Stop whatever you’re doing right now and watch this sermon by my pastor Mark Driscoll. Pastor Mark went to Haiti last week and this sermon has a lot of video from his trip. I hope it will change you like it did me.
I was sitting in my office and thought I would share this quick thought. A few months ago I had the opportunity to hang out with a close friend. At one time he was a pastor for a church and had a large library for preparing his sermons every week. He is now working a “regular” job and doesn’t see himself being a pastor ever again.
I remember coveting after my friend’s library. I remember going into his office and thinking to myself, “I want a library like this some day.” I remember just staring at his books and taking note of his collection. I even remember the distinct smell his office had from all the books and wanting my office to have that same smell.
When he heard that I was going through Re:Train, he wanted to help me with my expenses, but due to life circumstances he wasn’t able to. While I was visiting with him, he took me into his garage where he had his library stored. He humbly pointed out the boxes and told me to take whatever I wanted/needed. I left his house with more than 500 theology, commentary, history, cultural analysis, and linguistic books. The total cost has to be over $3000 easily.
While he couldn’t help me pay for my flights to Seattle or the cost of my laptop, what this friend did in my mind was priceless. From his gift, I’ve been able to do all the research for my papers. I’ve been able to loan/give books out to friends. My library has more than doubled. All these things are great, but the greatest gift this friend gave me was a lesson in generosity. I had to ask myself if I would be willing to do the same thing…and I don’t know if I could have.
This makes me ask you the question: What do you have that you don’t need (or do need) that you need to give to someone else to bless them? Do you have a treasure that you need to pass on to progress the kingdom for Jesus?
Jesus was sent on mission into our world. God the Father sent Jesus into this world to “seek and save the lost.”[i] As we are made into the image of Christ we are sent too. From the beginning, Jesus’ desire wasn’t for us to receive his gift of salvation and then be whisked off to heaven. Jesus’ prayer for us as his disciples was clear and simple.
I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.[ii]
As Christ followers, we have been blessed with a great gift. Jesus has trusted us to share his good news with those around us. This is a beautiful and simple task, but it isn’t easy. Just as the world was against Jesus, it will be against us. Jesus didn’t send us into the world alone though.
When Jesus told his disciple to love one another in John 13:34-35, he wasn’t telling them to live in loving community for the benefit of each other (although there are benefits to living in loving community). It was for the benefit of those around them. “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”[iii] We are called to share the good news of Jesus through the instrument of community.
There are two areas that can hurt our mission to image Jesus to the world that are found in Jesus’ prayer in John 17:14-18. The first is if we are part of the world. Jesus was not of this world. He lived differently than everyone around him. He handled money differently. He handled relationships differently. He handled work differently. He handled family differently. He handled love differently. Jesus lived a life different from the world around him. We are called to do the same thing. By living differently than the world around us, we bring the focus to Jesus who is the instrument of salvation.
The second area that can hinder our mission is if we separate ourselves from the world. Jesus was different as he was in the world. He didn’t escape the dirt and evil of this world, but instead dived deep into it to shine His light into the darkness. He ate and drank with alcoholics, corrupt city officials, prostitutes, self-righteous religious leaders, disease- infested street dwellers, and blue-collar workers. Who cares if we have the hope of Jesus if it doesn’t make a difference in the world around us? Like Jesus, we are sent into the world and share that hope. We glorify Jesus when we are in the world but not of the world. Spend this week focusing on how you are sent to be a light in this dark and dying world.
[ii] John 17:14-18 (ESV)
[iii] John 13:35 (ESV)
Jesus lived in community. He grew up in a large family. He spent his entire ministry with 12 close-knit friends. He had larger groups of people who followed him during his ministry. He constantly ate meals with people. He healed people. He prayed for people. He preached to multitudes. His life was marked with constant and continuous community. Everything he did was within the context of community.
Jesus’ lifestyle of continuous community didn’t start with his ministry here on earth but was just an extension of his eternal relationship with the Father and Holy Spirit. We are called to live in community because God lives in community with Himself.
