Whose Opinion Matters?

The problems the people in the New Testament faced really weren't all that different from the problems we face today. One of the biggest problems they faced was false teaching. People were twisting the Word of God to fit their own agendas and get people to do what they wanted them to do. In that regard, nothing has changed. That is why it is so important to study the Bible. Someone who is truly following Jesus know His voice, and they will not follow another.

What's the big deal? The big deal is that God has the final say on every subject. The final word is His. That is not a popular concept I know, but the truth is rarely popular. I may not even like it sometimes, but to paraphrase Francis Chan from 'Crazy Love,' 'When I get my own universe, I can make my own rules.' Sometimes I want to buck against this because I'm from America and I can think and do whatever I want to think or do. The problem is, once I claim Jesus as Lord, what He thinks and what He asks me to do trumps what I think and what I want to do.

Don't get me wrong, I can choose to ignore what He says. I can choose to walk away. But if that is my choice, I can't claim Jesus as Savior. He came to be Lord and Savior, not one or the other. I don't get the Savior without the Lord.

So I will strive to know His will. I will strive to know His word. At the end of the day, all I want is to know and be known by Jesus.

"I want to know Him inside and out. I want to experience the power of His resurrection. I want to find myself deeper in the path of the Liberating King, joined in His suffering, shaped by His death, so that I may arrive safely at the resurrection from the dead." (Philippians 3:10-11)

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If You Love Jesus, You'll Do This

I love how the 2nd chapter of this book starts. Paul basically says, if you love Jesus, this is what you should do: make every effort to be united as Christians. Jesus came to earth to save us from our sin so that we could tell others about Him so that He could save them too! It's really quite simple. But we make it so complicated sometimes. We can find a million things to divide us, and we do it all the time. Sometimes it seems like we can't agree on anything, that is why there are a billion churches in every city, not because there are so many people, but because we can't get along! At the end of the day, who wants to be a part of something like that? I love the quote from Real Life Discipleship where the author says, 'People have enough drama in their regular lives, why would they want to come to our drama filled buildings on the weekend?'

I'm not saying we should let go of doctrine. God's word is clear and uncompromising. What I am saying is that it's time to focus on what actually matters. At the end of the day, most of the things that are sources of drama in our churches don't actually matter.

I think what Paul is getting at here is pretty simple: If you love Jesus and are grateful for being saved, then let the little stuff go for the sake of unity and show love! The mission of the church is more important than our petty preferences. Where else in the world can you find 5 or 6 generations in the same room every week? What a testimony if they all love each other! A church that is known for love is unstoppable. If we don't have love, we're just a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. How can people who don't love each other expect anyone to believe their message that Jesus loves them? Without love, we're wasting our time.

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What is Best?

Philippians begins with Paul writing from prison. He loves the church in Philipi, but he isn't sure if he's going to be able to see them again. There are those who are preaching the gospel because they want to be famous and see it as a way to get there. There are others who are preaching the gospel because they genuinely want to follow Jesus and see others come to know him. In that way not much has changed over the years. But Paul isn't worried about being in jail. He tells the church that what God started doing in them will be finished. God is faithful, He doesn't leave things undone. Paul's encouragement to them is basically: 'it doesn't matter if I come or not, God is the one doing the work anyway.' I think his prayer for them is very revealing:

"Father, may their love grow more and more in wisdom and insight so they will be able to examine and determine the best from everything else. And on the day of the Liberating King, the day of His judgment, let them stand pure and blameless, filled with the fruit of authentic righteousness that ripens through Jesus, the Liberator."

Everything is founded on love. Because of their love they will be able to determine what is best and stick to doing that. I think that prayer is appropriate for today as well. We can easily spend all of our time on good things and forget what is best. What are the things that really matter. What will matter 100 years from now? Will it matter if you got to watch the FGCU vs UF game? Or might it matter more that you got to hold your child and tell him about the love of Jesus? Might it matter more to do devotions with your wife?

My prayer is the same. May God grant me wisdom to use the time He has given me on what is best, for His glory.

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Who Are You Fighting?

Paul closes his letter to the Ephesians by basically asking everyone to get along. Parents and kids, slaves and masters. That kind of seems like a weird way to end. However then he tells them why. He reminds them that there are bigger things going on. Our real battles aren't with people, but with the spiritual forces of evil. It is easy to get caught up in petty fights that don't really amount to anything at the end of the day and let those consume our lives. When we do that, it takes our focus off of our mission: to spread the gospel.

