"I Pray That"

There are several places in Scripture where the writer says “I pray that”. Since, I have just read a modern writer’s encourage people to pray the Scripture, I wonder if these I-pray-that’s should be our starting points?

The first, I-pray-that, that occurs to me, Paul prays for the Holy Spirit to empower our human core. God sends his innate power, that created the world, that raised Jesus from the dead, through his Spirit into our hearts.

Why? So, we can walk on water? Or raise the dead? Not in this particular passage.

Paul prays for the Spirit to transform our inner core, so that Christ may dwell there.

The world is in rebellion toward God. It has an anti-God attitude. We need power to go contrary to the world, to choose to return to God. We need power to re-connect, and live our relationship with him.

So, we can likewise pray for the Spirit to work in our lives, and in the lives of others:

• To pursue our relationship with Father, Son, and Spirit.
• To grow in that relationship – in understanding, and increased connection. (Remember the parable of the grapevine.)
• To give allegiance to Jesus.

But wait! There’s more!

He prays for all God’s family to have power to understand the full extent of God’s love. We have accepted God’s love, and God’s version of life, by giving him our allegiance. We have established our lives in his love. Now, we need to grow in our understanding of it, by our experience of it.

This experience is o huge, that only a fraction of testimonies, and descriptions, of it would swamp the internet. It is seen spanning the miraculous to the mundane. From maternal self-sacrifice, to canine loyalty, otherworldly sunsets, plain old kindness, and miraculous healings. God’s love is present, and expressed, through all those things.

Paul says he prays for God’s power to manifest itself in people, so they could move into relationship with God, and to awaken to God’ ever present, personal, individual, and all powerful love, and its manifold expressions.

Alignment

We recently looked at Jesus’ parable of the grapevine. And, even more recently, I found myself asking a question about it. Why did Jesus spend quite a bit of time encouraging the disciples to keep connected? Because he knew there would be a tendency in people to become unconnected.

Jesus said our connection with him would result in: fruit, an increase in our partnership with him, an increase in our relationship with him, and an increase in joy. Can we say we see these things in abundance in the family of God? Could the reason for their lack be a lack of connection?

I don’t consider this a matter of a person’s eternal destiny. Lack of connection does not mean that God throws these people out of the family. It is a matter of daily, moment by moment, relationship. I have relatives I have not seen, or talked to, in years. Obviously, there is not much connection. I cannot benefit from any relationship with them. In the case of relationship with Jesus, he is saying there is tremendous benefit by remaining connected.

We can become disconnected in several ways. Sin and disobedience is obvious. Letting our schedules rule us is another. We can also let different attitudes block him from areas in our lives. We connect with our church lives, but we act independently with our jobs, our families, or our politics.

God rules all of life. We need to get all of our lives aligned with God’s Word and God’s Spirit.

One person calls this a process of aligning and enforcing. Aligning is allowing God to rule in our lives. When we gave him our allegiance, we gave him permission to rule. But on a practical daily basis, we rebel. Perhaps not with overt sin. Perhaps with a passive resistance, not giving him access to our home life, our entertainment, our vacations, our sex life, or what we allow into our heads – movies, TV, or reading. We may continue to find in our lives that we need to get aligned with God’s heart. Perhaps the same thing will need to get aligned many times. 

Enforcing is proclaiming, or asserting, what is true – that is, according to God’s word – about an area.  You may have a relationship that is broken, with fights and disagreements, mutual disrespect, and mistreatments. What is God’s message to us about that? What does he say about disagreements, taking revenge, forgiveness, and love? What do we say about them? Who is right? 

Probably misalignment generates more disconnection than overt sin. We may need a daily practice of aligning with God. That is, we may need to agree with hm, that he rules all of our lives, and what that rule should look like, according to God’s word.

Give Thanks

Jesus is about to feed 5000 people with a small boy’s lunch. And he gives thanks.

Jesus is about to raise Lazarus from the dead. And he gives thanks.

Paul encourages God’s family to seek God in all situations with prayer, petition, and thanksgiving.

Paul encourages God’s family to be thankful in everything, not for everything. If we were thankful for everything, then we should be thankful for every evil, heinous thing that ever happens. Every atrocity. Every act of cruelty. All selfishness and sin.

God designed, and created, the world, so he would have a love relationship with people. The primary characteristic of relationship with God with people was intended to be love. That was God’s heart. Hatred, and evil, were not in the plans. We do not need to be thankful for COVID, economic disruption, loneliness, business failures, or any other fall out.

But we ought to be thankful.

Giving thanks can just be part of the formula, when we pray. But looking at Scripture, I think God intends it to be more. Thanksgiving is intended to be a reorientation, and a refocus, on God’s nature, character, and resources. Giving thanks should have an effect on our hearts. Which should, in turn, affect our perspectives. Which should, in turn, affect our actions.

What we do would be different, if we recognized God wanted a relationship with us, loved us, because we are his children, was always paying attention to us, was always listening to us, and always taking action for us.

Giving thanks ought to remind us of all of this, and what god has done for us already, and therefore, what he is willing, and able, to do. And if we are reminded about who God is, and what he has done, we ought to have confidence to move forward with whatever is happening, because God is moving with us.

The Vine and the Branches

On a grapevine, fruit grows on the branches. It is on the branches that life occurs. That which is valuable, or desirable, happens. The purpose for all the work in having a grapevine grows on the branches.

But, if a branch is severed from the vines, it dries out, gets brittle, and it is impossible to grow fruit. The branch can only produce fruit, if it is connected to the vine.

Water, and nutrients, are absorbed from the ground by the roots, and flow to the branches through the vine. It is the connection that activates any value of the branch.

