How You Close It Is How You Open It

I was out in the backyard trying to fix something with the rabbit cages and I looked at the pool (an above ground piece of garbage - don't get the wrong idea) and wanted to cry. I had been lazy at the end of summer and didn't close it well. I knew what that meant - come spring it would be a pain in the neck to open. I just walked away. I'll deal with it then.

I realized a great spiritual truth at that moment: How you close it is how you'll open it. I need to be more diligent at night, soaking myself in God and His Word, not the things of this world. When I go to bed I should have God's thoughts coursing through my mind. Scripture, blessings, His strength and power. Then His Word will protect me through the night and cover my house and family - and I will have a greater chance of opening up the next morning in the right frame of mind.

Relationships with others, job performance, our walk with God, our inner thought life, pools . . . . . they all run under the same principle: How we close it is how we'll open it.

Ephesian 4:26,27 "Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold."

Go back to some broken relationships and close them out under the reconciliation of the blood of Christ. Do everything at your job so well that you can walk out the door with a clear conscience. Immerse yourself in God's Word at night instead of television or any other things that are merely the thoughts of the world. Get into a community that causes you to talk about God and not "stuff." Close out well.

The Last Laugh

Last night at church we were singing the old favorite "Count Your Blessings." I know that to some degree this is scriptural - many of the psalms are recountings of things that God has done - so the song itself doesn't bother me. Except for some reason, I was bothered by the following:

When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings—wealth can never buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

It really struck me - I am not envious of others who are receiving wealth in this world, with the attitude: "Well later on I'll get mine!" I love what I have right now, Christ in me. I really don't want to be living through this life as if it's a great struggle but I get rewarded in the end. I don't think it's how we're meant to live through this life.

We must be convinced that this life is the best way. That this boat we're climbing (or being pulled) into is more than just salvation to an eternity with God and streets of gold, but to the best possible life now. I'm not talking the way prosperity preachers mean it, I mean that we must be convinced that the life following God, filled by His Spirit, is the best way to pilgrimage through this world. The life with the most meaning, peace, joy, purpose, fullness, fuller relationships, etc.

I get a little tired of hearing testimonies that make it sound like someone was having a blast and then they got saved. You know the ones that I mean: "I was drinking, messing around, doing what I wanted to - then I found Jesus!" You want to know what the kids hear? "I was having fun doing all the things of the world then Jesus came and put a stop to it."

Eternal life starts upon the moment of salvation, not the moment of death. Following God and being filled by His Spirit now is the best life. There is no need for thinking, "Don't worry, you can have yours now - I'll get mine later." This will change how you witness to people because you'll want what is best for them right now. It will allow you to forgive people and carry their burdens because you know that right now you have the power of Christ within you.

It's not about getting the last laugh. That thought alone means we have it all wrong. God loves these people. It's not about sticking it to them.

(by the way - "The Last Laugh" by Mark Knopfler/Van Morrison is one of the more underrated songs around. Look it up.)

Common Rain and the Church

I would like to followup on my two previous postings. In the first, I questioned to what extent the church (or "a" church) should be affected by outside forces such as an economic downturn. In the second, I addressed how individuals are most definitely affected by these (the rain falls on the just and the unjust).

I've been thinking about this and I'm not sure of the answer (regarding the church). I understand that when an economy fails or a disaster strikes - a "church" will most likely get caught up in the the current. But is that because we are structured in a way that is contrary to Scripture? Should a church fail? By fail, I mean should it collapse under budgetary concerns? What is the distinction between an individual getting caught up in the storms of life and a church getting caught up?

Again - are we structured wrong? I think we are. With huge buildings and budgets and staffs I think we expose ourselves to the ebb and flow of society and nature. We have built a system that relies on the how the world is doing. If the world is doing well, the church reflects that with bigger buildings and larger staffs. If the world is failing, we fail along with it.

I don't think "church" the way Christ defines it should be subjected to the health of the world. I think that what He taught, what He set up, what He breathes life into should be so different that if the world falls around it, it doesn't fall apart. There should be no "breath of the world" that is holding it together. How else can we be of any help when the individuals are lost in the 'current.'