The scary part is the spiritual battles are even more intense than the physical battles! That is why Paul pleads with them to stay in the Word and stay on their knees in prayer. It is only through the power of Christ that we can have victory. At the same time, Jesus' victory is already certain so we have nothing to fear. Basically, just do what you know you need to do and you'll be fine! It isn't so much a matter of wondering who is going to win. It is a matter of determining what side you're going to choose. Of course we all say that we want to be on the winning team. We want to be on God's side. But before we assume anything, we've got to take a look at our lives and answer this question: Am I really following Him?

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How to Live

What are we supposed to do now? How are we supposed to live? The simple answer...like Jesus. Easier said than done right? Paul tells the Ephesians that they don't have time to be messing around like the rest of the world. I love verse 15: "So be careful how you live; be mindful of your steps. Don’t run around like idiots as the rest of the world does. Instead, walk as the wise!" I think we can agree that most of the people on this planet are running around like idiots.

That being said, it's hard to not act like an idiot isn't it? I don't know about you but I've got the whole idiot thing down. I'm powerless to change on my own. Believe me I've tried...it didn't work. The only way we can do it is to rely on the Holy Spirit. Thankfully when we come to Christ He comes to live within us! It is the Holy Spirit that gives us the ability to humbly submit to one another both in the church and in our homes.

So I pray that the Spirit will fill me up and give me the capacity to be humble. I'm praying for Him to make me more like Jesus every day.

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Like Jesus

Now that I'm a Christian, my life is supposed to look like Jesus' life. I'm supposed to be about humility, unity, and love. In the church world, it seems like unity comes at a premium. As staff members, I can't tell you how much time we spend talking about how to create unity. But the truth of the matter is that we shouldn't have to do that. Jesus created unity among all believers when He died for us! We were all united as sinners, and now we can all be united as people who have been forgiven.

With that in mind, it is time to put away the old self. It's time to stop allowing ourselves to be divided by things that aren't important. By the way, most of the things that we think are important and we let divide, aren't important. Examples: music, if the communion table is where you like it, whether or not the preacher announced your birthday from the stage, if the preacher sent someone else to visit you in the hospital. I could go on, but what's the point. None of that stuff matters! The only thing that will matter 100 years from now is whether or not you have a relationship with Jesus. Do you know how you tell? Your life will start to look like His. Maybe it's time to rethink some things.

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It's All About the Love

Paul has said all that he has said so that he can get to this point. The great mystery of the cross is this: now everyone has an opportunity to be saved. Salvation isn't just for Jews anymore! It all comes down to the fact that Jesus loved all of us enough to give up His life. So then, what should we do in response? Paul suggests that we love one another the way that Jesus loved us! We can't be worried about what race or social status other people come from! Jesus gave His life for them! Do you want to be like Jesus? Then you have to love those people. Who are those people? I think you know. Everyone has people that they find hard to love. But that's the point isn't it? Do you really think that it was easy for God to love is when all we've ever done is spit in His face?

Paul shares with us one of His prayers for the believers:

"Father, out of Your honorable and glorious riches, strengthen Your people. Fill their souls with the power of Your Spirit so that through faith the Liberating King will reside in their hearts. May love be the rich soil where their lives take root. May it be the bedrock where their lives are founded so that together with all of Your people they will have the power to understand that the love of the Liberator is infinitely long, wide, high, and deep, surpassing everything anyone previously experienced. God, may Your fullness flood through their entire beings."

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Nothing I Can Do

Remember how it used to be? Remember when you were a slave to sin? You had nowhere to go but hell. There was no hope for you. You were owned by Satan, just like everyone else who doesn't follow Jesus. That is how Paul starts chapter 2. At first it seems a little in your face, but there is really only 2 choices. Either you belong to God to to Satan.

That is why Jesus came. I love what Paul says, he says, "But God, with the unfathomable richness of His love and mercy focused on us, united us with the Liberator and infused our lifeless souls with life—even though we were buried under mountains of sin—and saved us by His grace." Now that is good news! Sin kills our souls, and only God can raise the dead. So it took an act of God to save us. When He sent Jesus He made a way for us. There was nothing that we could do about it, we were totally helpless in the matter.

That is why I can't brag about being a Christian. The truth of the matter is I don't deserve it. There is nothing I can do to deserve the grace of God. This chapter is a great reminder that works don't save me, grace does. Works are things that I do because I'm grateful for being saved. I want to do things for Him because of the great thing He has done for me! I am so glad that He infused my dead spirit with life! What other reaction can there be except a life that is dedicated to Him? Nothing else seems appropriate.

