the greatest understandings of grace 20 years ago knowing that today I would finally understand. How's that for the goodness of God?!?

Is it any wonder that the first book I felt compelled to write is a book about grace? It's what the Lord has been trying to teach me for so long. This has been His emphasis in my life. Always bringing me back to these words. Prompting me to discover 7 life changing words: "the faith OF the Son of God..." Many of our modern translations don't read this way. So I will glorify God that I memorized this verse from the King James (blown away that I just gave a KJV shout out!!!). The reality is that if you look into the Greek text that you will see that the faith is not "in" but "of" the Son. That understanding is a game changer.

I don't believe the temptation for us is to over emphasize or over exaggerate the grace of God but to minimize or de-emphasize it. When this happens, we make Jesus out to be a vaccination rather than the CURE. This is exactly where religion takes root in our lives. We place the burden of righteousness squarely on our shoulders and fail to recognize the gift that is Jesus. We miss out on our true identity and we miss out on His ability at work in our lives.

The grace of God is the divine enablement of God upon our lives. It's how He saves us, keeps us, and empowers us to live. The grace of God is crucial to our existence. It's how we move from being crucified with Him to living in His resurrected life. The Father knew that our temptation would be to place rules & restrictions upon this life. He knew that the Jewish community was so fixed on the Law that they would need a way out. He knew that they would try to impress upon the Gentile believers certain rituals that would have to be followed through before they could be considered righteous or accepted. That is why He determined before the foundation of the world that GRACE would be the key that unlocks His quality of life within us.

Go back and read Paul's letter to the church in Galatia. Pay attention to what He is dealing with in the lives of these believers. Recognize the emphasis He places upon the finished work of Christ. And please pay attention to two very important questions:
#1 - Having begun in the Spirit are you now made perfect by the flesh?
#2 - Who has bewitched you?

There is a lot of so called "grace" teachings out there that do not fully appreciate what the grace of God is all about. They preach about love, acceptance, and forgiveness; but if you pay careful attention to them you will also discover that they put a lot of emphasis upon what you do. Much like the Jews that came in and troubled the early church, they want to place rules, restrictions, and rituals upon you. They struggle with the idea that God has got you covered. All you hear about is SIN, SIN, SIN. If they were a true grace preacher/teachers they should be able to talk about LIFE, LIFE, LIFE.

I love the fact that Paul had such a confidence in the grace of God that he saw sin as something you had power over, something you could easily overcome, and something that you could set aside. Sin was no longer a dominating force in life nor a dominating influence in his preaching. His focus was to help the church see the necessity of walking in the Spirit and being dominated by the grace of God. The council in Jerusalem took Paul's lead and the only rules they placed before the Gentile believers was that they would abstain from sexual immorality & not eat food offered to idols. WHAT? YOU HAVE GOT TO BE JOKING!!! I assure you that I am not. Paul would encourage the churches to walk away from the lives that they were so accustomed to living. He would draw them into a life that was Christ centered & grace empowered. He would teach them of the significance of the Holy Spirit in their lives. And He would point out that the pagan religions that they were a part of in the past is not at all like faith in Christ.

See...I'm a firm believer that this is where many people get off track. We treat God as if He is one of the pagan deities. We see Him as something that has to be appeased, something that has to be sacrificed to in order to receive favor, and something that is just waiting to come down in judgement upon us if we get it wrong. Our Heavenly Father is not like this at all. The Apostles got a glimpse into the shared life of the Father, Son, & Holy Spirit. They were able to see how this was the life that we were created to enjoy & that Jesus came to bring us back into this reality. They saw in Jesus the CURE to the sin problem, the LIGHT come into our darkness, & the FREEDOM from our bondage.

The grace life that I am sharing with you is all about Him. It's His power, His righteousness, His goodness, His holiness, & His faith manifest in us. It was all about His incarnation, His crucifixion, His resurrection, & His ascension. And they would always point to the judgement that was getting ready to come upon the Old Covenant (that which was passing away) - which happened around 70 AD with the destruction of the Temple & Jerusalem. They saw life from a new perspective and lived it from a new power. It's this life that will make a difference in you. It's the abundant life that you were promised. It's the victory over sin that you were assured. It's the life that you were always meant to live.

