I receive email updates from Christian Peacemaking Teams. Here's an interesting one I just received, thought I'd share it. The blog post was written by a member of the October 2010 CPT delegation to Iraqi Kurdistan. To read the entire post or to see the actual blog, click here.
On Sunday our delegation visited Amna Suraka, a prison where Saddam Hussein
kept Kurdish dissidents and political prisoners. We walked through the
facility and listened to our guide tell us stories of merciless torture,
overcrowded cells, and unsanitary conditions for men, women, and children.
On Monday we travelled southeast to the village of Halabjah, where the Iraqi
government used chemical weapons to murder more than 5,000 Kurdish civilians,
almost two-thirds of which were women and children, in March of 1988.
The things we saw got our group talking about the nature of evil. Tiffany,
one of our delegation members, noted that violence of this nature was what
happened when there is a lack of accountability amongst people, and the more
I've pondered this idea, the more I've realized that each of us has what it
takes to commit unspeakable acts of cruelty. Because of sin, each of us has
been poisoned to consider violence as an acceptable means of resolving
conflict; when we are allowed to explore that option without any kind of
deterrent, it tends to grow and expand like a cancer until it has dominated
our lives.
We tend to think of peacemaking as stopping one group of people from killing
another, and while that is part of it, it addresses only one specific
manifestation of the violence in the world. The true essence of peacemaking
involves forcing people to examine the attitudes and prejudices in their
hearts and exchange them for love, forgiveness, mercy, and friendship. It is
a method that involves not just convincing an army to lay down their weapons,
but convincing a person to ignore his/her own violent impulses. By changing
hearts, minds, and souls, we attack the very nature of the problem and not
just a symptom. I am learning about how CPT is doing this in ways they have
forged powerful and lasting connections to members of the Kurdish community.
In time, the hope is that enough people will undergo this transformation so
that violence is taken off of the table as a viable option for future
conflicts.
We got to see an example of this in Halabjah. Both of the men that guided us
through the exhibit were able to point at pictures on the wall and identify
corpses of family members killed in the chemical attacks. I was shocked that
a man could set aside the anger in his heart in order to face the bodies of
his loved ones on a daily basis. When asked why they continued to face their
demons in this way, they replied that they wanted to teach the next
generation about what had happened so that it would never happen again.
My hope is that in my life, both in Iraq and back at home in America, I can
embrace forgiveness and mercy in the manner of our new friends in Halabjah.
May I always choose to reject anger and violence, embrace forgiveness and
non-violence, and teach others to do the same.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Swapping Sheep
I just received this message from my DS, in his weekly email. It's an interesting read.
Recently, I've jokingly taken up the motto "Contributing to the growth of local mega-churches one disgruntled family at a time." TFC has been on the 'wrong' side of these stats but we have been able to disciple some people who had never been in church before.
So here's what Jeren passed on from another pastor on the Kansas City District.
______________________________________________________
Want to hear some stats? Probably not… well, here’s some anyway.
* Since 2000 to 2005 the number of churches with attendance over 5,000 on the weekends has doubled!
* In the last 20 years, 30,000 churches have been started in America.
* Since 1990, church attendance is down in every county in the United States. You read that right—in every single county—attendance is down.
So now answer this one: If, since 1990, hundreds of churches have blasted into the thousands (some into the tens of thousands), and if 30,000 new churches have been started (many of them growing into the thousands), how is it possible that there are less people going to church now than in 1990 in every single county in the United States? In fact, how is it possible that the number of people going to church is down by about 8 million people?
Here’s what I think: Churches aren't reaching "unchurched" people. If we were bringing in people who weren't going to church, the numbers couldn't look like they do. Here’s what happening-- sheep are simply swapping pastures. I'm no math whiz, but if there are hundreds of thousands of people now attending churches who weren't attending twenty years ago (many in churches that didn't even exist) and yet there are 8 million less people in church today, then those people in those new hip churches had to come from other churches. Sheep swapping pastures. Yawn.
I don't think the passage reads, “And all of heaven rejoiced when a disgruntled sheep took his Bible and found a different, greener pasture to munch the grass for a while until he found an even greener pasture to hang out in for a while.” I think the passage reads, “And all of heaven rejoiced when one lost sheep is found.”
Listen, I am not interested in stealing sheep from the Nazarene church (or the Baptist church or the whatever church) down the street. I'm driven to find lost sheep. It’s the sheep that don't have a pasture to call home that I'm after. I'm after sheep that are hungry and homeless and helpless. I want us to go after the sheep that need Jesus. That’s the sheep with whom we need to be consumed! If a disgruntled sheep gets tired of his pasture (and pastor); soon that sheep will get tired of this pasture (and pastor). Let’s concentrate on new sheep. Lost sheep. Hungry sheep. Let’s look for sheep that need Jesus. We need to be on the lookout for the sheep that are on their way to hell unless someone tells them, shows them, loves them, calls them, and points them to Jesus. I pray that we're that “someone.”
Amen.
Recently, I've jokingly taken up the motto "Contributing to the growth of local mega-churches one disgruntled family at a time." TFC has been on the 'wrong' side of these stats but we have been able to disciple some people who had never been in church before.
