The Kingdom (2)

God created the world, and was Lord over all creation. The enemy deceived the first people, and they brought rebellion, and enmity, into their relationship with God. And the enemy, momentarily, ruled creation. But, when Jesus came, he defeated the enemy.He nailed sin onto the cross. Lordship over creation was restored to the King.

During World War II, the US army invaded Iwo Jima. If the Japanese army could have repelled the Americans, and keep them off the beaches, they would win the battle. But they could not. Once, the US army secured a foothold on Iwo Jima, the results of the battle were a forgone conclusion. But knowing the conclusion did not mean the Japanese would surrender. They fought fiercely, and stubbornly, for every inch of that small island.

This is the position the enemy is in. Defeated, but refusing to surrender. Determined to fight to the bitter end. Take as many as he can with him. Make as much misery as he can.

God's family, as his agents, have the role of the marines on Iwo Jima. Remove the enemy. Establish God's rule over all the land. God's family does not stand alone, because their Father stands with them.

But the question is: how does God's family establish God's rule over the land? The marines used guns, and bullets, to secure Iwo Jima. With do God's people use? What are their tools, and weapons? This war has different goals, and different objectives. So, the weapons are different.

Of course, the Kingdom's greatest weapon is Jesus. The cross has defeated the enemy. His power — death — has been broken.

Another weapon is a life given in allegiance to Jesus. When a person gives his allegiance to Jesus, the Holy Spirit makes his home in the person's heart. New spiritual DNA is injected. The sure transformation, into a life that God's designed, begins.

The life is so different, and so contrary to what is expected, it seems to some people like a brand new life. And Paul does describe it as new. Indeed, some people compare the old life, of someone they know, with their new life. And the difference between the two is enough to motivate them to give their allegiance to Jesus.

But there is more. As God's family live as designed (read: obey God's word) the change the spiritual atmosphere of their society and culture. There is a supernatural aspect of this. There is a natural aspect of this.

The supernatural aspect consists of an invitation to the Holy Spirit to live in our midst. The lives of God's family invite God's presence; and they do not live in ways that repel God's presence. And God's presence affects anything that it touches.

The natural aspect consists of more, and more, people living according to God's word. God's primary commands are to love God, and love people. If God's family is living according to love, it would revolutionize society. Just driving on I-95 would be calmer, and more peaceful, because drivers would be patient, and kind.

God's children are perhaps his greatest asset, as they invite the Spirit into circumstances, and conduct themselves by his standards, values, and commands.

The Kingdom

When Jesus began his ministry, he proclaimed that the Kingdom onf God was near.

God took a family, multiplied them, and established them as a nation. God told the family, if they followed him, he would bless them, Then, they would take what he blessed them with, and pass it onto the world. The world would receive God's blessing through them.

Then, the world would learn what it is like to choose allegiance to the God of Israel. Then, the world would give him their allegiance too.

Israel gave allegiance to God in words. And there were times they followed him in deeds, and practice, also. But, overall, they chose to follow something other than the God of the universe.

So, God chose another way to inject his Kingdom into the world. He became a man, a part of Israel, and began the process of building a family … a spiritual family.

When, a person gives his allegiance to Jesus, God's spirit makes his home in the inner core of that person. God's family is not linked by a common physical DNA. It is linked by a common spiritual DNA.

And God will use his family to expand his Kingdom.

A kingdom is anything the king reigns over. In human terms, it is a territory that a human king controls. In God's Kingdom, it is the people, who give him their allegiance.

To look at it another way, God is the Lord, the Master, the King, of all life. He is not just Lord of Sunday morning. He is not just the Master of the church. He is the King of all. All people, all plants and animals, are in his Kingdom. All countries, all peoples, and all institutions, are in his domain.

Sometimes, it does not look like he has dominion. Probably, every living person is disturbed by the lack of love, peace, and order — both as individuals, and internationally. But I think the reason for God's restraint is multi-layered. Meaning, there is no single "this is why."

One layer is: God has decided, it is better for people to choose their allegiances. He wants us to give our allegiance to him. But he wants it to be voluntary, wholehearted, and fully aware.