Common Rain

Jesus Christ: "The rain falls on the just and the unjust"
Isaiah 5:5 "I will take away its hedge and it will be destroyed."

Question: Is there a "hedge" and if so what does it really mean to a child of God?

I think that there is one. I think that once you enter into the family of God, there is a certain place that you enter in which you can find rest and bear eternal fruit. But how does it play out in a world in which the rain falls on everyone without prejudice? Where Christians and non-Christians alike suffer and die from cancer? Where Christian and non-Christian children die of starvation? Where a drunk driver can come out of nowhere and destroy a life - Christian and non-Christian?

It's because we're all in the same "flood" of corruption. The corruption of creation which is evidenced in nature itself, where diseases cover all of mankind, where irrational acts destroy lives, where the decisions of man can destroy a nation. The accumulation of thousands of years of selfishness has covered this world in man-made mud. The entire world is corrupted, top to bottom, front to back.

At what point is the Christian and The Church immune to this? At all? If we live better lives will we avoid this? Of course not. We're all in it together. Salvation isn't being pulled out of the mess, salvation is being changed within the mess. I think where it's different is that we all suffer these things, but in an entirely different realm with outcomes measured in entirely different ways. A loved one getting cancer, a baby dying - within the hedge - is not the same as the meaningless, painful, emptiness of dust returning to dust.

In Isaiah 5 we read of God's verdict on His vineyard (Israel). Because there was no fruit He said He would remove the 'hedge' and they would be destroyed. The implication clearly being that there was a 'hedge' to begin with. I believe Christians live under this same protection, within these same walls. Without it, well - - -let's just hear David's words on it:

"If the Lord had not been on our side- let Israel say - if the Lord had not been on our side when the men attacked us, when their anger flared against us, they would have swallowed us alive; the flood would have engulfed us, the torrent would have swept over us, the raging waters would have swept us away." (Ps. 124)

There it is. It rains on the just and the unjust and we're all just a step away from being swept down river and drowning it. Cancer. Death. The economy. Chaos. It's all around us, Christian and non-Christian alike. But that step is the thing - either it's a step toward God and into Him, or a step away from Him and apart from Him. That step creates a huge divide. It's contrasted with these two verses:

John 15:5 "Apart from Me you can do nothing."
Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Down-Sizing Church

Quick question: Should a church be structured in such a way that it is "economy-dependent"? The reason I ask is that I have had discussions with a number of people from churches in the area who were talking about the struggles of their programs. Some have had to abandon building projects and mission projects. Some are drastically cutting staff. I was talking to one lady from a huge church in Arizona that is really hurting - with a budget that is currently millions of dollars in the hole.

I feel for these people - honestly. But I also wonder to what degree churches should be at the mercy of the economy. We need to have vision and faith and this requires stepping out in programs and projects. We have done it ourselves at our church. But how can we truly fulfill the mission of helping the hurting if all we're doing is plugging our own holes? If the economy goes down, shouldn't we be there to help, not drown in it ourselves?

Is church really supposed to be like this? I can't help but think that something has gone seriously wrong and we are way off mission.

Define and Dismiss

I've been a teacher for a long time, and I've seen the temptation to slap labels on kids, put them in a box and avoid having to go the extra mile to truly disciple them. It's a lazy way of dealing with students - if we can define them we can dismiss them.

I noticed this the other night at a banquet I went to with my wife. We were asked to host a table with six international students for a Thanksgiving meal. I looked around the room and discovered that there were about 25 nations represented at the various other tables. All kinds of dress, languages, customs poured through the room. Trying to process it all was a little overwhelming, so I reverted to my natural instinct of "classifying" each person within their culture and then I could deal with the magnitude of so many different variations. They were boxed in within the boundaries of my self-protective prejudices. But as I talked with the people at my table, these prejudices started to fade and I felt upset that I had been so lazy and unwilling to deal with them as individuals.

