Freed To Love

Have you ever considered how enslaved we really are?  We are so captivated (notice the word captive there) by our never ending hunger for peace of mind.  I am always amazed at where I look for this peace of mind.  Food, entertainment, knowledge, relationships, sex, etc, etc.  We are unsuspecting slaves, searching for the one thing that will satisfy all our cravings, all our longings.  I say unsuspecting because, at first, we believe that we are the masters in control of our cravings.  We believe our favorite late night snack exists to comfort us.  We believe movies exist to let our imaginations soar.  We believe that our knowledge of a particular skill will help us advance in our careers.  We believe that sex exists for our enjoyment and will bond us to another.

How quickly our cravings turn on us though!  What we once thought we had mastered, now becomes our master.  Food, once a comforting late night friend, now becomes our only comforter.  Movies, once a provocative entertainer, now twist our thoughts into torturous dissatisfaction.  Knowledge, once a helpful tool, now pushes us into careers full of discontent.  Sex, once a joyful experience, now becomes a lust that is never fully satisfied.  What happened?  We were just out there enjoying our lives, when all of a sudden everything we enjoyed turned into a cruel, demanding slave driver.  We find ourselves shackled to the things we once only occasionally tinkered with.  They were like pets in our home, who suddenly were able to speak, overpowered us, put us in collars, and chained us on a leash.  We can't seem to survive without our masters.

Most of us never want to admit how enslaved we really are to our cravings.  It is embarrassing!  If people only knew!  I want you to try something right now.  Close your eyes and imagine all the masters in your life.  Who dictates what you do and why you do it?  Not who do you want to dictate, but who IS dictating.  Is it your career, your spouse, your children, your Doritos, religion, pornography, friends, yourself?  Now, ask this, "am I satisfied in these masters?"  If you answered "no", then there is hope.  If you answered "yes", then know that all these masters will let you down some day.

You see our desire for an all satisfying answer to our craving for peace of mind is not some cosmic joke.  There really is a cure for our cravings.  But there is only ONE cure for those cravings.  We are not the answer.  Food, entertainment, knowledge, relationships, and sex do not exist to serve our purposes.  They exist because they were CREATED, just as we were CREATED!  All of creation was not created to serve us, but to serve the purposes of the creator.  They exist for God, just as we exist for God.  What will inevitably happen when we try to make created things serve us?  Those created things will become our masters, our gods.  But they are unable to satisfy, because they were not created for themselves either.  Who will free us from this death spiral that chokes the very life and light out of us?  It is for this very reason that Jesus came!

We are on this quest for peace of mind because we do not know the one who made us.  Only He can put us at ease.  So in our life absent from God, we search for something to take His place, rebelling against His love.  A deadly spiral of lust giving birth to sin which gives birth to death becomes our daily reality.  The death spiral must be removed before we will see God.  Jesus' death on the cross was to break the curse of sin and death that we might be free from our chains.  Through faith (belief and trust) in the finished death and resurrection of Jesus, we are free to love the way we were created to love.  Have you ever noticed how all these false masters lead to broken relationships in our lives as well?  It is because we are not free to love.  But in Christ Jesus we are FREED TO LOVE!!!  We can have that ever escaping peace of mind, we can love God freely, and we can love others without restraint.  Paul's words in Galatians 5:1 and 5:13-14 make our souls soar with satisfaction in the completed work of Jesus

Galatians 5:1 ~ For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

Galatians 5:13-14 ~ For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 

Where is the Lord's house?

My trip to Myanmar made me think deeper about the issue of "places of worship."  In John 4, the Samaritan woman questions Jesus about the proper place for worship.  His response to her is that the Father is looking for worshippers who worship in Spirit and Truth.  But what about all of the examples in the OT where God calls His people to come worship Him in the Temple?  Or where the Psalmists long for worshipping in the Temple in Jerusalem on Mount Zion?  This seems to create a yearning for location specific worship.  Psalm 122 really had me thinking about this:

A Song of Ascents. Of David.  