Another layer is: There are many now, and many yet to be born, who have not given their allegiance to the Lord of the universe, but who will. So, he is patient with everyone, to provide a chance for everyone, and an opportunity for some. And he has given his family the opportunity to demonstrate to the world, that he is the Lord of life, what that means, and how that works.

Many of God's children have drawn a box around what that means. Some act as though God is only Lord of Sunday morning, inside a special building. Some act as though God's only concern is individual salvation, and personal morals. Some act as though God only reveals himself through particular supernatural acts, and practices.

The Kingdom of God should look more like William Carey.

Carey left England, for India, in 1792. He shared the gospel, and saw thousands come to Christ. He taught himself Greek, Hebrew, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Hindi, Bengali, and Sanskrit. He translated the Scriptures into several Indian languages. And he translated several works of Indian literature in English. He built schools, hospitals, and at least, one university. He combated many cruel social practices. and saw the death of some of them. He engaged life on almost every front, and left it better for his engagement.

Not bad for a guy, whose only formal training was in the manufacture, and repair, of shoes.

Disciple The Nations

The last thing Jesus told his disciples to do, was "to disciple the nations." How do we do that?

First, we baptize them. Baptism has always been a symbol of washing away an old life, and moving into a new life. John's baptism was, specifically, a baptism of repentance. "To repent" means to "change one's mind." So, baptism is a symbolic declaration of choosing a new path in life. And if you are being baptized in Jesus' name,  you are choosing his path as you path.

So, part of making disciples is assisting in the mind-changing, new path choosing, process. There are a number of methods, plans and schemes, to accomplish this. Often, surrounding a campaign, or a celebrity. And I don't want to give the impression that these are necessarily wrong. They are pursued by people with good motives, good intentions, and right desires. I will remind us that we are all God's priests, God's ambassadors, and God's family. We all represent God to the world, and the world to God. Each child of God should have the ability to explain Christ's message, to facilitate a decision of repentance, a decision to follow Christ, and the public declaration of baptism. It should not necessarily be a campaign. It should be part of the lifestyle.

Part of making disciples is facilitating a change in the spiritual atmosphere. There is a war going on. The ultimate goal for God's family in the war is the proclamation, and demonstration, of God's glory. The demonstration has a number of parts — increasing the size of God's family is an important part — none of which the enemy wants to happens. So, the enemy lays siege to the family of God. He attacks, assaults, spies on, sabotages, disrupts supplies, and communications, harasses, and, in any way possible, works to prevent the proclamation of God's glory.

So, disciple making involves waging war in the spiritual realm. It involves prayer: to disrupt the enemy's tactics, and strategy, to strengthen his family, for the Father to act to move his kingdom further, and to celebrate what God has done, and what he will do.

Walking with Christ is both practical, and mystical. The life of God's family is simultaneously in both arenas. And they need to act in both arenas.

The second part of disciple making is to teach obedience. Knowledge is important. Acting on, or practicing, the knowledge is more important.

In many parts of God's family, knowledge is raised up. Expectations of participation in God's kingdom center in only a few areas. Again, we are all God's priests, and God's ambassadors. We all ought to practice every area of God's instruction. Some will be better in some areas. Some will have more opportunity in some areas. (And we are Christ's body.) But, there is no area of God's instruction — including disciple making — that we can say we don't have to practice.

Let me be clear. Knowledge, and understanding, are important. But, if it stops there, a person is not truly following Christ. God designed us. If it were not for sin in the world, and in our lives, we would act, speak, think, and feel like Jesus. We may not be able to do that. But that is God's aspiration for us. And it should be the same for us, the people in our lives, and all the family of God. My goal in sharing this is not to induce guilt. It is to encourage each of us to take serious consideration of what we are not practicing, and how we could start.

More Than Expected

Paul was a Jew, and a Pharisee. The Jews knew they were God's people. God declared it in Scripture. He demonstrated it in their history.

The Pharisees realized God was not too pleased with the Jews. He declared it in Scripture. He demonstrated it in their history. After all, that's why there were Roman armies wandering around their countryside.

