Yesterday morning at this time was definitely a low in my parenting experience. Ar’Mircle and Jade sleep in the same room and our goal is for them to sleep from 7pm to 7am. When I’m home, my job is to get them going in the morning so Casey has some extra sleep. If I’m not up by 6, then I can kiss my Quiet Time goodbye, which for some reason makes me grumpier than it ought to!
Two days ago, Ar’Mircle was not on a great schedule and did not eat as much as she really needed. Thus, she woke up around 5am, making her needs known with her usual loud cries. I decided to follow our suboptimal protocol in hopes that we could salvage some sleep, so I gave her a bottle and changed her diaper. She actually went down pretty well. Jade usually sleeps through this, but had some sort of earache or tummyache, and so she woke up and things went south from there.
I can’t say we handled the situation well and we will need to get a lot of advice on what to do in the future. It’s always hard when you know your kids are exasperated or very close to it. Jade basically got herself so worked up she couldn’t breathe properly. Looking back, it was a very long fit that lasted over an hour. We knew she needed a lot more sleep and we had a huge day ahead of us so we were trying to get her back to sleep. However, we eventually let her up. I prayed a nice long prayer in the bright lights of the kitchen with her about happy thoughts and good things from God and asked him to comfort her. That did the trick and she was able to do a “mind change” and revert back to being the happy, joyful, delightful little girl that I know.
Throughout this episode, I just wanted Jade to let us comfort her. I even told her that her job was not to talk, but to sit still and snuggle with us and let us calm her down. Instead, she kept trying to fidget, complain about her physical discomforts, and negotiate about HOW she wanted to get comforted (see Ps. 77:1-2).
This really got me thinking about the topic of “comfort” and whether or not I let God comfort me. I also felt very convicted that I ought to have prayed way sooner with her and as long as it took for her to get her mind on God and off of her problems. I’m determined to handle such situations differently in the future. This morning, I decided to look at some scriptures on “comfort” and “hope” and what God wants in my relationship with him.
What God Wants to Do
Is 40:1-2 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins.
Isaiah 51:12 "I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you that you fear mortal men, the sons of men, who are but grass,
Isaiah 66:13 As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem."
Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
False Sources of Comfort and Wrong Attitudes
I’m particularly tempted to turn to extra sleep if I have a bad day or am feeling depressed. But it’s definitely not the answer—Jesus is… On the other hand, the story of 1 Kings 19:1-9 tells us that God understands our physical needs.
Job 7:13-15
When I think my bed will comfort me and my couch will ease my complaint, even then you frighten me with dreams and terrify me with visions, so that I prefer strangling and death, rather than this body of mine.
Another temptation for me is to solve my problems myself and in my own way. Being self-sufficient and responsible isn’t a bad thing. However, I love to be able to be of assistance to my daughters and I know God feels the same about me. It’s always more fun and relationally satisfying to accomplish something together rather than showing of what you did by yourself.
Jeremiah 17:5 This is what the LORD says: "Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD.
Psalm 33:17 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save.
Here’s the scripture that reminded me of Jade refusing to be comforted. At least this guy is going to God and being honest about his feelings, but he is too agitated to receive the gift of comfort that God wants to offer him.
Ps 77:1-2
I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me. When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out untiring hands and my soul refused to be comforted.
Having the right attitude toward God
When I’m in the right spiritual “zone,” I am simply one of the sheep in God’s flock. I have no concerns or worries because the Good Shepherd is watching after me.
Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Psalm 119:76 May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant.
Isaiah 52:9 Burst into songs of joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem, for the LORD has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem.
Here is a key scripture for my parenting. Jesus asked his disciples to trust him and in that trust they were trusting God. In the same way, I am asking my kids to first put their trust in God overall, but then to trust Casey and me in the everyday and in so doing they will be trusting God.
John 14:1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.
As part of the body of Christ, we can receive comfort from one another. Of course, we first want to turn to God, but oftentimes God puts people in our lives to meet our needs.
2 Corinthians 7:6-7 But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever.
Psalm 25:5 guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
Sometimes you just have to tell yourself what is the right attitude to have. I love the Psalms and their total honesty and openness about feelings and attitudes.
Psalm 42:5 Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and
The Bible is where I gain a great deal of comfort and hope. Sometimes we have to search the scriptures to find the right one for a particular situation. Asking other disciples for a scripture is also beneficial.
Psalm 119:82 My eyes fail, looking for your promise; I say, "When will you comfort me?"
