Honor, Love, & The One Another's

1 Peter 2:17, "Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor." Sound simple enough?

Relationships matter. Therefore, how we relate to one another matters. The journey of faith that we find ourselves on is not an isolated journey. While we tend to look at our spiritual lives as a completely individual quest, the reality is that the Father wants us interconnected. Why else would Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, remind the believers that the entire law is fulfilled in this one command: Love Your Neighbor as Yourself? If the life of a follower of Christ was simply about my personal growth, my personal devotion, my personal holiness, etc., etc., then why do I need to love others? Why is honor to everyone deemed so important?

According to the the Talmud there are 613 commandments in the Torah. Some researchers have said that there are 248 positive commands (the do's) and 365 negative commands (the do not's). This is the culture that was present during the birth of the Church. There was strict adherence to the Mosaic Law and the Torah. Your relationship with God was centered around your ability to keep the Law. And I think what happened, what seemed to be present in Jesus' day, was that this need to fulfill the Law left little room for how we interacted with one another. Jesus spoke of the burdens that the religious leaders placed upon the people and how they were unwilling to lift a finger to help.

Honor to everyone and Love for the brotherhood emphasizes the spiritual nature of relationships. One another is no longer seen as something that is less than our relationship with the Father. In fact, love for one another is sourced in our love for Him. It flows from the same fountain. The shared life of the church reminds us of this necessity. How can we, according to John, love God whom we have not seen and curse those made in His image? It's impossible. If we cannot honor His image and likeness in the Earth then how could we possibly honor the Creator? It is not legal to separate the Divine Image from the Divine. If the entire law can be fulfilled through loving our neighbor as ourselves, it seems to me that we can no longer evaluate our faithfulness to the Lord simply through our performance toward Him.

This is where you should take some time to read through the "One Another's" of Scripture.
Love...
Honor...
Build Up...
Comfort...
Forgive...
Bear...Burdens
Encourage...
And the list goes on and on.
However, make sure you understand the "WHY?" of this approach to life. It isn't about fulfilling a Law. It is about embracing the culture of the Kingdom. It is the heart of the Father. For me to go deeper in Him does not mean that I neglect those around me. For me to enter into a higher sense of spirituality does not mean that I step on others. We need one another. Whatever experience I have in the Lord personally, I get to share corporately. It's a way of life that values others, esteems them better than myself, and honors who the Lord is in/through them. It's quite beautiful.

I'm sure much of this will sound ludicrous in a culture where right believing seems to trump right being. Much of Evangelical Christianity has been caught up in the Apologetics of the Faith rather than the simple Application of the Faith. So much times is wasted on those WITHIN the Body of Christ arguing, disagreeing, and splitting over theological matters. In the words of Jesus, I believe we have neglected the weightier matters. So what if I have a brother who views spiritual gifts differently than I do? What does it matter if our eschatology doesn't line up with one another? Who cares what they practice as it relates to food and drink? Why do we get so caught up in what version of the Bible they use, the style of worship they practice, or what denominational label they function under? How long will we continue to be so blind to our own version of truth?

The church was designed by the Father to be the visual representation of Christ on the Earth. WE. ARE. HIS. BODY. What the world sees in US is applied to HIM. What are they experiencing right now? How are they understanding the nature of God at this very moment? I guess it all depends on where they are getting their definition. Does that thought make anyone else uncomfortable? Does it bother you that people may be getting their definition of God from the Westboro crowd? What do you think are the effects upon people's thinking if they only hear from the Zionism groups? Some people may be hearing about a God who cannot wait to pour out His wrath and a Jesus who will personally slay millions of people. How does this shape their view? What if...? What if they encountered a Body of believers who HONORED EVERYONE, LOVED THE BROTHERHOOD, REVERED GOD, and HONORED THOSE IN AUTHORITY? What if they experienced IN US the very life of Christ?