I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem! Jerusalem—built as a city that is bound firmly together, to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord. There thrones for judgment were set, the thrones of the house of David. 

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! “May they be secure who love you! Peace be within your walls and security within your towers!” For my brothers and companions’ sake I will say, “Peace be within you!” For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good.

David had such a longing to go to the house of the Lord.  He loved the city, the brothers and companions there, and he longed for the peace of the city.  David's heart is not to be lost.  It carries into the life of a Christian.  But Psalm 122 is no longer about the city of Jerusalem.  It is about the church!

In Hebrews 8-10, the author goes to great length to explain that the tabernacle, sacrifices, and law are all only a shadow of heavenly realities.  They were given to show us how dim everything is in comparison to the magnificent glory of God.  That glory was fully displayed in Jesus Christ.  What He came to do was to shine light on the shadows so that we could see clearly.  And that is why we see Psalm 122 in light of Hebrews 8-10, the church IS that city bound firmly together, the church IS the house of the Lord (I Corinthians 3:9-17, Ephesians 2:11-22, I Timothy 3:14-15).

So let us walk back through Psalm 122 through the lens of a church reconciled to God through the redemptive work of Jesus.

1)"I was glad..." - Someone who has been bought by the blood of Jesus has been born into a new family. The church is that family.  The Scriptures really do not entertain the idea of a lone ranger Christian.  Our heart is that we are glad to "go to the house of the Lord!"  And by house of the Lord we do not mean the church building.  We mean that we are glad to be gathered with our church family whether it be in corporate worship, dinner, serving our neighborhood, rejoicing over the birth of a child, or mourning the loss of a loved one.  A follower of Jesus is GLAD to be with the people of Jesus.  You will not know this gladness unless you've lived among the people, unless your feet have stood in the gates.  So taste and see that the Lord is good.  Enjoy the company of the house of the Lord.

2)"A city that is bound firmly together" - The church is united in the bond of peace through the power of the Holy Spirit.  You know that you have found a true church family when nothing can shake them.  It was recently shared with me that about 50% of the churches in New Orleans ceased to exist after Hurricane Katrina.  Why?  Because the storm washed away their buildings.  But those that continued to exist had a bond stronger than brick and mortar.  They were firmly bound together by brotherly love and service.  Our churches are only as strong as our dependence on the unifying work of the Holy Spirit.  If we have to manufacture community, then whatever we are being, we are not being the church.

3)"The tribes go up... to give thanks to the name of the Lord." - The church is a people made up of those giving thanks to the name of the Lord.  Thanks for what?  Not only thanks for His numerous gifts in our lives, but one particularly unifying cry of praise.  We thank Him for His unparalleled gift of salvation!  This is why there is no one like our God.  What sets our Lord apart is that Jesus came to die for us, defeated sin, death, and Satan, and is reigning in His church even now.  We give thanks for this!  A church must be characterized by their praise of the glorious name of Jesus.

4)"Pray for the peace..." - there are 3 areas that David prayed for peace and the church should follow suit.

• Bring security to those who love the church!  The Lord has given us much strength within the church, providing living stones (Christians) who stand firm for the sake of the Gospel.  Pray that their steadfastness will not waiver.  Pray that more believers will be secure stones in the wall and not be tossed to and fro by the cares of life.
• Peace among brothers and companions.  Pray for the unity of the church!  The glory of God will be displayed among the church if we are unified in Him.  If we have no love for one another, then the love of God is not in us at all and we are liars.  Pray for the kind of love that would cause God to die for His creation.
• Pray for the good of the church.  When was the last time you prayed that the church would be successful in God's mission to the world?  Pray that God would give the church favor in the workplace, marketplace, schools, and neighborhoods.  Pray that the church would be given opportunities to bless the city she lives in.  Pray for the GOOD of the church!

The Lord's house is His people.  The church is the Temple of the Living God, Jesus.  Do not look to this mountain or that mountain to find worship, worship the Lord in the midst of His people!  You will find many glorious, messy, truths about God among His church.  I hope that you will come and find Him among us.