So here's what Jeren passed on from another pastor on the Kansas City District.
______________________________________________________
Want to hear some stats? Probably not… well, here’s some anyway.
* Since 2000 to 2005 the number of churches with attendance over 5,000 on the weekends has doubled!
* In the last 20 years, 30,000 churches have been started in America.
* Since 1990, church attendance is down in every county in the United States. You read that right—in every single county—attendance is down.
So now answer this one: If, since 1990, hundreds of churches have blasted into the thousands (some into the tens of thousands), and if 30,000 new churches have been started (many of them growing into the thousands), how is it possible that there are less people going to church now than in 1990 in every single county in the United States? In fact, how is it possible that the number of people going to church is down by about 8 million people?
Here’s what I think: Churches aren't reaching "unchurched" people. If we were bringing in people who weren't going to church, the numbers couldn't look like they do. Here’s what happening-- sheep are simply swapping pastures. I'm no math whiz, but if there are hundreds of thousands of people now attending churches who weren't attending twenty years ago (many in churches that didn't even exist) and yet there are 8 million less people in church today, then those people in those new hip churches had to come from other churches. Sheep swapping pastures. Yawn.
I don't think the passage reads, “And all of heaven rejoiced when a disgruntled sheep took his Bible and found a different, greener pasture to munch the grass for a while until he found an even greener pasture to hang out in for a while.” I think the passage reads, “And all of heaven rejoiced when one lost sheep is found.”
Listen, I am not interested in stealing sheep from the Nazarene church (or the Baptist church or the whatever church) down the street. I'm driven to find lost sheep. It’s the sheep that don't have a pasture to call home that I'm after. I'm after sheep that are hungry and homeless and helpless. I want us to go after the sheep that need Jesus. That’s the sheep with whom we need to be consumed! If a disgruntled sheep gets tired of his pasture (and pastor); soon that sheep will get tired of this pasture (and pastor). Let’s concentrate on new sheep. Lost sheep. Hungry sheep. Let’s look for sheep that need Jesus. We need to be on the lookout for the sheep that are on their way to hell unless someone tells them, shows them, loves them, calls them, and points them to Jesus. I pray that we're that “someone.”
Amen.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
Real Freedom
This is a message from our DS, Dr. Jeren Rowell.
“REAL FREEDOM” - TITUS 2:11-14
IS IT JUST ME, OR DO YOU NOTICE THAT PEOPLE THESE DAYS SEEM TO BE ESPECIALLY ON EDGE? THESE ARE TOUGH DAYS. PEOPLE ARE STRESSED OUT, BUT I REALLY THINK IT’S A LOT DEEPER THAN ANY PARTICULAR CURRENT ISSUE.
I KNOW THERE’S THE ECONOMY, BUT MOST OF US HAVE BEEN HERE BEFORE. I KNOW THERE’S LOTS OF POLITICAL TENSION, BUT EVEN THAT HAS A FAMILIAR RING TO IT. IT’S DEEPER, ISN’T IT?
THERE JUST SEEMS TO BE A SENSE OF UTTER DISORIENTATION THAT IS COMING OUT IN BEHAVIOR THAT STRIKES ME AS SHOCKING, EVEN IN THIS INCREASINGLY PAGAN CULTURE.
YOU’VE SEEN THE VIDEO OF THESE TOWN HALL MEETINGS AND THE ANGER, THE YELLING, THE NAME CALLING, THE CARELESS WORDS BEING FLUNG ABOUT WITHOUT REGARD FOR WHAT OR WHOM THEY TEAR APART.
I WISH I COULD SAY I’VE NOT SEEN IT IN THE CHURCH. I’VE HAD A FEW “TOWN HALL MEETINGS” IN CHURCHES OVER THE PAST FOUR YEARS AND A COUPLE OF TIMES I’VE BEEN FAIRLY TARRED AND FEATHERED BY GOD’S PEOPLE!
NOW I KNOW THESE ISSUES ARE AS OLD AS HUMANITY, BUT IT SEEMS TO BE SOMETHING OF THE CONTEXT INTO WHICH PAUL IS SPEAKING AS HE REMINDS THIS YOUNG PASTOR OF THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL IN A REBELIOUS WORLD.
PAUL IS TALKING TO TITUS ABOUT THE HEART OF WHAT I WANT TO SUGGEST THAT YOU AND I NEED TO BE REMEMBERING IN THESE DIFFICULT AND DISORIENTING DAYS OF OURS.
IT’S ABOUT “HOW WE SHOULD LIVE IN THIS EVIL WORLD” (VERSE 12). NOT ONLY ARE WE BEING CALLED TO LIVE DISTINCTIVE LIVES IN THIS BROKEN AND ANGRY WORLD OF OURS, THIS TEXT IS ASSURING US THAT IN CHRIST IT’S ACTUALLY POSSIBLE TO DO SO!