Embracing Life

Just a quick thought as we head into the weekend: EMBRACE LIFE!!!

I Peter 3:10-11, "Whoever wants to embrace life and see the day fill up with good, Here's what you do: Say nothing evil or hurtful; Snub evil and cultivate good; run after peace for all you're worth." The Message

What I love about these verses is that embracing life has nothing to do with our current circumstances and it has nothing to do with the behavior of others. Peter, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, reminds us that so much of life is about what we sow into it.

Say Nothing Evil or Hurtful...
To speak evil of someone or say something that is hurtful means that our minds are consumed with the negative. This reminds me of the age old saying "If you can't say anything good, don't say anything at all." If we are determined to speak critical and judgmental things over the lives of others, then we get to live in that environment. That is why it's so important to learn how to speak life over people, see the best in them, and seek to restore rather than ruin.

Snub Evil and Cultivate Good...
Most of you know that I don't live with a sin consciousness. In other words, sin isn't my focus. The righteousness of Christ in me is. I seek out those things that produce life rather than death. When we choose to live with this type of attitude then staying away from evil & cultivating the good is a natural bi-product. Choose to live out your identity in Christ. The Holy Spirit is committed to seeing you conformed to the image of the Son. Focus on cultivating the good in every situation and relationship. It's all about being intentional. Don't let life happen to you. Make life happen.

Run After Peace For All You're Worth...
Other translations of this verse read: "Seek peace & Pursue it." What beautiful imagery. To seek something means to look for it. Ever consider that in every situation there is peace to be had? To pursue it means to run swiftly in order to catch. What if we were not quick to anger? Imagine the changes that will occur in life when we are quick to peace. Give it everything you've got. The Holy Spirit has ensured that you have His Peace within you. Let it out. As a carrier of peace, you are contagious.

I hear so many people who are so negative about their lives. They live with the "If only(s)"
"If only this were to happen..."
"If only I would have..."
"If only I could go back and..."
This creates a mindset that says life could be good if only _________________. Rather than embracing life, these folks are missing out the good that could be. I realize that there are decision that many of us could have made through the years but the reality is that we are in the here and now. What can you do now in your current season? What could change now that would make a difference? Stop living with regret. Stop allowing the past to steal from your present. Stop thinking that life could be better "if only." Make life better. Embracing your life doesn't mean that you settle for the status quo. It means acknowledging who you are, whose in your life, and understanding your role in all of it. Embracing life is all about the discovery of where you are in the journey and seeing the Lord with you. There is no reason to run & hide. You will never be disappointed that you rose to the occasion. However, if you choose to escape...that is a different story. Opportunity is often disguised as adversity. It's the great ones who recognize this truth.

Embracing Life is all about Enjoying the Journey. Live with Expectancy!!!

It's An Experiential Thing...

Let me start by making a confession: I have spent most of my life in church.
There...I said it. I just thought it would be good to have full disclosure from the outset.
With that being said, and speaking from a background of growing up in the Western Church, I have struggled with something that needs to be addressed. Why are we so content with being educated about God rather than experiencing God?

Is it just me or has anyone else noticed? I have watched people through the years come through church doors (service after service & year after year) without a concept of what it means to experience God. Content to be taught. Content to let others sing for them. Content to let others pray. Content to be sitting on the bench (or a pew for that matter) soaking it all in. And by soaking it all in, I mean they are just learning another lesson - hearing another story - going through the motions.

I realize that this is not true in all churches. Our charismatic friends seem to have a lot of experiences. They at least seem to be invested emotionally. Lots of singing, shouting, and other external things happening. But I have seen many of them go through the motions with that as well. I guess it all depends on the spiritual culture you grew up in. It's hard to imagine but even the most charismatic can go through the same motions that the liturgical crowd goes through (just different).

What's my point? My point is quite simple. Knowledge in the Bible is very different that the way we understand it. To KNOW something means to experience it. Many of my readers have heard me say this before. In our Western mindsets, to know something is to know about it. In the Eastern mindset, which was the mindset of the biblical writers, to know something means to experience it. It's not enough to know about a chair - that is just information. For them to know a chair means that they sit in it. They fully know because they have experienced it. When Jesus says you will KNOW the truth, He is saying that you will know through experiential relationship. It's not enough to have memorized verses. It's not enough to know where everything is located in the Bible. It's not enough to be the best at Bible Trivia games. NO...what is needed in our lives is an EXPERIENCE with the truth that we claim to believe.