The Path of Discipleship

Once a month I take a day to get away, pray, read, study, and just enjoy some time with God.  This past Tuesday I walked down to the Mount Dora Mountain Bike Trail and decided to walk it.  It was a beautiful day and allowed me to free my mind from all the noise up there.  The Spirit told me to just simplify and listen.  I was able to enjoy the trees, birds, the water still in the trees, and all of God's creation.  But as I walked the trail, the Spirit began to share something else with me.  So I thought I'd share it here with others.

After a slight distracting phone call, this thought overwhelmed me.  Walking that trail is just like the walk of a disciple.  In Matthew 7:13-14 Jesus says, "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few."  It is not the straight and narrow, it is the hard and narrow.

You see a path has some very distinguishing features.  First of all, a path is a distinct way cut through the woods, the desert, mountains, etc.  However, most paths do not feature "guard rails" to keep you on it.  There are definite boundaries that mark the path, but nothing to stop you from wandering off if you so wish.  However, to get where you are going, you need to stay on the path.  The way to follow Jesus is hard.  It bids a man to come and die to himself and follow Jesus forever.  Along the way, there will be many distractions in relationships, money, cares of this world, anxiety, and so on.  We will grow weary and tired.  We will stop for a rest.  We will stop to pray.  Sometimes we will look back and wonder if you should go back the way we came.  But the path calls us to keep walking so that we can get to where we were going.  And for us, this is to the Father.

At some points, the boundaries of the path are very unclear.  You can vaguely make out where you are supposed to go, but it seems that the difference between the path and not being on the path are not easy to figure out.  The longer you have been on the path, the easier it is to notice the distinguishing marks of the path.  What would be really helpful would be to have a guide, walking you down the path.  Someone that made the path, that knew more intricately than you ever could.  Jesus gave His followers His Spirit to guide them on His path.  In John 14:26 Jesus says, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you."  The Spirit is given to us to walk us down the path, teaching us the boundaries and showing us the way.  He is guiding home to the Father.

Sometimes the path gets dark, making it nearly impossible to see.  It is always nice to have a light with you in those moments.  It is no accident that the Psalmist writes in Psalm 119:105, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."  God's word lights up the path for us.  The word will not walk the path for us, but will show us where we are walking and the help us see what lies ahead of us and behind us.  It illuminates the boundaries and helps us to discern our surroundings.  It keeps darkness off of the path.

The path of discipleship is hard.  Along the way are many distractions that Satan uses to distract us.  But remember, Satan can not push or pull us off the path.  The lusts of our hearts may cause us to go after the distractions, but as long as we are on the path we are walking in the peace of God.  So maybe today you need to raise up your head and let God's word illuminate your way.  Maybe you need to get back on the path of the Gospel.  Maybe you need to listen to the Spirit guiding you along.  Hopefully you can walk the path the way I ended my time.  Joyfully singing praises to God, clearly seeing where to go, and content to be right where you are.

The Hezekiah Commitment

Last month I preached a sermon on Biblical Giving.  At the end of that sermon (you can see the notes here) I reference a commitment to lead like Hezekiah does in II Chronicles.  I wanted to take some time to expand on that here.

Too often, churches accept the current state of things because that's the way they have been.  Leaders are guilty of the same drift.  Churches and leaders both get tired, worn out, and become paralyzed from continuing to pursue Godly change and repentance.  We stop asking the hard questions, stop looking for the areas to grow in.  I believe that giving and finances are one of those areas in the church.

We have accepted "giving to the church", the tithe, the need for buildings, programs, and debt as proper uses of how the church should handle her finances.  But in studying the scriptures on this subject I found some eye-opening realities.