When we gave our allegiance to Jesus, we became part of God’s family, and we were grafted into the vine. The material of the vine, and the material of the branch fuse together. Life can flow easily to the branch.

The branch can produce fruit, which is valuable and desirable. Or the branch can produce growth that waster the life, or produces bad fruit. That’s why the farmer gives active care, removing the bad fruit, and unproductive growth.

Of course, this vine-branch connection is figurative. What is really involved is the connection between people. A person’s allegiance connects him to the vine, but a person’s practice defines the nature of that connection. We can give our allegiance, but not necessarily live out that allegiance.

The vine (Jesus) wants the connection to be a vast river flowing into the branch, with each cluster of grapes requiring a semi to carry it. That type of “production” is extremely rare, to say the least.

Jesus urges us to maintain a state of connection. What that is, is not necessarily defined in this story. Of course, he does seem to comment on it. And his entire ministry is an almost perpetual lesson about connectivity to the Father.

Mankind was designed for this. The human spirit’s main fuel is relationship (connectivity) with God. God designed, and created, the world, so he could have a love relationship with the world, just like his love relationship within the God-head.

We know how that worked. Mankind rejected a relationship with God, thinking they were getting something better. And that rejection released all that is wrong, and evil, in the world.

And God’s message: “Come back! Re-connect!” And many have returned, and re-connected. And the connection, along with (according to Jesus) an active remembrance of what he said, will produce semi loads of fruit.

We remember what Jesus said, because if we practice what Jesus said, the connection works. Many have given allegiance, but they are not obedient to Jesus’ words.

If we are honest, no one is completely obedient. And many follow man-made systems, believing they are following Jesus. But, the God-head is living and active. Father, Son, and Spirit pursue a relationship with each of their children, providing daily communication. And persona; guidance and direction. There are many things that God give direction on that are similar. (All plants need water.) But many things are different, (Harvesting tomatoes and wheat are different.)

And we need to hear all of Jesus’s words to us. Words that are common to all. And words that are specific to us. And we need to obey them all. It is the obedience that maintains, and improves, the connection, brings life, and bears fruit.

The Farmer

It all begins with an idea in the farmer’s mind. Then, it is location, location, location. Wheat, and corn, are generally planted in flat areas. Grapes, and coffee, are often planted on the sides of hills, or mountains.

Then, the soil must be prepared. We think of plowing the soil, so seed, and roots, can penetrate easily. But, in mountainous areas of Asia, they plant rice. Terraces are carved out of the mountain, and appropriate soil is hauled in, and dumped on the terraces. In one place in the Philippines, an irrigation system was built, bringing water from the rain forest on top of the mountains.

Then, the seed must be planted. Grain is scattered. Some vegetables are plant with three, or four, seeds in a mound. In the colony of Plymouth, the Indians taught the Pilgrims to plant corn, using three seeds, and one fish, per mound.

Then, there is the ongoing care of watering, weeding, and fertilizing. Water, and fertilizer, provide necessary nutrients for the health and growth if the plants. Weeding removes things that hinder the health and growth if the plants.

Finally, there is reaping. There are a number of techniques, from using combines to harvest wheat, to handpicking tomatoes, and clusters of grapes.

God has designed all mankind. He is all-wise, so he must be at the beginning of all Kingdom works. Our part is to move in agreement with him.

We can seek him to hear his plans, so we know which way to move. We can seek him, and ask him, to move. We can be alert for open people, who may become doorways to bring the gospel to families, and communities.

He prepares the land for sowing, and reaping. He prepares it for each crop. Each work has common features. (All plants need water.) But, each work is unique. He will introduce, or allow, different things to provoke discontent with the status quo, and urge a search for meaning, and significance. (COVID ?)

He finds good soil, and plants his word. Some germinate quickly, and fruit is produced soon. Some move more slowly. God, the master farmer, is not concerned about time, or work, because his eye is on the harvest.

And the harvest is not grain, vegetables, or fruit. It is the hearts, and souls, of people. It is the family, that he is building.

The Grapevine

Right before he went to the Cross, Jesus introduced a metaphor to his disciples. God’s family is like a grapevine.

Father is the farmer. He prepared the ground, planted the seed, and cares for the plants. He weeds, waters, and fertilizes.

Jesus is the vine. He is the means of supplying life, nutrients, and energy to the rest of the plant. The branches grow, because they are connected to the vine.

God’s family are the branches. The branches are where fruit is produced. Fruit is produced, because the branches are connected to the vine. The quality of the connection matters too. If the branch is clinging to the vine by one, scrawny strand, almost breaking off, not much life can flow to it.

The purpose of the grapevine is to produce grapes. Fruit is the whole point to have a grapevine.

Fruit is essentially the effects of God’s family in the world. Because the fruit is connected to the branches, and the branches are connected to the vine, the fruit should have the nature of the vine in it. In other words, the fruit should have the nature, and the character, of Jesus.

Jesus walked perfectly with the Father. As branches, we will walk with the Father, not perfectly, because of sin. Be we should walk with Father in increasing perfection.

Jesus walked in perfect obedience to Father, in perfect love, and complete faith. So, his life showed the world, who God is, and what he is like. By his words and deeds, he moved people to desire to know God like he did, and choose to follow God like he did.

And this life, that was in Jesus, not only should be in us, it is in us. When we gave allegiance to Jesus, we were connected to the vine. The sap of the Holy Spirit is flowing into us, and, in some measure, out of us.

To give a simple definition: the process of growth, and sanctification, is a process of enabling, and allowing, the Holy spirit to flow through us, and in us, more freely, and easily. To connect us to the vine, securely, and truly, without hindrances, to allow the sap of the Holy Spirit complete, and undisturbed access to every last molecule of our lives.