Much of my theology about God was formed in a culture that was very guarded as it relates to experience. They were content to fill their heads with knowledge and I simply followed suit. It wasn't until I was challenged in my own walk with the Lord that I began to look for experiences of Him. I mean...Jesus had promised abundant life and I was not experiencing it. This caused me to constantly look inward. I thought I was the problem. I became obsessed with sin - making sure it was dealt with properly. I just figured that the reason I wasn't experiencing God was because I was still too sinful. I knew nothing about identity in Christ. I knew nothing about His unconditional love. And I knew nothing about the fact that the way I was brought up in Christ was keeping me from experiencing His fullness. This went on for years until I had finally had enough. I felt like I was dying on the inside. I was hungry for more.

The hunger that welled up inside of me (that I now realize was the Holy Spirit) forced me to look outside of my culture. I began to read outside of my denominational framework. I started listening to different preachers. Worship music became a constant companion in my life. I really didn't know what I was expecting, I just knew that I needed Him. It was in the part of the journey that I experienced the Lord in a very personal way. I was alone in my study. I was praying. I was trusting. And it was then that He began to break through. He broke through my preconceived ideas. He broke through the walls that I had built up. He broke through and in that moment the journey took on a whole new meaning. It was then and there I realize that I was created for more.

That experience from 13 years ago catapulted my spiritual life to new heights. Head knowledge was no longer enough. Being about to break down Scripture for a sermon was no longer sufficient. I had discovered an intimacy with God that I did not realize existed. Everything about my journey became about experiencing Him. I remember just a few days later while I was preparing for a message that I was just so overwhelmed with His presence that I stopped what I was doing, laid down in the floor, and spent the next 15 minutes or so in worship. The landscape of my life would be dotted with more of those experiences over the years. To say my life had changed seems almost insufficient to describe what the Lord had started in me. I will be forever grateful.

Please understand that this post is not meant to shame. We all have different experiences of the Lord. What I hope it does is that it creates a hunger in you that only He can satisfy. I hope it will encourage you to seek out all your Father has in store for you. What I have discovered over the years is that I have learned more through His presence than I could have ever learned through the Bible alone. Some of my greatest experiences of Him have come when I chose to do nothing. I just put on some worship music, sat back, and let Him be all that He wanted to be in that moment. It's amazing how He will speak when we quiet ourselves. It's amazing what you will see when your eyes are closed. Your spirit needs those moments.

So don't be content with just another sermon/lecture. Don't be content with filling your head with knowledge. Go after Him with the same abandonment that He had when He came after you. You will not be disappointed. I'm a firm believer that God wants to experience you as much (if not more) than you want to experience Him. This is the life of a Son. Enjoy the journey!!!

A Journey of Becoming

Over the last few weeks, I have noticed several ministries come under attack through social media. A pastor or an artist chose to speak their mind of a few subjects and immediately some people began questioning the validity of their faith. I have seen this type of ugliness through the years and I'm always blown away. I'm blown away by it because I thought that our faith was a place to ask questions, to think through things, and to ultimately believe the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth.

I'm sure most of us have seen images much like this one. There is a reassurance in it. It's a reminder in many ways that regardless of what takes place, truth will always stand the test of time and adversity. There can also be a negativity produced by such imagery. That being that we become so entrenched in what we believe that we are unwilling to change. Some people view Christianity as rigid & fragile. Rigid in the sense that it is not flexible. Fragile in the sense that any thought hurled at it will cause it to crack or shatter. That...my friends...is not how I view our faith. In fact, some of our greatest moments of faith have come through those who were willing to think outside of the box - go against conventionality - or step out of the mainstream. This is a journey of becoming.

Ask yourself this question: What would Christianity look like if it were not for the revelation Paul received about the grace of God and the mysteries hidden in Christ? How long would it have taken for the Gentiles to be fully accepted into the faith? Would circumcision be required? How much of the Old Covenant would still be embraced by the new followers of Christ? I look back on Paul's letters and I'm thrilled at his courage. I don't think Christianity today fully embraces the idea that the message he was preaching HAD NOT been revealed up to that moment in time. It takes a lot of guts to say those things. But that is what has propelled the faith for centuries. Men & Women that were willing to stand on the revelation of God.