The Pharisees decided that getting back on God's good side would solve a lot of their problems. So, they developed a system hyper-religiosity, which they believed pleased God. If they could get enough of their fellow Jews to agree, everything would be OK. And Paul was in enthusiastic agreement. That's why Paul was so irritated with those pesky Christians. They did not keep the system. They did not please God. They perpetuated all that was wrong in the world.

Then, some angel whacked Paul between the eyes with a 2 by 4. (Metaphorically speaking, of course.)

Jesus spoke to him. He was blinded. He was healed. So much happened, that he went on vacation, to clear his head.

And while he was on vacation, he read his Bible … a lot! And he saw stuff in a whole new light. So much so, that he gave his allegiance to Jesus, became a disciple, and a messenger of God.

One of the things he saw differently was God's plans for the world. God's plan was for all people groups to become part of God's family. Both Jew and gentile would become part of God's family. Both would be united to Christ. Both would be God's heirs. Both would be part of the same body. Both would be used to demonstrate God's purposes, and God's character.

Realizing this, Paul was moved to pray. Prayer is a number of things. One, it is an alignment of a person's inner man with God. Two, it is an agreement with God's purposes, inviting God to bring his purposes to completion. And a few other things.

The first thing Paul prays for was inner strength. God is inviting everyone back into relationship with him, into his family, into transformation, and away from allegiance to the world, and the person's past. For some, turning away from current patterns, and current allegiances, is very difficult. It takes a certain amount of resolve to turn to something new. Especially, if the new requires a high trust component. So, Paul prays for a strengthening of resolve, to move into a trust relationship with Jesus.

And, as we trust God, give him our allegiance, we become united to Christ. Jesus makes his home in our hearts. It is Jesus' eternal presence with us, that completes our becoming united with Christ. And it is that connection that activates every other good thing that arises from knowing God. Forgiveness, justification, the expunging of our sin, and God's restoration project in our lives, all stem from Christ's sacrifice. And we receive all these benefits, because we are united to Christ. Whatever Jesus received, we receive it also, through our connection to him.

As we are united with Christ, we are like a tree, that plunges its roots into the earth, to receive water, food, and other factors of growth, and increase. But instead of the earth, our roots sink into the love of God. We are fed, refreshed, and provided for, out of the abundance of God's love. Certainly, one part of growth, and transformation, is an ever-increasing understanding of the extend of God's love. How far, how deep, will it go? How long will it pursue? If it has already borne the sins of the world, what will it not do … keeping agreement with his nature, and character?

We are united with Christ, connected to the Father's love, and are being "fed" via that connection. We are learning the extent of God's love. How big it is. How much it covers. How far it will go.

And God says we will be full. We will be restored. We will be complete. Indeed, God's power is already working in us. And it will do far more, than we ask, or think.

Persecution

As you are reading this, the most populous country in the world is giving signals that it has begun a campaign of oppression, and repression, of philosophies, and religions, other than the one supported by the government.

Individuals, families, and churches are facing persecution, prison, and, possibly, death. This was the reaction of Rome in the days of Jesus. This has been the reaction of governments since that time.

How should God's family respond?

• Scripture says love your enemies.

We could respond with "an eye for an eye," but Jesus said to respond in a way that is the opposite. Governments persecute, and hurt. God's family should love, serve, and bless.

• You are the body of Christ.

God's family has many parts. All parts make up his family, no matter who, or how different. Disciples of Jesus in Asia are the right hand. Disciples in North America are the left hand. What happens to them does matter to us. Each of us needs to position our hearts with them.

We need to initiate an offensive of prayer. We should pray for: protection and provision, penetration of the Spirit into government officials, workers of the gospel, planting of seed, watering of the crop, and a reaping of the harvest.

• It backfired with Rome.

When persecution was the strategy of dealing with God's family for the Roman empire, when arrest, prison, and dying in the arena were tactics Rome used, it backfired. When God's family responded to persecution with peace, and joy, when God's family responded to persecution with love, and blessing, the responses proclaimed the gospel was true, and more powerful than the government, and its philosophy. People gave their allegiance to God in spite of the persecution. Satan's tools, which were intended to push people away from God, resulted in people being drawn to him.

We should pray for God's spirit to fill this boomerang effect.

Scripture says Satan will attack anyone who gives their allegiance to Jesus, and seeks to live a life of obedience.