Are you starting to understand why this matters? Are you beginning to see the significance of one another? Christianity was never about a list of do's and don'ts, nor was the Bible meant to be seen as a rule book. WHO we are, and WHO we are to one another matters. How we relate to one another needs to be important. The honor we bestow, the love that we share, and the affection we carry is vitally important. This is the life of Jesus on full display in us and through us.

What if we stopped measuring our spirituality by the hours we prayed and began to see it through the lens of how much we loved?
What if we stopped counting how many times we read through the Bible and began to consider how much honor we gave?
What if we stopped keeping a record of how many people we evangelized and began to recognize how much mercy we extended?
I'm not trading in one spiritual log for another, I'm simply asking that we change our approach. Our spiritual lives can no longer be evaluated by the record of my doing but by the quality of my BEING. If I say that I love God then I will love you. I will forgive you. I will give grace to you. I will extend mercy to you. I will do all of those things because of who I am in Him. This is His life being lived out in me.

It's a game changer. It will take time to develop. That is true for each of us. But I want you to imagine a life where other-centered love is at the core of our being. A life where fear no longer has a place among us. Where shame and condemnation are never used. There is GRACE for this type of life. Are you ready?

Thinking About Rich...

One of the most influential Christian Artists in the late 80's and early 90's was Rich Mullins. Mullins possessed incredible talent with strikingly honest lyrics. He's probably most popular for writing/recording "Awesome God." However, it's the story of the man himself that grabs my attention. He left us far too early, but his music and legacy remain with us today.

Rich's story is one we all need to hear. Struggling with identity, loneliness, and alcoholism would have finished most people. Thankfully, for Rich, he met a man by the name of Brennan Manning who helped him to really connect with the Abba of Jesus, forgive his earthly father, and find his place within the "Ragamuffin Gospel" (a teaching by Manning). There is no doubt that he was not your average artist. He never sought popularity. He simply wanted to share his music and his understanding of God. Rich never really knew how much money he made. He told an account manager to simply pay him an average salary in the U.S. for that year. The majority of his revenue from tours and sales went to various charities and the church.

Why am I talking about Rich? The truth is that I recently watched a movie that was based upon his life and career. I found myself heartbroken for him. His songs took on a new life. I could hear his honesty, feel his pain, and see into his struggles in the faith. Watching some of the scenes would have turned a lot of people off from Rich Mullins. But to be honest with you, I found myself with a greater respect for the man. He didn't hide who he was or what he struggled with in life. This vulnerability is almost unheard of in Christian circles. It's even more rare among those who have a platform.

While I cannot say that I agreed with everything the Rich said about God, I appreciated it. He simply shared where he was in his journey. I often wondered, if given the opportunity, if he would have changed some of the lyrics to awesome God had he written it later in life. How many of us could say the same thing? I have looked over sermons that I preached years ago and was almost embarrassed by some of the things I said. But it's where I was in the journey. It was real and authentic me in the moment. The revelation of God's love for us is ever unfolding. We are growing into it, awakening to it, and understanding more and more. Rich Mullins discovered this very love of God for himself. In the midst of his brokenness he found the Lord...or rather...the Lord found Him. The music he created shortly before his death revealed this reality.

I want to encourage you. I don't know what you may be dealing with. I don't know what struggles you are encountering. I don't know what problems you may be having in your relationships or your finances. These things matter very little in Jesus' ability to meet you. You can encounter Him right now in the midst of your pain. You can find Him in your wounds. You can hear Him speak to you when everything else seems to be consuming you. He is not as far from you as you might think.