The first and most challenge was the relative smallness of the "tithe" in all of scripture.  The tithe (meaning tenth) only consisted of a portion of the overall giving to the tabernacle/temple and priests in the Old Testament.  The tithe did not include sacrifices, offerings, freewill offerings, and many other forms of giving or sacrifice.  Why did we zero in on the tithe?  The NT only references in 3 locations, twice speaking against the legalism which it represented and once in referring to Melchizedek and Abraham.  So why do we perpetuate this concept?  I believe it limits our freedom in giving, uses a concept that is strange to people not raised in the church, and is not true to the NT heart of giving.  There is no where in the New Testament the idea that a tenth of what we have should be "given to the church".  You just won't find it.

So what does the NT say about followers of Jesus and giving (since it says so little about tithing)?  Well first and foremost it covers the same themes from the Old Testament.  Giving should be for the benefit of widows, orphans, those in hardships, the poor, and those working on the church (preaching, teaching, etc).  Too many churches today make business decisions with their money, not spiritual decisions.  I know the arguments against this stance.  That spending money on programs and buildings allows us to reach more people for Jesus.  Make that argument if you want, but the bottom line is you won't find support for that kind of thinking in the scriptures.  Money is meant to be a means of grace in the lives of those around us, not a way to attract the masses.

So my commitment is this.  As far as I am concerned, 4 categories take precedence in all financial decisions using money given by the church:
1)Caring for widows, orphans, and others in hardships.
2)Caring for the poor and impoverished.
3)Supplying the needs of those working on the church.
4)Supplying the needs of those spreading the Gospel globally.

I understand this leaves off a lot of what we do with money in the current church environment.  Am I saying the other uses of money are evil?  No, but what I am saying is that we have lost our priorities.  And I believe that when we pursue this kind of integrity with our spending as a church, we will see God move like He did in II Chronicles 29-31.

God's Glory Is His Power, Presence, and Praise

Glory is a strange word.  It has very little real significance in our every day usage.  I do not hear it very often in every day talk, so when I come to the scripture and see it everywhere it creates a conflict for me.  Several years ago in my personal study of John, I realized that Glory was more than an abstract concept, it was vital to understanding what Jesus was all about (John 1:14).  If we do not rightly understand the Glory of God we do not rightly understand Jesus or why He came.

Romans 1:23 informs us that the problem with man is that we have exchanged God's glory for images of man, birds, animals, and creeping things.  So at our core is a Glory problem, or as it is stated in Romans 3:23, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," (fall short = lack).  We do not possess what we should about God, namely His glory.  And our fallen nature stems from this lack of Glory.  But what is this Glory?  Well Romans 1:20 says that His eternal power and divine nature should have been clearly perceived.  Trace the word Glory in the OT and when it refers to God, it was either a display of His power in miraculous ways or a manifestation of His presence to the people.  God's Glory is His power and presence on display!

What makes this even more amazing is that Jesus, called the Glory of God, is also described as being the power and presence of God on display.  Colossians 1:15-20 tells us that the fullness of God dwells in Jesus and that all of Creation came about and is sustained through Him.  Look at Hebrews 1:3, "He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high."  Jesus is the radiance of God's glory, the imprint of His nature, and upholds the universe by the word of His power!  Glory is Power and Presence on display!

But God's Glory revealed demands acknowledgment.  This is the other use of the word Glory.  We give glory to God when we recognize His Glory.  By glory we mean praise.  In giving praise to God we are not giving Him something that He does not already possess, like a Christmas present.  Rather we are recognizing a truth that already exists.  We are joining with all creation to declare the mighty deeds of God (Psalm 19:1).  In fact, the only saving response to our recognition of the revelation of God's is to give praise to Him (Ephesians 1:11-14).  The Glory of God on display in Jesus moves us to give Glory to Him.

Resurrection Implications

Does the resurrection of Jesus from the dead have any implications other than to verify the story of Jesus?  Yes!  It has implications for all of creation and it has special immediate implications for those who believe in it.

