Men, when Christ stops loving the church, you can stop loving your wives.
A short, but good, reflection on Ephesians 5, HERE.
A very high calling indeed.
Showing posts with label church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label church. Show all posts
Wednesday
Key to God: Notes on Prayer
I moved into my new office on September 1st. It is extremely exciting to be doing something I enjoy so much as my vocation! Hannah was a true blessing in helping me get all my stuff moved in quickly. There are still a few more things I would like to set up but I need to get into the swing of working here first. A couple weeks in, and I am already feeling a little overwhelmed (but I consider the stresses I do have to be good stresses). Within my first full week I had to prepare three different devotionals. It was studying one of the passages I wanted to speak about when I stumbled upon something that really nailed me.
1st Timothy 2:1-7
The idea of prayer as an act of worship is very humbling to me. Prayer is powerful because of WHO you are praying to not who or what YOU are praying for. It's humbling because by praying there is an act of submission that happens. Prayer reveals that there are people and situations in life that are out of my control. (i.e. I cannot cause a persons heart to love God) To make prayer a true act of worship means to admit from the very essence of what it means to be human that God is more powerful and more caring than I could ever be.
Don't get me wrong, I am very thankful that He is! I am thankful that I can pray to God, who can do something. From the above passage, I know that God hears my prayers because Jesus Christ is interceding for me. My prayers do not deserve to be heard because of the sin that is in my life. Yet, Jesus Christ makes that possible. Jesus is actively working on my behalf before God. He is not dead, His tomb is empty. He is very much alive and very much still at work! He is my Savior, and my Mediator (and He offers his work freely to you as well).
So, prayer and the cross go hand in hand. They are intertwined because they both directly relate to God's plan through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christ again proves to be the epicenter of God's plan for His people.
This passage also reveals God's desire. God wishes that all would be saved. So, Paul says pray for all people. God doesn't want any to perish (John 3:16). That is why he sent Jesus Christ as payment for sin. Without Christ we are enslaved to sin. With Christ we are free from it! The sad reality is that not everyone will believe and therefore be saved. But, the work of Christ is sufficient for all. Paul takes a moment to reaffirm God's mission by looking at his purpose: to preach the good news to the Gentiles so that they might be saved (v.7).
The last piece that really caught my attention was Paul calling the people to pray for the government and high officials. A lot of commentaries say that he wanted this so peace could be restored to the Christians because they were under heavy persecution. Sure this is true but I believe that Paul intends more than that. He is calling the church to do what Christ would have done...love their enemies. At this point in history, Nero is emperor of Rome. He hated Christians. He imprisoned, tortured, burnt, and killed many who confessed Christ as their Savior. Paul knew this, Timothy knew this, and the church in Ephesus (where Timothy was at the time of this letter) knew this. Nero was in fact probably the last person that these Christians in Ephesus wanted to pray for. Paul tells them to pray for the officials...as an act of love for their enemies and so that there might be peace. Those officials needed Christ just as much as anyone. Also, think about how quickly the gospel could spread if the government no longer viewed these Christians as a threat to their empire. Maybe that too is what Paul was getting at.
Sometimes I find it hard to make anytime in my day to pray. Paul emphasized it as of high importance not for just individuals, but for the church, as a whole, as well. All of this is very humbling to me.
1st Timothy 2:1-7
The idea of prayer as an act of worship is very humbling to me. Prayer is powerful because of WHO you are praying to not who or what YOU are praying for. It's humbling because by praying there is an act of submission that happens. Prayer reveals that there are people and situations in life that are out of my control. (i.e. I cannot cause a persons heart to love God) To make prayer a true act of worship means to admit from the very essence of what it means to be human that God is more powerful and more caring than I could ever be.
Don't get me wrong, I am very thankful that He is! I am thankful that I can pray to God, who can do something. From the above passage, I know that God hears my prayers because Jesus Christ is interceding for me. My prayers do not deserve to be heard because of the sin that is in my life. Yet, Jesus Christ makes that possible. Jesus is actively working on my behalf before God. He is not dead, His tomb is empty. He is very much alive and very much still at work! He is my Savior, and my Mediator (and He offers his work freely to you as well).
So, prayer and the cross go hand in hand. They are intertwined because they both directly relate to God's plan through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christ again proves to be the epicenter of God's plan for His people.
This passage also reveals God's desire. God wishes that all would be saved. So, Paul says pray for all people. God doesn't want any to perish (John 3:16). That is why he sent Jesus Christ as payment for sin. Without Christ we are enslaved to sin. With Christ we are free from it! The sad reality is that not everyone will believe and therefore be saved. But, the work of Christ is sufficient for all. Paul takes a moment to reaffirm God's mission by looking at his purpose: to preach the good news to the Gentiles so that they might be saved (v.7).