LISTEN TO WHAT WE ARE BEING CALLED TO [READ V. 12]
OR AS PAUL SAYS TO THE PHILIPPIAN CHURCH, WE NEED TO USE THE GRACE THAT HAS BEEN GIVEN “SO THAT YOU MAY BECOME BLAMELESS AND PURE, CHILDREN OF GOD WITHOUT FAULT IN A CROOKED AND DEPRAVED GENERATION.”
“BLAMELESS AND PURE?” REALLY? IN THIS KIND OF WORLD? IS THAT REALLY POSSIBLE?
WELL, LET ME JUST ASK YOU A DIRECT QUESTION RIGHT HERE AT THE START: HOW ARE YOU DOING WITH LIVING A GODLY LIFE IN THIS SIN MARRED WORLD OF OURS?
I’LL TELL YOU WHAT I GENERALLY BELIEVE ABOUT THAT BASED ON MY CONSTANT INTERACTION WITH CHURCH LEADERS – I’M NOT SURE WE ARE DOING ALL THAT WELL.
SEEMS TO ME THERE IS OFTEN A HUGE DISCONNECT BETWEEN WHAT WE SAY AND SING WHEN WE’RE HERE, AND HOW IT ACTUALLY SHOWS UP IN OUR DAILY LIVES, ESPECIALLY WHEN NO ONE ELSE IS LOOKING.
YET IT’S NOT JUST THAT THE CULTURE HAS GROWN INCREASINGLY PAGAN. IT’S THAT WE, GOD’S PEOPLE, ARE NOT RECEIVING EVERYTHING THAT GOD IN CHRIST HAS PROVIDED FOR US. WE’RE SELLING THE GOSPEL WAY SHORT.
YOU KNOW THE LINE THAT SAYS, “CHRISTIANS AREN’T PERFECT, JUST FORGIVEN.” THERE’S A MEASURE OF TRUTH THERE, BUT THAT IDEA DOESN’T COME ANYWHERE NEAR WHAT GOD ACTUALLY WANTS TO DO FOR US.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT GOD WANTS TO DO FOR YOU? LOOK AGAIN AT VERSE 14 [READ]
DO YOU BELIEVE THAT? DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE THAT THERE IS ENOUGH POWER IN WHAT JESUS DID FOR US IN THE CROSS AND RESURRECTION ACTUALLY TO FREE US FROM EVERY SIN?
LET ME TELL YOU WHY THIS TEXT HAS BECOME SO MEANINFUL TO ME ACROSS THE PAST YEAR.
[IN ORLANDO: GOD SPOKE TO ME]
[SIMPLE FOCUS ON DRAWING CLOSER BRINGS HIS WORD ALIVE IN A FRESH WAY]
COULD IT BE THAT THERE IS REALLY A WAY TO LIVE SO CLOSE TO JESUS THAT SIN IS RENDERED POWERLESS IN MY LIFE?
THE LANGUAGE THAT IS MOST COMMON AMONG CHRISTIANS THESE DAYS IS ABOUT THE MERCY AND GRACE AND FORGIVENESS OF GOD. THANKS BE TO GOD FOR MERCY AND GRACE! BUT YOU REALIZE, DON’T YOU, THAT’S NOT THE WHOLE STORY?
THE WHOLE OF THE STORY IS NOT ONLY THAT JESUS DIED TO FORGIVE US OF OUR SINS – JESUS DIED TO FREE US FROM SIN.
JESUS DIED, ROSE AND ASCENDED TO THE RIGHT HAND OF THE FATHER SO THAT THE SPIRIT COULD COME AND TAKE UP RESIDENCE IN THE HEART OF THE BELIEVER.
BUT THE SPIRIT’S PRESENCE CONTINUES TO DRAW US CLOSER AND CLOSER TO JESUS UNTIL WE REALIZE THAT OUR NEED FOR GOD’S GRACE GOES EVEN DEEPER THAN THE FORGIVNESS OF SINS – WE NEED JESUS TO CLEANSE AND PURIFY OUR HEARTS –
TO STRAIGHTEN THE BENT TOWARD SELF AND EMPOWER US EVERY DAY ACTUALLY TO LIVE THESE CHRIST QUALITIES THAT WE READ HERE IN VERSE 12: “SELF-CONTROL, RIGHT CONDUCT, DEVOTION TO GOD.”
[THOSE WORDS TAKE ME BACK TO GALATIANS 5:22]
[CHURCH LEADERS EVALUATE: LOWEST SCORE]
GOD WANTS THESE CHRIST QUALITIES TO BE FULLY FORMED IN HIS PEOPLE SO THAT WE KNOW HOW TO THRIVE IN THE MIDST OF A BROKEN WORLD. AND IN ORDER TO SHAPE THAT CHRIST CHARACTER IN US, JESUS, PAUL SAYS, “GAVE HIS LIFE TO FREE US FROM EVERY KIND OF SIN.”
LOVED ONES, THIS IS THE FULL GOSPEL. AND THIS IS THE ANSWER FOR LIVING A VICTORIOUS, FREE, AND HAPPY LIFE IN THE MIDST OF DYSFUNCTIONAL, ANGRY WORLD LIKE OURS.
