December's Coming

So December is upon us, and there are so many things rolling around in people's heads. Thanksgiving is over, but that only means that Christmas is coming. While Christmas is coming, we also have holiday concerts, company Christmas parties, trips to the mall, Christmas light tours, family get-togethers, frustration on the roads, inclement weather, and of course, a new year to look forward to all at the same time. I admit, I am a scrooge. Christmas is not something I really enjoy. I enjoy being able to light a fire in the fireplace without burning up, I appreciate the good food and time off work, but I just don't get into the Christmas Spirit.

Maybe that is why I appreciate the sermon series our church is in right now, Advent Conspiracy. The purpose of the series is to get back to worshiping Christ in the midst of this time of self-absorbed, stuff-worshiping, crazy consumerist tendencies. It was a miracle when Mary was impregnated by the Holy Spirit, and it was a miracle for the God of the universe to be an embryo. It was a miracle for the Creator of ALL things to be weaned and to learn to walk and talk. How did a celebration of these miracles come to the chaos we make of it today? That could be an argument that goes for hours, but in the end, it really doesn't matter. What matters is that we continue running the race set out for us, even in December.

Following Christ doesn't stop because the rest of the world is in a frenzy. In fact, there is more of a need for His disciples during this time than any other. During Advent Conspiracy, we are called to Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More, and Love All. Honestly, these are all things we are called to do all the time, but there is a need to emphasize it in December because of the influence the world has on us. Oh, if only we could be the ones influencing the world! Isn't that what God has called us to do? So this December, please join in the conspiracy of worshiping our Lord in word and deed, being the hands and feet of Jesus that the world so desperately needs. Be different. Be a difference. Be a Christ-follower.

Ezra 9-10

Below are the video, small group lesson, and daily devotionals for Ezra 9 & 10. Also, I attached a timeline of the book of Ezra to last week's post. This week we will discuss confession, which has so many implications for the Christian life. We will also discuss repentance, which is what we hope confession leads to. Hoepfully your group will have time at the end of the lesson to play a fun game to recap the book of Ezra and end on a light note. Enjoy!




The small group lesson is here: Ezra 9-10

The daily devotional is here: Ezra 9-10 Daily Devos

Ezra 7-8

Below are the video, lesson, and daily devotionals fro Ezra 7 & 8. I have also included a timeline of the book of Ezra as many have mentioned that this would help them. Hopefully this week we will gain an understanding of a few of the spiritual disciplines and why we do them. As you study this week, try to think about what you are doing and why you are doing it when you pray, read God's Word, and any other spiritual discipline you do. Don't forget to organize your group to study, fast, and pray together over the next week.



Here is the lesson: Ezra 7-8

Here is the daily devotional: Ezra 7-8 Daily Devos

The timeline is here: Ezra Timeline

Ezra 6

Below is the video, lesson, and daily devotionals for this week as we look at Ezra 6. When God moves in our lives, it is important to celebrate Him. This week we will look at how the people of Israel celebrated and what was important about the way they worshiped and celebrated God.




The small group lesson is here: Ezra 6

The daily devotional is here: Ezra 6 - Daily Devos

Ezra 4-5

Below is the video, small group lesson, and daily devotionals for this week as we look at Ezra 4-5. When opposition comes against you (not if, but when), how we handle it is a major part of who we are. Do you curse God for allowing it to happen, do you curse others, or do you continue to live a life of worship? Hopefully your discussion will be uplifting this week!




Here is the lesson: Ezra 4-5.

Here is the daily devotionals: Ezra 4-5 Daily Devos.

Ezra 3

Below are the video, lesson and daily devotional for Ezra 3. This week's passage is so important as we see the worship of God comes before any work on the temple. There are also several cool connections to be made between the Old Testament and the New Testament. Have fun!



The lesson is here: Ezra 3

The daily devotional is here: Ezra 3 Daily Devo

Ezra 1-2

This week we do not have a video intro, but the lesson and daily devos are below. Hopefully this week we can relate to the Israelites return as they walked out of a comfortable life into their homeland.

The lesson is here: Ezra 1-2

The daily devotional is here: Ezra 1-2 Daily Devo

Ezra Intro

We are starting a sermon series working through the book of Ezra! As we go through the book we will notice several different aspects of worship and becoming worshipers. Below are the lesson, daily devotional, and video for this week. I hope you're able to participate in a small group this week as we explore the background of the book of Ezra!



Here is the lesson: Ezra Intro
Here is the daily devotional: Ezra Intro - Daily Devo

Measures

The video, lesson and daily devotionals are below.This week we look at our measures. Our measures help us to determine if we are being successful in accomplishing our mission. It's like our business plan, that tells us what we want to accomplish, so we can measure where we are during the process. Our measures are what we hope to become: worshiper, friend, servant, disciple and missionary. This week, I hope you are able to see how you measure up in becoming a growing follower of Jesus.



The lesson is here: Measures
The daily devotional is here: Measures - Daily Devo

Strategy

The video, lesson, and daily devotionals are below. This week we look at our strategy: Sunday Worship, Serve Consistently, Small Group, and Spontaneous Mission. Our strategy is the plan we have for accomplishing our mission. Our mission is simply a dream unless we plan how we will accomplish it. This week we will look at our strategy in comparison to the early church's strategy. We hope you will live by this strategy and influence others to live by it as well.




The lesson is here: Strategy
The daily devotional is here: Strategy - Daily Devo

Values

The video, lesson, and daily devotionals for this week are below. This week we look at the four core values of Northside: Simply Scripture, Genuine Relationships, Innovative Faith, and Dynamically Missional. Author Will Mancini relates values to the banks of a river. They keep the water moving in one direction. Without the banks, the water is simply a puddle or pond. As we look at some biblical examples and commands toward these values, I hope you catch an innate sense of how Northside embodies them, or is beginning to embody them.



The lesson is here: Values
The daily devotionals are here: Values - Daily Devo

Mission

The small group video, lesson, and daily devotionals for this week are below. We have a renewed mission statement: Welcoming everyone, wherever they are, to become growing followers of Jesus. Hopefully this week you will discover some of the biblical reasons for such a mission and will embrace it with us as we all seek to accomplish it.




Here is the small group lesson: Mission
Here is the daily devotional: Mission Devo

Who are you?

It's been a while since I last posted anything, and I felt the urge to share some thoughts. I suppose it's not really anything new, but I feel that it is important enough to reiterate. In today's world there is a lot of noise. We have information coming at us from every angle: the billboard, the radio, the internet, the television, email, snail mail, etc. With so much being thrown at us from every angle, we can easily have our ideas and thoughts clouded by an overwhelming overload of "stuff." It may seem trivial for me to start out like that, but it is because of a realization of the overload that I am even sitting here thinking on these things.

As a minister, I read a lot of books on doing ministry. There are so many lessons to learn about sharing the grace, truth, and love of Christ with people in order to help them move from where they are to a more Christ-like state. It becomes so easy to lose sight of foundational principles as you work so hard to learn how to do ministry better. Unfortunately I was recently reminded of a crucial core principle of ministry. Buckle your seat-belt because this is going to blow you away: What we do flows out of who we are. I know, I am a genius. This concept is so complex that I know you are re-reading it over and over trying to grasp exactly what is being said. Nonetheless, as concise as this statement may be, it is so easy to lose in the grind of trying to do better.

I think this carries over into the realm of the Christian life. We tend to one of two extremes: either we want people to tell us what to do or we really don't want anyone to tell us what to do. The questions that gets neglected either way is "Why?" Why should I do this or that? It's because of who I am. If I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, then what I do will flow out of my identity as his disciple. Therefore, my focus should be on grasping my identity. For instance, take one of three epistles written by the apostle Paul: Romans, Galatians, or Ephesians. In each of these letters, Paul spends the beginning telling his recipients who they are in Christ. Then you find a "therefore," which is there to say, now that you get who you are, here is how you should live, or what you should do. Every single commandment in each of these letters is grounded in their identity in Christ. So why should we do those things? Because we are Jesus' disciples, the bride of Christ, adopted as sons of the King, and co-heirs with Christ. Perhaps more importantly, if we are following Jesus, we should do the things that Jesus did, right? You will know them by their fruit...