Psalm 119:52 I remember your ancient laws, O LORD, and I find comfort in them.
Psalm 119:114 You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Thursday, December 24, 2009
The Coming Messiah
Christ-mas is nearly upon us (less so when I started writing this entry 2 weeks ago ;-). Dec. 25 is the traditional date where the world acknowledges the importance of the birth of Jesus Christ. Beyond a single day, Catholics celebrate Advent (the coming of the Lord) for a full 12 days. In quickly browsing the Catholic Advent website http://www.catholic.org/clife/advent/advent.php?id=37, I clearly have a lot to learn. As best I can gather, Catholics celebrate Advent for 12 days starting Dec. 26--and the popularized song is indeed talking about this period of time (for the mathematical among us, the number of each type of gift (e.g., 1 partridge x 12 days = 12) is a 2nd-order polynomial with a zenith at 6.5).
My personal tradition is to counter the holiday frenzy of spending with reflections on Jesus Christ. Jesus is a variant of Yeshua, meaning "the Lord saves," i.e., from our sins (Matt. 1:21). Christ is the Greek word for "Messiah." Depending on your criteria, there are well over 100 prophecies and references to the Messiah in the Old Testament of the Bible. Over the next several days I want to reflect on a few of my favorites that mean a lot to me.
At the top of my list is Isaiah 52:13-53:12. This famous scripture is perhaps the most eloquent of any in the Bible in describing what Jesus did in dying to save each individual from their sins by bearing them himself. The core teaching of Christianity is literally found in the Old Testament! Two or three years ago I had the privilege of seeing an ancient manuscript with this passage in the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Dead Sea Scrolls are very important because they can be definitively dated to the era before Jesus of Nazareth. The parallels between his death and that of the suffering servant in Is. 53 are very striking. The carbon dating of the Dead Sea Scrolls proves that the parallels were not manufactured textually by Christians after the fact.
Is 52:14. "14 Just as there were many who were appalled at him—his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness." Mel Gibson's "The Passion" does an excellent job of helping me visualize the torture Jesus experienced before he died (i.e., the crown of thorns, getting whipped, being struck with fists and hands). In all likelihood, this abuse left him unrecognizable.
Is 53:4. "4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted." Jesus' death had no spiritual significance to anyone on the day he died. His grief-struck disciples followed at a distance and Matt. 27:39-44 records how the crowd mocked him as he died, matching Is. 53:4 very well.
39Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads 40and saying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!" 41In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. 42"He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, 'I am the Son of God.' " 44In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
Is. 53:5. “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Here is the eloquent paradox that one person’s suffering can heal the wounds of another. Matthew 8:17 quotes this scripture to explain how Jesus healed people during his lifetime.
My personal tradition is to counter the holiday frenzy of spending with reflections on Jesus Christ. Jesus is a variant of Yeshua, meaning "the Lord saves," i.e., from our sins (Matt. 1:21). Christ is the Greek word for "Messiah." Depending on your criteria, there are well over 100 prophecies and references to the Messiah in the Old Testament of the Bible. Over the next several days I want to reflect on a few of my favorites that mean a lot to me.
At the top of my list is Isaiah 52:13-53:12. This famous scripture is perhaps the most eloquent of any in the Bible in describing what Jesus did in dying to save each individual from their sins by bearing them himself. The core teaching of Christianity is literally found in the Old Testament! Two or three years ago I had the privilege of seeing an ancient manuscript with this passage in the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Dead Sea Scrolls are very important because they can be definitively dated to the era before Jesus of Nazareth. The parallels between his death and that of the suffering servant in Is. 53 are very striking. The carbon dating of the Dead Sea Scrolls proves that the parallels were not manufactured textually by Christians after the fact.
Is 52:14. "14 Just as there were many who were appalled at him—his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness." Mel Gibson's "The Passion" does an excellent job of helping me visualize the torture Jesus experienced before he died (i.e., the crown of thorns, getting whipped, being struck with fists and hands). In all likelihood, this abuse left him unrecognizable.
Is 53:4. "4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted." Jesus' death had no spiritual significance to anyone on the day he died. His grief-struck disciples followed at a distance and Matt. 27:39-44 records how the crowd mocked him as he died, matching Is. 53:4 very well.
39Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads 40and saying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!" 41In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. 42"He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, 'I am the Son of God.' " 44In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
Is. 53:5. “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Here is the eloquent paradox that one person’s suffering can heal the wounds of another. Matthew 8:17 quotes this scripture to explain how Jesus healed people during his lifetime.