As you consider this, I want you to read through the lyrics of one of my favorite Rich Mullins songs:

Hold Me Jesus

Well, sometimes my life
Just don't make sense at all
When the mountains look so big
And my faith just seems so small

CHORUS:
So hold me Jesus, 'cause I'm shaking like a leaf
You have been King of my glory
Won't You be my Prince of Peace

And I wake up in the night and feel the dark
It's so hot inside my soul
I swear there must be blisters on my heart

CHORUS

Surrender don't come natural to me
I'd rather fight You for something
I don't really want
Than to take what You give that I need
And I've beat my head against so many walls
Now I'm falling down, I'm falling on my knees

And this Salvation Army band
Is playing this hymn
And Your grace rings out so deep
It makes my resistance seem so thin

CHORUS

You have been King of my glory
Won't You be my Prince of Peace

The World Needs Fathers

Maybe it's where I am in my own journey, or maybe I'm just picking up on it: The Word Needs Fathers.
How many of us sat there during the Super Bowl commercials and noticed the recurring theme? There...on prime time television...during one of the most watched games of all sports....they were calling out. Toyota, Nissan, & Dove Men's Care were just a few of the commercials that pointed out the necessity of fatherhood.

Seeing those commercials, looking into our society, and paying attention to what is happening in many of the movies coming out today (the need for fathers) reminds me of Mack's conversation with Papa in The Shack: ‘… there are many reasons for that [revealing myself as Father], and some of them go very deep. Let me say for now that we knew once the Creation was broken, true fathering would be much more lacking than mothering.’ (p. 94). Fathers play such a significant role in the development of children. I heard somewhere that a Father is a son's first hero and a daughter's first love. Is it any wonder why the world is crying out for them?

Fathering has physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual ramifications. Father's help shape identity. They are seen as the main provider in the home. They bring a greater sense of security. Most of this sounds like common sense, but if you have ever talked with anyone who had an absent un-engaged father you will know where I'm coming from. Don't get me wrong. Mothers play a huge role in the development of children. We need their nurturing, their caring, their more delicate nature. While a Father speaks to a son or daughter's identity, the mother nurtures it. They work hand in hand. To be without either one in the home is a tragedy. Fathers provide a proper context for masculinity and femininity. What son doesn't want to be like his father? What daughter doesn't see an ideal to look for in a husband? Fathers, I'm talking to you. Are you listening?

Consider the change in our own approach to faith just by Jesus teaching us to pray "Our Father..." He brought a whole new dynamic to our lives. No longer can we legally view God as a distant deity. No longer can we see Him through the lens of a disapproving divinity. He is so much more. The Abba (Father) of Jesus is our Abba. Not absent. Not disengaged. Speaking to us, providing for us, and bringing security to us each and every day. There is something powerful, even transforming, about knowing Him as Father. The question you have to answer is "Why?"

I have a friend who spent the majority of his life distanced from his earthly father. He has shared stories with me about what it was like to grow up without that influence in his life. Even now as a husband and a father himself, he longs for that relationship. There is something deep within each and every one of us that cries out for a Father. This is where the church needs to pay attention. Week in and week out people show up to our gatherings. Many of them are carrying the wounds left by a parent. Many of them have struggled to understand God based upon a miserable experience with their own Mom or Dad. They need us to be Fathers. They need us to speak into the hurt, the broken spots, and the mistaken identities. We have an opportunity every day to reach out to someone who never experienced the love of a Father.

Fathers provide a lens through which children understand the nature of our Heavenly Father. They need for us to see them for who they are. They need us to speak to their identity. They need us to teach them what it means to be a son and/or a daughter. I cannot stress this enough. We shape them. We direct them. We give confidence to them. Can you hear them calling?

I'm grateful to pastor a church where so many men - strong men - are a part of the fellowship. Whenever I have people from out of town come and visit with us, they are amazed. Their presence alone speaks volumes. A questioning world is intrigued by the presence of strong men. Wives are given great comfort by the presence of their husbands. Children begin to see the church in a whole new light when the men are a part of the fellowship. We dare not understate it nor dismiss it.