For All Creation


Romans 8 makes it very clear that all of creation is eagerly awaiting the day when God will make everything right at the revealing of His children (Romans 8:19-22).  All of the world - fish, animals, birds, plants, people, and on and on - are fully aware that we live in a world of futility.  That no matter how much we accumulate, no matter how good we are, no matter how long we live, we all end the same way, in death.  Death is the unmistakable sign of destruction for all of us.  It points to the fact that something in this life is seriously off, that it all must either be a sad, twisted joke or that it's all very broken and needs fixing.

And this is the power of the resurrection for all creation!  For Jesus to actually raise from the dead means that death no longer carries with it the same power.  It shows that death is defeatable, that it is all in fact broken but someone is fixing it.  And that someone is Jesus.  His victory over death signals to all the world that in fact something is being done and it gives power to His promise that He will return to finalize the change.  So for now, the implications for all creation of Jesus' resurrection is that He will make all things new (Revelation 21:5).

For Those Who Believe In It


But Romans 8 has something in particular to say to those who believe and trust in the power of the resurrection.  Paul states in Romans 8 that based on the resurrection of Jesus (Romans 8:11) we no longer should trust in the things of our flesh but in the gift of the Holy Spirit.  But what does that mean?  It means that we have been saved to something much bigger than just existing as people that go to work, watch sports, eat food, and raise families.  It means that we have been saved to begin a new life of joining God on His mission of reconciliation.  Look at Paul unpack this in II Corinthians 5:14-21

For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 

The implications for those of us that believe is that we are new creations!  We have a mission to live.  We don't just exist in this world, we live with a purpose.  We join God in making all things new.  By the death and resurrection of Jesus we are declared to be the righteousness of God.  This gives us hope that we can actually see victory over futility in the world around us and that we have a message of hope to proclaim to the oppressed.

So if we claim to believe in the resurrection of Jesus, are we living like it?  Or are we content to say that we know that Jesus died for me and that's good enough?  Because if we end with the death of Jesus for our sins, we are not preaching the full Gospel.  Jesus also conquered death which tells us that death has no hold on those who have faith.  Trust in the power of His resurrection and get on board with God's mission of reconciliation in the world!

Celebrations, Cathedrals, and Cells

I am so thankful to those who have gone before us in the faith.  Men like Peter, Paul, John, Augustine, Justin Martyr, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Jonathan Edwards, Charles Spurgeon, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, and on and on.  Throughout every generation God has raised up men to call His people to follow after Him.  Even more amazing is the continuity of the message, that Jesus died for our sin and was resurrected so that we might move from death to life.  Glory to God for His unchanging nature and sovereign will!

But there is a great need in our day for repentance and reformation as well.  We have certainly not arrived at the final coming of the New Jerusalem and eagerly await our Bridegroom's arrival.  But until He comes, we continue to be purified as His bride.  And in that purification is the need for a reformation of church structure.

All around the world the reformation has already begun.  Churches in Asia, eastern Europe, Africa, and South America have already discovered the power of being gathered together by God's Holy Spirit.  My prayer is that God will continue to bring about this reformation of church structure to His Church in America.

One author, Wolfgang Simson, has referred to what I am talking about as "Cathedral style meetings".  I do not agree with all that Mr. Simson has to say, but on this point I find his analysis intriguing.  What we see in the New Testament and early church history are two distinct meetings in the church family.  There was an organic movement happening in the homes of the people.  This was the natural start of the church in Acts 2 and continuing on.  But also the church was gathered together in large groups for worship and teaching on a regular basis.  They often found themselves in synagogues, schools, amphitheaters, and the temple courts.  But each gathering had separate purposes, with the home based movement being the foundational gathering of the church.

With the rising of the Roman Catholic Church a new phenomena was begun, Cathedrals.  Cathedrals sought to bring together the large "Celebrations" and the small "Cells" into one meeting.  This structure has persisted to this day creating churches that are building, clergy, and program centered or as I say "centralized."  But the church is a movement of God scattered by the power of the Holy Spirit to advance the good news of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection!  The church is a messy, decentralized movement of believers witnessing about the Glory of God to the world in which we live.