We do this all the time. We do it with the unborn - find the definition of life and then we can dismiss any that fall before it with a clear conscience. We do it with the elderly - define them as "senior citizens" and place them in boxes and dismiss them. Older people in church do it with the youth. The youth do it with the older people. We do it with people from other cultures. Defined and dismissed. Conscience cleared. I do not have to deal with you any longer.

Jesus addresses this in Matthew 5:21 - 24 when He tells us to reconcile with those around us. Reconciliation is more than just saying you're sorry. It's all based on how you see the person you're dealing with. It's a lot easier to leave relationships unreconciled if we can simply dismiss that person in our mind as someone beneath us. He uses the terms "Raca" and "Fool" to make this point clear.

"Raca" is an Aramaic term implying "empty-headed." Name-calling was highly insulting in Jewish culture. You were given a name in accordance with who you were, and to strip that away and give a different name was extremely demeaning.

"You Fool!" is similar to the Greek word "more" which gives us the word "moron." The implication here was more than just a cursory insult - you were making some long-lasting comment on who that person was. You were defining them. When you strip away the dignity of your brother, your fellow man, it's a lot easier to live in a state of hatred and enmity. We can easily rationalize not having to reconcile with someone who we have just destroyed with a label, who we have just rendered unworthy of reconciliation. Again: define and dismiss.

Before we can truly reconcile, we must be able and willing to see them as brothers, not enemies. Only the love of Christ and the eyesight of God can do this for us. Jesus never dismissed anyone - He held His arms open for all to come. He allowed them to dismiss themselves, which is something completely different. I pray that we will start a reconciliation between cultures and generations that will show that the Spirit is really at work within our lives.

Three Years of Best Days

Psalm 84 "Better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere."

Do we really believe this? Is one day, one moment in the presence of God, worth three years of our best days? Think of a great day for you. A financial breakthrough. Romance - the best date ever. A vacation day that without planning became a day to remember. A sports achievement or victory. The day your baby first smiled at you (and you knew it wasn't just gas).

One day in His presence blows ALL of that away.

Do I really believe that? Is one moment with God really better than a thousand of those moments? I think I do believe it. I think that those glimpses He gives us break through our spirit and are so transcendent and beyond explanation that they render any earthly experience almost meaningless in comparison. But these moments also make our earthly experiences even more meaningful.

The problem is that we are so stuck in the world that we miss this. We must be convinced that it is the best way. That this boat we're climbing (or being pulled) into is more than just salvation to an eternity with God, but to the best possible life now. I'm not talking the way prosperity preachers mean it, I mean that we must be convinced that the life following God, filled by His Spirit, is the best way to pilgrimage through this world.

I get a little tired of hearing testimonies that make it sound like someone was having a blast and then they got saved. You know the ones that I mean: "I was drinking, messing around, doing what I wanted to - then I found Jesus!" You know what the kids hear when people say this? "I was having a fun doing all the things of the world then Jesus came and put an end to it. Now I'm a Christian"

Three years of my best worldly days can't compare with a moment in His presence. I truly believe that and seek that moment with all of my heart. That matter is now settled and it changes how I approach every moment here on earth. I can redeem these moments instead of enduring them.

"One thing I ask for, this is what I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life . . ." Psalm 27:4

"Earth has nothing I desire besides You." Psalm 73:25

Things That Make You Go Hymn. . . . . .

More rambling church thoughts as I prepare for a Music Commission meeting tonight and try to avoid the "Worship Wars":

Psalm 144 says to sing a new song on the ten-stringed lyre. Seriously, how far off the worship track would that throw some people that I know. Bang a few cymbals while you're at it, as the psalm says.

I'm always challenged by the phrase "a new song." When you stand up to give you testimony, is there something fresh that the Lord has spoken to you or is it a recounting of something that happened a month, a year, or ten years ago? I experienced this the other night at church. While preaching about the presence of God, I told a story of an experience I had with Him - that happened 7 years ago!! This made me stop and think: Where are my new experiences?

When someone says, "to make a long story short" I say in my head, "Too late!"

