As Iron Sharpens Iron...

Thoughts on Spiritual Formation from Dallas Willard

2011-04-25T15:47:00.001-06:00

Dr. Willard hits it right on the head in 'The Great Ommission' when assessing the problem with emphasis in current evangelical spiritual formation practices. Which of 'the latter' do you practice? Do I?

“Public and private worship, study of scripture, nature, and God’s acts in human history, prayer, giving to godly causes, and service to others can all be highly effective elements in spiritual formation. But they mus tbe thoughtfully and resolutely approached for that purpose, or they will have little or no effect in promoting it. Other less commonly practiced activities, such as fasting, solitude, silence, listening prayer, scripture memorization, frugal livng, confession, journaling, submission to the will of others as appropriate, and well-used spiritual direction, are in fact more foundational for spiritual formation in Christ-likeness than the better-known religious practices and are essential for their profitable use.” No formula can be written for spiritual formation, for it is a dynamic relationship and one that is highly individualized. One can be sure, however, that any God-blessed undertaking of spiritual formation will include much of what has just been mentioned here.” --Pg. 107 of 'The Great Omission"

Grove of the Holy Wind

2011-03-05T19:37:00.001-07:00

O Lord, My God, where are you? I walk the beaten path tread by many before me, but I do not find you. As I ascended the mountain, I thought; 'Perhaps you are there, waiting for me.' There on the mountain top, I hear your voice tell me who I am, to be who you made me to be. Yet you are still afar. I climb a tree, but you are not there. Distractions. Why God? I came to be with you; perhaps today hearing your voice is all I will get. But deep in my soul, the Spirit groans to the Father and compels me to again follow the path of another. But then He stops me some way along and shows me another way. His grove is near. As I descend the hillside, the wind stirs. As I crush the snow with my feet, He says to me in the wind, 'Can you hear me?' 'I've been here waiting for you. Come, sit, and may your soul be renewed by my breath. Can you see me? When the wind dances on the leaves? Can you see me? In the gentle sway of the branches? Can you feel me? As I rush on the wind to be with you? Then stillness. Quiet. Peace. Contentment. Healing.

Then He is gone. But a moment He was here, yet many lifetimes I would give to again feel His presence engulf me and feel Him breath His loving breath on the wind. I hear Him again in the distance, 'I'm always here. I know you. And I will come to you again. My secret grove waits for you to come and be refreshed. To dwell with me, even if for a moment.'

Will you come?

2010-08-17T23:29:00.003-06:00

If Only We Christians Would Do What The Bible Says

lately I've been reading through 2 Peter 1 and trying to actually apply and pursue the attributes which Peter says will keep us from stumbling if we practice them (verse 10). They are:

5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, 6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, 7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that if Christians, especially men, would practice these things and strive to know their depths, God could and would do great things through them. It's a challenge for me and I hope a challenge to whomever might read this.

2008-05-05T23:15:00.002-06:00

SUFFERING

It feels a bit hypocritical to talk about suffering as an American who lives a lower middle class lifestyle. As I've gone through my first year of studies at Denver Seminary, I've been really challenged in several areas, including my views of suffering. Obviously, if I were to compare my life with a poor person living in the third world or even on the streets of America, I am clearly rich beyond reason (even if I live in debt). But, does this exclude me from some form of suffering?

It is clear to me when I turn to scripture that suffering is part of the Christian life. Usually, Christian circles link this to suffering persecution from others for Jesus' namesake as the dominant, if not only form of suffering. However, It think there is more to it than this. Last week in chapel, the speaker preached out of the book of Daniel, specifically the story of Shadrach, Meshack and Abednigo (I know those are spelled wrong!), but he took an angle that I'd not heard before and really resonated with me.

Chapter 3, verses 17-18 record that the three answered that their God would save them from the fiery furnace, but even if he didn't, they would still not bow down to the golden statue. The speaker asked what would we do in the times God didn't not save us, would we still remain faithful? Most likely, these times usually manifest in suffering of some form and are hard to deal with, challenging our staying power in faithfulness to God. It is in these times that build our character and foundation of faith to carry us through to harder times.

Sometimes the disappointment of failed dreams or expectations can crush us and make us bitter. However, we must remember that God has called us to be faithful so that His purposes are accomplished and to His glory, not for our happiness or glory.

When God fails to answer our prayers or fulfill our hopes and dreams, we often feel that we are suffering needlessly. But, God never promised to fulfill the 'American dream' of material happiness, fulfillment and prosperity. Nor did He promise that what we want most will come to us. For those of us who have grown up in a culture where we are taught a form of the prosperity gospel, it is truly a form of suffering when we are hit with the realization that we may not get what we wanted. This may even come in the form of unrealized hopes or dreams for a certain direction in our lives or the realization we will have to work harder than we thought.

