Only Jesus

I was in the truck yesterday scanning the radio for a football game when I stopped to listen to a religious program that caught my attention.  As I listened I heard mentioned a number of times the name of the religion and the spotlight was on a particular New Testament Bible figure (not Jesus).  I listened for quite a while but there was no talk of Jesus nor the gospel so I moved on.  Later in the evening I was again scanning the stations and like before landed on this same station which was again was talking about the same Bible character and that particular person's holiness.

I tried to listen for a while but was grieved in my spirit. I though for a few minutes then prayed about this.  I asked God to give me insight because as I have read the scriptures the focus never seemed to be on anyone but Jesus (even the Old Testament pointed to him). All others who were lifted up, worshipped, or revered tore their garments and got low. I mean they knew their utter weakness and need for Christ.  Paul said he was the least of the Apostles and called himself "wretched".  When John fell at the feet of the angel who appeared to him the angel exclaimed, "Don't do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!" Isaiah, when given the chance to be in God's presence, admitted his unholiness, "'Woe to me!' I cried. 'I am ruined! For I am a man of of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips."

I woke up early this morning, forgetting about the radio program, I asked the Lord to give me something to say today.  I admitted to him that if I said anything from my own power it would be useless or worse, it might be dangerous.  I opened to the Book of Ephesians and began to read.  It hit me like a Mike Tyson right hook.  "Jesus Christ", "Christ", "God's Son", "in him", "through him", "Through Jesus Christ our Lord", "by the blood of Christ", "through his blood", "through the cross". It was all about Jesus. It wasn't about Paul or Peter or Moses or Mary.  From Genesis to Revelation it was about God's plan of salvation through his Only Son - Jesus - the Christ.  

Paul's letter to the Ephesians was not like his other letters.  He wasn't writing to correct one particular error but instead to encourage and build up the church. It was to remind them of the faith for which Paul himself was suffering.  It was to point them in the right direction and to focus their eyes on their only hope, Jesus.

"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved.  And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.  For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves it is a gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."  Ephesians 2:4-10 (emphasis mine)

In this letter Paul reminds us through whom our salvation comes (Jesus), how it was obtained (through the shedding of Christ's blood), how we receive it (by faith), and for what purposes are we saved (so that we might be blessed by God with the incomparable riches of his grace and that we might do good works).

Jesus was mentioned directly 50 times in the six short chapters and that doesn't include the indirect references (e.g. "him"). We are reminded that our lives, our holiness, and our access to the Father are "through him", "in him", "in Christ", or "through Christ" thirty times.  It was and is all about Jesus.  When we begin to focus on other people or put our hope in religion we, like Peter who took his eyes off of Jesus, will find ourselves sinking in the waves around us.  

I urge you to find twenty minutes this week to read Ephesians. Go slowly. Let each verse sink in.  God says that his Word never returns void but accomplishes the purpose for which he sends it. I promise you will be changed.

Love you guys,

David

Ninety-Five Percent of Church Should Happen Outside of Church

I've struggled so much with "church" lately.  I don't mean the "Church" as in the Body of Christ but the places, the denominations, the politics, the programs, the plans, and the rest of what most would call the "church".  This isn't about one church but the general trend of the church particularly in the west.  I will say up front that this is a generalization and that there are local bodies of believers that don't fit this mold.  I will say that we each need to look at ourselves individually and then as local bodies to see where we stand.  Self-examination is important because if we don't regularly check our walk we may find that we have taken a slow but dramatic detour from the path God had us on.  There is a trend away from the truth of Scripture, away from God's call for holiness, and a seeming  scarcity of consumed, Holy Spirit filled, passionate, radical lives changed by Jesus.

I remember the day I was saved.  I don't remember the day I was born but I remember well the day I was born again. I've seen childbirth and what I can say (at least from the perspective of an observer) is that it is both brutal and beautiful at the same time.  It is a time of pain and a time of immense joy.  It is a miracle.  Well, the birth of a spirit that was once "dead in transgressions and sins" is no less a miracle.  But here is the question I have for us today:  Why?  Why does God save us then leave us here in this broken and sin-filled world?  What did the church of born-again believers look like in the first century as depicted in the Book of Acts.

So, what am I getting at?  I want to start by answering the question I posed at the beginning.  Why didn't God just take us to heaven when he saved us?  So that we could be comfortable and happy for a few more years here on earth?  So that we could fill our bank accounts and houses with more money and trinkets?  So that we could gather together once or twice a week to do church.  I think not.  As far as I can tell there are three main things to do while we are here:

1)  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and love your neighbor as yourself.  Luke 10:27

2) ". . .  to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?  Isaiah 58:6-7

3) Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  Matthew 28:19-20

What does it look like to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind?"  Seems pretty consuming doesn't it.  A life radically changed by the grace of God through the sacrifice of Jesus becomes consumed.  What is the word that is repeated here? "All" That means God consumes our emotions, our thoughts, and our efforts.  It's like from the moment we wake to the time we lay our heads on the pillow, our lives are consumed with the things of God.   Paul said these words in his letter to the Philippians:  "What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him." Where are you and where is your church?  See also Galatians 2:20

Can we break the chains of injustice, set the oppressed free, feed the hungry, cloth the naked, or provide shelter for the wanderers if we spend 95% of the time as the "Church" within the walls of the "church"?  Doubtful.  When I look at the disciples in the book of Acts (By the way, they were the Church) it seems that they were on the streets and in homes more than they were in the temple or specific buildings called "churches".  This isn't to condemn buildings called "churches" but if we gather like a small social clubs and fail to get out of the walls we have failed.  One more thing here.  Just because a church does a mission trip or donates some money to the needy doesn't mean we are doing what the Lord has asked.  Acts 4 tells it like this:  "There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need."  Where are you and where is your church?

Social justice is good but if we stop there we have left people with full bellies and warm feet but still dead in their spirits.  We are commanded to go and make disciples.  I think the key word here is "go".  We expect them to come.  Jesus didn't say wait for them to show up at church then tell them the "Good News".  He said, "go".  Our most important task is to bring people to the cross.  Jesus also said, "teach them" so that they would know the commands and obey them.  Holiness and obedience have very much been put out with the dogs as we have preached grace.  Grace is amazing but Jesus said obey as well.

I want to finish by saying that I don't believe we can do these things with finely tuned plans devised by men void of the power and direction of the Holy Spirit, for man's plans will never produce more than man-sized results.  So like I have said before, we should probably spend way more time praying, fasting, and seeking God than meeting in committees with rigid agendas and a final vote or two to make it official.  The Holy Spirit says, "Go." and you go.  He says, "Speak." then you speak.  He says, "Preach your sermon." Then you preach.  He says "Tear up your sermon and say this instead" then rip away!  

Love God. Love and care for the people.  Share the Gospel and teach the people; all with an all-consuming passion.  I understand that some days you'll not feel passionate or consumed but this isn't about emotions.  I understand that even in the first century the people, like us, were flawed and imperfect.  But let's not get stuck in the mundane and the irrelevant.  Let's get a little crazy for Christ!  

Peace in the risen Jesus!

David