Reading in Community

Our church is gearing up to read the New Testament together. We are beginning with Luke. The challenge for us will be to read in community. It’s not just reading alone and then hearing a sermon. We want to set up opportunities to learn from each other. We can structure our Sunday morning service to reflect more on this model.

We can also use this blog.

We can also set up alternative times to engage the text. We read, we have questions, we come with questions and observations.

One idea we are kicking around is setting up a time before worship service on Sunday morning. I would be available to guide people through questions or refer them to good study sources to keep working. The one caveat would be each one coming to the session must be up to date in their reading. It’s not a time to soak in. It’s a time to stretch.

For those who are part of our church, let me know your thoughts.

It’s time to DIVE IN!

The Invitation to Audacity

Definition: the quality or state of being audacious: as
   a : intrepid boldness

I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity[a] he will surely get up and give you as much as you need. (Luke 11:8, NIV)

There are several things Luke chooses to focus on in his gospel and the Book of Acts. One of the key elements would be prayer. And not just the weak attempts we find in our lives today.

Bold prayer.

Audacious prayer.

It’s actually pretty incredible at just how forward Jesus is at inviting us TO ASK. It’s not about being polite, or holding back. It’s about being intrepid. It’s about boldness.

Over the years I will confess many “bold” prayers get toned down in my own life because of crazy “name it claim it” attempts at grasping at something that is not really Kingdom minded. Yet, I let it hold ME back from truly attempting the bold. I let it hold me back because I don’t want to sound “crazy.” But I can’t let the fringes dictate my own calling from the Lord to ask boldly. The fringes don’t dictate my theology. And why should I fear seeming to pray in a way that others may not understand? I can’t control that, either!

The invitation is to boldness. It is the invitation to bother God with my incessant asking. He can guide me from there. And let that be the key: HE can guide me. Not anyone else. Not someone who doesn’t pray. Not Joel Osteen. No one. He can guide me.

Pray. Pray boldly. Pray brashly. Get some audacity back in the life of prayer!

Jesus is Honest About the Cost of the Kingdom… Why Aren’t We?

35 “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 37 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. (Luke 12:35-37, NIV)

Somehow we like to communicate what Jesus can do for us… and then proceed to let people know everything will be okay.

There is a slight problem with that… Jesus didn’t do it. He let them know the power of the Kingdom… and the cost of the Kingdom. To those who reject the Kingdom, there is a severe cost. Yet, no matter what, you don’t take the Kingdom of God lightly. YES, Christ treasures you… and YES, Christ wants everyone in his Kingdom…

And, YES, he talks about those who reject that Kingdom… and the cost.

Dallas Willard, one of my favorite teachers on spiritual formation, speaks constantly about the need to tell people the cost TO following Jesus and the cost to NOT following Jesus. The choice is ours. Let’s just quit hiding things from people. Jesus was not afraid to lay it all out.

Treasuring Jesus is Found in SERVING Him

There are precious promises Jesus gives to those who follow him. Luke 12 has some of the kindest words I could read:

32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. (Luke 12:32, NIV)

These are words that should take our breath away. Our Father is pleased to give us the Kingdom. There is no need to fear. No need to walk in anxiety.

But there is a response called for on our part. (Sometimes this gets missed. We just like sitting around and thinking about how much God thinks of us.)

The response is to treasure Jesus. Hold him in esteem. Not just tell him of our love… but act.

Treasuring Jesus is action. And the action is one of complete trust.

“Sell your possessions and give to the poor.”

In other words… trust him. He does indeed provide. He does indeed take care of those who are his own. So… lay it on the line. Give. Take the risk. Running this risk has its rewards. (And it’s not a billion dollar bailout from the government.)

It is treasure in heaven. It is gaining something that just won’t fade away.

Treasuring Jesus is action.

“Be dressed and ready for service and keep your lamps burning,” (Luke 12:35, NIV)

We are to take up the servant’s apron and get to work. Treasuring Jesus is labor. It is getting up, thinking of HIM instead of ourselves, and making sure Kingdom priorities are always in front of us. Trust him… He has our needs fully in view. He knows what we need for finances. He knows what we need for all of our resources. So… let HIM take care of that… and our adventure is to lock onto him and never let go.

Loving him is found in providing for others. We trust him as we let go of our possessions.

Treasuring him is what we are embarking on this summer as a church. We will be reading the New Testament together. (See the “Eat This Book” tab on this blog.) We are going to be engaging in conversation, learning from each other, and seeing what the Lord is asking of us to prepare us so we are dressed for action.