I am struggling with this because I get caught up trying to figure out how to do things better, and all the while, the more important thing for me to spend time and energy focusing on is who I am. If I really want to know who I am, I need to study the one who I belong to: Jesus. Who is Jesus? What did/does/will he do? What does he stand for? How can my life reflect him? When I grasp who he is (and subsequently, who I am in him), I begin to gain this innate sense of what I am supposed to do as his follower/student/disciple, and as a soldier in a Kingdom.

I think the reason this is hitting me upside the head like this is because it is so foundational to teaching. Being a Pastor over Small Groups who instructs through written lesson, this needs to be reflected in the lessons I write. It needs to come through in the way we do church, frankly. If we spend most of our time reminding people who they are in Christ, I am willing to bet that before long we will have a much more active, involved, and Christ-like congregation. Do you know who you are? Maybe I can help remind you...

Contemplative Prayer

I am currently reading through Kenneth Boa's Conformed to His Image. It is a wonderful work by an exceptional author. One of the specific thing that I recently read was on the aspect of devotional spirituality called "Contemplative Prayer." I love the way he describes this ancient practice: "Contemplative prayer seeks to apprehend God through love and faith in such a way that theology is not merely speculative but lived." In other words, contemplating and meditating on God through prayer is a way for us to not only have a theology in our minds, but to experience who God is, thus verifying and correcting our theology through experience. It is a deep, thoughtful interaction with God in which we surrender ourselves to God and His Spirit in prayer.

I have practiced this before and I have heard many others talk about it. I hope not to offend anyone when I say this, but I have been pretty freaked out by people who talk about contemplative prayer because they make it seem like some mystical, magical practice in which everything is over-spiritualized. However, one point that Boa makes about contemplative prayer is that it is not for the new believers. New believers need to grow in their knowledge of Scripture first because (his second point) contemplative prayer must coincide with the truth of the Word. This point is so very necessary to make. If we do not have a foundation, then the house will not stand, right?

Contemplation and meditation on who God is and who I am in Him is a way to take the truths of Scripture and make them so real. They become completely grounded in our hearts and souls when we meditate on them in this way. Unfortunately, many take this time to become spiritually influenced by every new age mystical thought. Though we may believe we are focusing on God, we begin making god up in our own minds through this experience, which can easily lead us away from the truth of who He is, which is found grounded in His Word.

Boa goes on to talk about times of drought in our prayer lives, in which we feel spiritually dry. These are necessary times for us because they remind us that God is good even when we feel He is far from us. This is something we must learn to trust. Contemplation helps us to see that even when that emotional experience with him is not "spectacular," God is still there, and He is still good. May we learn to trust Him as we slow down to be with Him and experience who He is in our prayer lives. Blessings to you as you meditate on God and His Word.

Devotional Lifestyle

As you may have noticed in the last few months, I am one who gives the utmost importance to studying the Word of God. I believe that there are depths of the Word that must be mined in order for us to grasp the extremely important biblical principles that must be our guides for life. I know that I will always be one who shares this importance with others, even though many people would argue that they can leave that to their ministers. Today, however, I want to turn that thought around a bit and express the importance of the devotional life. It seems that something our culture has discounted quite a bit is the devotional worship of God. We are in too much of a hurry, needing to get something done, learn something, or talk to someone about something. We rarely take the time to slow down and revel in who God is.

God reveals himself to us in many different ways. His Word is an important revelation, but He also reveals Himself in nature, the way He relates to us, and the things He does. When was the last time you stopped to smell the roses? Literally, when was the last time you spent some time in nature, glorifying God for the majesty of His creation? Meditating on the world He created is one way we can live out this devotional lifestyle. It allows us to contemplate the unbelievable depths of who he is and what He is capable of doing. Landscapes, livestock, bugs, flowers, and even birds and fish can capture a curiosity in us that should always point us back to God. Such created things are merely that, creations. We should never become so enamored in the creation that we worship it, but it should always point us to the Creator.

As you reflect on your life, you should always remember the ways God has related to you throughout your life. When has He answered your prayers? How has He given you peace? In what ways has your should been blessed beyond belief? How about a simple life-change? Focusing on these things from time to time allows us to remember God's greatness and give him our worship and adoration. As we seek to grow closer to Him, it always helps to remember His loving-kindness.

It is also very good to reflect on the things God has done. Whether there have been miracles in your own life or if you just take the time to reflect on the works God did throughout the Bible, you should definitely spend time thinking about these things. The works God does reflect who He is. As you read through the Psalms, you will see over and over recollections of God's works. Paul wrote in his letters about the things God did, is doing, and will do. The more we reflect on these things, the more in love with God we will become.

Obviously God's Word is a self-revelation, but how often do you read His Word for formation rather than information? In other words, rather than studying the Word to mine its meaning, how often do you allow his word to mine your heart to form your soul to be more like Christ's? It means slowing down and taking in the Scriptures. Take a Psalm and break it down verse by verse reflecting on each word and trying to allow it to slice through any veneer you are putting up. This is a devotional style that can really change our walk with God.

All of these things are excellent ways to see God more. They will help us to grasp His revelation more clearly in order to get a clearer image of who God is and what He is doing. why is this important? Knowing who He is will drive our life as we seek to become more like Him. Yes, I stand by the fact that we must study the Bible to determine its meaning, but I also believe we must allow the Word of God to explore our hearts and mold us to become aware of who God truly is and where we are not like Him. So take the time daily to revel in God's creation or His ways, maybe His Word and His works. Allow The Holy Spirit to form your soul more and more into the image of Christ. It will also change your perspective on our own existence. Slow down and reflect more!

Motivation

What motivates us to follow Jesus? What is it that drives us toward Christ-likeness? What is it that compels us to love God? Excellent and poignant questions, if I do say so myself. So what would you say is your main motivation? Is it the reward of heaven or the avoidance of hell? Are you looking for purpose and hope in this world? Maybe you are just thankful for God's love. Whatever your motivators are, they should become a driving force that moves us to follow Jesus more and more. It is a spiritual growth-stimulator.

There are several valid motivators, which would be considered biblical, but perhaps the central-most of these is simply our longing for God. We are all looking to for something to fill this deep-seated need in our lives. The problem for most of us is that we cannot identify what that need is, so we try all kinds of things to fill it. Have you ever played with one of those "shape-o" toys? It's this plastic ball with several different holes around it, and each hole is a different shape. Then you have several little blocks that are each a different shape that corresponds to one of the holes in the ball. In other words, there is only one hole that each shape will fit into. I know it is hard to understand. After all, it is a kid's toy. :) That is how I would describe this deep-seated longing we each have. It is a God-shaped hole and only God can fill it. Every one of us is longing for God. This is not simply a non-believer longing. Christians long for God as well. Have you ever spent time in nature, observed a beautiful sunset, or even listened to a piece of music that just created a longing feeling? These times occur, and in those times the creation is calling us toward the Creator.

What about simply realizing our identity in Christ? Did you know that one of the key elements of Paul's epistles is the way what we do flows out of who we are in Him. Talk about a motivating factor. You want to know who you are in Christ? Read Ephesians 1. Read Romans 8. Those passages will give you such a sense of identity that you should not look to the world for anything else. Why would we try to identify ourselves with our work? Why would we identify ourselves with a sports team or a musical group? We are a part of the body of Christ. We are co-heirs with him, adopted into God's family through him. When you begin to grasp your identity as God's child, there is nothing else that really matters. Becoming more and more like him is all that you want to do. Thus, what you do flows out of who you are.