Scripture also says we love, and honor Christ, if we live lifestyles of obedience. Almost like being attacked is an indicator of obedience, of love toward God. I sometimes wonder if God's family in the west is really being "persecuted" for acting like jerks.

God's family does need to stand for truth. the most important truth, the one we need to practice above all, is love. We cannot do the first, and forget the second. we need to promote the counter-cultural stands of God's kingdom, of which love is first.

And we need to remember our brothers and sisters, who are in need, who are suffering, by our love, definitely by our prayers, and maybe with our physical assets, or our physical labor.

Essential Good News

The last several years. I have become involved with a number of international students. The local university hosts several hundred students each year. Some come to get their under graduate degree. some come to get a graduate degree. Some are professors, who are taking advantage of a different set of resources for research.

Some of these don't connect with people of the host country. They only associate with others from their own country, language, and culture.

Other get involved with all sorts of social interaction. They get to know local people. They travel, engage in local culture, including holiday observances. (This year, I had a Thanksgiving dinner with 55 people. Only ten were American.)

And some get involved with genuine followers of Jesus. They might attend a church service. They might attend a Bible study. They might have some sort of spiritual discussion.

So, the question is this: How do you explain the gospel to someone, who has never read the Bible, never attending a Sunday service, has had no exposure to Jesus, but wonders what Christianity is all about?

Or another way to ask the question: What is the essential, most basic explanation of the gospel?

It seems to me there are two parts. The first part: believing that -- let's call it -- the Bible narrative is true.

God created the world perfect. He created people perfect. He designed the world, and the people, to be one, giant family, with himself as the ideal Father of everyone. He intended to be close to, talk to, encourage, and develop each person.

The first people grew to question God's goodness, and chose to act in a way that was apart form, and against, god. And the world broke. And people broke. And the relationship between God and man broke.

Death entered into the world, both spiritual and physical. All that was true, good, and beautiful was tied to man's connection to God. Remnants of these things remained, but they did not match what was.

But God did not give up his plan, and purpose, for the world, and mankind. He developed, and put into effect another plan to deal with the rebellion of the world, reconnect God and man, and rebuild his one, giant family.

The separation between God and men was infinite. The brokenness was total. Only someone infinite could become a bridge over the separation. Only someone all-wise, and all-powerful could put all the pieces together.

And because men were the rebels, and were broken, mankind needed to take responsibility before God.

And, as only God is infinite, all-wise, and all-powerful, only he could span the infinite separation. So, he merged the infinite with mankind, and became a man. Infinite to span the separation. A man to represent the entire, broken, rebellious race.

He chose suffering, and death, to satisfy god's justice. He chose resurrection to proclaim that the infinite separation had been bridged, death and brokenness had been healed, and he gave his eternal presence, so that a new family would be made, and a complete connection could be maintained.

The second part: to give allegiance to Father, Son and Spirit.

Allegiance is part choosing to move to a position of trust, dependence, and rest as God's child.

And it is part choosing surrender, and submission, to what God commands. God's child chooses to align him\her self with God's word, God's purposes, and God's relationship. It is loyalty of the highest order.

It involves submission, obedience, agreement, and alignment with God's word.

It is shown with the adoption of God's value, a pursuit of relationship with the Father, love and service to God's family, and all others.

Plus a realization that life, wholeness, and meaning all flow from the relationship that results from this allegiance. God's family, as expressions of love and service, seek the adoption into God's family of all those he chose to die for. Which include: friends, enemies, those in the other party, the other race, a different sexual orientation, different religions, and your every day, garden variety creep.

I sure people could come up with other ways of expressing this. Even some that have not been invented yet. There are different understandings of wrong, value, what gives meaning, and what a good life is.

In the west, people have a greater understanding of guilt, and justification. In the east, people tend to look at life through the lenses of shame, and honor. Perhaps, one reason God chose Israel, and put them where he did, was so he could give understanding of both concepts, and they could be included in his revelation.

Some people have a vivid picture of how evil they have lived. Some people (especially young children) may not recognize their imperfections as well.