DON’T DISMISS THIS UNDER THE THINKING THAT NOBODY IS PERFECT. THAT’S NOT TRUE. JESUS IS PERFECT. AND GOD’S WORD IS UNMISTAKABLE THAT GOD DESIRES TO REPLICATE THE PERFECT LOVE OF CHRIST IN US.
NOW DON’T TRY AND MAKE THIS SAY SOMETHING IT’S NOT SAYING. THE MESSAGE HERE IS NOT THAT SIN IS NO LONGER A POSSIBILITY IN THE LIFE OF A BELIEVER. THAT’S WHY CHRISTIAN DISCIPLINE CONTINUES TO BE IMPORTANT.
WHAT PAUL IS REMINDING TITUS TO TEACH IS THAT WHEN WE BECOME GOD’S CHILDREN, WE NOW HAVE REAL POWER OVER THE ENSLAVING POWER OF SIN. FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE HAVE A REAL CHOICE.
WE HAVE, THROUGH GRACE, THE POWER TO CHOOSE NOT TO SIN. FRIENDS, IF WE DON’T BELIEVE THIS AND ACT UPON IT THEN WE HAVE NO GOSPEL. WE HAVE NO GOOD NEWS.
IF WE REALLY THINK THAT THE BEST WE CAN EVER DO IS STRUGGLE THROUGH LIFE WITH OUR SIN, THEN WE HAVE A WEAK JESUS AND GOD’S GRACE IS NO GRACE AT ALL.
JUST AS JESUS CRIED, “IT IS FINISHED” FROM THE CROSS, SO WE WHO ARE UNITED BY FAITH TO HIM IN HIS DEATH CAN NOW ALSO CRY “IT IS FINISHED” – THE TYRANNY OF SIN IS OVER. NO LONGER ARE WE AT THE MERCY OF SIN.
YOU KNOW WE LOVE TO TALK ABOUT GOD’S LOVE. OF COURSE, GOD LOVES YOU FAR MORE THAN YOU COULD EVER IMAGINE. BUT HIS LOVE IS NOT CARELESS AND HIS LOVE IS NOT WEAK.
HIS LOVE FOR YOU IS SO COMPLETE THAT HE PROVIDED A WAY TO BE CHANGED. HE PROVIDED A WAY TO BE FREE FROM SIN AND TO LIVE A HOLY LIFE. NOT A FLAWLESS LIFE, BUT A LIFE THAT IS NO LONGER BEAT UP CONTINUALLY BY SIN.
THIS IS THE CORE MESSAGE THAT WE HAVE TO PROCLAIM TO A WORLD THAT IS FEARFUL AND DESPERATE FOR SOME GOOD NEWS.
AND WHAT THE SPIRIT SEEMS TO BE PRESSING INTO MY HEART THROUGH THIS TEXT IS THAT WE CANNOT REALLY PROCLAIM THIS MESSAGE UNLESS AND UNTIL WE ARE EXPERIENCING ITS REALITY IN OUR OWN LIVES.
THAT’S MY MESSAGE TODAY – IT’S JUST THAT SIMPLE.
IN THIS INCREASINGLY DANGEROUS WORLD LET’S BE CAREFUL THAT WE DO NOT DIMINISH THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL. LET’S GIVE OURSELVES IN A FRESH WAY TO DRAWING UP CLOSER TO JESUS, GOING DEEPER IN THE HOLY LIFE OF LOVE MADE PERFECT.
SO LET ME ASK YOU A SIMPLE, POINTED QUESTION THIS MORNING. CAN YOU SHARE IN THIS TESTIMONY TODAY IN YOUR LIFE? THERE IS A DECISION TO BE MADE.
THE GIFT OF ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION THAT IS OFFERED TO BELIEVERS IS NOT SOMETHING YOU GROW INTO BY ACCIDENT – THERE IS A DECISION TO BE MADE. IT’S A DECISION TO SURRENDER YOUR WHOLE LIFE TO JESUS AND TO RECEIVE THE PURIFYING WORK OF THE SPIRIT.
IT’S BY FAITH – TAKING GOD AT HIS WORD THAT JESUS “GAVE HIS LIFE IN ORDER TO FREE US FROM EVERY KIND OF SIN, TO CLEANSE US, AND TO MAKE US HIS VERY OWN PEOPLE, TOTALLY COMMITTED TO DOING WHAT IS RIGHT.”
BUT THIS GRACE IS ALSO NOT JUST A ONE-TIME DEAL. THIS GRACE IS AVAILABLE ON A MOMENT BY MOMENT BASIS IN THE TRIALS AND TEMPTATIONS OF WORLD LIKE OURS.
SO WHEN YOU ARE FACED WITH THE TEMPTATION TO TRUST THE MATERIAL THINGS OF THIS WORLD MORE THAN GOD, THERE IS GRACE TO FIND FREEDOM FROM THAT TEMPTATION.
WHEN YOU ARE TEMPTED TO USE YOUR BODY IN A WAY THAT HARMS YOU AND DISHONORS GOD, THERE IS GRACE TO FIND FREEDOM FROM THAT TEMPTATION.