What else motivates us to follow Jesus? Is it God's love for you? That is definitely a motivating factor. We only love Him because He first loved us. His love causes us to exhibit extreme levels of gratitude and thanksgiving. When you stop and think about what you deserve and what is being offered to you, you cannot help but respond with love and gratitude. These are the things that motivate us to grow, to walk with Jesus, to become like him. If they motivate us so much, then why do we have such a difficult time persevering? Why do we get so distracted?

Perhaps you allow things that are not godly to become your motivations for living. Money, power, and various other temptations become motivating forces when we are not in communion with God. When we take our eyes off the true prize, it is easy to get hooked on the fake, the counterfeit prize. There is absolutely no substitute for a daily relationship with God. It is a must. Funny how this is so cyclical, isn't it? We need to be in relationship with God to keep our focus right, and we need to keep our motivations right to stay in relationship with Him.

My challenge to you is to be introspective. Here are a couple of questions I took from Kenneth Boa's Conformed to His Image, and I think it would do you some good to think honestly on these for a few minutes. (1) Do you love God more for himself than for his gifts and benefits? (2) Are you more motivated to seek his glory and honor than you are to seek your own?

If you cannot answer yes, then it's time to recenter your focus on Jesus. Take the time every day to be with God. Pursue Him! Spend time in His Word and in prayer with Him. There is nothing more necessary than this. Then your motivating forces will be the ones Jesus talks about in the Scriptures. He is GOD! And we can have a relationship with Him. Why would we blow Him off?

Arrogant Jerk

The video for this week's lesson is below, and the lesson and devotional readings are below it. I hope this week you are motivated to check your heart and attitude to make sure you are willing to serve rather than condemn those around you. We all have our shortcomings, and everything we are is by the grace of God. We need to keep that in mind and be patient with other people. Have a great week!



Here is the lesson: Arrogant Jerk.
Here is the devotional: Arrogant Jerk Devo.

Word...

So for the past three and a half months, I have been posting almost weekly. The main focus was on discipleship, using Bill Hull's six areas of transformation as a guide to help us see where God wants us to become more like Jesus. Along the way we focused on various parts of studying and interpreting the Bible since this is probably the most important item. I want to talk about that this week, as there is a fine line between studying the Bible for growth and studying the Bible for knowledge. And there is a difference between reading the Bible and studying the Bible. I feel there is a need for both, and my reasons should become clearer as you read.

In my opinion, the way we live our lives is determined, more than anything else, by what we believe. Perhaps another word that may help you understand is "worldview." As Christ-followers, most of us would probably say we have a Christian worldview. Unfortunately, a Christian worldview really does not define much about what we believe since there are so many different beliefs that people consider to be "Christian." Honestly, it is really our theology that affects our worldview in this instance. But where are we getting our theology from? What forms our view of who God is and how God does things and what God is like? Well, I would hope beyond all hope that a major tenet of that belief for Christians would be based on the Bible. But even when we look at the Bible, we have different camps of belief about what the Bible actually is and what the Bible actually says. Obviously this will affect what we believe about God, right?

Before I dig into this further, I want to stop and say this. Whatever view you might have about the Bible, you should realize that it carries an authority with it. There are things written in the Bible that are meant to be obeyed. Therefore, to study the Bible and not have any interest at all in obeying it is very twisted. I want to get that out before I continue to get into a bunch of details about Bible study that will excite those of you who just like to know things, and it will probably bore the rest of you because you see little importance in knowing details about theology and biblical studies. Either way, this stuff is crucially important because the way you interpret the Bible will affect not only your belief about God, but also your belief about what you should obey!

So the big question right now is, "Why spend so much time studying the Bible?" This is a valid question. Some have gotten lost in the study of the Bible to the point that they lost sight of God. But in studying the Bible, the purpose must remain front and center or we can lose sight just the same. The reason we should spend time studying God's Word is because it is just that: God's Word. It is His self-revelation to us. If we want to know who God is, how God does things, and what God is like, we should probably become familiar with this divinely inspired collection of literature. Makes sense, right? Does God disclose Himself in other ways? I believe He does, but that belief is based on...what the Bible says.

Is it arrogant to think God could not disclose Himself to me in a way that the Bible does not describe? That's tough. It may be arrogant of me to think that, quite honestly. Not everyone has the Bible, so people have to take the message of the Bible to others. However, they must first know the message, right? But the real reason why the Bible becomes so important is because there are opposing forces, evil spirits, which are out to deceive us. God's Word becomes a ruler against which we can measure the still small voice when it comes. So when someone says God told them to kill that person or leave their spouse for someone else, we can measure that against His Word, which doesn't agree.

Forgive my rambling to this point, I just want to make sure it is clear that we cannot overemphasize the importance of knowing God through His Word. The big issue comes when we realize this importance, we believe God through His Word, and we are seeking to live according to His will. Why is that an issue? Because we all want to interpret the Bible differently. Seriously, there are so many different ways people view the Bible, and many more different interpretations of scripture. Some people believe the Bible is an instruction book for life, some view it as God's story, some view it as different pieces of literature with a common thread, some view it as a mystical book of law and prediction, etc. As I have begun paying more and more attention to this the last few years, I have noticed several different ways of interpreting the Bible, that each have positive and negative attributes. For instance, homosexual interpretation views the Bible in a way that most of us would call liberal, saying that the Bible does not condemn homosexuality. They have scholarly people that have aided their cause. Now, I believe that their interpretation is wrong, but I do think the strength of their interpretation is that it focuses on love for everyone. A recent Messianic movement over the last 60+ years has begun to focus on the Law of Moses and the prophets. Even Gentile believers are moving toward this view. The strength of this view is a heightened view of God, moving away from humanism and a value of the Bible from cover to cover. Some areas of concern are legalism, a view of prophecy as primarily predictive, and a seemingly arrogant way of communicating their view. Then again, whose teachings do not seem arrogant?

I could continue down these roads, but for now let's leave it at this. We all have a way of interpreting the Bible. All of our ways have their strengths and weaknesses, but we must understand that our theology is formed from our view and interpretation of the Bible. Nobody has a perfect theology. But the more we study God's Word, the more our theology will be shaped by it. We should approach the Bible with humility, not arrogance. We are a broken people, and we need the help of the Holy Spirit to guide us. It is very worthwhile to pore over God's Word continuously as we seek to understand Him and become more and more like Jesus. That's the point: becoming more like the Lord in every way of our lives. If we miss that, then we run down the road of Bible study that has no end, no purpose, and eventually leads us away from Jesus. So consider this a call to study the Bible, pursue Christ-likeness, and keep an open mind to interpretations of the Bible that may not agree with yours. After all, we might be the ones whose mind is changed in the end.

Let 'Em Go To Hell

Below is the video introduction for this week's lesson. This can be a heavy message because we put too much pressure on ourselves to win people to Christ. However, the biggest thing is to have a heart for the lost that reflects Jesus' heart. Hopefully you can see ways to incorporate Christ into your daily conversations.



Here is the link for the lesson: Let 'Em Go To Hell
Here is the link for the devotionals: Go To Hell Devo

Leading the Pack

FYI - If you are looking for the video for this week's small group lesson, please scroll down to the previous blog entry titled "Flat-Line Faith."

Well, last week we looked at how we can be transformed in our ministry: serving as Jesus served. That leads perfectly into what I want to discuss this week: transformed influence - leading as Jesus led. The word that is best used to describe Jesus' leadership style is "example." His leadership was his way of life. There are many facets that may characterize Jesus' way of life, but a couple that I want to focus on are humility, submission, and obedience.

Perhaps it is odd to use these traits to speak of leadership, but it will make better sense as we break it down. Humility was at the core of Christ's leadership. As we examine Philippians 2:1-11, we see how humility was exactly what Christ exemplified. Verse three says not to do anything out of selfish ambition, but to consider others better than yourself. That is such a huge part of humility and service. You can't lead someone if you want them to serve you; you must be willing to serve them in order to lead them. That's point number one.