God’s tri-Personal reality is intrinsic to his existence as the one God who alone is God. He is a socially related being within himself. In this tri-Personal relationship the three Persons love one another, support one another, assist one another, team with one another, honor one another, communicate with one another, and in everything respect and enjoy one another. They are in need of nothing but each other throughout all eternity. Such is the richness and the fullness and the completion of the social relationship that exists in the Trinity. [i]
In John 13:34-35, Jesus tells us the way that we image him to those around us is by living in loving community. He puts it this way: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”[ii] When Jesus says we will have love for one another, he isn’t talking about the typical-everyday-pithy love that we come across. He is talking about a deep, never ending, never failing, all-encompassing kind of love. It is the same kind of love that he showed his disciples by loving them at their best and at their worst. It is the love Jesus is talking about when he said; “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”[iii]
Because of this love, it is in community that we help each other grow. It is in community that we pray for one another. It is in community that we repent. It is in community that we care for one another. It is in community that we spread the gospel (more on this next week). It is in community that we bear the image of God and ultimately bring glory to Jesus and find deep joy in our lives. Spend this week focusing on how you are called to live in loving community with brothers and sisters in Christ.
[ii] John 13:34-35 (ESV)
[iii] John 15:13 (ESV)
Jesus continuously worshiped God the Father. Depending on your background, the word worship could have a lot of baggage with it. Some view worship as a meeting time once a week. Some view worship as a music genre. Some view worship as doing a set of prayers/chants/mantras. Some view worship as singing some songs.
While all of these are forms of worship, they all fall short of a full understanding of what worship is. Worship at its core is giving value to something or someone. In his book Unceasing Worship, Harold M. Best defines worship better by saying that, “worship is the continuous outpouring of all that I am, all that I do and all that I can ever become in light of a chosen or choosing god.”[i]
Human beings are worshipers. Everything we do, says, think, or feel is an act of worship. At the heart of everything we do is giving value to someone or something. We are born worshiping and we never stop. The only thing that changes is what we worship. God is the only one worthy of worship. God’s original design was for us to continuously worship Him, but sin entered the world and we started worshiping lesser things. We started to worship created things (ourselves generally being at the top of the list). We started to worship idols.[ii]
The reality is that at the heart of all sin is an issue with worship. Romans 1:24-25 puts it this way, “Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.”[iii] Because of sin, instead of continuously worshiping God, we continuously worship created things. Because of sin, we have had no desire to ever give glory to God.
Now that we are being made into the image of Christ, we are able to glorify God with our lives once again. Jesus used everything in his life to worship God. He is the only person to perfectly worship God, and through the power of the Holy Spirit we can do the same. Instead of worshiping money, we can use money to worship God. Instead of worshiping our jobs, we can use our jobs to worship God. Instead worshiping our families, we can use our families to worship God. Instead of worshiping all of our stuff, we can use our stuff to worship God. In Jesus, we have been freed to worship God. Spend this week focusing on how you are called to worship God with all your life.
[ii] An idol is anything that we worship that isn’t God.
[iii] (ESV)
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. – Ephesians 5:1-2
In the beginning, God created us in His image. Like a mirror, we were created to reflect God’s glory to the world around us. Unfortunately, sin entered the world and our reflection became distorted. Our mirrors became bent and broken.
The story doesn’t stop there though. Jesus entered our world and imaged the Father perfectly. He reflected God’s glory to the world perfectly. Everything he did showed us a perfect image of who the Father is. Jesus said, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.”[i] Jesus imaged the Father.
We are called to image Jesus in the same way that Jesus imaged God the Father. As disciples we are being conformed into the image of Jesus.[ii] Bruce Ware describes our imaging this way:
Created and finite representations (images of God) of God’s own nature, that in relationship with Him and each other, they might be His representatives (imaging God) in carrying out responsibilities He was given to them. In this sense, we are images of God in order to image God and His purposes in the ordering of our lives and carrying out of our God-given responsibilities.[iii]
In the next three weeks we will focus on three distinct areas in our lives in which we are called to image God. We are called to worship Jesus with all of our lives, live in gospel-centered community, and be on mission in the world around us. For now we will simply focus on the thought of imaging God.
Now that our identity is in Jesus, our lives are called to be a reflection of Jesus. Our mirrors are being repaired so we can image Jesus in everything we do, think, feel, and say. This is only possible because of the relationship that we now have with Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit as we are continually purified into the image of Jesus.