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What I'm Made For

As Paul opens his letter to the Ephesians, he does so with praise for the things they are doing and the way they are following Jesus. Even in His praise though, he reminds them that it is through Jesus' power that they are doing what they are doing. It is because of Jesus' death that we have been brought to life, and we have been chosen to make a difference in this world for Him through the power He gives to us! I don't know about you but that is exciting to me!

He says in verse 11 "...we are predestined to play a key role in His unfolding purpose that is energizing everything to conform to His will." The question is: will we allow ourselves to be used? Am I ready for the role that He has called me to? Up until recently I would say the answer was no. I was perfectly content trying to do the things that I could do and not asking Him for help. I'm pretty independent, and I can get a lot done on my own. I'm still learning to release control to God and let Him do the things that only He can do.

God made me for a specific purpose. He gave me specific talents and placed me where I am to use those talents for Him. God has a role for me to play, I just have to be willing to play it. What is that role? Obviously it involves making disciples, every Christian is called to do that. If you don't think you are called to do that, and you want to be a Christian, you are in for a rude awakening. Jesus is clear on that part, we are supposed to make disciples.

At the same time He has given us all different gifts that we are supposed to use for His glory! I'm ready now. Something big is coming. Keep your eyes open, God is on the move! Are you ready?

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In Closing

As Paul finishes up his letter to the Galatians, he asks them to be gentle with their fellow believers. When a believer falls into sin, we are supposed to confront them, but we also have to remember that we are sinners as well. Our goal is to bring them back into the faith, not publicly embarrass them to the point they never want to show their face again. The best part about Christianity is grace, so we are expected to extend it to other people!

He also reminds them that becoming a Christian has nothing to do with works of the flesh. You can't earn it buy doing a bunch of stuff (in their case people were asking them to be circumcised before they would be accepted). Becoming a Christian is about having faith in Jesus. Through Christ we are given grace, which is something that by definition you can't earn.

At the very end he says that he hopes the grace of Jesus will infuse our spirits with His spirit. How awesome is that? What does that look like? We are called to be like Christ. That means we've got to do the things He did. Our attitudes should be like His. That calls for total transformation that can only be accomplished through the Holy Spirit. Thank goodness He lives within us!

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Fruit of the Spirit

Christians have the Holy Spirit of God living inside of them. Galatians says that the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Honestly that is kind of a scary sentence. It's scary because when I look at my life I don't see all of those things. I see some of them sometimes, but not all of them all the time. Being a Christian is hard. I still struggle with my sinful nature. Thankfully Paul talks about that too, but it still makes me uneasy at times. The simple truth is if the Spirit produces those things, but I don't see them in my life, I am ignoring the Spirit and choosing sin. Either that or I don't have the Spirit and am not a Christian (which I know isn't true).

I think that is what Paul meant when he said to work out your salvation. It is a constant battle to stay in step with the Spirit. It is a constant choice to allow the Spirit to shape your life or to choose to do your own thing. To be perfectly honest, my batting average isn't any better than anyone else's. I often choose my own way, which usually leads to bad things happening. Surrendering my will to the will of God is something that I haven't gotten down yet. I'm working on it though.

I recognize that when I choose my will over His, I put myself in God's place. That means I'm worshiping myself, which is idolatry. I'm working on removing the idols from my life, and with God's grace and help, I know I will have victory. My encouragement comes from knowing tht Jesus died for me knowing that I would have all these problems. He loved me enough to do it anyway. If it was a lost cause, He wouldn't have bothered. So I'm breathing a little easier knowing that while I have work to do, I don't have to do it alone.

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What law?

Paul is really mad at the Galatians because they are making strict adherence to the law the basis for salvation. I think if he were there in person he would have been 'Gibbs-slapping' some people. It is through Christ that we have salvation. I don't think we want salvation based on the law. There has only been one man who was ever able to keep it, and that was Jesus! The rest of us are just out of luck. If our salvation is based on how well we keep the law then we are all going to hell.

Well if that's true, why do we have the law? Paul answers this question too! The law was given to show us our need for a Savior. If there were no law, there would be no sin, and therefore no reason for Jesus to come! We wouldn't know what was right and what was wrong, there would be nothing to guide us. So the law is absolutely necessary. However the law was never meant to save.

Salvation is only found in Jesus. End of story. He came, and fulfilled the law. He never broke a single commandment, that is why His death on the cross was an acceptable sacrifice for our sins! Praise God He had it all figured out, because left to our own devices, we'd all end up in hell.

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Just My Part

One of the things that stops us from talking about Jesus is fear that it won't work. We're afraid that the person we are going to talk to won't come to faith in Jesus and we will feel like a failure. I know, I have the same fears as everyone else.