Submission may seem a bit out of place here, but let's think about this. Jesus had a mission. His mission was to bear the sins of the world and take the wrath of God in our place. Honestly, we so often reflect on the fact that Christ would come to earth to dwell with men, but maybe we lose sight of the whole reason he came. He was on a mission to save the world, as reflected in his very name: the Hebrew Yeshua means salvation or He saves.  But think about Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, praying for another way to accomplish this. He was exemplifying a very important aspect of Christian leadership - submitting to the will of the Father. If you want to lead people to follow, you have to follow yourself.

So what about obedience? Isn't obedience just submission carried out? Yes, but there is a point to this. As Bill Hull points out, Jesus was obedient to death and calls us to be obedient to death as well. Our faith is only displayed as we die to ourselves and allow Christ to live through us. That is our "mission" so to speak. The beauty of this whole idea is that if we allow Christ to live through us, we are also submitting to the Father and living humbly. So obedience is a huge part of leadership.

Is it odd to you that we are not talking about being decisive and charismatic? Should we spend more time talking about how to exercise authority over others without being arrogant? Maybe the answer to this is the answer to the question, "Was Jesus like that?" What do you think? It is good to talk about humility, suffering, obedience, and submission because in those attitudes or lifestyles we find ourselves being the example of Christianity for others, and that is what leadership is about.

So, that being said, are you leading? Better yet, are you leading the way Jesus led? If not, don't fret. Most of us are not. But we are being transformed in our influence to lead that way. What we must understand is that it is our mission to have that influence on others, so we must grow in our discipleship in order to lead others. It really is a cycle. Jesus started it by being himself and showing others how to be like him. Now we are continuing that cycle as best we can to be like him and influence others to be like him as well. That's what this life is all about. Grow in him and infect as many people as you can to follow that example!

Flat-Line Faith

Below you will find the video and the lesson for Flat-Line Faith. I hope it is helpful to you to encourage others or to be encouraged to step out of that place where your purpose in Christ is clouded. My biggest encouragement to everyone is to be at small group over the next three or four weeks to be a part of each others' lives and discuss these tough issues facing many of us in the church.



Here is the lesson: Flat-Line Faith.
Here is the daily devotional: Daily Devo: 4/19-4/23.

I hope you have a great week this week!

Foot-Washing Time...

FYI - If you are looking for the video and the list of one another statements for this week's small group lesson, please scroll down to the previous blog entry titled "Nobody's Got Your Back."

I know that last week's post was very vague in regard t what the spiritual disciplines are, but I hope it was very stimulating. Hopefully it drives you to consider and research the spiritual disciplines and to structure your life with these as a priority. I also hope that as you practice such disciplines you see how important they are to your Christ-likeness. This week I want to look at transformed service: ministering as Jesus ministered.

Often in American Christianity we become self-absorbed enough to think that we are consumers. We think that our church should do what we want her to do, play the music we want to hear, preach what we want to hear, and spend money the way we think she should. In such a view of the Church, we completely mistake the purpose of the Church in the first place. The Church is NOT to cater to our desires. The Church is to carry out the will of God, the Creator of the Universe. If you don't understand what I am saying, read and re-read Ephesians 1-3 until you see who the Church is.

The biggest problem with a consumer mindset is that we miss out on our role in the Church: ministry. We put ministry in the hands of the paid staff or the elders, but because I walk into a church as a "member," I think I am not responsible for the actual ministry in the Church. How far from Jesus' teachings is this thought process? Now, I know some of you reading this are serving in ministry, honoring the gospel message and glorifying God. However, this mindset is so prevalent in our culture. We "shop" for churches to see which one fits us. When they do something we don't agree with we complain about it. Then, when they tell us they aren't going to change it for us, we go to another church and start the cycle over again. How is God honored in this?

What is service anyway? When do we know we are serving? Is it a matter of works or of the heart? Jesus' ministry could be summed up like this: training disciples to make more disciples. Obviously there is a lot more to that than stated, but that is really the basic nuts and bolts of his ministry. He spent his ministry developing men whom he would use to found and expand the church. They spent time with him and watched as he healed, cast out demons, taught, preached, and shared love with sinners. He ministered to his followers, but he gained more followers by ministering to the sinners. Why do we get so focused on those already in the church and forget about those who need Jesus? Maybe it shouldn't be an either/or, but a both/and.

So if we want to become like Jesus, we must learn that the first here will be the last in His kingdom, but the last here will be the first there. What does this mean? It means realizing that you are no better than the homeless man asking for spare change on the corner. It means having compassion on the alcoholic who has hit rock-bottom. It means sharing a cup of cold water with a thirsty construction worker. It means developing a relationship with the kid who makes your coffee each day. It means revering human life so much that you not only strongly discourage abortion but even offer to adopt the unwanted children. It means that if we want to minister to someone, we must understand that we are less valuable than they are; we must place their well-being before our luxury.

Jesus counted himself as the lowest of all humans, taking the penalty for all of our sins. What would he have you do for someone else today? Jesus washed the feet of those who looked up to him. Who is looking up to you and how can you wash their feet today? Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up. Don't get in the way of what God is calling you to do today. Minister as He ministered; be transformed in service!

Nobody's Got Your Back

As promised, the video for the upcoming lesson is below. I have also placed links at the bottom for the lesson, devotionals, and the "One Another" statements as indicated in the lesson. Please have patience with me as I work through some of the technological details to make all this work, but don't hesitate to let me know if something is not working properly. Thanks!!



The list of "one another" statements is here: New Testament One Anothers, and the lesson is here: Nobody's Got Your Back, and the devotional reading here: 4/12-4/16 Daily Devo. Thanks!

Boot Camp?

On the journey of discipleship, being conformed to the image of Jesus, we have explored having a transformed mind, transformed character, and transformed relationships; we have talked about believing what Jesus believed, living the way Jesus lived, and loving the way Jesus loved. But how do these things actually happen? How do we get to the place where we can actually begin to look a bit more like Christ? Perhaps the answer to that is in another area of transformation: transformed habits: training as Jesus trained.

I believe that sometimes we get this idea in our heads that we can just turn on "Jesus" mode, and we become Super-Christians. However, it is not like that at all. You see, when we finally surrender our lives to Jesus, that is our spiritual birth, not our transformation. Just like a natural birth, it means the beginning of a growth process. Our inner self is changed by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, but our outer self, our physical, mental, and emotional self, still needs to be transformed. As we read in Romans 7, their is a constant struggle between our new inner self and our outer self to become more Christ-like.

So the way to become more Christ-like is not to try harder. Doing things on our own is born from the outer self. Human beings have a tendency to think of themselves as self-sustaining. If we just keep trying, we'll get it right, but that is impossible. The only way to get our outer self to grow and be transformed toward Christ's image is to train. When we want to have the image of a body builder, we train in the weight-room. When we want to have the image of a track star, we train on the track. When we want to become the image of Christ, we train his way. His way includes what we call spiritual disciplines. The track star and body builder both have certain disciplines that help them to grow, so it is not crazy to think that a Christian should have disciplines to help them grow.

The danger with the disciplines is that we may look at them as an end rather than a means to an end. In other words we think of fasting, prayer, or solitude as a goal, rather than a spiritual exercise to help us toward the goal of transformation. The danger is when we think we have accomplished the goal because we fast and pray and spend time alone. That would be like someone thinking they are a body builder just because they went and lifted weights and drank a protein shake a few times this month; it's like a person thinking they are a track star because they ran a few sprints on the track last week. The spiritual disciplines are exercises for us to perform in order to train our outer selves to become closer to the image of Christ.