As a disciple of Jesus, it is our goal that every aspect of our life would reflect God’s glory. Our families should reflect God’s glory. Our finances should reflect God’s glory. Our relationships should reflect God’s glory. Our jobs should reflect God’s glory. Spend this week focusing on how you are called to be an image-bearer of God.
[ii] Romans 8:29
[iii] Wayne Grudem, Biblical Foundations for Manhood and Womanhood (Crossway Books, 2002), 79.
The two most basic disciplines of the Christian faith are scripture reading and prayer. In fact, it is hard to separate the two. God communicates to His people through His Word, and we communicate with Him through prayer. This week we are going to focus on reading our Bibles and journaling, and next week we’ll look at prayer.
Reading our Bibles and journaling our thoughts are helpful tools to cultivate our relationship with Jesus. Through scripture we are able to learn more about Jesus, have Him speak to our hearts, and be prepared to do His work. Here are some simple tips and steps for developing a habit of spending time in God’s Word.
Tip #1: Have “triggers.” Probably one of the hardest things to do is to get in the habit of opening your Bible. Leo Babauta of WritetoDone.com talks about putting triggers in your life to help you develop habits.
What’s a trigger? It’s the event that sets off your habit. For example, when I used to smoke, I had a number of triggers: I would smoke upon waking, when stressed, after a meeting, etc. When I wanted to change that habit, I had to change each trigger so that I had a new habit to replace smoking. Upon waking, for example, I would exercise instead. To create a new habit, you need to strongly associate your habit with a trigger. For example, let’s say you want to write in the morning — you might awake, use the bathroom, make your coffee, and then start writing. So making coffee is the trigger for writing, and using the bathroom is the trigger for making coffee, and waking is the trigger for using the bathroom. And as you wake every day, you have no problem. Choose a trigger that you know you’ll do every day, and then do your writing right after it, without exception.[i]
Triggers can be a very powerful tool for any spiritual discipline that you are trying to start.
Tip #2: Have all the right resources. It is suggested that when you sit down to spend time in the Bible, you should have the following items:
A Bible – Make sure it is a version that you can understand (different versions of the Bible are written at different reading levels). This guide uses the English Standard Version, but you might find another version easier to understand. Just go to your local bookstore and test a few out. See how easy they are to read and if you can understand the words that are being used.
A Journal – This is where you are going to write down your thoughts. You can find several different styles at your bookstore. Don’t be afraid to switch journals if one isn’t working for you. Use the first few pages to keep an index of what you are learning each day. This way you can look back and see what you have been learning.
A Reading Plan – This guide provides you with passages to read every day while you’re going through the lessons. When you’re done going through this guide, read whatever you want. Just have a plan. There are several different Bible reading plans online that will take you through the Bible in a year, or you could make it as simple as reading two chapters a day. Whatever you do, use a plan, or you’ll spend half your time trying to figure out what to read.
A Planner - It’s going to happen. You are going to be in the middle of having a wonderful time with God. Journaling your heart out…and you are going to remember that you’re out of milk. This is where your planner comes in handy. You can write down, “get milk” and go right back to your journaling. If you don’t have a planner, just use a scratch piece of paper. Otherwise, your time with God will be hijacked by random thoughts of things you need to do for the day.
Tip #3: Use S.O.A.P. This is an acronym for a Bible reading and journaling structure from Wayne Cordeiro.[ii] It stands for the following:
Scripture: Start off with the Bible. Read the verses that are on your plan for the day.
Observation: As you read, write down any observations that you have from the text. Use the questions, “Who is God?,” and “How do I enjoy Him?,” to focus your observations even better.
Application: Based on what you have read…what should you do? Try to make this practical and realistic. Set a goal for the day based upon your reading. Write it down and hold yourself accountable to it.
Prayer: Last but not least, spend some time in prayer to God. Confess and repent of any sins that were brought to light while you were reading. Spend time thanking God. Also spend some time in silence listening to God. Make note of these in your journal.
Tip #4: Keep it simple. The goal of your time with God is to try to grow closer to Him. It’s not to check off your list. Don’t add extra burdens to this focus, such as: “I have to make at least 15 observations.” “I have to write at least 5 pages in my journal.” “I have to pray for at least 45 minutes.” The goal is to spend time with God and to grow closer to Him. Do what it takes to do just that…the rest is just distractions, burdens, and religion.