There are experiences that hinder our ability to receive. They warp our view of God, his abilities, his love, and his intentions. Some of these are abusive. Some if these are honest presentations of what someone thought was the truth, but was a misunderstanding of God’s intentions, filtered through their own experiences.

That is why we need to remain connected. This is why, we need to continue to seek Father, to renew relationship, to obey more completely, to be open to Father’s input. He will cause life to flow, where it is needed most, to bring growth, perfection, and a greater impact in the world.

Transformation

In one place, Paul urges us to be transformed, and transformation comes from the renewing of the mind. The word for “mind” in the original language come from the word for “knowledge.” Meaning, Paul is specifically saying we need to change our “knower”. I have spoken quite a bit about my view of the inner man, so I will skip it here. But, part of transformation is changing what we know, and therefore, how we think. Transformation comes when all of the inner man comes into agreement.

But, what happens because of transformation? What changes? Paul goes onto describe that.

First, he says we grow in our recognition that we are part of the body of Christ. Each one has a place. Each one belongs. Each one has a gift, or a means to contribute.

When a person gives his allegiance to Jesus, the Holy Spirit makes his home in the person’s inner man. He begins a process of changes thoughts, words, actions, motivations, desires. He fires up the person’s uniqueness. Part of that uniqueness is a particular area of service, for which he/she have been designed. This includes motivation to serve in that area. As skills, renewal and growth occur, this service becomes recognized by the body, and used more consistently.

And sometimes, the Holy Spirit uses a person’s service, but it has an effect outside his normal practice. A teacher evangelizes. A server becomes a path way for physical healing, maybe even miraculous healing.

No matter the gift, no matter the particular effect, it is important to the particular part of God’s family the person is associated with.

Not only does the service matter, but the perspective matters. The perspective of what is important, and how different issues should be approached, is different for someone motivated by physical service, emotional health, accurate understanding of the Word, or the promotion of prayer. Any issue confronting God’s family needs each perspective, so that all the bases are covered. God builds his body with multiple viewpoints on purpose.

Second, love must be real, and genuine. Love should be disgusted when evil is done, and hold fervently onto what is good. Love treats others like family. Puts others first. Works hard, and passionately, to serve God, because it recognizes God’s will is being best for people. Expectations about the future should lead to joy, and it should motivate people to persevere. It opens up hearts to embrace others. From giving to meet needs, to opening up one’s home.

And love compels a different view, attitude, and action toward ones who oppose, and are against you. Love wants good for everyone. And it might even work for good for those who attack you.

Love is genuinely glad when good happens to people, and genuinely sad when something bad happens.

Love does not place one’s self above, or look down on, others. It lives in harmony, connects, and associates with those society regards as inferior, or without value. Love seeks peace with all.

Transformation involves change in attitude, perspective, and action about how people – yourself and others – fit in God’s world

Discerning the Best

In one of Paul's letters, he prays that the church would abound, or would exceed what was expected, in love. Normally, one would expect that abundant love would result in abundant generosity, service, or good deeds. And it should. But Paul combines this abundant love with knowledge and understanding. The result is God's family can discern what is best, and live blamelessly. 

Godly discernment can never be just knowledge alone. Nor can it be just love alone. Knowledge brings just a list of rules with no motivation for the good of others. Love alone wants, and works, for others' good, but without direction, boundaries, or an idea of what good entails.

I have discussed this here before. Father has designed the world, and people, to work optimally on specific types of fuel. There are physical fuels, like food, water, and rest. There are spiritual fuels, like love, creativity, and purpose. And the primary fuel is a growing relationship with the Creator, and Father of all. Discerning the best means finding the best way to meet all these needs.

Moreover, love and knowledge need to rule over our conduct. Paul says love and knowledge should produce pure and blameless lives. Fruit of righteous ness that results in glory to Father.

The most obvious thing I am seeing currently is a lot of "hate speech". There may be accurate, even correct, knowledge, but it is not combined with love. And so it does not see, or promote, what is best.

Our Ruling Allegiance

Jesus taught that a person could have only one ruling allegiance. People have many allegiances. But they should give their primary, ruling allegiance to the Father.

He was specifically speaking about consumerism, as something that could assume the position of the ruling allegiance. That is, seeking significance by amassing stuff.

I have been realizing that a person’s political position can also become the ruling allegiance. Especially here in the US.

If your ruling allegiance is to the Triune God of the Bible, then you realize he created the world to be perfect. And when man sinned, he set about to re-create the world to be perfect.

Then, the teachings of Jesus ought to inform you what leads to God’s perfection, and what ought to make good governmental policy. Policy is different than God’s instruction to people, but God’s word ought to influence, and guide, the policy. So, in a world that gives its allegiance to Jesus, that is what should be pursued.

And the teachings of Jesus ought to inform you how to do politics, and how to speak politics.

People, who have given their allegiance to Jesus, should speak, and act, as a demonstration of God’s character, and as a draw toward God’s family, and kingdom. The life of God’s family, standing alone by itself, should be one that is compelling, and convincing, toward choosing to give one’s allegiance to Jesus. Jesus specifically said that love and unity within God’s family demonstrates the reality of Jesus’ identity, and purpose, in the world. And the love of God’s family to the world is part of the declaration of the gospel to the world.

What means the odds are pretty good that a follower of Jesus will need to show love, to communicate love, to someone he/she disagrees with politically. And if demonstrating patience, and kindness, to someone on the other side of the political fence is difficult, or distasteful, then maybe one’s ruling allegiance is not to Jesus.