WHEN YOU ARE TEMPTED TO HOLD A GRUDGE AGAINST ONE WHO HAS HURT YOU, WHEN YOU ARE TEMPTED TO REACT IN REVENGE TOWARD ONE WHO HAS MISTREATED YOU – THERE IS GRACE TO FIND FREEDOM FROM THAT TEMPTATION.
HAVE YOU COME TO THE PLACE IN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD OF FINALLY SURRENDERING FULL CONTROL TO HIM? IF SO, THEN YOU CAN KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO LIVE IN THE POWER OF HIS GRACE.
JESUS DID NOT DIE JUST TO FORGIVE, AND FORGIVE AND FORGIVE CONTINUOUS SINNING. BY HIS GRACE HE WILL ALWAYS FORGIVE, BUT JESUS DIED AND ROSE AGAIN TO CHANGE OUR LIVES!
“REAL FREEDOM” - TITUS 2:11-14
IS IT JUST ME, OR DO YOU NOTICE THAT PEOPLE THESE DAYS SEEM TO BE ESPECIALLY ON EDGE? THESE ARE TOUGH DAYS. PEOPLE ARE STRESSED OUT, BUT I REALLY THINK IT’S A LOT DEEPER THAN ANY PARTICULAR CURRENT ISSUE.
I KNOW THERE’S THE ECONOMY, BUT MOST OF US HAVE BEEN HERE BEFORE. I KNOW THERE’S LOTS OF POLITICAL TENSION, BUT EVEN THAT HAS A FAMILIAR RING TO IT. IT’S DEEPER, ISN’T IT?
THERE JUST SEEMS TO BE A SENSE OF UTTER DISORIENTATION THAT IS COMING OUT IN BEHAVIOR THAT STRIKES ME AS SHOCKING, EVEN IN THIS INCREASINGLY PAGAN CULTURE.
YOU’VE SEEN THE VIDEO OF THESE TOWN HALL MEETINGS AND THE ANGER, THE YELLING, THE NAME CALLING, THE CARELESS WORDS BEING FLUNG ABOUT WITHOUT REGARD FOR WHAT OR WHOM THEY TEAR APART.
I WISH I COULD SAY I’VE NOT SEEN IT IN THE CHURCH. I’VE HAD A FEW “TOWN HALL MEETINGS” IN CHURCHES OVER THE PAST FOUR YEARS AND A COUPLE OF TIMES I’VE BEEN FAIRLY TARRED AND FEATHERED BY GOD’S PEOPLE!
NOW I KNOW THESE ISSUES ARE AS OLD AS HUMANITY, BUT IT SEEMS TO BE SOMETHING OF THE CONTEXT INTO WHICH PAUL IS SPEAKING AS HE REMINDS THIS YOUNG PASTOR OF THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL IN A REBELIOUS WORLD.
PAUL IS TALKING TO TITUS ABOUT THE HEART OF WHAT I WANT TO SUGGEST THAT YOU AND I NEED TO BE REMEMBERING IN THESE DIFFICULT AND DISORIENTING DAYS OF OURS.
IT’S ABOUT “HOW WE SHOULD LIVE IN THIS EVIL WORLD” (VERSE 12). NOT ONLY ARE WE BEING CALLED TO LIVE DISTINCTIVE LIVES IN THIS BROKEN AND ANGRY WORLD OF OURS, THIS TEXT IS ASSURING US THAT IN CHRIST IT’S ACTUALLY POSSIBLE TO DO SO!
LISTEN TO WHAT WE ARE BEING CALLED TO [READ V. 12]
OR AS PAUL SAYS TO THE PHILIPPIAN CHURCH, WE NEED TO USE THE GRACE THAT HAS BEEN GIVEN “SO THAT YOU MAY BECOME BLAMELESS AND PURE, CHILDREN OF GOD WITHOUT FAULT IN A CROOKED AND DEPRAVED GENERATION.”
“BLAMELESS AND PURE?” REALLY? IN THIS KIND OF WORLD? IS THAT REALLY POSSIBLE?
WELL, LET ME JUST ASK YOU A DIRECT QUESTION RIGHT HERE AT THE START: HOW ARE YOU DOING WITH LIVING A GODLY LIFE IN THIS SIN MARRED WORLD OF OURS?
I’LL TELL YOU WHAT I GENERALLY BELIEVE ABOUT THAT BASED ON MY CONSTANT INTERACTION WITH CHURCH LEADERS – I’M NOT SURE WE ARE DOING ALL THAT WELL.
SEEMS TO ME THERE IS OFTEN A HUGE DISCONNECT BETWEEN WHAT WE SAY AND SING WHEN WE’RE HERE, AND HOW IT ACTUALLY SHOWS UP IN OUR DAILY LIVES, ESPECIALLY WHEN NO ONE ELSE IS LOOKING.
YET IT’S NOT JUST THAT THE CULTURE HAS GROWN INCREASINGLY PAGAN. IT’S THAT WE, GOD’S PEOPLE, ARE NOT RECEIVING EVERYTHING THAT GOD IN CHRIST HAS PROVIDED FOR US. WE’RE SELLING THE GOSPEL WAY SHORT.