The thing we need to remember is this: there are 3 things happening during these conversations, and we are only responsible for one of them. The 3 things are:

God's part
Our part
Their part

It is God's job to convict people and to make them want to change their lives. I can't and never will be able to change someone else's heart. That is up to God and I have to trust that He will do His job (He is pretty good at it after all).

It is the other person's part to let the message change their life. It is up to them to change the things that they are doing and start living for Jesus. Don't forget that we have been given free will and it is the persons' choice whether or not they will change.

My part is simply to share the gospel. That is what I've been asked to do. It is up to me to decide whether or not I will be faithful enough to do what we've been asked. Don't get me wrong, sharing the gospel is a big deal. I have to make sure that the things I am saying are true. But I think that so often I put unrealistic and unnecessary expectations on ourselves.

We aren't called to save people. That is God's job. It's kind of His thing. We aren't called to make other people accept the message. That is up to them. We are called to share the good news that Jesus came, died for the wrong things we've done, and rose from the grave to make a way for us to be made right with God.

So breath a little easier, it's not your job to save the world.

That is, after all, why Jesus came.

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Warnings

As Paul opens the letter to the Galatians, he does so with some strong warnings. You see, the Galatian people had fallen for a false teaching. Some people had convinced them that they needed to follow the Jewish law in order to become a Christian. They were even trying to tell people who weren't Jewish that they had to become Jewish in order to become a Christian! Paul has strong words for them.

He says that he is shocked they could be so easily fooled by a false gospel. He tells them that anything other than the gospel they first heard is a lie and that they should get away from those people. He goes on to say that those spreading the false gospel are cursed!

Let that be a warning to us today. We have to know the gospel so well that when people twist it even a little bit, we will know. That means we have to spend time in the word so that we can know what we are talking about and listening for when people preach.

It is also a warning for those of us that teach. Be careful what you say. You had better make sure that you are preaching the real thing, because there are severe consequences if you are not. Getting to teach others about Jesus is a tremendous privilege, and it should be taken very seriously.

The bottom line is this: whether you are a teacher or not, you better be in the Word so that you can know the true gospel.

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Test Me

As Paul wraps up 2 Corinthians, he has some pretty strong words for them. He basically tells them that they need to get their act together before he gets there or he is going to let them have it when he does! He says, 'I will not spare anyone who is out of order.' He is about to break out the whoppin' stick. He tells them to check their faith, make sure they are really in the faith. He says there is a test coming and they better be ready for it. You can't get around it, truth is truth and that is what we will be measured by.

As I take a look at my life, I have to see if I'm still in the faith. Just because I work at a church and teach other people about Jesus all the time doesn't mean that I have a relationship with Him or that I'm doing what I need to be doing! Abi and I say it all the time church work doesn't equal relationship with God. That is a hard pill to swallow for a pastor.

Here are questions I have to answer:
Am I reading my Bible?
Is my Bible reading more than just lesson planning?
Am I spending time alone in prayer?
What am I doing for Jesus (not just for the church)?
Am I serving Jesus or trying to build my ministry?

I think the message of Paul rings as true today as it did 2,000 years ago. It is a strong warning to be ready, because the test is coming whether we like it or not.

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Giving

Giving is a touchy subject. However Paul talks about it openly. He encourages us to give generously. He reminds us that we are part of something much bigger than ourselves, and so we ought to be thinking about people other than ourselves when it comes to our money. The church is to be seen as a family, and family takes care of each other. That is why it is important to give. Does God need our money? Of course not! We give because He deserves it, He gave us what we have in the first place.

But beyond the fact that God asks us to give and so we do, we give so that we can help our brothers and sisters in Christ. Paul says that they need our help, and so we should give. Someday we may need their help too, and we would do well to remember that. Giving doesn't come easily, it is a hard discipline to learn, but it is so rewarding. Knowing that you are making a difference in the Kingdom of God is amazing. And if you're lucky, you might even get to see lives change because of the the money that you give. So give cheerfully, you are making a difference!

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The Law?

Some of us get so caught up in the Law. We think that we have to do all this good stuff so that God will love us and if we don't do this or we don't do that at least three times this week then God won't love us anymore. That is so stupid. That thought process isn't really helped out by our churches though is it? We have event after event and you better come to all of them or you don't love God! Stupid. What you do doesn't make God love you, it is what He has already done that shows how much He already loved you from the start! God loves everyone, He always has, He always will. Don't get me wrong, that doesn't mean everyone is going to heaven no matter what. God loved us enough to provide us a way to heaven through sending Jesus to die for us. If He didn't love us, He wouldn't have done that.