Just as running everyday builds endurance and weight-training builds muscle mass, so participating in spiritual disciplines builds character. It helps us even though we are not sure how. But the thing about the spiritual disciplines is that we don't need to practice all of them all the time. Each discipline has a specific purpose and a time for being exercised. Now, there are tons of resources on different spiritual disciplines, thought there may not be a comprehensive guide available. A couple of resources that are available to help explore them are The Spirit of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard, Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun, and Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donal S. Whitney. The idea is not to make sure you practice the disciplines, but to find a way of getting into a rhythm with these disciplines at the core of your life. The only way to become a track star is to train as one. The only way to become like Christ is to train like he did.

I feel like a huge part of this training includes the realization of who we are in Christ. As believers, who are in Christ, we must know our place. Part of our training is realizing that we have been raised with Christ and have been seated with Christ in the heavenly realms. Our sins have been forgiven, we are justified before God, and we must grasp this in order to see the need for and the value of practicing the disciplines. Without this realization, we are denying the power that is at work within us to transform us. There is such a paradox at work in the Christian life. We are motivated to do certain things, but the things we are motivated to do help us surrender our lives to Christ so that we will not try to earn God's love through works. So our works are done because Christ compels us to do them, not because we are trying to do things on our own. The reason I bring this up is because what we do will flow out of who we are. The more we recognize who we are in Christ, the more we will be in training. Conversely, the more we train, the more we will realize who we are in Christ. It's a wonderful cycle, and it becomes a wonderful reality of transformation. The more we seek Christ's life in us, the more we live in Christ!

So what's holding you back from studying your Bible, meditating on God's Word, praying to the Creator of the Universe, being by yourself, or even being silent? More than likely it is not Jesus holding you back. If Christ-likeness is your ultimate goal, you will not allow anything to hold you back, but if you are not sure...well, then where is your faith?

How do you love?

Wow! It has been three weeks since my last post. I guess I have been so swamped I haven't paid much attention. Well, let's jump back in. The last post was about who to love, and the basic answer is: everyone! That's the mission, love for everyone. But how do we love? That's another question. If we are to have transformed relationships, loving as Jesus loved, then we need to figure out how to flesh that out, right?

Well, the simplest explanation of "how to love" is to have others' best interests in mind. Do whatever is best for them. Treat them the way Christ treated people. But when you ask what that means in real life, it doesn't just jump out and slap you in the face. it takes some thought and even some creativity. In the last post, there was a link to a video. The video was a lecture by Shane Wood, and I think the points he makes are very convicting and convincing. If we were to love people the way the early Christians did, then we would have comments made about us the way they did.

The emperor Julian, who reigned from 361-363, made the following comments about Christians (he calls them Galileans):

1. He said their growth was due to "moral character, even if pretended" and by "benevolence toward strangers and care for the graves of the dead."
2. He wrote to a pagan priest, "I think that when the poor happened to be neglected and overlooked by the priests, the impious Galileans observed this and devoted themselves to benevolence."
3. In that same letter he wrote, "The impious Galileans support not only their poor, but ours as well, everyone can see that our people lack aid from us."

Can you imagine our government saying something like this about us? Instead, our government continues to try to be the benefactor that it is not designed to be. In frustration, Christians speak out against such measures, but are we taking care of the less fortunate? I will leave that out there to your thoughts.

Here's the deal: we get caught up in our little world where we run non-stop all week long, slow down long enough to attend church on Sunday and maybe even a small group during the week, but there is very little attention paid to loving others. We may even miss opportunities to love on those in our small group and church. What if we, The Church (capital C), were so serious about adoption that abortions ceased because women knew that someone would not only take care of their child, but also love them in spite of any mistakes they may have made? What if we were so serious about not only helping the poor, but getting to know them and love them, that they gained hope and a sense of being valued? What if we became serious about visiting and nursing the sick, even when it might mean our own health risk, so that they felt like human beings rather than a monster with a disease that nobody wanted to be around?

I hope those questions sting a bit, and I hope they motivate you. You see, it is easy to give some money to the poor, to donate some funding to cancer research, or to vote for a pro-life candidate in an election. That is easy! But when someone asks us to give up some time and spend some energy to actually interact with people, we find it nearly impossible. Call it service, call it outreach, call it benevolence, or call it welfare. Whatever you call it, it is loving people the way Jesus loved people. He laid his life down for everyone. And I believe that if we truly want to have transformed relationships, it means we need to begin loving the people who we have relationships with on a different level. It also means building relationships with the people we keep at a distance. They are people, not causes. Only when we get involved with people's lives can we love as Christ loved.

So what's holding you back? Chances are it has something to do with you, something you have control over. Don't make a conscious decision to not love others. Loving others is difficult, but in the end, it is worth every bit of energy, time, and effort we may put into it. Besides, on our discipleship path to become more like Jesus, this is another step we must take. There isn't really an option there. So the question is: how are you loving?

Who do you love?

For the next couple of weeks we will be taking a look at relationships, determining to have transformed relationships by loving as Jesus loved. This may be one of the most difficult areas of transformation for us, but in the end it may also be the most fulfilling. Right now, I want to focus on who to love.

A well known story that sometimes loses its luster is the story of The Good Samaritan. The context of this story from Luke 10 is that a lawyer spoke up to test Jesus. He asked what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus answered his question with another question: What does the Law say? The man correctly answered that it says to love God with all of our being and love our neighbor as ourselves. But he adds this follow up question for Jesus: who is my neighbor? That is when Jesus tells the story of The Good Samaritan...and the sting of this passage is the fact that Jesus portrays a Samaritan as someone who loves his neighbor enough to help him. Jews hated Samaritans, so this would really hurt that in Jesus' story, the Jews passed by and the Samaritan helped...feels like a punch in the stomach if you ask me.

So if you get a moment, read Luke 10:25-37. The story is amazing! However, it is simply right-on with the way we choose who we will love. Maybe we see someone in need and simply pass them by because they are not someone we feel comfortable around or they look different or we simply "don't have time" to help them. I remember reading a book by Howard Hendricks in which he told this story: He had set up a scenario in which his seminary students were to prepare a short sermon on this very passage. Then he had a man pretend to be a beggar and placed him strategically in the path of the students as they would go to the lecture hall to present their sermons. Each student, every single one of them, passed by the man hurriedly as they were rushing to get to the lecture hall and prepare to give their sermon. Do you think they got the lesson? Did their sermon preparation sink in? Probably not. I mean think about the last minute sermon illustration that could have been...

Who are we to love? Who is our neighbor? Maybe the better question to ask is: who do I see? Who is around me? Who needs love? Who are the human beings I come in contact with? Every person we come across is our neighbor. Love Everyone!! What about my enemies? Read Matthew 5:43-47. We will examine how to love next week. But I hope you would do yourself a favor this week. Take a little over an hour and watch this video: click here. It will tie this week's blog to next week's blog. Just as a warning, it is very intense, and may be difficult for you to hear.

When God forgives us, and when we become citizens of the kingdom of God, our lives serve as a testimony of who God is. Our job is to be transformed in order to share that testimony with those who don't know of this kingdom. How can you love someone today, this week, this hour? Who is in your path, and who needs love? We'll explore what it means to love next week, but let this suffice for now...it is not about one act. It is about showing you really care. Who do you love?

Transformed Character - Part 3

The last two weeks we have been looking at the three temptations Jesus faced in the desert after his baptism, as recorded in Matthew chapter 4. The first temptation was to turn a stone into bread to satisfy the physical hunger Jesus had while fasting for forty days. The transformed character imitates Jesus, whose spiritual appetite overshadowed his physical appetite. The second temptation was to jump from the top of the temple because God would not let Jesus be hurt. The transformed character again imitates Jesus, whose worth to God overshadowed his ego. Today let's examine the third temptation!

The devil took Jesus up to a very high mountain, and showed him the kingdoms of the world, with all their greatness. He said he would give all of these kingdoms to Jesus if he would only bow down and worship him. Jesus told Satan to go away from him, and again alluded to the Old Testament when he said, "It is written, 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only." This alluded to Deuteronomy 6:13, which is in the midst of a passage warning against idolatry and following "other gods." In fact, you should read Deuteronomy 6 all the way through. See how much of that chapter is directly related to this temptation!!