God's Weapons

The spiritual realm reaches out to affect the physical realm. Not only does Father continually act to draw mean, and women, to come to him, and become part of his Kingdom, but the enemy also acts to distract, discourage, and dissuade. God's family does not have enemies among mankind. The real enemies of God's family are spiritual powers, working in agreement with the enemy. When the days seem especially evil, the enemy and his allies are especially busy.

In such times, Paul says God gives us armor to defend ourselves, and to wage war against the enemy.

Our first weapon is truth. People navigate life using the building blocks of the values, and truths. So, the enemy introduces multiple lies to add confusion, and doubt.

So, not only do God's family need to be familiar with God's word, and God's revealed truth, but maybe they need to be reminded often, so they remain focused, and undeterred, in life. And reminded of all of God's revelation, like:

• God designed, and created, the world.
• God designed, and created, people.
• The rules that govern the world's operation were given by God, not man, not the enemy.
• If we choose to follow Christ, we are united with Christ.
• If we are united with Christ, we are part of God's family.
• If we are united with Christ, we are God's heirs.
• If we are united with Christ, we are God's artwork.
• God's love is what empowers our lives.
• God's family should band together, equip one another, demonstrate his love and power, and expand, and increase, to and through every people group on the earth.
• God will continue to reveal himself to his children, so we can understand our future, God's power and action on our behalf, and God's victory in the world.

The second weapon is the results of our being united with Christ. I have mentioned some of the results above. But, Paul's main focus here is: Christ satisfies God's justice, and God's family is no longer under a curse of God's  judgment. We can stand before God blameless, because he removed the blame. We can stand before God innocent, because he removed the guilt. We can face the future with hope, because we have returned to where God intended us to be. With him. In his family. In close relationship. Having the ear of the King, in which he promises to listen, and act. I know the way he acts may not be how I expect. But he will act with complete love, and complete wisdom.

The third weapon is the peace that comes from the gospel. If we receive the gospel, and agree with it, and give allegiance to Father because of it, then we have become part of God's Kingdom, and part of God's family. Then, all of God's promises are available to us. Some are automatically a part of choosing to follow him. Some we should ask, and receive. But, in either case, the love, and power, of God are injected into our circumstances. Though the world is in chaos, we can live in peace, as we connect to what God has done, and is doing.

And, as these weapons should be aimed at the enemy., and his kingdom, we can wage war against him directly, by bringing God's message to those under his authority. Those, not in God's family, are in the enemy's kingdom. And the two are at war. It's not a war of bullets and bombs. It is a war for hearts. It is fought by gaining agreement with God's message, and gaining faith responses in that message about God's love and the cross. We cannot debate someone into the Kingdom. We can plant, and water, seed. We can change the spiritual atmosphere by our conduct. Perhaps mostly by using these weapons. Not the least of which is sharing about God's love, and the cross, to as many ears willing to listen, as we can find.

The fourth weapon is faith. Faith is confidence in what we cannot experience with our senses. If you have faith in God, his love, grace, and active involvement, you are confident in something you cannot see, hear, smell, or touch physically. We receive what God has said, and agree that it is true. Often, we must take action, based on what we have agreed with, whether we see immediate results or not. Prayer receives in faith, God's power, love and grace, as God said he would act. We may need to continually, and regularly remind, agree with, and affirm what God has proclaimed.

The fifth weapon is God's work in our lives. This is like the second weapon, in that it focuses on what God has done. But the second weapon focuses more on justification. God forgives sin, cancels our debt to him, and brings us into his family. This weapon focuses on all the work in our lives, and the world. The enemy will remind us of our progress. God will remind us of our progress. God does not promise us immediate perfection. It is this progress, which demonstrates God's continual focus on his children, his unrelenting attention to their good, and our reason for hope.

The sixth weapon is his revealed word. In his word, God reveals: who he is, what the world should be like, what it is really like, what people should be like, and what they are like. He reveals how we can move from the "are" to the "should." And, usually, the move is result of inviting his presence into the situation.

Lastly, there is prayer. Prayer becomes the way of connecting all the weapons to the situation. Prayer becomes the way of receiving, agreeing with, and applying God's weapons to the world.

NOTE: I recently read an encouragement to pray Scripture. Scripture is God's revealed truth, God's revealed will. Therefore, it is an expression of God's heart, and what he desires to act on. In Scripture, we know God's will, and there should be a way to reflect God's will back to him in prayer. Like all new things, it may involve a little work, and creativity at first. But, we can be confident we are praying in God's will. We may still not know the timing, or the methods. 

We cannot dictate to God what he must do. We are agreeing with what God has already said he wants to do, and providing a way to release it.

God's Answer

We were all rebels. We were all sinners. At one time, we lived in agreement with Satan. It is his spirit working in the hearts of the disobedient. Every single one of us should be chained in a dungeon, and left to rot.

But that's not what the King did. The King made a way, so everyone could go live in the palace -- all of the losers, the foolish, the mean, and the cruel. The wrongs we did do not hold us. Our pasts do not exclude us.

God designed the world, and designed life. Joy, and peace, are derived from agreeing with the design, and, therefore, with God. Clinging to the past will not produce joy, and peace. Clinging to dreams of the future will not produce joy and peace.

It is, as we choose Jesus, and become united with him, that God's Spirit begins to work in us. Then, we work in agreement with him, and complete his work, and the assignments he gives us. 

God's Destination for His People

A work of the Spirit began in a city in Asia Minor, modern day Turkey. Paul hears about the ongoing response of the people there, and writes them a letter. They have turned to, or the social group they belong to, and  Christ. They have rejected ways and teachings of their fathers. They have embraced Christ, as the way to peace and acceptance by God. They have embrace God's people, and are filled with love for them.

So, Paul's heart is full for God's family in this city. He prays for a heart increase in their lives, individually, and as a body.