That being said, I punish Micah when he does something wrong. That doesn't mean I don't love him. In the same way, if we chose to reject God then He will send us to hell, but that doesn't mean He didn't love us. This is where the law comes in. Before Jesus, we needed a way to know if we were doing things right or wrong. We can still use the law for that today. The law is perfect, but that doesn't mean it can save you. Only Jesus can. The purpose of the law is to show us how much we need Jesus!

Some people will tell you that you have to keep the law to be saved. Some people will tell you that you have to do a bunch of stuff or not do a bunch of stuff to be saved. THEY ARE LYING TO YOU. Get away from them right now. Only Jesus can save. You can't earn your way into heaven. You can't get there by having enough community service hours. Only through the death of Jesus do we have access to heaven. That's the good news of the gospel. Jesus came and died so that we could be forgiven and go to heaven. So take a deep breath, your salvation isn't up to you.

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The Greatest Thing

After all the gifts that Paul just finished talking about, he says that none of them are worth anything without love. You can prophesy but don't have love? Useless. You can do miracles but don't have love? Useless. You see, without love Christianity easily becomes full of rituals and deeds that must be done. That isn't what God is looking for. He doesn't need us to do stuff for Him. I mean He spoke the world into existence, He hardly needs us to get anything accomplished! We do things out of love for Him and to show His love to the world.

That is why Paul hammers it home so hard in this chapter. He goes on to give a detailed description of what love looks like so there can be no doubt. Love isn't about me, it is about God and other people! This is the difference between true Christianity and ritualistic religion. Religion would tell us that we need to do certain things to save our own butts from hell. Christianity says that's nice, but you can't save yourself from hell. Let that sink in and let the love for Christ swell within you until it overflows into your life.

Doing good works because you think you have to do them gets tiring fast. Doing things out of love never gets old. That is why you see people who have been married for 70 years still doing things for each other. That is why at the end of the day only three things will be left: faith, hope and love. And that is why the greatest of these things is and always will be love.

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Gifts from God

Sometimes I get a little uncomfortable when people start talking about spiritual gifts. I don't know why, I mean the whole reason we even get to have a relationship with God is because He gave His Son as a gift! Salvation is a free gift, so we should be used to getting things from God by now!

The Corinthians (and I think we still do today) were having a problem though. You see, they were elevating people with more visible gifts, such as preaching, prophesying, healing, to a higher status than those with more subtle gifts like encouragement or administration. Every person on the planet has received gifts from God, and they are all meant to be used to for His glory. We run into trouble when we start thinking that some gifts are more valuable than others. That is when we start elevating people for their gifts instead of elevating God for giving them gifts.

The truth is, if everyone was a preacher and no one was able to be an administrator, there would be no lights on in the building because none of the bills would get paid! Paul uses the example of a body to make his point. If the whole body was one giant eye, we would be a freak. As it is, everyone plays a vital role (and a different role) in the body of Christ. It is ok that we have different gifts! That is the way that God made us! Use the gifts you were given for His glory, that is why He gave them to you in the first place!

Not everyone is a preacher or teacher, and that is just fine with God. He knew that before He made you. There is only one gift that we all have in common, and that is the gift of grace through Jesus' death on the cross. Because of that gift, we can (and have to) show love to the world. Love, Paul says, is the most excellent way. We love because Jesus loves us.

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Stay Far Away

The last chapter of Romans is mostly shout outs from Paul. However, towards the end he does give some final advice to the church. Stay away from people who cause divisions through false teaching. Good advice. Notice that he doesn't say sit around and argue with them and try to persuade them with the truth. Nope, he says get away from them. Divisive people aren't to be messed around with, especially when they are causing division based on false doctrine. Of course, that means you have to have a good handle on what the truth really is, otherwise you won't be able to tell! So pay attention, really listen to what people are saying, false teaching is dangerous and those people aren't to be trifled with.

I think that today we are so concerned about being inclusive and tolerant that we often let things slide that we shouldn't let slide. Can we just get back to calling evil evil? Can we just get back to calling false teaching false teaching? I think we may find that it is far better to just call things what they are than to let them slide in the name of tolerance. Is it any wonder that God isn't blessing our churches the way He did in the New Testament? Paul would have kicked these people out immediately. But we don't want to upset anyone so we have meetings to talk about how we can persuade this person without actually saying they did anything wrong. Well I don't know about anyone else but I'm tired of it. I'm tired of pretending that things that aren't ok are ok. I'm tired of sitting by and letting things I know to be wrong continue to be done so that no one will get upset.

Maybe it's time we took a cue from Jesus and started turning over a few tables.

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