Is. 53:7. “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.” Jesus’ entire trial was a complete mockery of justice. Clearly he did not lack for words or clever retorts given his earlier dialogues with the Pharisees. Why did he hold back? His self-control certainly distinguished him from common criminals and gave glory to God. He knew he was innocent and his silence simply made the false accusations more blatantly obvious. Jesus demonstrated total humility in allowing the people he had created to judge him. However, I also wonder if part of his prayer in Gethsemane was wrestling with the decision to fulfill this scripture.
Is. 53:9. “He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.” Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus combined their wealth to give Jesus a very rich burial with 75 pounds of spices in a new, unused tomb. They took a very faithful and public stand for their teacher at a very unpopular and inconvenient time. In their grief, I highly doubt they realized the significance of their actions, so I wonder how they felt when they understood how they had helped fulfill this prophecy! Jesus only stayed in the grave across portions of three days before he put the costly linens and spices aside and rejoined the ranks of the living.
I cannot help thinking about Jesus’ birth without thinking about his death. I always wonder how things occurred to Mary. She was in the stable that night and gave birth to a healthy baby boy. She was also at the foot of the cross (John 19:25-27) and watched her son die an agonizing death. Most mothers hope to never see the latter. But once she understood its spiritual significance (and saw her son alive again!), I'm sure Mary wouldn't trade her experience for any other mother's.
That the God of the universe would send his son as a helpless little baby with diaper needs is shocking enough. That Mary's little baby would grow up and undergo such intense suffering to become the Savior of the world--it changes how I treat every baby.
I hope you have a wonderful, glorious Christmas season filled with awe over the Messiah baby.
That the God of the universe would send his son as a helpless little baby with diaper needs is shocking enough. That Mary's little baby would grow up and undergo such intense suffering to become the Savior of the world--it changes how I treat every baby.
I hope you have a wonderful, glorious Christmas season filled with awe over the Messiah baby.
Monday, December 7, 2009
The Concept of Acknowledgement
As many of you know, I have been taking the Self-Expression and Leadership Program at Landmark Education. This blog will explore the spiritual aspects of one of the key concepts in the program: acknowledgement.
When I first became a Christian, good news sharing was a strong part of our church culture. Most leaders meetings and midweeks started out with people sharing how God had opened people’s hearts to be receptive to the gospel. In the fellowship, people often shared good news from their own lives. I remember my girlfriend (now wife :-) sharing her day with me and how excited she was about the numerous new friends and phone numbers she had gotten that day. Rather than feeling excited for her and rejoicing with her, I remember feeling convicted (“I need to be out there sharing like that too”). That episode was actually the exception more than the rule--I usually walked away from church very inspired and encouraged by the good news that I heard.
In recent months, Jay Kelly has attempted a couple of good news sharing times at midweek, but there were several "hear the crickets" moments. It can be discouraging to sit in a room where no one raises their hand to offer good news. Here are some reasons why I don’t share good news, especially evangelistically. 1) I think I don’t have any because I believe I haven’t been living a life of action. 2) Out of supposed consideration for my listener, I hold back since I don’t want to come across as boasting or convicting them that they should do the same. 3) I minimize the significance of I what have to share.
At the SELP, we are required to fill out “acknowledgement forms” on a weekly basis. The stated purpose is that every acknowledgement is a direct blow to our “act. ” What on earth is an “act?” Mine is “Fine! I don’t need that!” The act is the default message of the voice in our head. Its purpose is to keep us from failing (and it works really well). However, the “act” prevents us from taking risks and from realizing our potential. It generally sabotages our efforts to change and ultimately keeps us from truly succeeding! For example, my act nearly convinced me not to take the SELP (I was doing just fine without this course). I’m very grateful I made a different choice.
Spiritually speaking, I believe the “act” is really the voice of Satan, the accuser. Since the garden of Eden, Satan has been tempting people to do wrong. However, he understands that a direct attack won’t work most of the time. Instead, he makes accusations against us that become so normal that we believe they come from ourselves. The effect of these accusations can be rather crippling for any spiritual growth, as I just described above. The Bible describes the struggle in the following declaration of Revelation 12:10-11, “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. 11They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.”
