Grow in Faith

While writing that same young leader, Paul urged him to follow a number of practices and to strive for a number of things. Among those things he was supposed to strive for were: righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.

A person can strive for righteousness by learning what is right and what is wrong, and working to avoid the wrong, but practice the right.

A person can strive for godliness by practicing the spiritual disciplines: reading scripture, praying, meditating, etc.

A person can strive for love by serving, recognizing what love is and what love is not, and avoiding what it is not, and practicing what it is as well as possible.

A person can strive for perseverance by “getting back on the horse” after you fall.

A person can strive for gentleness by striving to control hot emotions, and responding more calmly and coolly.

Here’s my problem … how do you strive to grow in faith? Read the promises of God, claim them (by asking God to fulfill what he promised) and waiting for the result? Praying for something and waiting for an answer? Anybody have an idea?

Relationships

Seems like most Christians say that Christianity is all about our relationship with God. I am beginning to think that following Jesus is all about relationships, period.

In a letter to a young leader, Paul advises him on dealing with relationships with: God, the government, people who once followed Jesus, but don’t anymore, older men, older women, younger men, younger women, and those who do not follow Jesus.

In business, it may be “Location! Location! Location!” but in following Jesus it’s “People! People! People!”

Give Thanks

Praying about everything is not enough. We should also express our gratitude to God for everything he has done for us. Then, we will experience inexpressible peace.

Again, I don't know if this means we should be happy with everything. However, it should affect how we perceive everything.

Many of the Psalm encourage a review and a remembering of God's Works. People are prone to forget. People are prone to focus at the close to hand. If what is at hand is bad, people are prone to focus on the bad.

Focus on God's grace and provision brings a greater awareness and understanding of God's character, commitment to people, and is an encouragement to faith and trust.

Peace is created as we come to greater realization of who is concerned for us, and who is active on our behalf.

Don't Worry, Be Happy?

Scripture encourages us to not worry about anything. Rather, our response should be prayer. We have previously defined prayer as a conversation with God. So, we are being encouraged not to have a conversation with ourselves about issues facing us, but have a conversation with God about them.

There are several things that happen when we approach God with issues. First, we invite his participation in them. That is, we give him permission to intervene and interfere in our affairs. So, he has room to orchestrate whatever concerns us to produce the best possible outcome.

Second, we can ask for and receive wisdom. This has a couple of effects. He is able to give us understanding from his point of view. We might even get a brand new point of view. We also see how we need to respond, what our attitude should be, or if there is any action we should initiate.

Prayer should lead in a change in how we view problems, and how we approach solutions to problems. I don’t know if this means we need to be happy with whatever is facing us, but we should be able to face it with confidence and positive expectations.

Discipleship - IX

Two, there was a tremendous passion for Jesus.

We all know people who seem to drip Jesus from their pores. They exhale Jesus. They give positive testimony to in Jesus in a natural, unforced, unembarrassed, non-cheesy way. While the rest of us stumble, fall on our faces and cannot move our tongues in any sort of coherent, understandable manner. Yet, one does not need  to read the New Testament too long before one realizes every follower of Jesus should proclaim Jesus, and it should flow out of a heart filled by Jesus.

In the first church, the difference resided in the heart. People had just had their world turned upside down by  the resurrection of Jesus. This personal revolution made speaking about Jesus a natural, obvious part of a person's life.

Training and evangelism programs can make positive additions to the church's ability to impact the world with the gospel. But the world will really be impacted forthe gospel by lives that have undergone a Jesus revolution.

Many churches realize this, but attempt to start the fire by meetings and speakers that supercharge the emotions. Human beings cannot sustain or continue to exist on supercharged emotions. This does not mean that emotions are wrong per se. The revolution must be continued on the deeper levels of the heart and spirit. And it is the Word and the Holy Spirit that works in these areas.

So, the question becomes, not what can we do to work ourselves into a frenzy, but how can we cooperate with God in changing our hearts?

I recently read a book where the writer wrestled with the question. His suggestion was to meet in very small groups, where people can be very open, honest and vulnerable about their spiritual walk, discuss the scripture they read (after repetitive reading of large amounts of scripture) and praying together for needs, but especially for people without a relationship with Jesus

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It was community life around Jesus that had a continuing persuasive effect on the other people in Jerusalem. Each day, people were choosing to follow Jesus.

Is this true in your city? I have heard people lament this lack of harvest. People throw up their hands and shake their heads are the hard and resistant hearts.