Many of you probably saw the Courageous movie. It speaks to this phenomenon more than I ever could. However, I want us to understand the spiritual implications of this. I want us to see Fathering not as a responsibility but an opportunity of shaping the next generation. Allow the children to see you worship, to hear you pray, and to enjoy your story. Allow the world to take notice of strong Fathers who love the Lord, their families, and their fellowship. Fathers being all in, being engaged fully, and participating in the Koinonia has such an impact in the Spirit. It's difficult to explain but easy to feel. There is a weightiness that the men bring with them.

I have no doubt that many of the men reading this blog right now are engaged in their families. You are probable an active member in your fellowship. I'm not hear to demean any of it. I'm here as a voice. A voice that says "I SEE YOU!" You are making a difference. And as we bring other men along on this journey, we will see a reawakening in the family, in society, and in the church. We need you all. The sons are waiting.

Moving Forward

1 Corinthians 15:58, "Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain."

Intentionality does not mean perfection. It simply means that I do not give up. As much as I would love to say that being intentional has kept me from making mistakes, has stopped me from having the wrong attitude, or allowed me to never say the wrong thing; the truth of the matter is that I still fall short in my behavior. What I do not do is allow a stumble in the road to stop the journey. Moving forward is the only option. Like the Apostle Paul, "I press toward the mark..." I know who I am in Christ, but I am continually looking for the manifestation of it in my life. I think this is what sets people apart. They understand that failure happens within Him not outside of Him. He's with me on every leg of the journey.

Always abounding. Have you ever considered the possibility of those words in your personal life? I realize that Paul is speaking to the church regarding their part in the Kingdom, however, I see incredible potential for those words to be fulfilled in our personal lives. Think about it. Why can't the work of the Lord be your family? What if the work of the Lord right now in your life has to do with your relationships? Any area of your life that He is leading you to give careful attention IS His work. Abound in it. Bring it to excess, to overflowing, to abundance. Don't be satisfied with anything less. Be grateful for what you have in these areas but see the potential of what it could be.

When quitting isn't an option, abounding is the only solution. I have seen too many people give up when it seems hard, walk away when it seems as though they just cannot get it together, or lay down in frustration. Have you ever wondered why people go back to destructive behavior? The familiarity of those choices and the shame associated with it can actually become a comfortable place. Why do you think Paul instructed the church to be steadfast and immovable before they could abound in the work of the Lord? There has to be some grit to us. There has to be some intestinal fortitude. I will not give up. I will not back down. I will see this through.

This is a long journey. From start to finish will take a lifetime. We get so caught up in seeing through a short term lens. When things don't happen the way we think they should, we simply move on to something else. I get it. Pressing forward is not always gratifying. Living in a results oriented society, it is much easier to think there is a better way. However, there are just some things that only pay off with time. Some things that can only be measured at a certain distance.

What I said yesterday about the grace of God and living intentionally did not happen overnight. Don't get me wrong, there were some immediate benefits in how I saw myself and everyone around me; but the reality is that I'm just now seeing the long term effects. Anyone who has gone through a recovery program would understand this. Consistency, Intentionality, and Persistence are needed to see things through. The more my family encounters the changes I have gone through, the greater their response. Think about it in these terms: Let's say that I was an abusive husband and father. Something happens that brings me to a place where I want to change my ways. How long will it take for my wife to trust me? How long before my kids stop covering up every time I raise my hand? How long before I stop yelling? There is no timetable. Only the consistent and intentional moving forward can bring the healing we want to see.

I know people who have learned about our identity in Christ but never reaped the benefits. It was much easier for them to step back into a performance mentality. There was much more gratification in measuring their so called accomplishments in the other way of doing life. They didn't see a change initially so they gave up. The grace of God is not necessarily a quick fix. It takes time to learn to draw from this well consistently. There is a lot of unlearning involved. All you can do is learn from your mistakes, forgive yourself, and keep moving forward. Walking with Him will prove to you that this is the greatest way to do life. Give yourself time. This is where you learn what it means to rest in Him.