I am not advocating the abandonment of all our buildings, structures, and responsibilities.  I AM advocating the rediscovering of a balance between celebration and cell.  Not a cathedral with a good small group program, but a true rediscovery of the necessary balance between the church gathered and scattered.  Many churches have already identified this necessary reform and have acted accordingly.  My prayer for us at Round Lake is that we will as well.  And in all things, may God be glorified through His people in whatever form He gathers them together!

Ministry Priorities

Recently something has been bothering me.  Why does it seem that so many well intentioned members of God's people get distracted from doing the things that God has designed them for?  If we hold to a Biblical understanding of the church then we know that God has given different gifts or tasks to the various members of His body.  Some are prophets, some are teachers, some are administrators, some are hospitable, some have the gift of mercy, and so on.  But it seems that we find ourselves sucked into the lie that good christians possess all the gifts and can be anything at any given time.  And I believe it creates ministry distraction.

The apostles were faced with a serious dilemma in Acts 6.  There was a problem with the distribution of food to the hellenist christian widows.  Because the church had been growing so rapidly in those days, the issue I'm sure was rather large and needed immediate attention.  So it was brought before the leadership, specifically the Apostles.  What a test this is!  Serving and distributing food to widows is a critical aspect of the ministry of the church.  At the same time, for the disciples to undertake this task would mean that they would have to cut back on their ministries of prayer and the word.  What would they decide?

I could ask here what would you choose to do.  But I am not going to ask that question.  Instead, what have you done in the past?  You see I believe that we often choose to do the things that we feel need to get done, even if someone else should be doing those things.  The Apostles could have chosen to serve food to the widows and we would have applauded them for this.  But instead they made the harder decision that most of refuse to make.

They put it back on the church.  They said find 7 men that could do this task, because we have been commissioned to ministries of the word and prayer.  Notice that they acknowledge the significance of this ministry, but that they understand that the rest of the body has responsibility here.  I wonder what the people thought?  I know the pressure in most churches.  "Oh well, they don't have a servants heart, putting it back on the church."  "That's just lazy."  "How much time do they really need to pray and preach?  I mean isn't being a christian about helping people?"

But I know for a fact, from experience, that the pressure of others is nothing like the pressure I put on myself.  "What will people think if I don't do this?"  I have tried in the past to measure up to "their" expectations many times in ministry, uncertain of who they really are.  "They" always seem to show up in leadership meetings, nameless and faceless, but having lots of pull.  Thank God that the Apostles were not this insecure.

The appointment of these 7 proved to be the right decision.  But it wasn't the right decision just because the church grew and Stephen and Philip turned out to be powerful witnesses to the Gospel.  It was the right decision because the Apostles stayed focused on their role in the body.  They would not be distracted by good things, they were focused on the right things.  

So where are you in your ministry priority?  What's the one thing God is tugging at you to do it?  Why aren't you doing it?  Let me suggest some ideas for finding out your ministry priority:

• Pray that God would show you how He wants to use you in the body.
• Get a copy of The 3 Colors of Ministry and begin discovering your Spiritual Gifts.
• Write down on paper what are the things that God has specifically designed you to do.
• In one sentence, what is the one ministry that you should be doing within the kingdom?
• Stay focused on the ministry He is giving you to do.

"Zeal For My House Will Consume Me!"

For zeal for your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me. (Psalm 69:9)

How does this picture make you feel about the man holding the whip? Just pretend you don't know what's going on here. What are some thoughts that come to your mind? Do you think of someone who is honorable and right? Do you think of someone who is loving and caring? Probably not.

We have trouble with this account in scripture because it doesn't fit our neat and tidy understanding of Jesus as the lowly servant who takes it on the chin. He gets angry. He gets aggressive. He gets downright violent. But if scripture teaches that He is without sin, then what drives the Son of God to the point of passionate, zealous anger towards what is taking place in the temple.