[ii] Wayne Cordeiro, “Plenary Session 1” (presented at the Exponential Conference (National New Church Conference), Orlando, Florida, April 25, 2007).
So where does our journey begin? Jesus. It all starts with Jesus. He is the creator of all things. He is ruler over everything. He holds everything together by His power. He came to earth; humbly born of a teenage virgin girl in a dirty barn in the Middle East over 2,000 years ago. He lived a perfect life by the power of the Holy Spirit. He was betrayed by one of His closest pupils. He was beaten to a bloody pulp and died a brutal death on a wooden cross for our sins.
It is in the work of Jesus on the cross that our relationship with God the Father is reconciled. Because of the sin of our father Adam, we were separated from God. In our sin, we ran as far away from God as possible. Before Jesus, we were viewed as sick-wicked-evil-despicable-depraved-sinful people. God the Father was ready to pour His wrath out on us.
But God, in His grace, came after us. He pulled us out of our sin and placed us in Christ Jesus. For those whom God has called to Himself we are now viewed “in Christ.” We are now “holy and blameless and above reproach before him.”[i] God the Father no longer sees us. Instead he sees his Son Jesus Christ.
This happens in what Martin Luther called the great exchange. On the cross, Jesus took our sin upon himself, and in exchange he gave us his righteousness. The Apostle Paul puts it this way in 2 Corinthians 5:21: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”[ii] In Jesus, our sin has been exchanged for His righteousness.
But it’s not just about the removal of our sins; everything we do as Christians is “in Christ.” We are sanctified in Christ.[iii] We serve in Christ.[iv] We are redeemed in Christ.[v] We are made alive in Christ.[vi] We are no longer condemned in Christ.[vii] We are one body of believers in Christ.[viii] We are a new creation in Christ.[ix] We are reconciled to God in Christ.[x] We have freedom in Christ.[xi] We are spiritually blessed in Christ.[xii] We are created for good works in Christ.[xiii] We are encouraged in Christ.[xiv] We become mature in Christ.[xv] We are strengthened by grace in Christ.[xvi] Even our physical death is in Christ[xvii] (and this is just the short list).
If you have put your faith in Him, you are now in Christ. We no longer have our old sinful identity. We have His! We have received His righteousness as our own. We now have a loving relationship with God the Father by the blood of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. Spend this week focusing on your new identity in Christ Jesus.
[ii] (ESV)
[iii] 1 Corinthians 1:2
[iv] Romans 16:3, 9
[v] Romans 3:24
[vi] Romans 6:11, 1 Corinthians 15:22
[vii] Romans 8:11
[viii] Romans 12:5
[ix] 2 Corinthians 5:17
[x] 2 Corinthians 5:19
[xi] Galatians 2:4
[xii] Ephesians 1:3
[xiii] Ephesians 2:10
[xiv] Philippians 2:1
[xv] Colossians 1:28
[xvi] 2 Timothy 2:1
[xvii] 1 Corinthians 15:18, 1 Thessalonians 4:16
We went to a friend’s son’s birthday party last week at the local community center. The place has a sprinkler park that is pretty sweet. We didn’t know how Asa would react, but we brought his swim trunks anyways. He was a little hesitant at first, but as soon as he got wet it was hard to keep him out. He was crawling all over the place. It was awesome.
So this is how my week has been so far. Towards the end of last week we received a mdical bill…from the emergency room…from before Asa was born. This was only days after we had finished clearing up all of Asa’s medical bills from his birth.
Saturday we received a letter from our mortgage company saying they had to drain our escrow account to pay the property taxes for the first half of 08. This is because the title company wasn’t intelligent enough to find out they weren’t paid before we bought the house. Now if we don’t get the seller (the government) to refund our escrow account, our monthly payments are going increase drastically.
And now I’m sitting on the cold concrete sidewalk outside of a Chevron as the guy is hooking up our van to tow cause the transmission died on it. This is our only vehicle and we really don’t have a lot of spare cash laying around to fix it.
This trend seems to happen pretty often in our family. Just when life seems to be going semi-smooth, Murphy shows up with all his friends and has a kegger in my living room.
But here is the other cool trend in my life, God always shows up a few days later and kicks Murphey’s @$$.
I must say things are really crappy right now, but I look forward to seeing what God is going to do in the days to come.