What these followers of Jesus are, and what Paul prays for them, are where all of God's people should be going.

God's family are people, who have chosen to follow Jesus. That initial move of faith needs to grow, and increase. Our reliance on his grace, his heart intention for our good, and his actions on our behalf, need to increase.

God has made those, who follow him, his family. Family needs to embrace one another, and serve one another, as an outflow of the heart. We need to see Jesus in the hearts of others, who follow him, and not the name on the door of their building, or the social group they belong to, and treat them as Jesus would.

Then, we need to increase in the areas Paul prays for.

We need wisdom, and insight, to grow in understanding God's nature and character. We need to see more clearly, and deeply, God's love, and mercy on one hand, and God's hatred of sin on the other. But we need to remember God's order. What is the greatest command? And why is it the greatest?

We must gain understanding of our hope. Hope, in the Biblical sense, is a positive view of the future, God's view of the future. Our hope needs to affect our lives. If it was clear, and vivid, in our minds, and hearts, we would communicate with more passion, conviction, clarity, and frequency.

We need to fully understand God's power. It created the world from nothing. It gave life to Jesus after the Cross. Then, it raised him to sit on the throne, and rule over Creation. God put him there, to benefit his family. Jesus fills all things.

Life With God

Some of you might be surprised to learn that I read a book now and then. I recently finished "With" by Skye Jethani.

Many Christians say that following Jesus is not a religion, it is a relationship with God. This book explores that relationship.

The Bible begins with creation. God created the world as a place where he could put people. As a place where he could have a relationship with the people he created. Relationship is built into the fabric of creation. God designed people to have relationship with him, and one another, and to rule over creation in partnership with him.

But the serpent tempted the first people. They saw they could be like God, and take control. But things got out of control real fast. This attempt to replace God broke the relationship with God, the peaceful, predictable world, and introduced fear into man's experience. And religion has sought, in various ways, to relieve fear, and regain control, ever since.

Even, in common Christian responses. The book looks at four common responses. Each response can be backed up with Scripture. So, each response has good things built into it. But, too much of a good thing can be bad.

What the book calls "Life under God" focuses on the Bible's teaching about obedience. Obedience is good. God says that obedience to him leads to all sorts of good things. We are choosing to live in agreement with God's design of creation.

Some assume this is some sort of quid pro quo. Following God becomes a way to manipulate, or control, God. A person goes to church, reads the Bible, and maybe even, tithes. And God should do his part of the bargain.

This, of course, is not really following God. There is no relationship. It is a form of religion, almost of magic.  Following rituals to gain favor from the spirit world.

There's "Life over God," which holds that Christianity is a superior life-style. The Bible is mined for principles that lead to better living. Yes, the Bible does contain principles that if followed lead to better living. Living in agreement with God's design.

Again, it is not following God, because there is no relationship. It is a better morality, or philosophy. 

There's "Life form God," which looks to what God can do for you. It is a focus on receiving God's blessings. And God does bless. I think God wants to bless more than people think.

But, the focus is on the "stuff." Life becomes focused on "stuff." We know who God accepts, or approves, because they have more "stuff."

Again, there is no relationship. One does not have a relationship with a vending machine, even a Vending Machine, with capital letters. Relationship does not focus on the gifts, and ignore the giver, or walk with the giver, as long as the gifts keep coming.

There's "Life for God," which focuses on the mission. And there is a mission. To glorify him. To establish his Kingdom. To proclaim his message, and build movements of followers. To love truly, and abundantly. God created mankind to fill creation with his presence. And that has not changed.

But, as valuable, and noble, a focus on service, and having a role in expanding God's footprint in the world, it is still not relationship. It is a focus on self. It is a focus on one of the partners in this adventure.

Do not misunderstand me. God wants obedience. God wants people to learn right ways to think, speak, and act. God wants to bless abundantly. And God sent Jesus to begin his Father's mission. And God wants his family to partner with him in completing his mission.

But he wants all of these to be done immersed, surrounded, and built from relationship.

I see myself, especially, in the "Life over God." Life is something to figure out, like a puzzle. But I know that the main fuel for life is a relationship with Father.

But if following Jesus is not a puzzle, nor a bunch of rules and rituals, nor some status symbols, nor merit badges, what is it?

How did Jesus do it? Jesus did "Life with God." Scripture says Jesus withdrew often to spend time with his Father. So, prayer and Scripture are part of being with God. And prayer and Scripture could be involved in the other four too.

Praying for God to act in a matter, or puzzling out how God looks at something, is not wrong. But maybe there is something more.

The book talks about "communion." Not in the bread and wine sense, but in the sense of speaking, and listening, about feelings, concerns, failures, hopes, and dreams. People have difficulty being open, and vulnerable. And communion is all about being open, honest, and vulnerable with God. And it is listening, allowing God to speak, and act, in our hearts.

Communion is hard to define, or describe, because we have gotten used to engaging with God on objectives -- solving the puzzle, getting action toward some end -- that we don't know how to sit and be quiet. It takes time. Maybe more than we want to spend. And maybe it will seem like nothing is being accomplished. 

We spend time just catching up with our friends. Maybe we need to spend time catching up with God.

As I said, I tend to focus on solving puzzles. And solving puzzles is not bad. Puzzles need to be solved. But maybe I should also spend time withdrawing, appreciating who God is, what he has done, and is doing, being hones about my failures, lacks, hopes, dreams, and aspirations. And then just listen. Maybe God will speak, and I will receive much wisdom, and encouragement. And maybe God will just sit with me in silence, empathy, and love.

God-given Identity

In one of Paul's letters, he begins by affirming that God has given us every spiritual blessing. And he comments on some of the blessings.