The answer is found in John 2:13-22. At the time of the passover, Jesus heads to Jerusalem. And coming upon the temple he finds the buying and selling of sacrifices there. He finds men changing out foreign money for the local Jerusalem currency. These are services of convenience for the travelers to the temple. But God is not concerned with our convenience, He is concerned with the state of our heart. And these money changers and sacrifice sellers were busy turning a profit on the religious needs of the day. Their hearts were waxed cold and the glory of God was far from them.

As Jesus fashioned the whip that He would use to drive them out, the passion must have grew within Him. You see the temple was not just a place for religious activity to occur. It was not just a place to visit. It was truly the place that God had promised to meet His people on earth. It was where He agreed to reveal Himself to them. It was not the temple that Jesus was zealous for, but for the glory of God. Which, being the son of God, was His own glory.

Yes, I am saying that what made Jesus so angry was that the people were defaming His glory. They were not just making a mockery of the temple, but of Jesus Himself. Jesus' ultimate passion was that the nations would see His glory and worship it. Does it sound selfish? Well not quite when you read on in John 2.

Jesus' glory is defined and shown by His death and resurrection. That's what He meant when He said, "destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up." To display His glory for the nations meant their salvation! The glory of Jesus is our greatest benefit. So of course He was indignant when they defamed His glory, because they were defaming the very glory that could bring them salvation from eternal damnation! The thing Jesus was most passionate and most zealous for was His glory that would bring salvation to the world. He is passionate about His glory which makes Him passionate about us!

But what dug into my heart in this text is this question... what are we zealous for? Are we this passionate about the glory of God? Or are we more passionate about America, sports, or our wealth? What do we pursue at the cost of everything else? I'm afraid that the american church has become more zealous for herself than for the glory of God in Christ Jesus. We have become more zealous over matters of form and outward expression than for the glory that dwells in the temple. How do I know this? By the very lack of manifestation of the glory of Christ. When zeal for the glory of Christ returns to our churches, then expect that glory to show up in power and might. Bow down and be amazed at the Jesus who turns over tables. Oh that we might get zealous for the glory of our risen king Jesus. What would it look like if He turned over some tables in our hearts?

Come and See

"Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour." John 1:38-39

"Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” John 1:45-46

"I set myself on fire, and the people come to see me burn." John Wesley

John's Gospel is written as a witness to us, to behold the Christ, the Son of God, Jesus. It is a call for all to "come and see." And there is so much to see!

The first two disciples begin to follow Jesus at the prodding of John the witness. In response to His question, "What are you seeking?", they ask where He is staying. His answer, "come and see." I'm sure they thought they would go and see where this great Rabbi, as they called Him, was staying. But instead what they began to see was something so much greater. They began to see truth, life, God.

We come to Jesus for all kinds of reasons, most of them selfish. But once we do come to Him, His glory eradicates all of our superficiality. He destroys our concepts of ourself and gives us a passion for Him. We stop living for ourselves and begin to live for Him. It becomes our one desire in this life, to come and see Jesus.

But not only does He become our desire, but we are filled with a passion to prod others to come and see. Andrew went and got Peter. Philip went and got Nathanael. When we have found Him, or better stated when He has found us, we must spread the news to others to come and see.

Who have you invited to come and see Jesus lately? Who has looked on your zeal for Jesus and been inspired to come and see for themselves? Or maybe you are reading this and wondering what I am talking about. Then please, open up the Word of God and "come and see!"

How apocalyptic are you?

Pastors are the persons in the church communities who repeat and insist on these kingdom realities against the world appearances, and who therefore must be apocalyptic. In its dictionary meaning, apocalypse is simply “revelation,” the uncovering of what was covered up so that we can see what is there. But the context in which the word arrives adds color to the black-and-white dictionary meaning, colors bright and dark—crimson urgency and purple crisis. Under the crisis of persecution and under the urgency of an imminent end, reality is revealed suddenly for what it is. We had supposed our lives were so utterly ordinary. Sin-habits dull our free faith into stodgy moralism and respectable boredom; then crisis rips the veneer of cliché off everyday routines and reveals the side-by-side splendors and terrors of heaven and hell. Apocalypse is arson—it secretly sets a fire in the imagination that boils the fat out of an obese culture-religion and renders a clear gospel love, a pure gospel hope, a purged gospel faith. (from The Contemplative Pastor by Eugene Peterson, page 50)

I want this to become something of a job description for me. My role in this world is not to run a church or to administrate church activities. It is to "rip the veneer" off of the spiritual struggle going on in places unseen. We are so confused by the church is and is not in this world. Unfortunately, many times we do not realize that the church is the place where the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of this world do battle.