If you go back and read many of the church fathers, you will discover some intense thoughts & conversations. Unfortunately, many people were killed because they dared to think differently. Some were ostracized or considered too radical to be legitimate. While our faith is filled with stories of evolution in the way we thought, it's also filled with some incredible tension. In fact, many were so consumed with defending "the faith that was once handed down to the saints" that they killed other believers. Thankfully, we have moved away from murder in our modern civilization. However, what we do with our words nowadays can be just as vicious.

Here's what I'm learning:
1) It's hard to encapsulate everything I believe in one sermon, one facebook post, or one blog. It takes time to develop thoughts and ideas.
2) I cannot change anyone's mind. That is the job of the Holy Spirit. It's especially hard for anyone to change their mind when they have already set themselves up to defend what they already believe.

In the past few years I have had people question whether or not I really know the truth. (And by truth they really mean what they believe to be true.) I have been questioned over the validity of my faith and in some small way my salvation. All because I have stepped outside of conventional thinking. All because I desperately want to know the heart of God. Some have recognized the intent of my heart and have acknowledged it. Others have not. I understand the struggle. I don't have any ill will toward those folks. I have been on that side of the equation. What I struggle to understand now is why we are so quick to judge, so quick to demonize, and so quick to start a jihad over different thoughts.

I think one of the hardest labels I had to deal with was being called liberal. [GASP!!!!] That's right. I got called a liberal because of my beliefs about the love of God. Liberal...simply because I fully believe in the unconditional love of God for ALL of mankind. Liberal...because I believe in the finished work of Christ. Liberal...because I view John 3 different than many traditionalists. Liberal...because of my views on the Holy Spirit and His activity in our lives. For those who know me, I have always considered myself a bit of a conservative. I mean...I took a test some time ago to gauge my biblical worldview and it was more solid than some of my legalistic friends. The Bible is something that I take seriously. However, we use the word biblical as it relates to our beliefs about the Bible. What that means is that if what you believe is different than your surroundings then you become UNbiblical. Make sense?

In my journey of becoming I have had to deal with some serious questions. When I was going through the motions and jumping through the hoops of conventional Christianity I thought I was doing what was expected. What I was missing out on was life. The results of that type of living was that I realized I was not experiencing the abundant life that Jesus promised. Since those early days of confronting everything I "knew" to be true, I have discovered a God who is loving, compassionate, and concerned that I experience His fullness. He has brought me so far in this journey. I haven't arrived and I'm definitely not saying that everything I believe up to this point is fully developed. What I am saying is that I have discovered grace to be an abiding reality. I have discovered a love for God & others that is all encompassing. I have been able to extend mercy in ways that a few years ago was unfathomable. I'm incredibly grateful for this journey. It hasn't been easy. I have lost some friends along the way. But God has been so real in the journey.

Let me close with this thought. One of the greatest lessons I have learned these past few years is something that is very crucial to our faith. I have learned how to repent. Repentance IS NOT what we have often portrayed it to be. To REPENT is to change your mind. It's a RADICAL mind change. And I'm a firm believer that our becoming is tied directly to our repentance. The more we are willing to take sides with Jesus in how He views His Father, how He views us, and how He views the Kingdom, the more we will be conformed into His image. It's quite the journey and I encourage you to step out of your comfort zone. Embrace the challenges & questions. Allow the Lord to teach you about Himself. You will be amazed at His willingness to partner with you in the becoming. You were not meant to do this alone.

R.I.P. Robin Williams

I was saddened to hear of the passing of one of my favorite actors. Robin Williams has been a central figure in our culture throughout my life. I grew up watching Mork & Mindy. I have seen so many of his films. Whether he was playing a serious character or allowed to be his wonderful spontaneous self, Williams had the ability to draw us in.

It's not often that I take the time in the blog to recognize actors/actresses. However, Robin Williams' death has impacted me in a way that is hard to describe. It's always tragic to hear of suicide. Always tragic to think that someone lost all hope. In Robin's case we struggle to wrap our minds around the fact that someone who brought so much laughter could be living with so much pain.