What if you're good at something you don't really like doing? I remember when an All-Pro football player retired at an early age and all the critics blasted him. His response? "I don't like playing." Their response, "But you're good at it!" I sometimes feel that way about __________________. But I press on because people say I'm good at it. Why?

I was watching a football game the other day when my wise-guy son kept leaning his head in front of me, blocking my view. I started to get mad, when I realized that this 7-year old was of greater value to me than 11 muscleheads that I've never met. I shut off the game and went out and played in the backyard with him. (Actually . . . . DVR'd the game - I'm not that self-sacrificing).

Speaking of Josh, he was really sick the other day. I went up to his room and asked him if he wanted something to drink. In a quiet voice, he said, "Yes, please." I realized that sickness knocks all the wise-guy out of a person. It's helpful to understand this concept when you're witnessing. When people are hurting, their arrogance goes out the window. They allow you to serve them, which is a huge step in leading them to Christ.

I have officially anointed myself as "The World's Worst Pastor" when it comes to the worship problem. I simply don't care. Really - I don't care. You could rejoice in silence, with Gregorian chants, easy listening or rap songs and I'd think, "Good for you." Again - I DON'T CARE.

Once, when I had to let an employee go, he referred to me as a "meathead." He called the person who took his job a "vulture." We've debated it ever since. Which is worse? A meathead means you're inherently inept. A vulture means you have bad intentions. Years later, we're still trying to figure out who got the worst insult. I believe he did, but he's a bad person. I'm just stupid.

In I Samuel 26 Saul once again tells David that "he's sorry." But David does not cross the valley to see him. He sends his servant. When I read this, I ask the question, "At what point do we entrust ourselves to someone who hurt us?" Even after repeated repentance, Saul has not changed and David knows it. He will not be hurt again. But the true goal of forgiveness is reconciliation, as God did with us. He crossed the valley. I don't know the answer to my question. Like I said above - I'm just rambling. But it's an important one to figure out.

In I Kings 19, when Elijah is depressed, God doesn't do anything at first but feed him. Twice. Think about that the next time you encounter someone in depression. Don't you dare say, "Snap out of it."

I've been listening to the new Derek Webb cd, "Stockholm Syndrome." What a great title - when the captives start identifying with their captors. It's a little different than his other cds, which I love. I consider him to be somewhat a prophet to the church and I would love to find out how we can get him to Boston.

The following three jokes always work:

1. "Did you hear about the corduroy pillows?" "No? I'm surprised, they're making headlines."

2. Knock Knock
Who's there?
I'm a stinking pileup . . . . . . .

3. What do you call a dog with no legs? Anything you want, he's not coming.


Enough fooling around - it's time to get to my Worship Commission meeting and talk about how worship needs to be defined and manipulated and dissected and discussed and programmed and adapted to EVERY SINGLE PERSON sitting in the church . . . . .

Sorry - thanks for letting me vent.

The Delusion of the Semi-Detached Christian Life

For those of you who read this, I apologize for the barrage of postings. But a few things have happened fast and furious this morning - so here is the story:

I have been praying for a deeper walk. A walk that is more rooted in reality than what I experience in myself or witness in others. The verses I wrote on in my last two posts have been coursing through me. Especially Hebrews 12:4. "In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood." Jeremiah 8 shows me the need for a broken heart, a broken church.

So I prayed this morning. Harder than usual. And while I sat in the back as my Calculus class took a test, God spoke into my heart. I literally shook while He moved within me. I wrote as he said:

Your problem is that everything is motion to you, nothing is real. You don't love them (I have pictures of my children on my desk) - you love the thought of them. You love the thought of everything. It is time for a reality check - time to step out of the fog. All these pictures are moments in time, a time you are allowing to pass without true engagement. You have to solidify the vague sense of sin that you live under so you can truly offer it up. Up to this point, you have only offered up the concept of sin in your heart. You must offer the concrete - the flesh of your old nature, not just the thought of it.