 

The first blessing is God's solution to sin. God planned before creation, that Jesus, one part of the God-head, would become human, demonstrate what a life with God should look like, and give his life as a sacrifice to satisfy God's judgment. Now, those, united with Christ, are accepted by God. They will be set apart, and he will view them with Christ-colored glasses. He will not see their sin. He will make them part of his family. He redeemed them, and forgave them. One picture, the Bible gives us, of forgiveness is putting all our sin on a goat, and sending it away into the wilderness, never to return. Our sin is gone. Our sin, and guilt, are no longer part of our lives. He has showered his kindness on us.

 

Another blessing involves God's plan to give all authority over creation to his Son. And because we are united with his Son, we will receive an inheritance. God made all people, who chose to give him allegiance, his people. He marked the as his people by giving them the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is God's guarantee that we are his people. And it is God's guarantee that we will receive our inheritance.

 

These are indeed reasons for celebration and worship.

Jesus : The Good Neighbor

A Lawyer came to Jesus to test him. He asked Jesus: "How do I gain eternal life?" I suspect Jesus knew the man expected a "keep the system faithfully" type of answer. So, since, he was a Law expert, Jesus asked him: "What does the Law say?"

The Lawyer answered -- quoting Scripture, which I am just paraphrasing: "Love God Love people. Put God first. Put people before yourself." Jesus answered: "Yep! 100 percent on that quiz!!"

But the Lawyer thinks: "If I do that, I may have to get involved with the riff raff, make myself unclean, and lose respect of all the important people in town." So, he asks Jesus: "Who is my neighbor?" If Jesus says the people in your neighborhood, or social circle, he can deal with that.

But, Jesus tells a story about a man, who was mugged and left for dead.

Two men, pillars of the community, who would be held up as examples to emulate, see the man lying in a heap, and walk on by. It was more important to them to keep ceremonially clean, than to dirty themselves helping someone.

Another man walks by. He is part Jewish. He does not worship the God of Israel. Goodm law-abiding Jews avoid contact with his kind. He sees the man, has compassion, and helps the man. He gives first aid. He gets the man a room at a local hotel. He gives the hotel manager some money to take care of him. And he gives the manager what was essentially a blank check. He guarantees he will pay for whatever else the manager spends to care for the hurt man.

God did give cleanliness laws to the Jews. And he meant for them to keep them. But if the Laws the Lawyer quoted meant eternal life (if they are the greatest commandments, as it says elsewhere) then the should have #1 priority. The Jews should be obeying these laws above all others.

As I was considering how the Jews looked down on Samaritans, and one of them obeyed God's Law better than one of the best of them, I realized that the Jewish leaders, the "best" of the Jews, looked down on Jesus. 

Unlike the Samaritan, Jesus worshipped the God of the Bible. Like the Samaritan, Jesus got too close to unclean people. He obeyed the Great Commandment to the point of giving a blank check. He paid for us to gain entrance into God's family. He will pay whatever we need to be healed, whole, and well. 

Our Hearts

In part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus quotes the Law that murder is wrong, and murderers are liable for judgment. But Jesus clarifies that someone, who is angry, or gives insults, as an expression of anger, is equally guilty before the Law.

Jesus quotes the Law that adultery is wrong. But Jesus clarifies that lustful desires are equally wrong.

The last of the Ten Commandments says we should not have wrong desires.

The Bible does not stop with our actions. It moves into our inner life. It includes, and judges, our thinking, emotions, imagination, motives, and will.

The words the Bible uses for "heart" in both the Old and New Testaments encompass all of the above. So, it looks to me like the people of Jesus' day regarded a person's inner core as one unit. And Jesus said that outward actions flow from the inner core. A person goes in a direction that his\her inner core agrees with.

So, part of the transformation process is agreement with God's word with our inner core. If a person knows cognitively that God loves people, and choosing to follow him results in justification of sin, reconciliation to God, and redemption into his family. So, we should share God's Good News with people. But if someone's imagination paint pictures of rejection, of failure, and being foolish, how wholehearted will he be in pursuing it? His inner core is in disagreement.

Scripture says that God's Spirit is stronger than our hearts. It is his business to bring all of the parts of our hearts into alignment. 

The Family of God

God gave his family different men, who complete different functions. The result of these men completing their function is:

• God's people are able to do God's work -- which should also include the function these men do.
• God's people move toward completeness.

This work -- the performance of these functions -- will continue until there is a oneness of faith, and a oneness of understanding Father, Son, and Spirit. God's family will reach spiritual maturity, and become complete. Our picture of what completeness is, is Jesus.

We won't chase around after new things. We won't be deceived by clever lies. We will understand the truth; and we will speak it with a new motivation. That is, we will be filled with love, and speak to truly benefit those around us.

We are becoming more, and more, like Jesus. But we are not clones. God designed each person, before the foundation of the world, to fill a particular place. Because of sin, we fail to do what we designed for. This process brings us back to our original design.

The current situation is lack God's people are a vast orchestra. Some people are playing clarinets, when they should be playing oboes. Some are using their flutes like drum sticks. Some are using their bows to pokes their neighbors. The tubas, trumpets, and trombones are gathering dust. And we are all supposed to be playing "Beethoven's Fifth". But some are playing "Roll Over Beethoven." And others "The Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy." But God is working to bring us together into one focused harmony.

Some people focus on behavior modification. I choose to follow Jesus, so I need to change the stuff I do. T need to stop lying, stop getting hammered on the weekend. And I need to start reading the Bible, going to church, praying, and sharing the gospel. And all of these to-do's and to-don't's are important. But following, and growing, is more than crossing off stuff on a list.  

Jesus

The gospels are written by four different authors, with four different perspectives, and, maybe, four different intents.