YOU KNOW THE LINE THAT SAYS, “CHRISTIANS AREN’T PERFECT, JUST FORGIVEN.” THERE’S A MEASURE OF TRUTH THERE, BUT THAT IDEA DOESN’T COME ANYWHERE NEAR WHAT GOD ACTUALLY WANTS TO DO FOR US.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT GOD WANTS TO DO FOR YOU? LOOK AGAIN AT VERSE 14 [READ]
DO YOU BELIEVE THAT? DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE THAT THERE IS ENOUGH POWER IN WHAT JESUS DID FOR US IN THE CROSS AND RESURRECTION ACTUALLY TO FREE US FROM EVERY SIN?
LET ME TELL YOU WHY THIS TEXT HAS BECOME SO MEANINFUL TO ME ACROSS THE PAST YEAR.
[IN ORLANDO: GOD SPOKE TO ME]
[SIMPLE FOCUS ON DRAWING CLOSER BRINGS HIS WORD ALIVE IN A FRESH WAY]
COULD IT BE THAT THERE IS REALLY A WAY TO LIVE SO CLOSE TO JESUS THAT SIN IS RENDERED POWERLESS IN MY LIFE?
THE LANGUAGE THAT IS MOST COMMON AMONG CHRISTIANS THESE DAYS IS ABOUT THE MERCY AND GRACE AND FORGIVENESS OF GOD. THANKS BE TO GOD FOR MERCY AND GRACE! BUT YOU REALIZE, DON’T YOU, THAT’S NOT THE WHOLE STORY?
THE WHOLE OF THE STORY IS NOT ONLY THAT JESUS DIED TO FORGIVE US OF OUR SINS – JESUS DIED TO FREE US FROM SIN.
JESUS DIED, ROSE AND ASCENDED TO THE RIGHT HAND OF THE FATHER SO THAT THE SPIRIT COULD COME AND TAKE UP RESIDENCE IN THE HEART OF THE BELIEVER.
BUT THE SPIRIT’S PRESENCE CONTINUES TO DRAW US CLOSER AND CLOSER TO JESUS UNTIL WE REALIZE THAT OUR NEED FOR GOD’S GRACE GOES EVEN DEEPER THAN THE FORGIVNESS OF SINS – WE NEED JESUS TO CLEANSE AND PURIFY OUR HEARTS –
TO STRAIGHTEN THE BENT TOWARD SELF AND EMPOWER US EVERY DAY ACTUALLY TO LIVE THESE CHRIST QUALITIES THAT WE READ HERE IN VERSE 12: “SELF-CONTROL, RIGHT CONDUCT, DEVOTION TO GOD.”
[THOSE WORDS TAKE ME BACK TO GALATIANS 5:22]
[CHURCH LEADERS EVALUATE: LOWEST SCORE]
GOD WANTS THESE CHRIST QUALITIES TO BE FULLY FORMED IN HIS PEOPLE SO THAT WE KNOW HOW TO THRIVE IN THE MIDST OF A BROKEN WORLD. AND IN ORDER TO SHAPE THAT CHRIST CHARACTER IN US, JESUS, PAUL SAYS, “GAVE HIS LIFE TO FREE US FROM EVERY KIND OF SIN.”
LOVED ONES, THIS IS THE FULL GOSPEL. AND THIS IS THE ANSWER FOR LIVING A VICTORIOUS, FREE, AND HAPPY LIFE IN THE MIDST OF DYSFUNCTIONAL, ANGRY WORLD LIKE OURS.
DON’T DISMISS THIS UNDER THE THINKING THAT NOBODY IS PERFECT. THAT’S NOT TRUE. JESUS IS PERFECT. AND GOD’S WORD IS UNMISTAKABLE THAT GOD DESIRES TO REPLICATE THE PERFECT LOVE OF CHRIST IN US.
NOW DON’T TRY AND MAKE THIS SAY SOMETHING IT’S NOT SAYING. THE MESSAGE HERE IS NOT THAT SIN IS NO LONGER A POSSIBILITY IN THE LIFE OF A BELIEVER. THAT’S WHY CHRISTIAN DISCIPLINE CONTINUES TO BE IMPORTANT.
WHAT PAUL IS REMINDING TITUS TO TEACH IS THAT WHEN WE BECOME GOD’S CHILDREN, WE NOW HAVE REAL POWER OVER THE ENSLAVING POWER OF SIN. FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE HAVE A REAL CHOICE.
WE HAVE, THROUGH GRACE, THE POWER TO CHOOSE NOT TO SIN. FRIENDS, IF WE DON’T BELIEVE THIS AND ACT UPON IT THEN WE HAVE NO GOSPEL. WE HAVE NO GOOD NEWS.
IF WE REALLY THINK THAT THE BEST WE CAN EVER DO IS STRUGGLE THROUGH LIFE WITH OUR SIN, THEN WE HAVE A WEAK JESUS AND GOD’S GRACE IS NO GRACE AT ALL.
