Above All ...

In one of Paul's letters, he commends a particular church for its love. He writes that God has supernaturally taught this church how to love.

Right from the beginning of their introduction to Jesus, they began to be patient, to act with kindness, and to not regard anyone as lower, unequal, or with less value, or worth.

Another passage says that right before Jesus returns, people will love less. and less. There will be less patience. There will be less kindness. There will more regarding others as lower, unequal, and with less worth.

Sounds a lot like today.

Scripture says that when someone gives their allegiance to Jesus, God gives them a guarantee that they belong to his family, that they have established a new relationship with him, and all his promises of an inheritance, and new life, belong to them. That guarantee is the Holy spirit living, abiding, and staying in the core of their being.

Moreover, the Holy spirit begins to express himself in, and through, the life of his new child. Because sin, false ideas, and perspectives, block the Spirit's efforts, his expression is imperfect. Be he has begun the process of dismantling the barriers to expressing himself fully through his children.

The first, and foremost, expression of God's spirit is love. Therefore, it should be the first, and foremost, expression of his children. Francis Schaeffer wrote that love is the mark of the Christian.

More than a stand for a particular social issue, more than support for a particular political party, more than going to church, more that tithing, fasting, and reading the Bible, God's family should be known for their love. That doesn't mean the church doesn't tithe, fast, or read the Bible. That doesn't mean the church doesn't vote. That doesn't mean the church agrees with everything the government, society, or culture does.

It does mean that they way the church treats people, talks about people, and interacts with people, is fully infused with love.

It does mean that any solution, to any problem supported by the church, must be fully, and completely, motivated by love, and carried out with love.

The statement that should speak loudest to his family today is his command to love people, who are enemies of Jesus, and his people. Show patience, kindness, and service to those who hate Jesus, and the church, the most.

It is a radical lifestyle that no other religion, or philosophy, is called to. Many are called to peace. None are called to actively pursue the good of those who hate, and are against them.

Image passing out cold drinks at a white supremacist parade. Imagine cleaning graffiti off a mosque, or an abortion clinic. Imagine providing a home, and support, for pregnant teens, or drug addicts.

Will this turn their lives around? Will they choose to follow Jesus? Maybe. Maybe not. Jesus served, and died, for everyone, as an expression of God's love for everyone. He died for the Jews, who turned him over to Pilate. He died for the Roman soldiers, who beat, and crucified him. He died for the 9/11 suicide bombers. He died for everyone who got an abortion. He died for the Nazis. And if any of those chose to give him their allegiance, then they too would have new life, be given his Spirit, become part of his family, and his eternal presence.

And we, his children, are called to live, and love, like him.

Giving Thanks

One of the principles that Christianity teaches is:  people work from the inside out.  What is formed on the inside produces what happens on the outside.

God condemned "wanting to kill someone" as equally evil as "actually killing someone." Accidents do happen, but deliberate choices only happen when the inner man makes a decision,  and an action is birthed into the world.

There are a lot of "theories" about how God designed the inner man. Many talk about it, as if the inner man is compartmentalized. People talk about a heart transformation.  They say things like: "I understood it with my mind, but it didn't reach my heart."

One Bible passage says transformation comes from changing the way you think. The original language says "renew your mind." Change your "knower."

My feeling is that all the components of the inner man are in one box, or they are all wired together instantaneous communication. Everything that happens in the inner man bounces off all the components at the same time. It is more of a unified structure, than compartmentalized.

I agree that people can know something, but not get it. People can know God loves them, Jesus died for them, and still not give their allegiance to Jesus.

But if the inner man generates the outer life, what we give our inner life to becomes very important.

Why are some people thoroughly miserable? Is it because they have way more problems than others? Or are they spending too much internal energy on their problems? Are they focused on what is bad in life?

If the inner generates the outer, then pursuing the wrongs, the mistakes, the accidents – all that is wrong in the world – can only generate negative effects.

In “A Thousand Gifts,” the writer highlights a terrible event in her family's life, and how “getting stuck” produced negativity towards God, life, and the future. But, a challenge to make a list of a thousand things she was thankful for, began to reverse the negativity.

The enemy, the world and sin are all active in the world. Their activity produces misery. One of the enemy's tactics is to produce as much misery as possible. Misery saps the energy from people's spirits, cuts across how God meant life to be lived, and robs God of glory he is due … because people do not see God as he really is, but through the lens of their misery.

But God is also active. He acts to restore his design in people, and the world. He act to renew love, and heal from sin, mistakes, and accidents. He acts to demonstrate himself in aspects of the world, large and small.