Think about the temptation Jesus was facing here.Jesus knew he was going to die for the sins of everyone, but Satan offers a way around that. Satan offers him all the kingdoms of the world. All that is required is for Jesus to bow his knee to Satan. Would you take the easy way out? Would I? The temptation is much greater than we can really imagine. But Jesus was satisfied with his mission. He did not need control over those kingdoms; he did not need control over his life. Jesus desired to worship God rather than to control anything, even his own destiny. So the aspect of a transformed character that is exemplified here is to be satisfied to worship God, rather than desiring to exhibit control. How are you doing with that?

There are so many examples of "the kingdoms of this world" being offered to us if we would just find a way around worshiping God. You can make more money if you do something immoral. You can have a more powerful position if you stab someone else in the back. You could go on and on. But let's key in on something so important to these examples of transformed character. Character is not what we do, it is who we are. It drives what we do, but it is not simply a matter of doing what is right. It stems from a heart that genuinely wants to be Christlike. If my spiritual appetite is genuinely greater than my physical appetite, or my worth in Christ is genuinely greater than my ego, or my soul is genuinely satisfied to worship God rather than to exhibit control, then My character is truly, genuinely transformed. Will I be perfect? Again, NO! But as our character is transformed, we become more and more like Christ in every aspect of our lives.

Where is your heart? What is your character like? How will your character be transformed? These are all great questions to wrestle with as we seek to become more like Jesus. I can tell you that your character is influenced by those you spend time with and those who you allow to influence you. If you spend time with God, with Jesus through the Bible and in prayer, we will be influenced by him. You will not be influenced by someone you spend no time with. Pray, read God's Word, allow the Holy Spirit to guide you. That is how character is transformed. Next week, we will look at transformed relationships. For now, wrestle with where your character is. Wrestle with how to make time with God, no...life with God a priority. Wrestle with where your character needs development and pray for God's grace to transform you.

Transformed Character - Part 2

So we have started down this path of talking about the part of discipleship which entails a transformed character. What we are talking about here is how to live like Jesus lived. Last week we started by looking at the first temptation Jesus faced in the desert after his baptism. We saw how Jesus fully relied on God and His Word rather than on the seeming sustenance of this world. Though it takes time, we should always be putting more and more of our trust in God. Our spiritual appetite should be much stronger than our physical appetite.

The second temptation Jesus faced was slightly different. Satan took Jesus to the highest point of the temple, which was already sitting on the top of a hill (the temple mount). He told Jesus to jump because God said his angels would not let him fall. He was basically asking Jesus to show off. But Jesus again quoted a scripture: Deuteronomy 6:16, which directly refers to Exodus 17:1-7. Just after God brought them out of Egypt, the Israelites began to question whether God had their best interest in mind because they had no water to drink. They quarreled with Moses and grumbled against him. They sought to stone Moses because of their thirst. They doubted God.

Jesus never doubted God. If Jesus had any doubt in his mind that God would take care of him, then the temptation to jump and see if God really would protect him would have been greater. He never doubted God, and he saw no reason to prove God's faithfulness by jumping. He didn't need to show off for anyone. He left his ego behind, and humbly accepted who he was without having to prove it to anyone. If you think about it, that is what he was here for anyway. He came to humble himself to death on a cross because he knew he was able to cancel our debt. He didn't have to prove it to anyone.

So what does that mean for us? Why do we feel the need to prove ourselves? Do we feel that the world needs to know that we can measure up to its value systems? Or is it an intrinsic need to show others that we can measure up - to satisfy our ego? Maybe it's a bit of both. But in the eyes of God, we can't measure up. We need the blood of Jesus to cover us, and when we accept that, there is nothing to prove to this world anymore. Our value system is not the same as the world's. Our ways of ministry should focus on building character in ourselves and in others, rather than trying to measure up to a value system that degrades character and faith. Sometimes we just need to leave our ego behind, and know that we are in Christ. There is nothing to prove to anyone. God doesn't need us to prove ourselves. Rather, if we simply allow ourselves to focus on who we are as sons and daughters of God, our character will be built. So let's be humble; let's know who we are in Christ; let's stop trying to prove our worth by measuring ourselves against the wrong value systems; let's give all the glory to God!

So if the lesson from the first temptation is for our spiritual appetite to overshadow our physical appetite, then the lesson from this second temptation is to allow our worth in Christ to overshadow our ego. Again, this is not going to happen tonight because you agree with this concept. It takes time, prayer, Bible study, solitude, community, and leaning on the Holy Spirit. We must come to terms with who we are in Christ in order to stop feeling the need to prove ourselves to others. As we walk down this path, the needs of our ego will become smaller and smaller, and who we are in Christ will become clearer and clearer. That's the transformational process!

Next week we'll dive into the third temptation. But for this week, let's really contemplate our worth in Christ. How can we become less defensive, less proud, less showy, and more humble and satisfied with our identity in Christ. This will transform our character and help us to live as Jesus lived. Here are a couple of things to mull over...

• Think back to when you first came to know Christ. How have you become more in tune with your identity in Christ since then? 
• What does it mean to not put God to the test? How have you tested Him?
• Why is this aspect of character so important?
• What other thoughts or questions come up from this?

Transformed Character - Part 1

Have you ever wondered what it means to live like Jesus? After really digging around with the concepts of studying and interpreting the Bible for a while, it's time to get practical. Jesus was fully human and fully God at the same time. We know this from several different Scriptures referring to him. But how can we live our lives the same way he lived his humanly life? What elements of his character can we grow into? That's a good topic to discuss.

We are looking into this concept a little bit in our sermon/small group lesson series this Spring, but I want to really grab a holistic approach to this concept and spend some time digging into Jesus' character. One of the key places to turn, in my opinion, is Matthew 4. Right after Jesus was baptized, it says he was led into the desert by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil. Jesus fasted for forty days in the desert, of all places. I am positive that during this time Jesus was praying to God to be sustained while he fasted. Now during this time, Jesus was tempted by Satan. Matthew tells us of three specific temptations. This week I want to look at the first of those three, and save the other two for later.

The first temptation was when Satan came to Jesus and told him that if he was the Son of God, then he should turn the stones into bread. Clearly, Satan was hitting on Jesus' physical hunger to get him to use his power as God to satisfy that hunger. Now Jesus, obviously tempted to give in and provide food for himself, decided that it was better for him not to give in to Satan's game. Instead, he quoted Scripture to him, saying, "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." He is actually quoting Deuteronomy 8:3, which in context is very interesting when compared to Jesus being hungry in the desert, but that is for another discussion. The main point is that Jesus knew that God's words were more important than food. His spiritual appetite exceeded his physical appetite.

Today we can see the results of economic disaster all around us. People who are close to us are losing jobs, and we hurt for them, and we want to help take care of them. We see people giving in to the temptation to "take care of themselves," rather than simply leaning on God and pursuing Him with everything they have. The fact is that we have physical needs. Food is one of them. But is God worried about what we are going to do to feed ourselves, or does He simply want us to focus on Him and let Him take care of food and a job? Jesus was famished in the desert, especially after forty days, but the time alone with God in prayer was so satisfying that his need for food took a backseat. How can we truly get to this point?

Can I just say that it is not going to happen the way we want it to happen. We want our food fast, our downloads in seconds, our mail immediately; but coming to a point where we are so satisfied with God and His words is not going to happen quickly. It will happen as we spend time with Him, in prayer and in studying His Word, in solitude and in community with others. It will happen as we see our needs being met by Him in ways that we never would have been able to do on our own. It will happen as we come to a point where we trust Him so much that it doesn't matter if we lose our job today because we know that God has never failed us and will not start now. That is one way to explain what it means to have a transformed character. That is how we learn to live the way Jesus lived. Our physical needs are very evident to us, even though we have more than almost any other culture in the world. We do not know what it is to be without, so when we are faced with the threat of losing an income, we can focus on our ability to provide, and we forget that God is THE Provider.