Everyone experiences Satan’s attacks (see 1 Peter 5:8-9). The Christians in the Revelation scripture overcome Satan in two ways. First, in humility they acknowledge their sinfulness yet claim the blood of the Lamb as sufficient to eradicate it and leave them clean before God. Satan wants to tell us we’re not good enough and never can be. The Bible states, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Cor 5:17). When I focus on the cross and Jesus’ incredible sacrifice for me as an individual, there is no room to undervalue or downgrade myself.
Second, these Christians overcame Satan by the word of their testimony. I interpret this to mean “good news” and “acknowledgement.” During the SELP, I have had a couple breakthroughs in acknowledging myself that I want to share to illustrate this point.
In October, I attended Rambo Weekend with many of the guys from church. As I committed to going, one friend shared that he had a visitor coming. I realized that this was a great opportunity to get my friends and family into a situation that could have a major positive spiritual impact. However, I did not take any actions or make any phone calls. When I arrived at the retreat and met the visitors who came out, I saw that I had two choices. 1) Continue my old pattern and feel jealous and beat myself up for not taking more actions to get people there. 2) Acknowledge the fact that in some way, I was responsible for making Rambo Weekend happen. Without me and others like me, the brothers with visitors would not have had an amazing event for their friends to attend. Taking responsibility enabled me to participate in this victory (rather than feeling defeated for not having a visitor). I ended up having several great spiritual conversations to bond with and encourage our new friends as they learned more about God.
This past Thanksgiving weekend, Darin Ford baptized his second friend in the past three months. Again, Satan tempted me with sinful feelings of jealousy, defeat, competition, and that my efforts don’t make a difference. However, I thought about the fact that we had an encouraging spiritual conversation together at Rambo Weekend and that I have prayed for him in his ministry. This enabled me to acknowledge the part I played in that victory and rejoice with him and be inspired by his example to take more action (not less!).
You may thinking, “That’s quite a stretch, bro. Aren’t you making stuff up with this acknowledgement thing?” There’s actually a very strong Biblical basis for it in 1 Cor 12:25-27. “There should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” As part of the body of Christ, I participate in every victory!
We usually focus on the importance of our connection to the Body since it is our only connection to the head (Christ). We also discuss how the Bible mentions the different roles of the various body parts. Imagine the body needing to brush its teeth. How can the feet acknowledge themselves for this activity? On the surface, only the arms, hands, and mouth are involved. But how did the body make it to the bathroom in the first place? And don’t we usually brush our teeth standing up? The feet play a very important role even though we don’t hold the toothbrush with our toes!
These acknowledgement victories have mostly been for my benefit. But through the SELP, I have learned how I need to communicate good news so that it benefits my listener. The purpose of the acknowledgement is to literally enable the other person to take responsibility for causing the result that I share. For example, let’s suppose I share my faith on the bus. There are several key elements that I need to communicate. First, I must give glory to God for the opportunity, vision, and strength to take action (compare Acts 12:19-23 and 14:8-18). Second, I need to acknowledge the listener for the result in a way that enables them to take responsibility for causing the good news/result. This is not about me pumping up my ego even further—I already have been blessed by acknowledging myself for the result. It is about helping the other person “get” that they made a difference in this world.
My Bible Talk has been sharing gratitude lists over email ever since Jay’s sermon two months ago. It has had a powerful effect on all of us. I am taking this to a new level by starting a new “acknowledgement thread” that will benefit our group in many ways. 1) Reveal that God is at work in gazillions of tiny ways every moment of every day. 2) Give everyone a deeper understanding of the powerful positive impact they are making on this world every day as God uses them. 3) Encourage us to keep praying for one another since it really does make a difference. 4) Remind each of us that a tiny seed of faith coupled with a small action can have a big result. 5) Give each of us ideas on how ordinary people can make a big difference by daily living a life that imitates Jesus. 6) Help each of us understand how powerful we really are through Christ (John 14:12-14, Mark 11:22-24). Ultimately, I believe bringing back good news sharing will grow our faith and lead to some incredible results.
As we look forward to 2010, let’s hit the “mute” button on Satan’s accusations and focus on all the results that arise from imitating Jesus. We truly are new creations through Christ! Second, let’s give God glory by talking about the myriad ways that the body of Christ is in action. Lastly, I encourage you, my reader, to develop the right “listening” so that any good news that others share with you is not lost, but that you take responsibility for how God used you to make a difference. Let’s take 1 Cor 12:27 to a whole new level: “if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.”