Regardless of cultural understanding, or moral awareness, there is a Creator God, who designed the world to live in relationship to him. All meaning, value, and truth flow from him. All life is built to be connected, and to flow with him. And I need to recognize who he is, his position in the universe, and my relationship to him. I need to see that I may be moving with the current of his word, and purposes, or I may be moving against them. No matter which is true, I need to determine once for all (and to determine daily) to move into God's current, to move with the current, and choose to stay there. It is the first, and best, place to be.

Performance or Identity

As I understand it, every religion in the world, past or present, bases the success, or worth, of the people following it, on their performance. The followers are successful by following a proscribed set of rules, or principles.

Every religion, but Christianity, that is. In Christianity, a follower's success, or worth, is based on what one, specific, other person did. Followers accept, receive, rely on, trust, and rest in the results of what that other person did. From one point of view, it does not matter what any person does, before or after, because it does not affect the person's success, or worth.

(1) Everything, ultimately, and completely, depends on what that one person did.

(2) There is nothing we could have done to achieve success. And if it depended on our effort to keep, or maintain, the success, or worth, achieved for us, we would have lost it on the first day.

We cannot now, nor in the future, of this life, act, speak, think, or feel, in a way that will achieve the goal, or keep the goal, of right standing with God.

This does not mean God does not care how we act, speak, think, or feel. Because he does.

As we have said in the past: God designed humanity to live a particular lifestyle. This lifestyle leads to right standing, his favor, and optimal living. God has also designed each person for a particular, unique niche in history. But the first people chose to move away form God, and that decision broke the world. The human ability to live in agreement with their design, and their unique niche, was broken.

So, how do we live? And how do we view ourselves?

On one hand, it does not matter how we live. We cannot live righteously. If we pursue following Jesus, we will be transformed. We may even grow to walk in some areas perfectly. But we will never be perfect.

Moreover, Jesus' work on the cross gives us our standing. We accept it. We rest in it. And, except in the possible case of rejecting Jesus, after we chose to give him our allegiance, our fate, and standing, are in his hands. And he is constant, and perfectly faithful.

On the other hand, it does matter how we live. God has chosen us to be his child, and part of his family. God has chosen to be with us, to listen to us, to speak to us, and to act for us. We represent him, and demonstrate who he is. All of the people, outside of God's family, learn who he is, and what he is like, by seeing how his family lives. And this "testimony" is more than just keeping the rules.

How we view ourselves in relationship to God is a more important question. Are we a servant? Or are we part of the family? Are we a pardoned wretch? Or are we a beloved son? Family is more important than the servants. A son is definitely more important than a wretch.

And what is most important is how God views us. Servant and wretch? Or family and son? Because God's view is the definition of reality. I am, your are, who God says we are. God's word is our identity.

New Life Stronger than The Law

God instituted the Law. By it, God declares what is right, and what is wrong. By it, God condemns those who do not follow the Law.

But, those, who give their allegiance to Jesus, are placed into Christ. The are linked to Jesus, so what he experiences, they receive the result.

Jesus died. The punishment for sin was satisfied in him. Those in Christ were justified.

Jesus died. Those in Christ were linked to his death. Those in Christ "died" also.

Scripture says that when a person dies, he is removed from the authority of the Law. Paul uses the example of marriage. If two people are married, they can't marry someone else. That would break the Law. But, on the death of one of the partners, the constraint of the Law is broken. They are free to marry again.

If we are linked to Christ, when he died, we "died." He is not constrained by the Law. We are not constrained by the Law.

Then, does that mean we can go, and sin all we want? God doesn't care?

God does care. We should not sin. But, ultimately, the controlling factor is not the Law. the controlling factor is a new life in Christ.

We give our allegiance to Jesus. God's presence resides in the core of our being. He re-creates a person's spiritual DNA. Desires change. Motives change. Values change. And words, and actions, change.

We do not immediately become perfect. So, the Law is still valuable for understanding the parameters involved in life. But the impetus, the drive, and the power comes from the Holy Spirit. The goal becomes: faith expressing itself in love. And love keeps the Law.

Live by Faith

I have met people, who have chosen to follow Jesus. They recognize their need for a savior, their inability to secure God's blessing by their own effort, and Jesus is the only solution. The give Jesus their allegiance. God receives them, places them into his family, and begins the process of restoration.