Depression is an invisible enemy. It often sneaks in undetected, stays much longer than wanted, and can be deadly if not dealt with appropriately. Over the years I have read of famous pastors/preachers, writers, singers, actors, and athletes who have struggled with depression. That doesn't even figure in the moms, dads, kids, teachers, steel workers, etc. Our challenge is in trying to understand the best way to help the people who are hurting.

Before Jesus left His disciples, He told them to not lose hope. He knew what they were going to endure for the Kingdom. He understood the sacrifice, the struggle, and the loss they would have to go through. He gave them His Spirit as a Comforter. I believe it was this hope that allowed them to do the impossible and endure the horrible persecution. Even in death, these men & women knew it was going to be o.k.

The psalmist declares that God will give us the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. It's this kind of understanding about the nature of God that reminds us to make the trade. We cannot allow our circumstances to get the best of us. We also cannot always wait for things to get better before we rejoice in Him. There will be times in our life when we will have to praise our way out. There will be times that we will have to laugh our way through some things. Life is full of mountains & valleys. The question will be how we respond to the journey.

As we pray for the family of Robin Williams, let us remember all the laughter that he brought into our lives. Let's be thankful for the charitable work he did, the troops whose spirits were lifted, and the cancer patients who were brought some wonderful encouragement. And let us be mindful of the people in our lives. May we seek to bring encouragement to everyone we encounter.

R.I.P Robin Williams. Thank you for sharing your life with us. You will be missed.

As It Is In Heaven

On Earth AS IT IS in Heaven...
That statement sounds simple enough. Right?
Who among us doesn't want to see God's will done on the Earth?
Who doesn't want to see the Kingdom of God fully manifest?
Is this the driving force behind how we pray, how we minister to others, and how we live our lives? It's a question that I continue to ask myself on this Thursday morning.

Jesus' model prayer gives us plenty to think about. First of all, He leads us to pray "Our Father..." Who else, other than Jesus, was praying this way in those times? I mean...what a statement of intimacy. What a term of endearment. What a declaration of oneness. The entire prayer is directed toward a Heavenly Father who is close, who is involved in the life of a Son, and is willing to bend His ear (and heart) on His behalf.

The thought that occurred to me this morning...the thing that really got my attention is that the enemy would love nothing more than to keep us earthbound in our thinking (I probably borrowed this thought from Graham Cooke. It just sounded original in my mind). He would love for us to be focused upon present circumstances, everything that isn't right in our lives, and everything that we haven't seen. Would it be too much for me to think that this prayer that Jesus taught presupposes we actually see/understand/know what God's will is in Heaven? Think about it for a minute. If we do not know what the will of the Father is, then how could we possibly know if He has answered our prayer? How would we recognize the Kingdom of God being manifest in the Earth? What is Jesus REALLY trying to say?

Let us think back to the creation story. In particular, I want you to focus upon the way in which God blessed Adam & Eve. "Be fruitful, multiply, fill the Earth, and possess it." So often we get caught up in the idea of multiplication. We know that it means offspring...right? But what if multiplication means more? What if it carries with it the idea of ADDING to the population and DUPLICATING one's self? Think of it in these terms: Have you ever said "He is definitely his father's son?" What we are saying is that the traits of the father are so evident in the life of the child. The way they carry themselves, the way they look, the way that they speak...all point back to origin. God created Adam & Eve to carry IMAGE & LIKENESS. In other words, they were to be visual representations of God in the Earth. As they multiplied, they would raise their children with this understanding. Thus filling the earth with the glory & knowledge of God.

You need to know that I don't view the will of God that is something contrary to us. I believe the will of God is a part of our original DNA. Much of the preaching about the will of God that I have heard over the course of my lifetime has come from people who ran away from a particular calling. We have glorified Jonah to the degree that we miss out on the 12 year old Jesus saying that He must be about His Father's business. I'm not saying that everything I have done in life has been the will of God. What I am saying is that my life is the will of God. The more I live in relationship to Him, the more my life manifests His will. I did not run away from a calling - I embraced it - because I knew that I was created for more.

What does all of this have to do with the way in which Jesus led us to pray?
First of all, Jesus would make statement like: "That where I AM you may be also."
Secondly, Scripture teaches us that we are ALREADY seated with Christ in Heavenly places.
The point is that Jesus' perspective is not foreign to who we are. It's just foreign to how we think.