When I first became a Christian, good news sharing was a strong part of our church culture. Most leaders meetings and midweeks started out with people sharing how God had opened people’s hearts to be receptive to the gospel. In the fellowship, people often shared good news from their own lives. I remember my girlfriend (now wife :-) sharing her day with me and how excited she was about the numerous new friends and phone numbers she had gotten that day. Rather than feeling excited for her and rejoicing with her, I remember feeling convicted (“I need to be out there sharing like that too”). That episode was actually the exception more than the rule--I usually walked away from church very inspired and encouraged by the good news that I heard.
In recent months, Jay Kelly has attempted a couple of good news sharing times at midweek, but there were several "hear the crickets" moments. It can be discouraging to sit in a room where no one raises their hand to offer good news. Here are some reasons why I don’t share good news, especially evangelistically. 1) I think I don’t have any because I believe I haven’t been living a life of action. 2) Out of supposed consideration for my listener, I hold back since I don’t want to come across as boasting or convicting them that they should do the same. 3) I minimize the significance of I what have to share.
At the SELP, we are required to fill out “acknowledgement forms” on a weekly basis. The stated purpose is that every acknowledgement is a direct blow to our “act. ” What on earth is an “act?” Mine is “Fine! I don’t need that!” The act is the default message of the voice in our head. Its purpose is to keep us from failing (and it works really well). However, the “act” prevents us from taking risks and from realizing our potential. It generally sabotages our efforts to change and ultimately keeps us from truly succeeding! For example, my act nearly convinced me not to take the SELP (I was doing just fine without this course). I’m very grateful I made a different choice.
Spiritually speaking, I believe the “act” is really the voice of Satan, the accuser. Since the garden of Eden, Satan has been tempting people to do wrong. However, he understands that a direct attack won’t work most of the time. Instead, he makes accusations against us that become so normal that we believe they come from ourselves. The effect of these accusations can be rather crippling for any spiritual growth, as I just described above. The Bible describes the struggle in the following declaration of Revelation 12:10-11, “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. 11They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.”
Everyone experiences Satan’s attacks (see 1 Peter 5:8-9). The Christians in the Revelation scripture overcome Satan in two ways. First, in humility they acknowledge their sinfulness yet claim the blood of the Lamb as sufficient to eradicate it and leave them clean before God. Satan wants to tell us we’re not good enough and never can be. The Bible states, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Cor 5:17). When I focus on the cross and Jesus’ incredible sacrifice for me as an individual, there is no room to undervalue or downgrade myself.
Second, these Christians overcame Satan by the word of their testimony. I interpret this to mean “good news” and “acknowledgement.” During the SELP, I have had a couple breakthroughs in acknowledging myself that I want to share to illustrate this point.
In October, I attended Rambo Weekend with many of the guys from church. As I committed to going, one friend shared that he had a visitor coming. I realized that this was a great opportunity to get my friends and family into a situation that could have a major positive spiritual impact. However, I did not take any actions or make any phone calls. When I arrived at the retreat and met the visitors who came out, I saw that I had two choices. 1) Continue my old pattern and feel jealous and beat myself up for not taking more actions to get people there. 2) Acknowledge the fact that in some way, I was responsible for making Rambo Weekend happen. Without me and others like me, the brothers with visitors would not have had an amazing event for their friends to attend. Taking responsibility enabled me to participate in this victory (rather than feeling defeated for not having a visitor). I ended up having several great spiritual conversations to bond with and encourage our new friends as they learned more about God.
This past Thanksgiving weekend, Darin Ford baptized his second friend in the past three months. Again, Satan tempted me with sinful feelings of jealousy, defeat, competition, and that my efforts don’t make a difference. However, I thought about the fact that we had an encouraging spiritual conversation together at Rambo Weekend and that I have prayed for him in his ministry. This enabled me to acknowledge the part I played in that victory and rejoice with him and be inspired by his example to take more action (not less!).
You may thinking, “That’s quite a stretch, bro. Aren’t you making stuff up with this acknowledgement thing?” There’s actually a very strong Biblical basis for it in 1 Cor 12:25-27. “There should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” As part of the body of Christ, I participate in every victory!
We usually focus on the importance of our connection to the Body since it is our only connection to the head (Christ). We also discuss how the Bible mentions the different roles of the various body parts. Imagine the body needing to brush its teeth. How can the feet acknowledge themselves for this activity? On the surface, only the arms, hands, and mouth are involved. But how did the body make it to the bathroom in the first place? And don’t we usually brush our teeth standing up? The feet play a very important role even though we don’t hold the toothbrush with our toes!