These people begin their lives with God by faith in Jesus, but the assume the must continue that life by living in an acceptable manner.

Don't misunderstand me. God want people to live in obedience. God wants people to live always expressing love. But we initially get right with God by faith in Jesus. And we will continue to be right with God by faith in Jesus.

Paul wrote to God's family in a particular region, and he asked them: you began by faith in Christ, why are you switching?

It is God's Spirit, who gives life. And it is new, and true, life that we are walking toward. So, it is only the Spirit, who can give progress. It is the process of spiritual DNA renewal that leads to real restoration of God's design. And it is only the Spirit, who can operate on our spiritual DNA.

God's goal is to change our spiritual DNA, so that we act "naturally" in obedience. He prefers it, when we choose obedience, rather than when we choose sin. But, he prefers, even more, when obedience becomes as natural, and normal, as breathing. And that requires a move of the Spirit.

When we gave our allegiance to Jesus, we invited God to rule our lives. Part of that is giving the spirit permission to reside, and act, in our lives.

When people get married, they invite another person to move into their life. They give that person permission to act in their lives. As time passes, they  can act, and give that person greater access to the core of our lives. Or we can block that person off. We can act in the same way in our relationship with God. We can open the door wider. Or we can squeeze the door down to a crack.

As I have said before, one of the main fuels of optimal living is our connection to God. To live truly, and fully, we need an open connection to god. We need the door to be wide open. To maximize love, joy, flow of the Spirit, and transformation, we need to maximize the connection to the God-head.

We have discussed these connections too. Christ-followers have devised methods that help them open up the connections: prayer, meditation, worship, and different approaches, and modes, to all of these.

Recently, I wrote about the effect of thankfulness in the inner person, and in our relationship with God. Thankfulness is another method used to open our connection with God. A focus on the negative, on misery, closes the connection. It strangles the flow of the Spirit. of love, of joy, toward our hearts. Thankfulness counteracts this negative focus. Thankfulness gives us a clear vision of God, and his attitudes and actions toward us. Thankfulness opens our spirits to receive from the Spirit.

We can use thankfulness as a weapon against misery, and the enemy. It is a component of prayer, and worship. We can cultivate being proactively thankful, and proactively open our spirits to connect fully with the God of love, who wants to share his love with us, always, and more fully.

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."

Paul's Priority

Paul was writing to this group of Christians, while he was in prison. The Jews seized Paul, while he was in Jerusalem. And roman soldiers "rescued" Paul,  thinking he was a wanted criminal. And when they found out who he was, they held him, and sent him to Rome.

And what was Paul's perspective concerning the fact that he was being unjustly held in prison? (He had not committed a crime. The Jews seized him simply because he believed in, and proclaimed, Jesus.)

Paul realized that the most fundamental issue with humanity was its separation from God. It is the re-connection of God and man that fixes what is broken in the world. So, people understanding the problem, the solution, and all the results from it, became his foremost focus.

So, rather than viewing prison as a loss of opportunity, because it is a loss of freedom, he views prison as access to a new audience he would not have otherwise. He was able to share God's message to all of the soldiers, who were in Caesar's guard, as well as all of the staff.

Moreover, many other believers have gotten motivated to proclaim God's message.

Some received a fresh revelation of what re-connection to God means for individuals, and the world. So, they became strongly motivated to communicate God's message to people, who did not know him.

And Paul heard about others, who were trying to gain increased status from sharing the gospel. Paul was not worried about this. He agreed these people did not have pure motives. It would be infinitely better to share from love of God, and love of people.

But the foremost fact is: God's love is getting communicated to people, who do not realize it, know it, or experience it. Now, people have the opportunity to move into relationship with the Father, and to live as God designed.

God wants his family — as a whole, and as individuals — to communicate his love for all people, and his message, which is the answer for a broken humanity. And there are multiple reasons why this doesn't happen.

There are methods of proclamation that can only be done after special training, or with great expense, and preparation, which cannot be copied by most people. Many, who have gotten the training, or paid the cost, has gotten discouraged, because too much work was required for too little results.