Seeing the will of God done in the Earth as it is in Heaven requires a partnership. It requires us looking into the heavens, seeing/understanding/knowing the will of God in particular situations, and agreeing with it. In this way, prayer moves from being a shopping list and becomes a time of fellowship. Prayer becomes a place of agreement. Not a place of bending God's will to mine but a place of bending my will towards His. It's not that ours are so radically different, it's just that in that place of fellowship we can see life from a totally different perspective. Think about this in terms of our relationships. What is true in Heaven should be (and can be) true in the Earth. The relationship that the Father, Son, & Holy Spirit enjoy can be enjoyed in our lives. They way in which they love, relate, and mutually submit to one another can be "fleshed out" in us. In fact, these qualities should be fleshed out.

The implications of praying in this way are so far reaching that my vocabulary fails me. However, I want you to see what is possible. I want you to see that Jesus is leading us to pray from IMAGE & LIKENESS. He is leading us back to the original us - the one seated in heavenly places - the one that is secure in the life, love, and community that is Father, Son, & Holy Spirit - so that we will always carry His image & His likeness. AND...as we carry His image & likeness in the Earth, we will multiply. We will fill the Earth with the glory of God. We will see the Kingdom of God manifest. This is our right & privilege. This is who we are & who we were created to become.

Enjoy the journey!!!

The Found Sheep, Coin, & Son

Luke 15 gives us incredible insight into the heart of God. Jesus has been challenged by the religious leaders. They cannot understand, for the life of them, why He would receive "sinners." The parables that follow this questioning reveal the heart of God & His intentions that nothing remain lost.

Religion labels. Jesus liberates. Religion classifies. Jesus justifies. Religion seems content that the lost be lost. Jesus cannot rest until the lost is found. He said that He came to "seek & save that which WAS lost." It is my opinion that He succeeded.

To answer the religious leaders, Jesus gave three parables: The Lost Sheep, The Lost Coin, & The Lost Son. It is my observation of these three parables that the sheep, coin, & son refer back to the labeled sinners. It is also my observation that we may have titled these parables all wrong. In the end...they were all found.

The Shepherd, the Woman, & the Father in these parables represent God.
The Sheep, the Coin, & the Son in these parables represent humanity (in particular the sinners that Jesus ate with).
The SEARCH represents Jesus.

Another observation I would like to share with you is that each of the items mentioned in these parables NEVER lost their identity. The sheep didn't become a goat. The coin didn't lost it's value. The son didn't lose his place in the family. That's right!!! The sheep was still a sheep, the coin was still a coin, & the son was still a son. The "lostness" of these items could in no way devalue them. In one sense, at least in the eyes of God, they had even more value placed upon them. Who is willing to leave the 99 & go after 1 sheep? Who will turn everything over, sweep the house, & look all over until the 1 lost coin is found? Who will give away an inheritance, watch a son walk away, and wait with bated breath until that son returns? Can you at least see how we have missed the point of these parables?

What Adam lost as it related to the place of humanity was significant. What Jesus regained on behalf of humanity is even more significant. While we often refer to believers & unbelievers as lost and/or found, I think we have missed the big picture. Listen to the words of C.S. Lewis, “What, then, is the difference which He has made to the whole human mass? It is just this; that the business of becoming a son of God, of being turned from a created thing into a begotten thing, of passing over from the temporary biological life into timeless ‘spiritual’ life, has been done for us. Humanity is already ‘saved’ in principle. We individuals have to appropriate that salvation. But the really tough work–the bit we could not have done for ourselves–has been done for us. We have not got to try to climb up into spiritual life by our own efforts; it has already come down into the human race. If we will only lay ourselves open to the one Man in whom it was fully present, and who, in spite of being God, is also a real man, He will do it in us and for us...” (Mere Christianity, pp. 156-157).

The next time you are ready to label someone as a sinner, I won't you to stop and remember these parables. I want you to remember what it was like to think you were separated from God. I want you to remember what it was like when you discovered that God had transcended time & eternity to ensure that you were not lost. I want you to see the passionate pursuit of God for humanity in Jesus. And I want you to learn what it means to call out the true identity of each individual.