Matthew seems to have written his gospel with the intent of demonstrating that Jesus was indeed the Jewish Messiah.

He begin with -- to most people -- a very boring genealogical list. The Jews believed that the Messiah would be Jewish, from the line of Abraham. They also believed the Messiah would be from the line of David. This genealogy was specifically intended to demonstrate Jesus fulfilled those requirements.

As I understand it, and I may be misinformed, the Jews kept genealogical records. If so, Matthew is giving a place of confirmation, or a place to disprove, his claim. Someone could go through the records and refute the claim that Jesus is the Messiah.

Moreover, he quotes Jesus fulfilling Messianic prophecy. In the section, concerning Jesus' birth, he cites several. Prophecies that Jesus could not manipulate, because he was in his mother's womb at the time.

• Birth city of Bethlehem.
• Born of a virgin.
• Living as a child in Egypt.
• Slaughter of the innocents.
• Living in Nazareth.

Someone searched the Scriptures, and counted fulfilled prophecies, concerning Christ's first coming at over 100. And calculated the odd of fulfilling 8, as one out of 10^17. (That's a one followed by 18 zeros.) 

To the Saints

"Identity" is a picture people have of themselves, based on values, experiences, and interactions with other people. It is how people answer questions like: Who am I? Do I have value? What is my role in the world?

All too often, the answers we give ourselves, to these questions, are lies. We give ourselves the answer that we think is true. However, what we believe is a lie.

The Holy Spirit makes his home with his children. One reason, he does this is: he transforms our spiritual DNA. He works in our lives from the inside out. Because, if he changes the inside, the outside follows along, and behaves in accordance with the inside. And part of that change is our self-picture.

Most of the New Testament letters are addressed to the "saints" or "the holy ones." For a lot of people, a saint, or holy one, is someone, who is especially pious, and does something really awesome. Or we think of someone who is especially moral. Someone, who is holy, and practically perfect in every way. (Mary Poppins?)

In the original language, "holy" means "other" or "different." So, holy does not necessarily mean morally perfect.

God is holy, because he is morally perfect, unlike anyone else. He is also all-wise, all-knowing, all-powerful, totally just,  and totally loving. There is no other. 

And God has designed a way to live. It is based on his character. It is perfect. And he follows it with perfection. God is the only one to live in perfect integrity, and to have never been a hypocrite.

There is also, in holiness, a sense of being different, because something is set apart for something special. Like the special china, that a family only uses at Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter.

If God's people are also holy, how does that happen?

All people are born into a state of rebellion against the character, and word of God. But people can choose a different way. They can turn back to God, and follow his design of creation.

And, even though we are rebels, he receives us into his family. We are received, because Jesus paid the penalty for sin -- past, present and future -- for every person -- past, present, and future.

So, God's people are holy, because they have returned to God, redeemed by Jesus, and they have agreed with God about how life should be lived. They not only agree, they seek to practice the lifestyle they agree with.

So, what does this say about the self-picture we should have?

Eternal LIfe

Right before the crucifixion, Jesus was praying. He was yearning for the Father to be glorified. And Father would be glorified as Jesus gave eternal life to those in his family, to those who gave him allegiance. 

When people think of eternal life, there are certain things that come to mind. Many think in terms of time. That is, it's eternal. Some think of heaven. There is perfection -- no sorrow, no pain, no disease.

And Jesus says: "This is eternal life: knowing Father, and knowing Jesus."

Eternal life is forever. It is a joyous, blissful state of being. But most of all, it is a relationship.

I have suggested -- at least as a metaphor -- the concept of "spiritual fuels." 

To function optimally, a car engines needs gas, oil, coolant, grease, and, maybe, window washer fluid. 

To function optimally, what does a human body need? So, we do not get bogged down in minutia: sufficient quantities of protein, vitamins, minerals, fats, carbs, etc. (Obviously, we could get a lot more detailed.)

To function optimally, what does the human inner core need? A representative, but probably not exhaustive list is: love, purpose, community, beauty, peace, joy, and creativity. A couple of these can be seen to involve relationship. Because we are designed by Father, a mandatory part of optimal living is a relationship with Father.

One reason why people seem to have it together, and, therefore, have no desire to seek a relationship with Father, is because a lot of this other stuff is in place.

Father wants us to have all that stuff, and a relationship with him too. Moreover, a relationship with Father enhances, empowers, and accentuates all that other stuff too. It becomes more, and better. Love is more and better. Beauty is more and better. Community is more and better.

For those in God's family, eternal life is, in some ways, in the future, but, in some ways, it is now. We know Father now. We have a relationship with Father now. We have eternal life now.

Whose Lives Matter?

I do not often write about current events, but the country has gotten focused once again on a tragedy. A policeman killed an arrested, handcuffed African American man. My only hope is that it was a stupid stunt, and not malicious, and intentional. But I can't climb inside the man's head.

And the black community is enraged. There are protests. There are riots.

I understand the anger. Many are calling this a sign that African Americans do not matter. Hence the BLM slogan.

As a follower of Jesus, how do I respond?

Scripture says that Jesus died for the whole world. He died for the Roman soldier, who put the nails in his hands. He died for the Jewish leaders, who turned him over to Pilate. He died for Judas Iscariot. He died for the arrested man. He died for the policeman. He died as an expression of his love for people. 

And if God loves you, you matter. There is a saying in some religious circles: "If you were the only person to sin, Jesus would have died for you . . . alone." And if God loves you, you matter.

So, black lives do matter. And white lives, brown lives, yellow lives -- and even blue lives -- all matter. And if they matter to God, they should also matter to God's family.