Thankfulness in big and small things is a recognition of the good, of God's war against misery, of God's war for grace and joy. If people get stuck on misery, they miss the opportunities to give thanks. That is, they miss when good happens.

We do need to be real, and honest, when bad stuff happens. But we need to be equally real, and honest, when the good stuff happens. One without the other gives the devil a victory.

Sometimes, good pours from the sky. Sometimes, good is buried so deep, we need to dig to find it. Maybe, we need to develop the habit of carrying a shovel with us every day. And, maybe, if we keep digging, we will uncover enough stuff to change the world … or, at least, how we interact with it.

As a result, I have begun my own list of a thousand gifts.

#1 – Saturday mornings, coffee and a bagel, my Bible, and the opportunity to see the world differently.

Community

God designed people to live in relationship. There should be a relationship with God himself; and there should be a relationship with other people.

There is a verse that says relationships should enhance the lives of people. Relationships are compared to sharpening a blade. A blade is no good, unless it is sharp. And I learned recently, that different blades, intended for different uses, need to be sharpened differently, at different angles. A blade used in the kitchen of a five star restaurant cannot be sharpened like an ax, used to chop wood. The blades must be treated differently.

So, it is not good to simply bang pieces of metal together. That will damage the blade, and an important tool will be lost. Someone using metal to correctly, and skillfully, apply friction will enhance the blade, and make the tool more valuable.

Friction becomes a valuable commodity.

Friction is usually considered negative interaction in a relationship. Disagreements, arguments, and other negative interactions, can have a positive effect, if those involved respond in that ways that agree with God’s design. Extending patience, and kindness, to those you disagree with, especially if they are not patient, and kind, in return, can have positive effects on everyone involved. Jesus says, “love your enemy.” Love positively affects the giver, and the receiver.

But in this case, friction encompasses all interaction. If love positively affects give, and receiver, in negative interactions, will it not have positive effects in positive interactions?

And God’s family needs to be the foremost example in giving loving, healing communication. Human beings need community. God’s family should show the world how it should be done.

A Small Revolution

Scripture reveals there will be a time, when God will remove his people from the world. God's desire is (a) to deliver his people, and (b) to let the world know what it will be like without his "interference." And it won't be pretty!

And a lot of god's people are ready! They are weary of the sin, lack of love, the evil, the atrocities, and the trashing of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. "Come quickly!" is the motto, and heartfelt cry, of these people.

But, what is god's heart, right now?

To use Steve Sjogren's phrase: Many Christians want to get out of the world. Right now, God wants to get his people into the world.

God wants a Jesus-style revolution. Jesus did not overturn any governments, or get involved in politics, protests, or riots. But, he did buck the system. He did stand up for the weak, the outcasts, and the marginalized. He was a voice for change. And he did it by proclaiming the truth, and acting in love, service, and acceptance.

Jesus' purposes in the world:

• To die for mankind's sin.
• To proclaim the good news.
• To make and train disciples.
• To show the Father.
• To model life as God intended.

 The church's purpose:

• The same as Jesus' purpose, except for dying for mankind's sin.

And these are the church's purposes. Not the leaders. Not the professionals. Jesus's whole body participates in completing God's purposes.

A lot of Jesus' followers will start thinking about how they are unable to complete any of the above tasks. And I think we need to start adjusting our thinking.

The world is growing colder, and darker. The Bible says that people's love will grow cold. People will focus on themselves, and what makes their lives easier, fatter, and more comfortable.

But God's family is supposed to stand out … in a positive way, as light and salt. Maybe that means, the world is supposed to be a brighter place, because of God's family. Maybe that means they are supposed to counteract the bad taste people are experiencing currently.

If we are supposed to be "Jesus" in the world today, may we can do — at least, in a small way — what Jesus would do. Maybe we cannot multiply fish and loaves, but we can help feed someone who is hungry. We can pray — right now! — for healing for someone suffering. Maybe, we cannot stop our national representatives from trashing those in the other party, but we can be patient, and speak kindly to, and about, people we have differences with. Maybe, we cannot solve all the problems in the world, but we can carry one burden for someone … even if it is just a bag of groceries to the car.

What if everyone, who follows Jesus, began a revolution of love in Jesus' name? What if everyone, who follows Jesus, made a small demonstration of how people were designed to live, made a small demonstration of what our Father is like, whispered the good news, by completing one act of free, loving service each day? Ideally, it would be to a stranger. Ideally, there would be an opportunity to say, "This is a small taste of Jesus' love for you."