So what does it mean to have a transformed character? In my estimation, one piece of that answer is to allow our spiritual appetite to overshadow our physical appetite. When our need for God eclipses our need for anything this world can offer, we become reliant on Him, and that is one aspect of the way Jesus lived. Next week we will look at more of what it means to live like Jesus lived. Here are a couple of thoughts you may want to follow up on...

• Pointing out Jesus quoting Deut. 8:3 is very poignant. How does Jesus become the embodiment of what God hoped Israel would become through this one temptation?
• What are some worldly things that seem to tempt you from relying fully on God to meet your needs?
• Are you relying on God more now than you were a year ago, five years ago, or ten years ago? How?

What am I reading?

So the last two posts, I have really talked about context, thought two different kinds. I have spoken of the literary context, which is basically trying to figure out the flow of thought, the author's main point. Then we looked at situational context: what was going on when and where the author wrote that helps this passage make sense? Today I want to spend some time writing about a controversial topic. Some of you will grasp this and some of you will fight it. What am I talking about? Genre.

Genre is a French word that means "kind" or "type." For instance, if you go to the video store, you have the new release section, you have the comedy section, the horror section, and the drama section. Those are each genres. They let you know what "kind" of film you are renting or buying. Another example of genre is the newspaper. You have the front page and the ensuing news, you have comics, sports, and classifieds. Each section presents a different "kind" of news.

The reason I am bringing up genre is that each genre of literature has certain guidelines or rules that help us know how to read that particular piece of literature. Deuteronomy is considered "law," Proverbs are "wisom poetry," Isaiah is "prophetic," Matthew and Mark are "narrative," and Revelation is a combination of genres. I would venture to say that we are all experts at genre, and we don't even realize it. Let me give you an example from Mark Moore. Let's say you read the words "downtown," "bucket," and "on fire" in a newspaper. What do you think it would mean if it was on the front page vs. the sports section? The front page may very well be talking about a building downtown that caught on fire and the bucket truck had to be used to help put it out. In the sports section, it is likely talking about a basketball game where someone was shooting really well and made a three-point shot. How do we know this? We have been trained that sports has its own verbiage and the front page has another verbiage. So we can interpret what is being said properly.

So let's think about Proverbs for a moment. We often read proverbs as if they are absolute fact, when they are actually meant to be pearls of wisdom that generally are how things go in life. So Proverbs 16:31 says that someone with gray hair has lived a righteous life. Is that necessarily true all the time? No. However, generally speaking if I live my life to please God, I have a better chance of seeing old age (or martyrdom in some cases). What about Proverbs 22:6? If I train a child a certain way, he will always stick to that training, right? How many of us have seen teenagers stray from the way they were trained? (On a side note, the Hebrew language here may suggest an entirely different translation and interpretation anyway.) A great book to grab if you want a better understanding of genre is How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart.

Now genre is important because it helps us to know how to read a particular passage in the Bible. If we are going to learn to believe what Jesus believed, we need to really hone in on the literary context (what is really being said, what's the point?), the situational context (what about the situation can help me better understand what is being communicated?), and the genre (what type of literature is this?). Next week we will move on to talking about a transformed character (living the way Jesus lived). But for now, a couple of questions...

• How does genre conflict with what you have thought about the Bible before?
• How can we tell what genre a particular passage is?
• Who determines the rules associated with each genre?
• What other thoughts/questions come up?

What's going on here?

Now we have an idea of determining the literary context of a verse or passage. We need to understand the little picture and the big picture, the trees as well as the forest. This means we have to read more than just our verse or passage. We need to read the entire book it is in, and really, the entire Bible as well. Just a suggestion, don't try to read the entire Bible in one sitting. :) Remember, as far as discipleship goes, we are still working on determining what Jesus believed. So we are sticking to the idea of interpreting the Bible for a couple more weeks, and then we will look further into the six areas of transformation!

So what if we understand exactly what the literary context is, the themes that are present in the writing, and the way the words affect each other? How can we be sure we are getting at what the author intended to mean? Is there only one "author's intended meaning?" I am going to leave that one hanging there for a while. Feel free to comment your thoughts, and I will tell you what I believe.

Well, if we are going to understand the author's intended meaning, we need more than just what they wrote. We need to attempt to understand the situation for which he was writing as well. Who was the author? When did he write it? What was going on in the time and place of writing? What was the culture like? What language was used? Where was the author and who did he intend to read his writing? These are excellent questions to answer in order to grasp the situational context. If we do not grasp this, then it is likely we will not grasp what the author really intended to mean.

For example...In Colossians 2:8-15, the apostle Paul tells the church in Colosse to stand firm on the teaching they had already received and not to fall prey to Jews telling them they need to become Jews before they can be saved. It doesn't actually say that in the text, but we can understand that from the historical context. In that day, it was customary for a gentile who was to become a Jew to do three things: males were to be circumcised, they were to participate in a ritual washing called a mikveh and they were to bring a sacrifice to the temple. Based on this information, you can tell that Paul is rebutting each of these steps because they have already been done through the Holy Spirit entering them (circumcision made without hands), baptism, and the offering of Christ was made for all people already. The situation definitely shapes the meaning of the text!

Because of this fact, it is very important that we do not rely solely on inductive Bible study. Using secondary sources such as commentaries, word studies, historical books, and dictionaries are very helpful to setting the scene for which the passage must be set up against in order to properly understand what the author intended to communicate. So...what thoughts does this spark in your mind?

• How can we better understand the book of Revelation if we understand the historical and cultural setting that John's original audience was in?
• How can the prophetic books of the Old Testament come alive if read in the situational context?
• What do you think about all of this?

Throttling back

So last week I threw out the idea that believing what Jesus believed is something much more complicated than simply listing certain things He believed. It encompasses our study and interpretation of the Bible. Our goal in studying and interpreting the Bible is to first establish what the original author intended to communicate and then to bring that into a principle for current-day life. I want to throttle back this week and spend some time discussing how we study the Bible.

Last week I mentioned inductive and deductive Bible study and how both are necessary. In my opinion, the best way to combine these two ways of study is first to do the inductive study, examining the text alone and finding out as much as we can about it through prayer and insight. Then, after we have picked the text apart, we can refer to reference materials (commentaries, dictionaries, word-study tools, etc.) in order to compare our conclusions with those of others. Hermeneutics (Bible interpretation) is best done with others, but we can't just take someone else's word for it. (FYI: The term hermeneutics comes from the messenger of the Greek gods, Hermes. He would bring the people a message from their gods, and they had to figure out what the message meant. So we call principles of how to interpret the Bible "hermeneutics.")

The main ingredient of inductive Bible study (apart from the Holy Spirit) is context. Context is a lot like Google Maps. :) When you view a map, you can zoom in or zoom out to see where your location is. If you zoom way in, all you see is the street. If you zoom out a little bit, you can see the block or neighborhood, giving you more of an idea of where you are looking. Zoom out farther, and you can see highways, cities, etc. Context is necessary for an understanding of what the author was saying. We start by examining the words in a sentence, then zoom out to see what the paragraph says, then we zoom out further to see what that book of the Bible says, and even go so far as to see what the rest of the Bible says (especially with a book like Revelation that has over 500 Old Testament allusions). This is called the literary context. But why is literary context so important?