The media, of course, is focusing on the sensational. Fires, rock throwing. beatings, tear gas, and looting. The ignore the good, showing up among the bad. Like the 6 black men in Louisville, surrounding, and protecting, one lone white cop. Black men and white men shaking hands, hugging, praying together.

How should God's people respond? To quote Martin Luther King Jr:

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that."

The Challenge

Early in Jesus’ ministry, one of the Jewish leaders came to Jesus secretly, after dark. His primary question was: when would God’s kingdom be established? Like a lot of Jews, he read his Bible, and he saw Messiah as Reigning King … and missed Messiah as Suffering Servant.

So, Jesus told him, unless he was born a second time, he would not see the Kingdom of God. There are two kinds of life. There is physical life. There is spiritual life. The physical can only reproduce the physical. And only the Holy Spirit can give spiritual life.

People are estranged from God, cut off due to sin. Jesus reminded the leader of a time in Israel’s past, where they rebelled against God. And God sent poisonous snakes among them. But Moses made a bronze snake, and hung it on a pole. Anyone, who was bitten, could look to this “snake on a stick” and God would heal them. There was no medicinal value, or healing properties, in the snake. There was only God’s promise that this would work.

So, because of God’s great love for people, he allowed his son to get hung on a pole. Everyone who looks to the Son, like Israel looked to the snake, will be redeemed from God’s punishment. When we accept what Jesus did for us, and choose allegiance to be followers, we are redeemed from God’s judgment, justified, brought into God’s family, and our spiritual DNA is reseeded. We become new, and different. We have moved from the dark to the light.

Because a person’s inner core now agrees with God’s design, he begins to live in a new way. Some people have a radical metamorphosis. (Caterpillar to butterfly.) Some, because of early decisions, and experiences, are profoundly changed, but don’t look so different on the outside. (Moth to butterfly.)  And some, because of early decisions, and experiences, are accepted by Father, Son, and Spirit, but have more difficulty changing lifestyles.

Just, because a person does not look like a butterfly on the outside, does not mean that he\she is not a butterfly. Yes, it is certainly true that they may not be. But, they may be staying in the cocoon longer than others.

I am encouraging all of us to be a little more patient, and kind, with someone, who is more broken from his life experiences, and not expressing Father’s character very well, but whom Father loves just as much as you and I, and who Jesus died for, just as he did for you and I.

The Ascension

In Jesus' final days on earth, he made an appearance to his disciples. He let them touch him. He showed them the scars on his hands. He ate some fish. All of this to assure them, he was not a dream, or a disembodied spirit.

Then, he told them that everything, that had happened, was foretold by prophets: his birth, his ministry, his death, and his resurrection.

Now, every person needed to hear that, if any person chose to change their thinking, decide that God had a better way to think, feel, speak, and act, choose to follow God's way -- give allegiance to the God of creation -- there was forgiveness of sins ... past, present, and future. There was a cancellation of the punishment of sin ... past, present, and future. That person would become part of God's family, and God would begin re-working their lives, so they would live as he had originally designed them to live.

The disciples were not responsible to proclaim this message to everyone. But they were responsible to begin the process. And they were responsible to pass the mission onto those, who choose to follow Jesus. So, each person, who gives his allegiance to Jesus, has a part in advancing his mission, like running in a relay race.

This mission we advance: God is seeking to rebuild his family, by making people, who rebel against him, his children. He wants them to know, to understand, and to experience his love. Those people need only to live in agreement with what God says. Living in agreement with God's word brings love, joy, peace, and all good things.

Jesus, and his disciples, went out of the city, spent time in prayer, and then, he was lifted up, and went back to his Father ... and our Father. The disciples worshiped, and rejoiced.

The Resurrection

Good Friday is the pivot point of the universe. Because the Crucifixion happened on Good Friday. Jesus paid the price for all mankind. Jesus redeemed all people, and the Father began re-building his family.

But it wasn't until Easter that the impact began to be felt by people.

Early Sunday morning, women, who had been following Jesus, gathered spices, and went to the tomb to prepare the body for burial. They couldn't do it before, because it was the beginning of the Sabbath. (To honor the dead, or break God's law -- as they had been taught it.)

But, when they reached the tomb, the stone was rolled away. And two "men," in a bright light, stood there, and told the women: "Go tell his disciples, that he has risen, as he said he would."

And Jesus appeared to various groups:

• To Mary Magdalene.
• To the rest of the women at the tomb.
• To the disciples, without Thomas.
• To the disciples, with Thomas.
• To two disciples on the road to Emmaus.
• To 500 people.
• To the disciples, while they were fishing.
• To the disciples at the Ascension.

Scripture does not always give numbers. It said 500 at one time. It said there were 120 gathered at Pentecost, and they received the Holy Spirit. So, disciples could mean the Twelve, or it could be a group of more people.

The disciples, who fled and hid in fear after the crucifixion, who denied they knew Jesus:

• They boldly stood in a public place, and proclaimed Jesus. 3000 gave their allegiance to Jesus.
• They went to the temple, and healed a man, who had been crippled from birth, in a very public way. And 2000 more gave their allegiance to Jesus.
• They stood in front of the same Jewish leaders, who handed Jesus to Pilate, and proclaimed that Jesus was God's Promised One.
• And, of the Twelve, who all ran for their lives, when Jesus was arrested, only one died of old age. The rest were all martyred, because of their stand for Jesus.

The Resurrection changed these men forever -- not in anyway minimizing the Helper, Advocate, Teacher, Enabler, that Father sent to them. And sends to each one of us. It is God's Spirit in each person's heart, that enables them to walk in obedience.

Perhaps, it is the Resurrection that gives people a handhold on faith, enabling all of the inner man to live in agreement, and to allow the Spirit to flow through a man, and be part of impacting the world.