Many Jesus followers do not emphasize what Jesus emphasized. There are different groups, who stress different parts of what it means to follow Jesus. These parts have been given priority. I don't want to minimize people's different convictions, or areas that God has revealed to different parts of his family. God is restoring his image to his people. Each of these areas is important to that process. But we do need to remember Jesus' priorities.

Jesus said that love demonstrates who are his disciples. And he said that unity in his family demonstrates that God really, and truly, did send Jesus. it is these areas that God's family needs to major in. It is these areas that God's family needs to be well-know for. God has other standards we need to proclaim, other truths we need to affirm. But these are number one. We need to affirm number two, and number five, without forgetting number one.

New Life is Contagious

One day, Paul met face to face with Jesus. And it turned his world upside down, and inside out. Scriptures indicates, that shortly after this meeting, Paul went on a retreat.

Because Paul was a scholar, he need to get his head on straight about all that had happened. Jesus revealed God to him in a revolutionary way. The Jewish scholars poured through Scripture, seeking answers to God, his purposes, his intentions, and plans. They all thought they had God figured out. They had his system down pat. Then comes Jesus! How did they get it so wrong?

After this retreat, he understood better what God's purposes are. He understood Jesus, the Law, the cross, and grace. He understood faith, and obedience. And he understood the effect the gospel could have on Jew, gentile, and the world. And he recognizes his place as a gospel pioneer in God's plan.

So, when he shares the gospel in a gentile city, and they have a similar "light bulb" moment, he develops a special joy for this city. The people in this new church — this community of Jesus followers — recognized the eternal ripples the gospel would generate. They recognized the expanding, positive effects the gospel would cause in their lives, and families, and countries.

Profoundly impacted by it all, they began to share what they knew all-along their relational lines. They told friends, family, and neighbors about Jesus. This was not a city-wide, door-to-door campaign. This was: "Hey, Joe! How's work? How's the family? Have you heard about this Jesus guy?"

Paul recognized the symptoms of new life in them. He knew them, because he had the same "disease." So, Paul prayed for their progress in their relationship with the Father, their transformation, and the increasing effect of their lives on their communities. And Paul knew that the Father was not finished yet.

One reason, Jesus was born into the world, was to demonstrate, to model, how people should be living. God intended each person to live like Jesus lived. Each person should have a spontaneous flow of God's love — to experience, and to share. And each person ought to share it freely, readily, and abundantly.

And yeah! none of us are there yet. But, we ought to be moving in that direction. And in today's atmosphere, it ought to be noticed … just like it was in the first century.

Slave of Christ

In several of his letters, Paul identifies himself as a slave of Christ. Slavery is not normally something one aspires to, or is proud of. At the time of Paul and Jesus, it is estimated that half of the population of the Roman empire were slaves. There is documentation of abuse of slaves. There is also documentation of maintaining skilled slaves. For example, one would have a physician as a slave, so one could charge for his services, and keep all the profits.

The Jews had slaves. But it was written in the law,  that the treatment of slaves should be handled differently than the rest of the world. A slave could not be "held" forever. They had to be freed after a set time.

There was a provision in the law, that if the slave chose, the slave could remain with his master for the rest of his life. The law said, that while living with his master, if the slave observes his master's conduct, and treatment, of his slaves, his family, property, and reasons that he is better, living as a slave with this master, he can choose to remain a slave.

The word "slave," that Paul users to describe himself, is usually translated into English as "bond servant," or "bond slave." The intention is to associate this term with the Jewish concept of "slave by choice."

And that is what Paul is identifying himself as. He recognizes who Jesus is, what Jesus gave him, and how he is viewed by God. He recognizes how he is treated, what Jesus did on his behalf, and what his heavenly Abba is ready, willing, and able to do on his behalf. So, he chose to be God's slave, because of the cross, and what it says of God's love for people.

God went over the top for people. He showed Paul his love, and his willingness to serve his people. So, Paul was willing to put himself into God's hands. He became God's slave, doing whatever God asked, because it would be the best for him, and the best for the world. And we are invited to do the same.

The Heart of Jesus

God intended his people to demonstrate what it means for someone to live in relationship with God. God intended it for Israel. God intended it for the church.