JUST AS JESUS CRIED, “IT IS FINISHED” FROM THE CROSS, SO WE WHO ARE UNITED BY FAITH TO HIM IN HIS DEATH CAN NOW ALSO CRY “IT IS FINISHED” – THE TYRANNY OF SIN IS OVER. NO LONGER ARE WE AT THE MERCY OF SIN.
YOU KNOW WE LOVE TO TALK ABOUT GOD’S LOVE. OF COURSE, GOD LOVES YOU FAR MORE THAN YOU COULD EVER IMAGINE. BUT HIS LOVE IS NOT CARELESS AND HIS LOVE IS NOT WEAK.
HIS LOVE FOR YOU IS SO COMPLETE THAT HE PROVIDED A WAY TO BE CHANGED. HE PROVIDED A WAY TO BE FREE FROM SIN AND TO LIVE A HOLY LIFE. NOT A FLAWLESS LIFE, BUT A LIFE THAT IS NO LONGER BEAT UP CONTINUALLY BY SIN.
THIS IS THE CORE MESSAGE THAT WE HAVE TO PROCLAIM TO A WORLD THAT IS FEARFUL AND DESPERATE FOR SOME GOOD NEWS.
AND WHAT THE SPIRIT SEEMS TO BE PRESSING INTO MY HEART THROUGH THIS TEXT IS THAT WE CANNOT REALLY PROCLAIM THIS MESSAGE UNLESS AND UNTIL WE ARE EXPERIENCING ITS REALITY IN OUR OWN LIVES.
THAT’S MY MESSAGE TODAY – IT’S JUST THAT SIMPLE.
IN THIS INCREASINGLY DANGEROUS WORLD LET’S BE CAREFUL THAT WE DO NOT DIMINISH THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL. LET’S GIVE OURSELVES IN A FRESH WAY TO DRAWING UP CLOSER TO JESUS, GOING DEEPER IN THE HOLY LIFE OF LOVE MADE PERFECT.
SO LET ME ASK YOU A SIMPLE, POINTED QUESTION THIS MORNING. CAN YOU SHARE IN THIS TESTIMONY TODAY IN YOUR LIFE? THERE IS A DECISION TO BE MADE.
THE GIFT OF ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION THAT IS OFFERED TO BELIEVERS IS NOT SOMETHING YOU GROW INTO BY ACCIDENT – THERE IS A DECISION TO BE MADE. IT’S A DECISION TO SURRENDER YOUR WHOLE LIFE TO JESUS AND TO RECEIVE THE PURIFYING WORK OF THE SPIRIT.
IT’S BY FAITH – TAKING GOD AT HIS WORD THAT JESUS “GAVE HIS LIFE IN ORDER TO FREE US FROM EVERY KIND OF SIN, TO CLEANSE US, AND TO MAKE US HIS VERY OWN PEOPLE, TOTALLY COMMITTED TO DOING WHAT IS RIGHT.”
BUT THIS GRACE IS ALSO NOT JUST A ONE-TIME DEAL. THIS GRACE IS AVAILABLE ON A MOMENT BY MOMENT BASIS IN THE TRIALS AND TEMPTATIONS OF WORLD LIKE OURS.
SO WHEN YOU ARE FACED WITH THE TEMPTATION TO TRUST THE MATERIAL THINGS OF THIS WORLD MORE THAN GOD, THERE IS GRACE TO FIND FREEDOM FROM THAT TEMPTATION.
WHEN YOU ARE TEMPTED TO USE YOUR BODY IN A WAY THAT HARMS YOU AND DISHONORS GOD, THERE IS GRACE TO FIND FREEDOM FROM THAT TEMPTATION.
WHEN YOU ARE TEMPTED TO HOLD A GRUDGE AGAINST ONE WHO HAS HURT YOU, WHEN YOU ARE TEMPTED TO REACT IN REVENGE TOWARD ONE WHO HAS MISTREATED YOU – THERE IS GRACE TO FIND FREEDOM FROM THAT TEMPTATION.
HAVE YOU COME TO THE PLACE IN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD OF FINALLY SURRENDERING FULL CONTROL TO HIM? IF SO, THEN YOU CAN KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO LIVE IN THE POWER OF HIS GRACE.
JESUS DID NOT DIE JUST TO FORGIVE, AND FORGIVE AND FORGIVE CONTINUOUS SINNING. BY HIS GRACE HE WILL ALWAYS FORGIVE, BUT JESUS DIED AND ROSE AGAIN TO CHANGE OUR LIVES!
The End of a Journey... Almost
Erin and I started our pre-marital counseling in the spring of 2000. The first exercise our pastor gave us was to share 10 goals for our future. Sitting at that McDonalds in Olathe, I shared with Erin my newly decided upon goal of watching the Hawks play in every Big 10 stadium. In a way, I pulled that dream out of the air but it stuck with me.