But Jesus said the harvest was ready! Why did the apostles experience this “reaping” that has not been seen on this on-going scale since. (Meaning there were short time frames that have equaled … or, at least, were close.)

I think there were two reasons. One, Jesus had spent the last three years abundantly sowing. It is obvious – there has to be abundant sowing, if there is going to be abundant reaping. The apostles profited from Jesus’ labor. At some point, the seed Jesus sowed ran out. The apostles continued to sow; so they continued to reap. But the sowing stopped; so the reaping stopped.

Two, there was …

Discipleship - VII

They also seem to hang out together a lot. They worshiped daily in the temple. They met in homes to eat together and share the Lord’s Supper.

Although, it does not explain what this worship looked like (one large group, many small groups, or individuals worshiping separately, but together) but there was daily contact. Maybe multiple times daily. Church life was certainly much more than 2-3 hours on a Sunday morning. More than a Wednesday night prayer meeting. More than a bi-weekly small group. I do not want to minimize these activities, but there seems to be something more.

Community life arranged around Jesus had a powerful effect. Even, though they were Jews, they were from diverse backgrounds and cultures. They got along. They were generous to each other. They were hospitable to each other. And they interacted in ways that were positive demonstrations of Jesus.

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The next part of the picture says that the early church got together and everyone shared what they had. They sold possesions and property to provide for people in need.

The picture is of a very open-hearted, open-handed people. There was a genuine concern for one another. There was a genuine desire to help, to meet needs.

A community is born. A family is born. Other parts of the picture emphasize the fact also. People from a large swath of the middle east, Europe,  Asia,  and possibly Africa,  join together across culteral barriers to become genuinely involved in one another's lives.

Like people naturally attract. But, here, people from different backgrounds,  languages and cultures were drawn together, based on a connection of a hunger to learn about this Jesus, and the Holy Spirit forging a heart chain between them. And they sacrificed for the good of each other.

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Then, the description seems to shift. It doesn’t describe the things the early church practiced, as it tries to paint a picture of what early church life looked like.

There continued to be supernatural events, as when Jesus lived. Healings. Miracles. The blind see and the lame walk. May be resurrections from the dead.

The apostle’s faith was strong. They had seen Jesus’ works. They were confident about what was possible. The Spirit moved freely in their lives.

Many people today do not see nor expect to see any supernatural events. Have we lost faith? Have we explained away anything supernatural by our “scientific,” sophisticated, tainted with materialism, world-views? Or did Jesus “prime the pump?” Or in other words, did Jesus’ faith. Love, prayers, expectations and perspective act as seed – like seeding rain clouds – to the supernatural? Because of the way he lived, the supernatural was more predisposed to break through into the world?

I know some people who believe that he “primed the pump” at least in one area … that we will look at very shortly.

Discipleship -IV

The next item is "prayer." As we have written recently, prayer is conversation with God. It is the place where man can open his heart freely to God, focusing his heart toward God.  Here God confirms his words, his intentions with man. He confirms a man's purpose,  a man's place in God's world,  God's life and God's mission.

Man also invites God to act in the areas of his concern. He invites God into his family, his work, his neighborhood,  his hobbies, his goals, and his pursuits.

And it is perfectly permissible to invite God into the every day, mundane events of life. A person might get a parking place quicker. Or a trip to the grocery store might move from the ordinary to the extraordinary.

Discipleship - III

The third item is “the breaking of bread.” Jesus instituted the breaking of bread to fulfill the same function in the Christian arena, that Passover does in the Jewish arena, or Thanksgiving should do in America. Passover is a yearly celebration of a great deliverance of the Jewish nation. Jews meet to celebrate, to reflect on, and to almost relive this deliverance over again.

 

Jesus intended break bread to have the same celebratory, reflective and reliving capacities. It was packaged in a simpler way so it could be pjracticed more frequently and taken into every context.

 

Events, both wonderful and horrific, tend to fade in the human memory. That’s a good thing for most part, especially in horrific cases. There are cases of people who get caught up in a tragedy. As a result, they are unable to ocntinue with normal living. This natural forgetfulness is a compensating mechanism, allowing people to move on.

 

But there are some event that should not be forgotten, should not fade. (Some of these may include the horrific too.) some events are transforming. Some events are revelutionary. But they need reflection, serious consideration and then, lead to conscious, intentional decisions to change, or to continue on a particular course.

 

Breaking bread should lead us back to the Cross, our decision to follow Jesus and the life changes since that decision.