These acknowledgement victories have mostly been for my benefit. But through the SELP, I have learned how I need to communicate good news so that it benefits my listener. The purpose of the acknowledgement is to literally enable the other person to take responsibility for causing the result that I share. For example, let’s suppose I share my faith on the bus. There are several key elements that I need to communicate. First, I must give glory to God for the opportunity, vision, and strength to take action (compare Acts 12:19-23 and 14:8-18). Second, I need to acknowledge the listener for the result in a way that enables them to take responsibility for causing the good news/result. This is not about me pumping up my ego even further—I already have been blessed by acknowledging myself for the result. It is about helping the other person “get” that they made a difference in this world.
My Bible Talk has been sharing gratitude lists over email ever since Jay’s sermon two months ago. It has had a powerful effect on all of us. I am taking this to a new level by starting a new “acknowledgement thread” that will benefit our group in many ways. 1) Reveal that God is at work in gazillions of tiny ways every moment of every day. 2) Give everyone a deeper understanding of the powerful positive impact they are making on this world every day as God uses them. 3) Encourage us to keep praying for one another since it really does make a difference. 4) Remind each of us that a tiny seed of faith coupled with a small action can have a big result. 5) Give each of us ideas on how ordinary people can make a big difference by daily living a life that imitates Jesus. 6) Help each of us understand how powerful we really are through Christ (John 14:12-14, Mark 11:22-24). Ultimately, I believe bringing back good news sharing will grow our faith and lead to some incredible results.
As we look forward to 2010, let’s hit the “mute” button on Satan’s accusations and focus on all the results that arise from imitating Jesus. We truly are new creations through Christ! Second, let’s give God glory by talking about the myriad ways that the body of Christ is in action. Lastly, I encourage you, my reader, to develop the right “listening” so that any good news that others share with you is not lost, but that you take responsibility for how God used you to make a difference. Let’s take 1 Cor 12:27 to a whole new level: “if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.”
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Death part 3: "Choose Your Death"
In my previous two blogs I have explored the concepts of the fear of death and death as a blessing. This last installment discusses the opportunity each of us possesses to make a choice about our spiritual death.
Obviously, each of us will physically die. We have no choice about that. But how we die is somewhat up to us. Some choose to live a lifestyle of risky behavior that puts them at risk of an early death (e.g., mountain climbing, joining a gang, driving drunk, hang gliding, signing up for active military service, etc.). In addition, people have committed suicide in a wide variety of ways (I’m sure a macabre list exists somewhere on the Internet).
Spiritually speaking, each of us also has a choice regarding how we die. If we die unreconciled to God, then the Bible explains that each of us will be destroyed as God removes all sin and death from the universe in the lake of fire (Rev 20:11-15). This is the outcome I chose when I first sinned, and it is exactly what I deserve (and you do too), for “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). I would be outraged if Microsoft did not pay me my wages for I worked hard for them! Similarly, we’ve all earned death by our deeds against God, our friends, and our family.
Fortunately, there is another option and God does offer us a second chance to choose how and when we die spiritually. Jesus came to provide the option of spiritual death now, followed by eternal life (both spiritually and physically). His admonition on the prudence of giving up your life pervades the Gospels: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man gain in exchange for his soul?” (Matt 16:24-26, Mark 8:34-37, Luke 9:23-25, John 12:24-25).
I pondered these scriptures a lot during my college years. It was self-evident to me (and those around me) that I was living for myself. I spared no effort to get the best possible grades, yet my life lacked real meaning and “I” was literally unhealthy for myself. My self ambition sabotaged my desires for a great social life. I experienced a great deal of angst in my attempted relationships with women simply because my life was so self-focused. I kept losing my life despite all my efforts to save it. I knew I needed to give it up, but I could not figure out how to do it (a guy in a hole can’t rescue himself!) and there were no disciples around me to offer real help.
Thankfully, I met true Christians ten years ago. Knowing that I had not yet given up my life for God, they took the time to teach me how to be a disciple. Suddenly all the scriptures started to make sense to me! In Luke 14:31-33, Jesus explains that it will cost you everything to become his disciple. “Or suppose a king is about to go to war aginst another king. Will he not first sit down and consider wehther he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.”