This is a concept from Matthew's gospel that I have begun to see all throughout scripture lately. The visible, local church is not the kingdom of heaven. Mingled in among God's people are all kinds. Those on the brink of believing, those who openly reject truth, those who hide sin, those who are wolves in sheeps clothing, snakes, and devils. There are blind, deaf, mute, crippled, and spiritually dead people within the visible church. The kingdom of heaven do not consist of these. So why are they in the visible church? Because the visible church is where the kingdom of heaven does battle on the kingdom of this world.

I am discovering more and more everyday that my role in all of this is to bring this real battle to the forefront of our minds. We all too often, myself included, forget that this battle is very real. We wage war on one another and destroy ourselves, not recognizing the spiritual battle at hand. Satan is excited when we forget about him, when we blame one another for his work. He does not mind not getting the credit.

But we must recognize the spiritual reality that comes with Ephesians 6:10-20:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

It is my duty to equip as many people as possible for this reality. To aid them in being on the alert, to help them put on all the pieces of armor, to put the sword in their hands, and to lead them into prayer. Everything must become about this. Seem intense? So is the fight. Your marriage is about this. Your parenting is about this. Your work is about this. Your life is about this. So how apocalyptic are you?

Do you love me?

So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter,
“Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My lambs.”
He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.”
He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep."
“Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go.” Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me!” (John 21:15-19)

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. (1 John 4:7-12)

I have been hearing this constant drumming in the back of my head over the last few weeks. It actually started off quite faint, almost a whisper. Slowly it started to resound louder and louder. Eventually it became a full on rhythmic pounding. It was calling out to me, "Do you love me?"

I love myself. I know this much. I love my own gain, my own sound, my own tune. I love everything there is to love about Jason. I also love everything there is to hate about Jason. I know that sounds really weird, but when you're this self-absorbed, even hating things about yourself becomes a sort of love affair.

But Jesus' love for me has been dredging something up from the depths of my soul. How can I say that I love Jesus, if I don't love His sheep, His lambs, His children? Oh, it most certainly would appear that I am a loving guy. I have a wonderful family, I minister out the word to God's people, and I am always ready to assist in times of need. But, do I love them?

Love has flown under the radar for too long in our churches. It has too long been defined as an abstract, congenial, warm feeling that we pass out on Sunday mornings. We have sought to package it and parade it around. But love is not this way. Love is more like what Jesus tells Peter he will have to endure.

Love is willing to sacrifice myself joyfully for others. Love is more concerned with the needs of others than my own. Love is 1 Corinthians 13, love is bigger than being nice to each other. Love means I am at your house in time of crisis, because I want to be there. Love is a phone call at 5:30pm on a Thursday afternoon because I need someone to be there for me. Love is stopping by unannounced and sitting down for dinner. Love is messy, love is hard, and love produces joy.

I realize that my capacity to love is limited. I am not loving, nor am I really that lovable. (Please don't try to convince me otherwise.) But yet, God loves me because He is love. It is unthinkable. And He gives me the capacity to love big time. I want to know the power of His love better. I want to love His sheep better. I want to love His children better. But it is not just my duty to love better. It is for my joy that I would come to love better. And your joy. And our joy together.

Lord God please help us to love better. Help us be done with a religion that begins and ends one day a week. Move your Spirit of love through us, so that all week long we become a community of love. Thank you for loving us first in your son Jesus. Teach us what it means to love.