Treasuring him is what we do when we look out for those in our body when there is a need. Over the past two weeks I have watched our church step forward again in a huge way to help those in need. I have watched our churches in my city do the same thing. It is simply wonderful to watch what the Spirit will do.

Holding tight to the Lord is the challenge. Trusting him is so essential… and so difficult!

Hold on tight. It’s worth the ride!

Do You Want the Kingdom or Not?

15 When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feastin the kingdom of God.”

16 Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’

18 “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’

19 “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’

20 “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’

21 “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’

22 “‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’

23 “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. 24 I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’” (Luke 14: 15-23, NIV)

The King has pursued. The call has gone out… and yet, we find people hesitating. We find people who have been aware of the Kingdom, its claims, and its power… and they still balk when the invitation is sent.

The question that comes to mind is this: Do we REALLY want the Kingdom?  Do we truly want to follow him… or are we just about the lip service?

Do NOT Worry

Luke 12. Life is so much more than the anxiety I get from the STUFF I have to deal with. The challenge is trust. The challenge is to understand that with Christ… I am more to him. He has my needs.

24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life[b]? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? (Luke 12:24-26, NIV)

Rest in him. TRUST in him. Life is MORE.

 

Are We “Off” Our Game?

I was in a discussion today with a fellow pastor about the passionate issues of our day. As we discussed gay marriage, the economy, and other hot topics, something began to occur to us.

At first he said, “The Church is off focus. It’s off it’s target.”

Then, I thought, “Wait. It’s more. So is the government.”

BOTH are “off their game.”

The Church isn’t being salt and light… and we need to learn how again.

The government is in the short term narcissistic game of thinking only of short term goals and forgetting how to truly govern people.

I don’t see the government getting back on their game. This I know… THE CHURCH better get back in focus! We are drifting badly and truly need to seek a new baptism of power… and understanding what the KINGDOM is all about.

 

The Action and Activity of the Spirit

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. (Luke 2:25, NIV)

I have begun a project that I hope to lead my church through this summer. We are going to read the New Testament in community. The order we are taking is different that the standard order of books in our Bibles. I am using the Books of the Bible project as my guide. It is an edition that puts the books in a bit of a different order for various reasons. The other thing they do is take out the chapters and verses and go to a single column format. This is to help people just read.

I am getting a head start. (Don’t tell anyone else in my church.)

I can’t help but pull up at times and just dwell on a verse or two. It will be a challenge to keep moving through and try to read the New Testament with fresh eyes.

The short paragraph I noted from above (Luke 2:25f) is an intriguing one for me. I have always been fascinated by Simeon. He was waiting. Why? Because the Spirit instructed him.

Simeon is a great example Luke uses to demonstrate the action and activity of the Holy Spirit. Simeon was seeking God. He was righteous and devout. The Spirit had revealed to him he would be able to see the Messiah before he died. And on that day, led by the Spirit, Simeon had that promise fulfilled. He looked at an infant and knew. That is a powerful demonstration of the leading of the Spirit.

Simeon didn’t need to see the “finished product.” He didn’t need to see huge crowds. He didn’t need to see one life changed. He saw it clearly in that infant on that day because the Spirit let him know.

I pray for that kind of activity in my own life. I need my heart ready to hear. If the Spirit prompts, I need to be sensitive enough to hear that prompt. Then, I need to obey. Just step out and obey. Let the Spirit fill my heart with what is promised and if I see nothing else… that is good enough.

Simeon looked at that child that day and knew God had delivered on all the promises. It was enough. God was enough.

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Thankful for Those Who Serve

One of the most moving ceremonies I can remember from my youth was a trip to Washington, D.C. and the visit to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The changing of the guard ceremony was incredible. A very somber moment.

We have the freedom to debate being a pacifist or being “active” in the military because we have freedom of speech. That freedom stays secured by those who protect those rights. They are willing to stand guard. We get to debate that luxury because someone sacrifices. Today, simply as Americans, we can remember. Pick up the theological debate tomorrow. Today, perhaps we could thank God for those serve so we CAN debate.

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Today on Pentecost Sunday BE the Church God Intended

We need a refreshing touch, a new outpouring.

We need a fresh reminder of how much we need him, and how lame our efforts are without him.

We make too much noise and think it’s God. We need the NOISE of a mighty wind that makes it clear… this is God.

When Pentecost Day arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound from heaven like the howling of a fierce wind filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be individual flames of fire alighting on each one of them. 4 They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them to speak. (Acts 2:1-4, CEB)