The Apostle Paul was commission by Jesus to be a light to the Gentiles. He was told that he would open their eyes so that they could turn from darkness to light. In the eyes of the Jewish community, the Gentiles were sinners. They were outside of God's covenant. Paul talks about this reality in other letters. However, in the eyes of God they were included in the finished work of Christ. Jesus told the disciples after feeding the 5,000 to pick up the fragments (the leftover food) so that nothing would be lost. I believe this was the Father's heart for all of humanity. It wasn't enough to redeem Israel. All of mankind was tied to what Adam had lost. Our Heavenly Father has done everything that could be done to ensure that nothing would be lost.

May these observations awaken the love of God within you. May your heart for the Good News of Jesus be ignited once again. We are not "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" (as Jonathan Edwards once proclaimed) but "Sons in the Heart of a Loving Father." We are in the age of nothing being lost - of opening the eyes - of bringing people out of the darkness of their own thinking into the light of God's goodness & love. May Jesus receive the reward of His suffering.

Coming Alive

There is so much to be said about coming alive in Christ. In Ephesians Paul tells us that "WE HAVE BEEN MADE ALIVE WITH CHRIST..." So often we refer back to our personal salvation experience. That first moment our eyes were opened to the truth of God's love, grace, & mercy. However, I believe that there are many moments in our journey where we continue to come alive.

I don't know about you, but I have had different experiences in my walk with Christ that have served as awakenings. Times where the TRUTH that Jesus promised truly set me free. What I am discovering is that there is so much that lies dormant within us until it is illuminated by the Holy Spirit. Just when we think we know everything that needs to be known, His light shines and we are forever changed.

It's way to easy to live a "glazed over" Christianity. It's a "saved & satisfied" existence. We become content with the truth that we already know, the truth that we have always heard, and think that there is really nothing new to experience or learn. If that is the case, then we don't leave any room for revelation. We don't leave any room for God to move into our lives in a fresh way. We may be saved, but I assure you that we are not satisfied.

Your life was made for encounters. The church of the New Testament had just come in contact with the TRUTH of all truths (Jesus). The letters contained within the pages of the Bible was their Spirit driven attempt to unpackage all that they had seen & heard. I, for one, am grateful for Paul because of all that the Lord gave Him through revelation. The message of grace that he carried was different from the other Apostles. He makes this known in his letters. While He could have easily picked up the message & carried it like Peter, John, or James; he chose to go away and hear from the Lord. Is it any wonder why he wrote the majority of what we call the New Testament? His letters are a constant unveiling of what Jesus taught Him concerning the unsearchable riches of the mystery that had been hidden since the foundation of the world. That is why his letters are so full of life.

Should we be any different? Should we not seek out those things in Christ that bring life? I have watched people in this journey have moments where they seem to be waking up to the truth that is within them. Then something happens. They allow the cares of this world to take hold of them (opinions of others, not knowing their identity in Christ, etc) and they walk away from the truth that can set them free. Here's a case in point: There was a book that came out several years ago that caught the church by storm. People were blown away (in a good way) by the portrayal of God in the book. They experienced love, mercy, & grace like never before. This book was used by God to help so many people forgive, release bitterness they had held on to for years, and encounter God in a fresh new way. Not long after the book gained popularity, all the naysayers appeared. Men & Women who held to certain theological views that was different from the author. They trashed his work. Armed with Bible verses they did their best to make sure people didn't get swept away with this "false teaching." What they didn't account for was that this man was used by the Holy Spirit to illuminate truth within the people. They began to ask questions like "Is God really like this?" Motivated by the life that began welling up within them, they sought out the truth and began to come alive. The Bible works the same way. Drawn to certain passages of Scripture, the Holy Spirit illuminates the truth within you, and you begin to come alive in a particular area. That is why you can read verses over and over again until one day, BAM!!!, the light comes on.

I share all of this as an encouragement. You have a truth register within you. You may not know all the Bible verses. You may be trying to view God & faith through a particular theological lens. But the Holy Spirit is committed to sharing life with you. He will bring all those things that pertain to life & godliness (God-likeness) to the surface. He's wanting you to come alive...FULLY ALIVE. The moment you realize that He is committed to conforming you into the image of Jesus, the greater your willingness to trust His work in you. He is the Gift of God to the church. The Gift that will Guide you into all truth and call to remembrance all that you were created to become.

May today begin an awakening within you.