If that doesn't make sense to you, I'm sorry. I understand exactly what He is saying. Ideas and thoughts will not turn me into a new creation that is living with power and authority. The Holy Spirit is a person and must enter into me as Christ entered into the world. Physically - as a person, not a concept. I know what God meant when He said that sin is just a "thought" to me. My selfish ambition, my lust, my competitive spirit, my coveting of the things of the world - these are real things and I let them pass day by day, bemoaning the thought of them but not crucifying the reality of them.

I need to place them on the altar as real things and allow them to be crucified with my flesh. Otherwise my life will continue to drift by as I try to capture moments in time - a time that is passing without any real effect on my life. That is why the authority of Christ is not evident in my life, that real change is not happening, that lives around me are not being redeemed. I have been living a life of minimal engagement. I have been walking under the delusion of the semi-detached Christian life- the one that goes through the motions without ever bringing true redemption into any area of their life.

God does not co-habitate. He is real. My sin is real. They will not co-exist. It's time to give Him everything or walk away.

Jeremiah 8: The Blushing Bride

Jeremiah 8. God's broken heart spilled out. We are so foolish.


"When men fall down, do they not get up? When a man turns away, does he not return? Why then have these people turned away? Why does Jerusalem always turn away? They cling to deceit; they refuse to return. I have listened attentively, but they do not say what is right. No one repents of his wickedness, saying "What have I done?" Each pursues his own course, like a horse charging into battle. Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons, and the dove, the swift and the thrush observe the time of their migration. But My people do not know the requirements of the Lord. How can you say, "We are wise, for we have the Law of the Lord," when actually the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely? The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of the Lord, what kind of wisdom do they have? Therefore I will give their wives to other men and their fields to new owners. From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain, prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit. They dress the wound of My people as though it were not serious. "Peace, peace," they say, when there is no peace. Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush."

The Puritans used to talk about what they called "The gift of tears." I know what they mean, tears that have not been manufactured simply because we know that we're supposed to feel bad. These are the real tears - the tears of a broken heart. You know when you have them, because you can't stop them even if you wanted to.

Sometimes I worry about the church - not only do we not have these tears, but we don't even know how to blush at the wrongs in our midst, in our hearts. We feel bad, but only because we think we're supposed to feel bad. I was praying through the Lord's Prayer the other morning and I was "trying" to repent when I got to the part that said, "Forgive us our sins." I even identified them specifically. You would think that when you voice a particular fault, it would be accompanied by an appropriately broken heart. But in my spirit, I felt as if I was merely reciting a list - cold and manufactured. I prayed for the "gift of tears" but they did not come.

I feel terrible reading Jeremiah 8. But I want to feel worse.

The Point of Blood

Hebrews 12:4 "In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood."

I have to admit it - I complain to God and cry out for victory but I haven't pushed myself to the point of blood. I see this problem all around me, people like myself saying that we want holiness, that we want more of God, yet we continue to stumble in our mind and in our walk and enter into our Bible Studies saying: "I blew it again!" while everyone pats us on the back and tells us it's going to be okay.

Why don't we admit it and save everyone the pain: We really don't want IT as bad as we say we do. If we did, we would chase harder after Him. We would cast off the things that hinder instead of allowing them to cling to us. We would fast and read and get by ourselves, praying these things down. We would draw a line in the sand on the mountaintop, like Elijah, and not come down until we've won the victory. "Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled" is not an empty promise.

When I pray the Lord's Prayer, I am very careful in each part. Especially, "Lead me not into temptation but deliver me from evil." In this request I am asking God to take me away from the things that I am drawn to. But I like the things I am drawn to. So if I want victory over them, I must be drained of this "like", and that takes a struggle to the point of shedding blood. The blood of my fleshly nature must be drained out of me. Leviticus 17:11 - "The life of the creature is in the blood." I also think that "The like of the creature is in the blood."

This blood must be replaced by the healing blood of Jesus - a new life with new likes. The victory comes when the desires have changed. But my fleshly nature will never change its desires (see Galatians 5:16 - 18). So - - - - in my struggle against sin, I must shed the blood of my old nature, and this takes more work than most of us are willing to put in.