God has 20,000 men and each of us has only 10,000 men. None of us can hope to win against God. The only terms of peace are unconditional surrender. As I counted the cost and wrestled with my decision to become a disciple, it literally felt like I was dying. It stands alone as the biggest decision I have ever made. I gave up various sins, treasured beliefs, philosophies, & practices, changed the nature of my relationships, and left the security of my social system behind. I lost my life, but gained so much more in the promise of Mark 10:29-30, “I tell you the truth, no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and fields—and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life.”
Nicodemus was a well-studied Jewish teacher in Jesus’ day who struggled to understand how a man could possibly die and live a new life. John 3:4-6 records, “’How can a man be born when he is old?’ Nicodemus asked. ‘Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’”
Romans 6:1-14 is the key scripture for understanding this spiritual death and rebirth. Verse 7 explains the need to die: “anyone who has died has been freed from sin.” God must annihilate our sin one way or another. If we wait for him to do it at the second death of Rev. 20, then our physical bodies will die along with the sin. At the end of the Lord of the Rings, Gollum is so taken by the ring that he bites off Frodo’s finger, ring and all, but in so doing falls into the lava pit at Mount Doom, finally destroying the ring. The question we all must ask is, "Is my sin really worth it?"
The alternative is to connect ourselves with Christ’s death and let him take our sin to the grave. It’s as if I was walking around with a bunch of static electricity (sin) my whole life and not being able to find an electrical ground to get rid of it. I just kept shocking people. Baptism was the “grounding moment” where (according to Romans 6:1-6) I participated in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Miraculously, my sins were washed away without me having to physically dying myself! It’s not that I’m perfect now and I know I still zap people, but I’m not enslaved by my sin anymore.
“All of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death…. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin” (Romans 6:2-6).
Of course, this only works if we have faith while we’re being baptized (Col. 2:12) and if we’ve first repented of our sins (Acts 2:38). Before I had really sinned, my minister Grandpa gave me a very emotional bath and rite of passage in front of hundreds of people at age 11, but it wasn’t a Biblical baptism. If you’ve had a different baptismal experience than Romans 6, I beg you to not give into the temptation to rewrite your life history to make it Biblical. Instead, take the time to inquire, reexamine your faith, and read what the Bible has to say.
Once we have died and been reborn, God gives us a fresh start to live a new life! “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Cor 5:17). But what sort of life ought we to live? Here are some scriptures that I love because they help me stay on track.
For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again (2 Cor 5:14-15).
Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness (Rom 6:12).
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (Gal 2:20).
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God (Col 3:1-3).
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever (1 John 2:15-17).
I have yet to die physically, but praise God that I have died spiritually and have the chance to start a new spiritual life. Of course, I must follow Jesus’ teaching and put myself to death daily so that Christ can live through me. Here are some things where I am tempted to take back over in my life: work, schedule/time, finances, leadership, and home improvement. None of them are bad in and of themselves. In fact, they are gifts from God as long as my old self stays in the grave with Jesus!
I urge you to consider your choice about when you will die spiritually. Will you put it off until you die physically in the second death of Revelation 20? Or will you choose to accept the spiritual death of your self that God offers in this life through baptism into Christ? (Acts 2:38, 22:16) The choice is entirely yours. It is the biggest choice you will ever make and therefore it deserves your greatest consideration.
If you have already died and been reborn with Christ, I urge you not to let your self resurrect itself. Keep crucifying it daily. The paradox is absolutely true: by losing your life, you really will save it for eternity!
Obviously, each of us will physically die. We have no choice about that. But how we die is somewhat up to us. Some choose to live a lifestyle of risky behavior that puts them at risk of an early death (e.g., mountain climbing, joining a gang, driving drunk, hang gliding, signing up for active military service, etc.). In addition, people have committed suicide in a wide variety of ways (I’m sure a macabre list exists somewhere on the Internet).
Spiritually speaking, each of us also has a choice regarding how we die. If we die unreconciled to God, then the Bible explains that each of us will be destroyed as God removes all sin and death from the universe in the lake of fire (Rev 20:11-15). This is the outcome I chose when I first sinned, and it is exactly what I deserve (and you do too), for “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). I would be outraged if Microsoft did not pay me my wages for I worked hard for them! Similarly, we’ve all earned death by our deeds against God, our friends, and our family.
Fortunately, there is another option and God does offer us a second chance to choose how and when we die spiritually. Jesus came to provide the option of spiritual death now, followed by eternal life (both spiritually and physically). His admonition on the prudence of giving up your life pervades the Gospels: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man gain in exchange for his soul?” (Matt 16:24-26, Mark 8:34-37, Luke 9:23-25, John 12:24-25).