Moises Silva puts it this way: "context does not merely help us understand meaning; it virtually makes meaning." For example, let's look at Matthew 18:20, "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." We have all used this verse before, usually to make ourselves feel better at a poorly attended gathering. Now at first glance, this seems like a straight-forward promise; however, read in context of Matthew 18:15-20, the meaning becomes apparent. Jesus is pointing out an Old Testament principle about matters being established by two or three witnesses in order to bring a brother to a conviction about a sin. If your brother rejects correction in front of two or three witnesses, and even the church, in essence, he is rejecting God as well!! (By the way, many call this a passage about "church discipline," but I really don't think that was what Jesus had in mind. I am pretty sure Jesus desires for us to win our brother over...just my opinion based on the context.)

Everything we study in the Bible is made up of words. We need to see how they relate to each other and what they are communicating, which is a great reason to throttle back when you are reading. And Remember! Context, context, context!! I cannot stress this enough. We have all pulled verses out of context to prove something before, but as we study, we need to be ever-so-observant of the literary context. We will mention the situational, or historical-cultural context next week, but for now, let's mull over and discuss a couple of things:

• How important is it for us to have read all the way through the Bible in order to grasp a passage's context within the entire Bible?
• Is it rude or insensitive to point out to someone when they are taking a passage out of context? Why or why not?
• (Cautiously I ask this) Should our theology be influenced by interpreting the Bible, or should our interpretation of the Bible be based on our theology? How do our interpretation and our theology both influence our discipleship?
  
• What other thoughts or questions do you have?

First Steps: Falling is Natural

Before digging into some new thoughts, I figured some quick thoughts on the questions from the last post would be good. Why are we (Christians) being formed into the image of Christ? Theologically, I would point to Ephesians 1:9-10. God is restructuring the universe, bringing all things under the authority of Jesus. The universe was thrown into chaos when Adam and Eve sinned; His will is to reorder things to the way He intended it to be. Practically, we are being formed into the image of Christ for the sake of other people. If it was for our benefit, it would be pretty selfish, wouldn't it? Jesus was selfless, so becoming more like him means becoming others-oriented in order to bring them along in God's cosmic restoration!

Obviously, our knowledge and understanding of the Bible affects the way we follow Jesus because it determines our knowledge and understanding of who Jesus is. To me, that right there is the reason studying the Bible is so important. If you don't see Jesus for who he really is, it makes it pretty difficult to truly follow Jesus. Let's face it, the Bible is God's Word, and it is the main source of His revelation to us. We need to know and understand it!

So, on to some new thoughts. When we take our first steps as a baby, it is a certainty that we are going to fall down several times before we become efficient at it. Some of us fall more than others, and some of us are still trying to figure out how to walk, but what I am trying to get across is that as we begin walking as a disciple and as a student of the Bible, we are going to make mistakes over and over. So why am I even pointing this out. Most of you are leaders, right? Well, I may be going somewhere I don't need to go, but if we move on to the deeper, harder discussions, and we don't all have the same foundation, it's going to be hard to communicate with each other, which might cause debate, dissension, and NOT edification. So be patient with me as I attempt to lay a solid foundation for us all to build on.

So last week I mentioned the six areas of transformation that Bill Hull discusses in a couple of his books. The first of those six is a transformed mind: believing what Jesus believed. Many of us are well on our way with this area, but it is not something that anyone can ever say they have arrived at. It is something we will continue to learn and be transformed in for the rest of our lives. But what does it mean to have a transformed mind? Better yet, how do we begin to believe what Jesus believed? The irony of that question is that it has everything to do with how we study and interpret the Bible. Unfortunately, we can not answer that question in one post. But what we can do is begin to discuss the process for studying and interpreting the Bible, with the goal of believing what Jesus believed!

A goal of studying the Bible is to figure out what the original author intended to communicate in order to "translate" that principle into a meaningful, life-changing principle for our lives today. There are two main methods of studying the Bible: deductive and inductive. Many people have argued over which method is the best, and I propose that both are necessary! Deductive Bible study relies on sources such as commentaries, word studies, histories, and even study Bibles to help gain insight into a text's meaning. Inductive Bible study scraps everything but the text, our mind, and the Holy Spirit. Why would I suggest that both methods are so important, and how can we combine them in a way that helps us to really understand what the original author meant? What do you think?

Before concluding, I want to give some very basic basics. The Bible is a compilation of written documents. The Holy Spirit inspired men to write these various books, poems, and letters to communicate truth and reveal God to us. In the flow of communication, we have a speaker (the people who wrote the books, inspired by the Holy Spirit), an audience (us), and a medium (the Bible, a written medium of communication). Unfortunately, we live a long time after those who wrote the Bible, and in a completely different culture than we live in. That creates a HUGE disconnect, making it very difficult for us to be able to capture the author's intended meaning. However, we have one HUGE thing on our side. The Holy Spirit that inspired the authors to write what they did also resides inside of us. Therefore, with His help, we CAN grasp the intended meaning AND translate that into principles for living today!!

What thoughts and or questions does this all spark with you? Any light bulbs going off or is your head beginning to fog up?

A Starting Point

As I posted at the end of November, my passions are discipleship and hermeneutics. I suppose a goal I have is to incorporate those two concepts into each post. So today I want to set forth some goals. We are starting a conversation, and when you start a conversation (or anything for that matter) it is best to start out with some goal or goals in mind. Sometimes the goal is to find something out, sometimes the goal is to come to a resolution, and sometimes the goal is to achieve something. Whatever the case may be, if you start down a path without goals, chances are you won't accomplish much.

In two of his books (The Complete Book of Discipleship and Choose the Life) Bill Hull explains that the chief goal of the disciple's life is transformation. Specifically, he lists out six specific areas of transformation that each of us should have as our goals. In this order, he says we should set the goal to achieve:

1. A transformed mind: believing what Jesus believed;
2. A transformed character: living the way Jesus lived;
3. Transformed relationships: loving the way Jesus loved;
4. Transformed habits: training the way Jesus trained;
5. Transformed service: ministering the way Jesus ministered; and
6. Transformed influence: leading the way Jesus lived

[Note: In Choose the Life, Hull does not include #4: transformed habits]. So these are the specific ways we should seek to live out the goal of transformation. It sounds like a lot, but there is a reason Hull mentions them in this order. As in most numbered lists, you start with # 1 and work your way to the the final number. So, if we start with a transformed mind, or believing what Jesus believed, perhaps it is best to figure out what Jesus believed (Genius! I know, you don't have to tell me). However, we will save that for another post.

Before we really get to a place where we dig into what Jesus believed, it may be best to take a minute and lay out the reasoning behind hermeneutics (principles of interpreting the Bible) and why we should even spend the effort to pursue such a thing. So often we open up our Bibles and take the chance that somehow we will have a revelation from God about what it means. By no means am I saying we should not simply open up our Bibles and read them, but let's be honest; if we all did that, and we all came to different conclusions, then we are all making Jesus out to be someone different. I am not saying that we are each making up our own Jesus, but it has that potential. So we spend the effort to consider what the original author intended to communicate in order to help us understand what Jesus believed, how he lived, how he loved, how he trained, how he ministered, and how he led. Then we can translate it into our lives and be transformed more and more into the image of Jesus.

One caveat to the whole practice of interpreting the Bible: it is a lot like theology. Theology is more of a discussion or dialogue than it is a conclusive science. We should always seek to pursue theology with much humility and not much testosterone. In the same way, the way we interpret the Bible should always be an ongoing conversation with others. There are certain points being made everyday that challenge what many scholars have previously concluded. So as we begin the dialogue about being transformed and learning how to interpret the Bible, let's all keep our minds and hearts open to each other, the Holy Spirit, the Word, and the God we seek to know better through their leading.

So here we go with some food for thought. I would love for us to discuss some of the points I have made, so here are some questions to talk about.

• We want to become like Jesus. Paul says Christ will be formed in us (Galatians 4:19). Why are we being formed into the image of Jesus? Why is that our heart's desire, to what end?
• Also, how does our knowledge and understanding of the Bible affect how we follow Jesus?
• Why is it so important to study the Bible? What do you think?
• What thoughts or questions do you have after reading all of this?

I look forward to some good discussion about this!