REST. You know what this is don't you? It's the willingness to trust completely. It's the faith that He who began a good work in you will complete it. It's never resorting to self-righteousness but allowing His righteousness to come out. It's not a lack of activity, it's just believing that what He did truly carries over into our lives. It keeps us firm and secure in the relationship. It means accepting that I am who He says that I am and living from that place. The more we learn how to rest, the greater the peace that we carry, and the easier it becomes to work out what He has worked within us.

I may get it all right today. Then again...I may blow it. I don't stop. I apologize. I ask for forgiveness. I learn from my mistakes. I rely on His grace to overcome this character defect, this bad habit, or this destructive behavior. I feel His strength rising up. I move forward. One step at a time. One day at a time. I'm conforming into His image. This is the journey. This is what walking with Him looks like. I don't need to run and hide in the bushes. I don't need to make some kind of covering for my mistakes. He seeks me out in them. He calls me to Himself. He teaches me how to carry the nature of a son. And when you learn how to live life this way, it's breathtaking. He is that good.

Intentionality

Over the course of 20+ years of walking with Christ I have gone through several studies. I have learned what it means to Experience God, to possess the Mind of Christ, to Make Peace with My Past, and what it means to live in a Culture of Honor. All wonderful studies. All meaningful milestones in my life. However, what I have learned in these studies did not change me. It's what I did with what I learned that made all the difference.

Intentionality is a way of life. I have known people who possessed great knowledge of the Bible but struggled to see a difference in their lives. Men and Women who had been in church for many years who often spoke of their continued struggles translating what they say they believed into a present reality of life. Experiencing God seemed to be an once in a blue moon occasion. His silence was deafening, and their faith was waning. They failed to see Him in every day life. Feeling His love for them seemed to be tied to how well they performed. A vicious cycle of mountain tops and valleys. Steady growth in Him was about as successful as trying to nail jello to a wall.

I thought this type of life was normal. I believed the ups and downs were simply a part of it all. What I did not realize is that I was trapping myself into a mindset. A mindset of failure. A mindset of mediocrity. This forced me to do the only thing I knew to do: I worked harder. Things never really changed but the idea of achieving some sort of higher spirituality kept me moving. It's funny how busyness gives us a sense of self-satisfaction.

Enter GRACE. Discovering that grace was the empowerment of God upon my life changed everything. I found His grace to be sufficient even in my weakness. I entered into a mindset of success. A mindset of consistency. This forced me to do the only thing I knew to do: LIVE INTENTIONALLY. Since the grace of God was always upon my life, there was never a need to resort to my own strength. I found within myself the ability to love, to forgive, to experience a higher spirituality if you will. No longer wrapped up in busyness, I found myself simply resting in Him.

What was I intentional about? I was intent to continually believe that He was enough. His finished work, His grace, His mercy, His Spirit dwelling inside me, it was all enough. I stopped comparing my life to others. I found a contentment that I never knew before. I also experienced a hunger to go deeper in this identity that I did not believe was possible.

I believe the grace of God is the life we were always meant to live. A life that is secure in relationship with our Creator. Walking with Him. Talking with Him. Gaining strength from this bond. Hearing Him speak life over us and to us. This is a reality that we should experience. It's not a life set aside for the super spiritual. You have to understand that. When I experienced this Grace Awakening in my own life, I felt that I was at one of my lowest points. Inconsistency seemed to dominate me. Ups and downs were a part of my normal experience. My wife and kids never got the best of me. The grace of God at work in me changed all of that.

What if you believed you were truly loved by God unconditionally?
What if you believed that grace was an ever present gift in your life?
What if you believed that in Him you truly live, you move, and you have your being?
What if you believed that love wasn't a fleeting emotion but a choice?
All of these things you already possess. Experiencing them as a reality doesn't happen accidentally.

Intentionality is the key you are looking for to unlock this life. Intentionally believing. Intentionally speaking life into yourself and others. Intentionally loving. Intentionally being present everywhere you find yourself. All In - All The Time. Enjoy the journey.