Israel turned a relationship into a system. They believed that, if they kept the system, they pleased God, and were accepted by God. We know that God revealed through Paul, that no one can keep any system, and please God. We know that Jesus came, and superseded the system.

Jesus began his public ministry, describing the person, who does please God. God did not favor the one who went through the system. Moreover, he continued to demonstrate who God favored — the one who keeps the system, or the one who responds in faith and love.

One of God's commands to Israel: do not form binding relationships with people, who do not follow him. God created relationships to strengthen convictions, and lifestyles. Deeper relationships (like marriage) meant stronger effects on a person's convictions and practices.

Israel interpreted that as: have no relationship at all with people, who do not follow the God of Israel. Do not eat with gentiles. Do not enter a gentile's home.

So, what does Jesus do? He goes on a short-term mission trip. He takes his disciples to the region of Type and Sidon. This area is north of Galilee, outside of Israel, in current day Lebanon. And the disciples are freaking out. They are surrounded by people, who they have been taught all their lives, to have nothing to do with.

And, to make matters worse, a woman is following them around, begging Jesus to heal her daughter. And, after a few words, not only does Jesus heal her daughter, but he commends her faith. Jesus commended the faith of very few people. One was this woman. Another was a Roman Centurion. There were no Jews.

Then, he moves down to the Sea of Galilee, on the gentile side, and heals all the gentiles, who come to him. Then, after three days (doing what? healing? teaching?), he sends them on their way, after feeding them lunch. (Maybe 12,000 people with seven kaiser rolls, and a can of sardines.)

Jesus lived among men, as God intended all men to live. Jesus' lifestyle was an example, and a model for God's family to follow. He was kind to all people. He loved, served, and cared for all people. He put relationship with his Father, and with people, first.

Most of us belong to a "normal" church. Most churches function more as organizations, rather than families. Some system is bound up in organizations. The trick is for God's family to not let the system overwhelm the family. We need to live with love, kindness, and service first, and the system second.

Human Worth

I recently had a couple of days where I failed at a few things. In a couple of cases, I was asked to do something for someone, and I missed one step in the process. And that step turned out to be crucial to the process. In another case, I was asked to do something, and, then, I thought I was told to forget it. Of course, I was not told to forget it.

No one died. There world did not come to ant end. There was some inconvenience. But I was sad, felt like a failure, and felt like I had no worth. Looking back, I can see that I began to behave in a way that sought approval, and validation.

Then, one night, as I was getting ready for bed, I realized that down inside, I held a belief that I needed to do right (or, at least, not do wrong) to have worth.

Another common theme, across humanity, is a yearning for stuff that reinforces our worth. We look for events that say we matter, have worth, or feed our spirits. As followers of Jesus, we need to agree with the Bible, that, in themselves, there is no one who is worthy. Sin corrupts any worth intrinsic in human beings. Not Mother Theresa, nor Billy Graham, nor anyone else is worthy in themselves. And there is nothing anyone can do to gain, or earn, worth.

But, also, as followers of Jesus, we need to agree with the Bible, that human beings have immeasureable worth. Their worth does not come from what they do, rather it comes from who they are. People have worth, because they are created by God, for realtionship with God, and in his image.

And the perfect demonstration of a person's worth is the payment God made to reconnect with people, after sin brought about seperation. God was born into the world, in the person of Jesus, who proclaimed God's love, and died for mankind's sin, to satisfy god's justice, to redeem a family for himself, and to express that love. The worth of something is the price one pays for it. And Jesus paid the ultimate price for us all.

He did not pay the price for just righeous people. He did not pay the price for just good people. He paid the price for all people. Which means all people have immeasurable woth. Dictators, drug dealers, slave traders, rapists, and mass murderers all have immeasurable worth, because an immeasurable price was paid for them.

An immeasurable price was paid for all. But not all have reaped the benefits. One reaps when one decides to follow Jesus, when one gives him allegiance. So, those, without allegiance, have no relationship, do not begin to live as intended. But the price was paid, and God declares how he values them.

We will all continue to fail. We can never achieve worth by what we do. We can learn to live in God's valuation of us.

How does one live, who recognizes, and holds, the worth that God gives him?