In November of 2001, the brother of a close friend of mine got me cheap tickets for the Iowa-Wisconsin game in Madison, WI. The tickets were so bad, we could only see 1/3 of the playing field, but we were in the stadium and I crossed the first road-trip off my list. The next year, I drove with a close friend to see an Iowa team that finished the season with a perfect Big 10 record, hand Michigan its worst homecoming loss ever. In 2003, my brother-in-law, who is an Ohio native drove me to Columbus for a great game between two top ten teams. In 2004, I went with another brother-in-law to Champagne, Ill and then some other friends to the Metrodome (nick-named "Kinnick North" because Iowa fans fill up half the stadium)in Minneapolis, MN. The Minnesota game came down to the final play, helping Iowa earn a share of the Big 10 title.
In 2005, Erin and I capped off a weekend in Chicago by watching Iowa blow a 13 point lead over Northwestern in the final 2:30. In 2007, Erin and I enjoyed a beautiful October Saturday driving through gorgeous countryside and walking the Purdue campus in Lafayette, IN. In 2008, Erin and I cashed in some free airline tickets to travel to East Lansing, MI for the game against MSU. I've always loved the look of MSU's stadium and their campus is the prettiest in the conference. Last year, one of my best friends and I drove halfway across the country to see Adrian Clayborn block a punt, then run the ball into the endzone for a great win in the rain and deafening noise of Penn State University's "white out" on ABC's Saturday night football. Walking through State College and seeing the Appalachian mountains in the fall was an incredible sight.
The last stadium to visit was Indiana. Indiana is the Kansas of the Big 10, they'll follow football when the occasional good season happens but basketball rules. The atmosphere is so sub-par that I couldn't even convince anyone else to come with me, so I made the trip alone. While the football atmosphere leaves a lot to be desired. Evidenced by the fact that I paid $15 under face value for a seat on the 45 yard line. But even more amazing, while walking into the stadium, I found a ticket lying on the ground, meaning I could've walked into Memorial Stadium for free. After asking people around the area whether they'd lost a ticket and considering trying to sell it for some cash, I turned the ticket into a ticket-taker.
But what the Indiana campus lacks in enthusiasm for football, it makes up for in scenery. The drive through southern Indiana was gorgeous and the neighborhood around the football stadium is the epitome of wooded and quaint college-town. The weather was perfect for November football, mid 40's, no breeze and sunny. As I stood listening and watching the IU drum line perform outside Assembly Hall, I was loving the autumn college football experience.
As I was walking into Memorial Stadium, I thought back to the spring of 2000 and the list I shared with Erin. Just when I felt the satisfaction of accomplishing such a great feat, I remembered that Nebraska will be joining the big boys of the Big 10 next year, so I have one more trip to Lincoln, NE coming up next Thanksgiving weekend.
The game itself left a lot to be desired. While it's exhilarating to beat a good team on the final play of the game, to do so against a bad team is simultaneously frustrating and relieving. But a W is a W, as they say. I moved to the Iowa section for the game's final drive and shot video of the play in which the IU receiver caught, then dropped the game-winning TD pass. I was hoping to get video of either the entire stadium, minus the Iowa section, or the Iowa section itself, exploding in cheers. But since no one really knew what happened until the ref announced the result of the replay review, all I really got was footage of some stunned fans. I missed recording the official's announcement, which is when the Iowa crowd did explode with cheers of relief.
One final story about the trip, I got to talk with the dad of DJK, the receiver who just broke all of Iowa's receiving records and is about to get drafted into the NF - #15 in one of the above pictures. DJK grew up in a rough home but started hanging around the house of a classmate. This eventually lead to this classmate's family adopting him. DJK's adopted dad, who is a doctor, told me he kept telling his son that while he had a dream of playing football, the odds were against him. Well, he's about to beat the odds with this different version of The Blindside story. His dad and I talked a bit about adoption, it was a good conversation.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
A Reunion
The 1995 Fort Madison Bloodhound football team's first win of the season came in dramatic fashion, a 7-6 win over Fairfield in the last game of the year. So for the entire season, the team was winless. I can't imagine how difficult it must be for coaches to keep HS kids focused and motivated during such a difficult season. To their credit, however, they were able to do so.
At one point in the season, our head coach who had been the QB of a NAIA national championship team, tried cheering us up by offering some perspective, "Years from now, you're not going to remember your record or the score of the games, but you will remember the great times you all had together." While it's easy to remember the 1-8 record, I don't remember many scores (though we lost our homecoming game 20-12), we all still have vivid memories of fun and crazy stuff that happened that year.
A couple weeks ago, 15 years after that 1995 season, we got together to catch up on our lives and re-tell some of those stories. We were all in agreement, the best story was of Heath Mueller, our tailback asking why their were cows on the field. He had received quite the blow to the head. Coming in a close second were stories of running from teammates parents or the police with rolls of toilet paper still in our hands, though most had been draped in the surrounding trees.
During HS, I had the privilege of leading one of my teammates to Christ. After HS, I watched his faith really take root and mature. I also had the privilege of performing the wedding of that tailback who had seen cows.
At Erin's grandpa's funeral, there were a few items laid out among the collection of pictures. One of these items was his HS football team's picture from a 1940's Shawnee newspaper. Right then, I decided if Erin's grandpa still remembered "the glory days" 60 years later, I was going to keep celebrating them indefinitely, too. And with this being the second reunion I'd planned, I'm sticking with that commitment.
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