I pondered these scriptures a lot during my college years. It was self-evident to me (and those around me) that I was living for myself. I spared no effort to get the best possible grades, yet my life lacked real meaning and “I” was literally unhealthy for myself. My self ambition sabotaged my desires for a great social life. I experienced a great deal of angst in my attempted relationships with women simply because my life was so self-focused. I kept losing my life despite all my efforts to save it. I knew I needed to give it up, but I could not figure out how to do it (a guy in a hole can’t rescue himself!) and there were no disciples around me to offer real help.
Thankfully, I met true Christians ten years ago. Knowing that I had not yet given up my life for God, they took the time to teach me how to be a disciple. Suddenly all the scriptures started to make sense to me! In Luke 14:31-33, Jesus explains that it will cost you everything to become his disciple. “Or suppose a king is about to go to war aginst another king. Will he not first sit down and consider wehther he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.”
God has 20,000 men and each of us has only 10,000 men. None of us can hope to win against God. The only terms of peace are unconditional surrender. As I counted the cost and wrestled with my decision to become a disciple, it literally felt like I was dying. It stands alone as the biggest decision I have ever made. I gave up various sins, treasured beliefs, philosophies, & practices, changed the nature of my relationships, and left the security of my social system behind. I lost my life, but gained so much more in the promise of Mark 10:29-30, “I tell you the truth, no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and fields—and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life.”
Nicodemus was a well-studied Jewish teacher in Jesus’ day who struggled to understand how a man could possibly die and live a new life. John 3:4-6 records, “’How can a man be born when he is old?’ Nicodemus asked. ‘Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’”
Romans 6:1-14 is the key scripture for understanding this spiritual death and rebirth. Verse 7 explains the need to die: “anyone who has died has been freed from sin.” God must annihilate our sin one way or another. If we wait for him to do it at the second death of Rev. 20, then our physical bodies will die along with the sin. At the end of the Lord of the Rings, Gollum is so taken by the ring that he bites off Frodo’s finger, ring and all, but in so doing falls into the lava pit at Mount Doom, finally destroying the ring. The question we all must ask is, "Is my sin really worth it?"
The alternative is to connect ourselves with Christ’s death and let him take our sin to the grave. It’s as if I was walking around with a bunch of static electricity (sin) my whole life and not being able to find an electrical ground to get rid of it. I just kept shocking people. Baptism was the “grounding moment” where (according to Romans 6:1-6) I participated in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Miraculously, my sins were washed away without me having to physically dying myself! It’s not that I’m perfect now and I know I still zap people, but I’m not enslaved by my sin anymore.
“All of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death…. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin” (Romans 6:2-6).
Of course, this only works if we have faith while we’re being baptized (Col. 2:12) and if we’ve first repented of our sins (Acts 2:38). Before I had really sinned, my minister Grandpa gave me a very emotional bath and rite of passage in front of hundreds of people at age 11, but it wasn’t a Biblical baptism. If you’ve had a different baptismal experience than Romans 6, I beg you to not give into the temptation to rewrite your life history to make it Biblical. Instead, take the time to inquire, reexamine your faith, and read what the Bible has to say.
Once we have died and been reborn, God gives us a fresh start to live a new life! “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Cor 5:17). But what sort of life ought we to live? Here are some scriptures that I love because they help me stay on track.
For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again (2 Cor 5:14-15).
Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness (Rom 6:12).
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (Gal 2:20).
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God (Col 3:1-3).
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever (1 John 2:15-17).
I have yet to die physically, but praise God that I have died spiritually and have the chance to start a new spiritual life. Of course, I must follow Jesus’ teaching and put myself to death daily so that Christ can live through me. Here are some things where I am tempted to take back over in my life: work, schedule/time, finances, leadership, and home improvement. None of them are bad in and of themselves. In fact, they are gifts from God as long as my old self stays in the grave with Jesus!
I urge you to consider your choice about when you will die spiritually. Will you put it off until you die physically in the second death of Revelation 20? Or will you choose to accept the spiritual death of your self that God offers in this life through baptism into Christ? (Acts 2:38, 22:16) The choice is entirely yours. It is the biggest choice you will ever make and therefore it deserves your greatest consideration.
If you have already died and been reborn with Christ, I urge you not to let your self resurrect itself. Keep crucifying it daily. The paradox is absolutely true: by losing your life, you really will save it for eternity!
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