Bending Our Ears to THE VOICE

We all have natural bents. Some toward lust. Some toward violence. Some toward self-gratification. (actually - ALL toward self-gratification). There is a battle raging within us. In Galatians 5:16 we read that the Spirit and the flesh are at WAR with each other. This explains why some non-Christians can seem at such peace. It takes two to battle, and they are so consumed by their own fleshly nature that a battle doesn't exist!

The Christian has a war in his soul because upon salvation he is sealed with the Spirit (Ephesians 1:13,14) and now has two conflicting entities within him. Of course there is going to be war, and what Christian could honestly claim that they don't feel the battle within their heart?

David and Saul are classic examples of this. Both had a bent to violence. All men do. In I Samuel 24 David sees Saul "relieving himself" and is overcome by a natural desire to kill him. Or at least humiliate him. But he listens to the Voice and feels stricken that he even had the thought. He repents and lets God go to work. In I Samuel 25 Nabal insults David and he responds again with an intense desire to take matters into his own hands and seek vengeance. It's difficult to overcome this bent. But Abigail intercedes and he once again listens to the Voice and pulls back his hand. He has a change of heart.

Saul has the same bent as David. He uses all of his best resources to hunt down his rival with the intention of killing him. Several times he hears the Voice - and he repents for a moment, but then continues on his way. He has heard the Voice, has a temporary change of heart, but then continues on with his natural inclination.

What is the difference between these two men? They both have the same natural bent to self-justification. We all have it. A bent to violently taking matters into our own hands. The difference is a willingness to listen when God speaks and then to act upon it. To allow His Spirit to truly change our minds and to remove our hand from the neck of our enemy and let God move in His way.

How is this battle won?
II Corinthians 10:5 "Taking captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."
It is won in the mind. It is won in our quiet times with God. David meditated upon God and His Word and so was able to not only hear the Voice, but to respond with a change of heart. The battle is won before it is ever waged.

Do you take every thought and make it captive to Christ? Or do you make Christ captive to your thoughts and make Him obedient to them? We have a tendency to lean in a direction and try to force Christ into that direction with us. Saul did this. Read his story and note how many times he misunderstood every piece of information as a sign that God was with him. God was not with him. He had left him. But Saul was leaning in a direction and continually made God obedient to his own personal thoughts and agendas. How often do we see individuals and churches do this.

Step back and listen. Feel which way the Wind is really blowing. Go that way. Lean hard into the direction God is going.

Jeremiah 6:16 "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls."

Swords

I Samuel 25: 13 "David said, 'Put on your swords!"

John 18:11 "Jesus commanded Peter, "Put your sword away! Shall I knot drink the cup the Father has given Me?"

I'm still reading the Intercession of Abigail in I Samuel 25, learning more each time. I can't get away from it. She falls prostate to the ground before David to save a) a man she despises (Nabal) and b) the conscience of the future king. She doesn't want David to have blood on his hands.

But that was David's first response. When he was insulted by Nabal, he told his men to "put on your swords" and he was going to avenge his honor. He was going to take matters into his own hands and bloody them as he seeks revenge. Abigail is truly a Christ-like figure, bringing the king and the coward together. She understands that violence is not God's way. It never has been.

We see this scene repeated in the Garden of Gethsemane. Peter wants to avenge the insults hurled upon Jesus. But like Abigail, Jesus tells Peter to put down the sword. This will not be the way.

We need to be willing to listen to this Voice of Intercession. Will we avenge ourselves - seek our own violent self-justification or will we leave it all in God's hands and accept His way. The way of peace? This is more important than it sounds. God's way is the only way that brings true healing. The way of violence brings temporary relief but in the process hangs a "staggering burden" upon ourselves. There are many who live under this. They don't forgive. They don't release people. They seek their own justification.

If we will step back, as David did, and listen to the Voice, we will allow room for God to go to work. And His work is the only eternal work.

If there is something you are holding against someone - let it go. You do not have to carry the "staggering burden" of being the judge, jury and executioner. Love freely. Forgive without strings. Release without expectations. Increase your heart by removing yourself, and then God can truly enlarge His kingdom.