The last piece that really caught my attention was Paul calling the people to pray for the government and high officials. A lot of commentaries say that he wanted this so peace could be restored to the Christians because they were under heavy persecution. Sure this is true but I believe that Paul intends more than that. He is calling the church to do what Christ would have done...love their enemies. At this point in history, Nero is emperor of Rome. He hated Christians. He imprisoned, tortured, burnt, and killed many who confessed Christ as their Savior. Paul knew this, Timothy knew this, and the church in Ephesus (where Timothy was at the time of this letter) knew this. Nero was in fact probably the last person that these Christians in Ephesus wanted to pray for. Paul tells them to pray for the officials...as an act of love for their enemies and so that there might be peace. Those officials needed Christ just as much as anyone. Also, think about how quickly the gospel could spread if the government no longer viewed these Christians as a threat to their empire. Maybe that too is what Paul was getting at.
Sometimes I find it hard to make anytime in my day to pray. Paul emphasized it as of high importance not for just individuals, but for the church, as a whole, as well. All of this is very humbling to me.
Readings for 2011
Last year I began a reading goal and was greatly deceived at what I would be able to accomplish in a year. This year I determined to read at least one book per month. Let's see how I do/ how I did.
1. The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church- Roland Allen
2. Sharpening the Focus of the Church- Gene Getz
3. Resurrection, His and Ours- David Dean
4. Family Based Youth Ministry- Mark Devries
5. Don't Waste Your Life- John Piper
6. Crazy Love- Francis Chan
7. Romans: Power for Modern Man- C. Norman Bartlet
8. Sex, Romance, and the Glory of God- C.J. Mahaney
9. The Measure of a Man- Gene Getz
10. Day of War- Cliff Graham * totally worth your time
So, I didn't get quite to one book per month but I did finish two classes and get a significant amount of my education completed. All these books are worth the time even the fictional stuff.
1. The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church- Roland Allen
2. Sharpening the Focus of the Church- Gene Getz
3. Resurrection, His and Ours- David Dean
4. Family Based Youth Ministry- Mark Devries
5. Don't Waste Your Life- John Piper
6. Crazy Love- Francis Chan
7. Romans: Power for Modern Man- C. Norman Bartlet
8. Sex, Romance, and the Glory of God- C.J. Mahaney
9. The Measure of a Man- Gene Getz
10. Day of War- Cliff Graham * totally worth your time
So, I didn't get quite to one book per month but I did finish two classes and get a significant amount of my education completed. All these books are worth the time even the fictional stuff.
Monday
Church Vision: An Eye on the Future
My wife is sleeping. I should also be. But, as I sit here in the silence of my study, I can't help but reflect on the power of Vision Sunday at Hope Church.
Illiterate but not Ignorant.
I feel like at times the church (I use this term loosely for the moment) holds itself to a substandard on purpose. The majority of family members (being part of God's family, the church) aren't educated in the ways of God and things of Christ. History proves this to be true. We have created our own traditions of only using highly educated pastors to be the professionals Christians who have all the answers (even to questions no one is asking), lead all the ministries, and teach all the people. This has left us at a major disadvantage for the gospel in the United States. The concept of a priesthood of all believers is viewed only as an inward experience and has no ramifications outwardly or corporately as one body in Christ. There is little to no desire for the average, church going Christian to participate in ministry. They feel it's not their calling or that they are not gifted for ministry.
To me, this doesn't add up. I read an article from Mission Frontiers a month or so ago about how Church Planting Movements (CPM's) in India are increasing dynamically along with churches in other parts of the world. The key to their expansion was that every believer in Christ within a local community was brought together and taught very foundational things of Christ to create a church. Part of their training included the mission and responsibility of sharing their new found faith with others. The trainee's were so on fire, it almost seemed natural for them to share this new hope with others (i.e. family, friends, and co-workers). Once the group was founded in the basics of faith and elders were selected (the elders were chosen based upon biblical qualifications which they produced almost naturally once they came to faith), they were left to go and continue this process of building the body of Christ. Some of these Christians can't even read. Yet, they still work towards fulfilling their mission of sharing the gospel with others. Even our oldest, average Christians don't feel the need to do this kind of work. This is a very scary thing.
Illiterate people, in this article about CPM's, were out in the front lines sharing the gospel with others. They were illiterate but not ignorant of the truth and even they managed to preach the gospel effectively. I think at times we are just the opposite. We are literate but completely ignorant because of our traditional way of doing things. Our minds are so capable of understanding but we don't know how or want to learn these basic principles of Christ. We have the ability to be a driving force in the Church but remain dormant. We are stagnant. What will it take to become part of the mission of Christ?