Discipleship - II

The second thing the disciples focused on was spending time with their new family.  The term the Bible uses is "fellowship."

Fellowship was more than just hanging out, watching TV and eating pizza. There was a sharing and a participation in each other's lives. It does not preclude hanging out, watc hing TV or eating pizza. It just includes much more. It is the definition of living in God's  family.

It almost takes the rest of the New Testament to fully define what this type of family life means.

It is a life of mutual love, service ad giving. It is a life of building, encouraging and seeing potential in people. It lives outside of the normal cultural, but also becomes the ideals of that culture. It means working God's mission together.

It was the radical nature of their life together that affected their neighbors, and their cities. It is this living in God's family, as God's family, that can show what it means to be a Jesus follower.

Discipleship

As always, because of the juxtaposition of a few things, I find myself wondering what does God think a disciple is.

In the Bible, there is a history of the early church, beginning with the ascension of Jesus and continuing with the lives of his earliest and closest followers. Right at the beginning, there is a list of things these followers focused on, were committed to be engaged in, and the characteristics of their lives.

First, they focused on the apostle's teaching. What was God saying to people? What was his message to his family, his followers?

Disciples need to hear what God says. True transformation is powered by the Holy Spirit, and falls within the boundaries of the Bible. I have mentioned God's design of people a lot. I don't think that God quite puts "schematics" in the Bible. (For one, people are so different from one another.) But if people obey what the Spirit guides them into, from the Bible, the Spirit will empower transformation, and the restoration of God's original design in people. (Though it will be a continuing work in progress in this life.)

Not only is there direction for personal transformation, but there is direction for the whole family of God, and direction for his mission.

Spiritual Warfare - IX

We briefly defined prayer as an opening of heart, a giving and taking of what is on those hearts, between God and man. It is in prayer that the real-time interaction of relationship takes place. Here, people agree and align their hearts with God.

 

I think prayer takes place in numerous places, outside of church and the prayer closet. Prayer at all times and in every situation is urged. Such prayer is probably physically impossible. But a heart focused toward God, expressing itself in coherent words and thoughts, and in incoherent emotions, can, and probably does, happen more often than we are aware of. And God responds more often than we are aware of.

 

Prayer is a way we can influence event and situations beyond our immediate surroundings and abilities. We can participate in God’s mission by agreeing with God’s work in people’s lives. We can counteract the devil’s work by seeking and being alert to God’s responses. We can affirm and declare as true, what we know is right, in agreement with God’s truth and God’s will.

 

This is prayer. And it ought to be practiced at all times, in all occasions and events. God’s truth, Spirit and love should be expressed in everything.

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When this area is usually discussed, there is one main "item" that is usually included. I mention it this way, because I am wondering if Paul intended it to be included ... or is he changing subjects? What makes me wonder is that Paul stops using the figurative language that he was using to discuss the other items. He speaks about this item plainly.

It's not that this is is not important or relevant. It is both.

The item is prayer. Prayer is commonly defined as "communicating with God." A person opens his heart to God. He tells God what he wants, what he thinks and what he feels. He explains his perspective. He enlists God's cooperation.

Prayer is the arena where a person agrees with God. He learns what God wants. He aligns his life and direction with God's. Which means people need to be able to receive from God.

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When Satan lies to you, attempts to convince you that you have no worth, or that you are a hopeless sinner, remember the truth of God. Remember God’s love, God’s power over Satan and power over sin. Remember God’s Spirit in your life marking you as a member of God’s family.

Remember your standing in God. You have entered into a love relationship with god, based on the death of Jesus. And if it seems like you are far from God, remember he is not far from you. It is a relationship he chose with you.

Remember the peace God established with you. He has called you. He began the relationship with you, so now you are no longer his enemy.

Remember that although the penalty for sin has been paid, we are still living in the midst of sin. Sin has not been totally eradicated. We are in process.

Remember God’s command. Remember God’s promises. Remember God’s declarations. Act on them. Practice them.

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We cannot remove the penalty for sin. We cannot negate the power and effects of sin. Only God can do these things. It is the power of God's Spirit in individuals, in societies and in cultures that create transformation.

And it is God's Word that expresses the means and results of that transformation. God's Word is compared to a sharp sword, cutting through all that opposes it. The Spirit uses God's Word - his commands, promises and declarations - to cut through opposition. It also defines how God's kingdom is composed and built.