To me, this doesn't add up. I read an article from Mission Frontiers a month or so ago about how Church Planting Movements (CPM's) in India are increasing dynamically along with churches in other parts of the world. The key to their expansion was that every believer in Christ within a local community was brought together and taught very foundational things of Christ to create a church. Part of their training included the mission and responsibility of sharing their new found faith with others. The trainee's were so on fire, it almost seemed natural for them to share this new hope with others (i.e. family, friends, and co-workers). Once the group was founded in the basics of faith and elders were selected (the elders were chosen based upon biblical qualifications which they produced almost naturally once they came to faith), they were left to go and continue this process of building the body of Christ. Some of these Christians can't even read. Yet, they still work towards fulfilling their mission of sharing the gospel with others. Even our oldest, average Christians don't feel the need to do this kind of work. This is a very scary thing.
Illiterate people, in this article about CPM's, were out in the front lines sharing the gospel with others. They were illiterate but not ignorant of the truth and even they managed to preach the gospel effectively. I think at times we are just the opposite. We are literate but completely ignorant because of our traditional way of doing things. Our minds are so capable of understanding but we don't know how or want to learn these basic principles of Christ. We have the ability to be a driving force in the Church but remain dormant. We are stagnant. What will it take to become part of the mission of Christ?
Saturday
Patience and Grace
Since Hannah has been here, about 4:00 P.M. yesterday, I have spent more money overall than the entire month. I bought an outfit from work, which I was probably going to anyway but she helped to confirm it. Then, knowing that are time to actually be alone to talk would be limited, due to me living at the BICS dorm and Hannah having a good friend who lives down here, I decided that we should go on a date. Both transactions I think were good, especially the date. We don't ever go on dates. It was really nice to just sit down, order a pizza, talk about whatever, laugh together, and enjoy one another's company.
The hardest part comes when we have to say goodnight. My mind is thinking about how much I just want to spend all my time with her but I know I can't. She must go to the girl's side of the dorm and I must go to the guys. It's hard to have patience. Our entire relationship has been built upon distance. I (I think Hannah would agree) am ready for a change. I am ready to start building our lives together when we are close in proximity. The two becoming one process will be a big adjustment for us once we are married because we have never known what it's like to spend more than four days, at the most, together. We have both agreed that it will take patience and grace in that transition.
I enjoy her company, her friendship, and her smile. I know we aren't perfect people but I enjoy being together. When I'm feeling down, she always has a word of encouragement. When she is feeling down, I try my best to do the same and to pray for her. God has been so good to us. To call us into His family is more than good enough but He also brought us together. It's hard to determine where sovereignty and the self-will come together but there is no doubt, we didn't establish this relationship on our own. I can't wait to hear the words, "What God has joined together, let no man separate." (Mark 10:9)
Although, we both know that the foundation we have for our relationship is Christ himself, his death and resurrection. We are not married yet but our foundation for our individual lives and our relationship is the same foundation for marriage. Christ died for our sins that so that we could be forgiven by God for being His enemies. We are adopted into the family of families. Christ set the foundation of the church, his followers. He didn't forsake it, he never quit. He died on the cross, rose again and is coming back for us. He didn't leave us. He could have but He loved us so much He gave up His very life for us. That amazes me everyday. That is the foundation we are building on. That is where our hope and faith is. If we are going to have a successful marriage, it is because God showed His grace by sending His son to die, the perfect sacrifice, so that He might gather His people together once for eternity. It's all about His glory. It's His story...not ours.
Reading:
This Momentary Marriage- John Piper
The hardest part comes when we have to say goodnight. My mind is thinking about how much I just want to spend all my time with her but I know I can't. She must go to the girl's side of the dorm and I must go to the guys. It's hard to have patience. Our entire relationship has been built upon distance. I (I think Hannah would agree) am ready for a change. I am ready to start building our lives together when we are close in proximity. The two becoming one process will be a big adjustment for us once we are married because we have never known what it's like to spend more than four days, at the most, together. We have both agreed that it will take patience and grace in that transition.
I enjoy her company, her friendship, and her smile. I know we aren't perfect people but I enjoy being together. When I'm feeling down, she always has a word of encouragement. When she is feeling down, I try my best to do the same and to pray for her. God has been so good to us. To call us into His family is more than good enough but He also brought us together. It's hard to determine where sovereignty and the self-will come together but there is no doubt, we didn't establish this relationship on our own. I can't wait to hear the words, "What God has joined together, let no man separate." (Mark 10:9)
Although, we both know that the foundation we have for our relationship is Christ himself, his death and resurrection. We are not married yet but our foundation for our individual lives and our relationship is the same foundation for marriage. Christ died for our sins that so that we could be forgiven by God for being His enemies. We are adopted into the family of families. Christ set the foundation of the church, his followers. He didn't forsake it, he never quit. He died on the cross, rose again and is coming back for us. He didn't leave us. He could have but He loved us so much He gave up His very life for us. That amazes me everyday. That is the foundation we are building on. That is where our hope and faith is. If we are going to have a successful marriage, it is because God showed His grace by sending His son to die, the perfect sacrifice, so that He might gather His people together once for eternity. It's all about His glory. It's His story...not ours.
Reading:
This Momentary Marriage- John Piper
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)