These are the two entities that God uses to build his kingdom: his Spirit and his Word. We talked about vital truth is. God's Word is an expression of God's perspective on truth. God's kingdom will be created in agreement with God's Word
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This is why we should know God's Word. This is why we need to practice it and obey it. A life of obedience  counteracts the schemes of the evil one, because it lives in agreement with God's kingdom. It loosens Satan's hold in our lives. It strengthens God's flow through us.

Spiritual Warfare - V

Salvation is, of course, the process of being rescued or delivered. In the teachings of Jesus, there if, in fact, three salvations, although, we generally focus on one. The first is being saved from the penalty of sin. The second is being saved from the power and effects of sin in this life. The third is being saved from the power and effects of sin for all time. The theological words for these processes are respectively: justification, sanctification, and glorification.

 

Each of the processes follows the order given above. A person will never need to “clean up their act” in order to be justified. A person will always be going to through the power and effects of sin in this life. Defeating sin for all time will only come at the end.

 

Some people become concerned that the process of justification will be reversed because they continue to experience the process of sanctification, and the process is unsuccessful. In other words, “God is going to get mad at me, because I keep falling into sin. He is going to revoke his justification, if I don’t stop falling into ‘ABC.’”

 

There are several false assumptions here. One, “ABC” is somehow a worse sin than all the others. Condemnation before God’s law comes from breaking God’s law … any part of God’s law. People especially think about this concerning certain addictive or sexual sins. Sins is sin. God does not tolerate any wrong doing. God condemns all wrong doing.

 

People talk about all sorts of addictions nowadays. Alcohol, drugs, sex, and gambling are the most common. But addictions also include: aspirin, adrenaline, attention, work, hoarding, food, shopping, television, video games, and money. Evidently, if something exists, people can get addicted to it.

 

The truth is, there is only one addiction. People are addicted to sin. And they will continue to be addicted to sin until Jesus returns. If we are not addicted to one thing, we will be addicted to another. If we are not addicted to opium, then maybe it’s adrenalin or endorphins.

 

Two, God is somehow surprised or unable to deal with all this sin. God has a solution for sin. It is called “grace.”

 

Let’s not be mistaken. I am not saying we should ignore sin, or not be serious about sin. I am saying we should be more serious about the gospel and grace.

 

Understanding and living in our salvation is a defense against the devil. He wants us to view God as a harsh judge. He want us to live in fear. He wants us to focus on ourselves as failures, and our inability to live right, instead of God, others and God’s grace, given to live right lives.

 

Sanctification is a process that will take all our lives. And at the end of our lives, we will still have not made it. But God continues to work with us. God continues to be active in our lives. If God is still active, still encouraging right behavior of any sort, then God is still encouraged with us. God still believes we will make progress. God believes in us. And we should believe in, what God believes.

Spiritual Warfare - IV

We have truth: the nature of God, the nature of the world, the nature of people, what pleases God and what displeases God. We have specific truth about how we are positioned in God and how we are status in God’s family. But truth needs activation. And faith is the activator.

 

It is our choices that demonstrate what we believe in – whether truth or lies – and give power to what we believe in. If someone walks into a dark room, and he wants light, he shows his belief by wiggling a small piece of plastic by the door. This wiggling releases power and light into the room.

 

So, we need to learn to activate the power of the truth. To activate truth a person needs to be reminded of it. So, a person needs to be familiar with it. That’s why continuous reading and memorization are effective helps.

 

Once, reminded, a person should act on the truth. This could mean taking a specific course of action. It could mean a simple affirmation and confirmation of the truth in your heart. It could mean – to make the truth more real, more definite – making a verbal, out loud proclamation of truth.

 

Activating truth will always require a realization of truth and an acting on the truth.

Spiritual Warfare - III

Another weapon God gives to counteract the devil's schemes is the gospel of peace. Scripture says we live in emnity with God. It is the gospel which provides the basis for restoration and reconciliation. It provides a path for peace. We have peace with God through the gospel.

What Satan wants is for us to walk in fear and guilt. Fear of God's displeasure and condemnation, and guilt over our failures. If our focus is on God's wrath and our failures, we will never step out in love and faith. The peace of God gives us a firm foundation to stand and move from.

The basis of peace is a true knowledge of the gospel. Wth that, we can approach God with peace in our hearts. We can take risks. We can get our eyes off ourselves and onto people who need God's love.

We could take this a step further and take this true understanding of God's path to peace and restoration, and bring it to others. What Satan hates most is an increase of God's kingdom. Loving people demonstrates God's nature; proclaiming the gospel with a subsequent faith response by someone who was listening is an actual claiming of Satan's territory.