When this reality hits we must suffer through it and come to a place of contented trust and faith in God. We must shift our focus off of ourselves and back on to God, laying aside the things which are selfishly our hopes and dreams. This produces personal anguish and suffering, but they are necessary steps to take so we can understand the true spiritual power of suffering. This suffering strips away the unimportant and leads us to a place where we can have compassion for the less fortunate and understand in at least a detached way, what they are going through. I would hope this would then lead to a desire planted by God to care for the oppressed and suffering people in a way we do not do now.

Suffering for me may look easy as pie to someone who struggles to eat each day, but as I suffer through the loss of the superfluous and unnecessary, my eyes will begin to open to what true suffering is and will lead me to a place where I can truly serve God in a meaningful way.

In light of all these ramblings, I hope that I may develop a solid theology of suffering and rejoice amidst the pain it causes in the knowledge that God is at work to form me into the man of God He wants me to be so that I may serve Him and not myself.

2007-07-27T22:11:00.000-06:00

What a week!!!!!

Sometimes you have one of those weeks where it seems like nothing goes right for you and you just keep getting out of bed on the wrong side! For whatever reason, I had one of those this past week. Just seemed off for a few days, then my wife got rear-ended and my car was smashed up. Her car doesn't work due to a security alarm malfunction, a good friend of mine is experiencing a really difficult time and I got a rejection letter regarding a job I had applied to in Denver! I kind of feel like I can relate to Job, albeit only in a very small way. (He had to definitely deal with more than me!)

The job thing hurt the most, cause we've been waiting 3 weeks to hear and had been thinking that was where God wanted us/me. However, my initial thoughts are that it is probably better that I'm not working full time so I can concentrate more on my school and theology training, which is the most important thing right now!

A few years ago, all these things would have crushed me, because they carry much more weight and responsibility than previous issues did. However, I look back and am thankful that God put me through what he did over the last several years, because I was able to look at that and see His provision in my life. Those experiences have helped me grow to the point where I can trust God and know that He will provide, because He has proved to do so in the past!

There aren't many things that are certain in this world...but the One thing that is certain is that God indeed works all things for the good for those that love Him, and that He is with us, even to the end of the age. Having finally arrived at a place where I can truly grasped the meaning of this (at least a little!), I can stare adversity in the face and the obstacles that look hopelessly big and dismiss their impossibility because with those that love God, ANYTHING is possible and He ALWAYS takes care of those who love Him.

At the end of a week where many would drink away the week at a bar someplace, I can praise my God for how awesome He is and walk into the scary, dark and very unknown with the confidence that He will be my Shepherd and strength! AMEN and praise be to God!!!

2007-07-23T08:44:00.000-06:00

Is the Old Testament relevant?

For many people, myself included, the Old Testament can often times seem disconnected from the New Testament. On the surface there seems to be a contradiction in how God acts in the Old and New. Since Jesus is obviously the center of the New Testament, a tempting option is to forsake all but Psalms and Proverbs when studying the Bible, except maybe for a small group study or for a sermon series! I think that part of the reasoning for this is that the OT is a bit more mysterious on one level and it really takes a lot more effort for many (including me) to understand and see the lessons that God has for us therein. All that said, I have decided to undertake the task of reading through Deuteronomy and see what cool (pardon the cliche) God-lessons I can find!

To that end, I was reading this morning in the first Chapter and found something pretty cool. In the last half of the chapter, Moses is addressing the Israelites regarding their first arrival at the doorstep of the promised land. Anyone who grew up in Sunday school will remember that the Israelites were afraid to just go in as God commanded and instead sent in 12 spies, only 2 of which brought back a good report. In the Deuteronomy account, when Moses tells them the punishment will be to turn around and go back to the wilderness, they acknowledge they have sinned and change their minds. So they decide to put on their armor and tell Moses that they are ready to fight! But, it is too late and Moses tells them that the LORD has said He is not with them. But they went in anyway and the Amorites 'came out against them you and chased you as bees do, and crushed you...'

We can see here that the Israelites, despite the many blessings and provisions God had already provided, did not have a faith strong enough to trust God in the face of such a daunting enterprise and so many unknowns. So they make the choice to reject God and choose their own path. It is only in finding out the consequence of their actions (40 years in the wilderness) that they have a change of heart to do what the LORD had required. But, alas it is too late and they fail in their human attempt to do what God was ready and willing do if they had chosen Him first. It was a bitter lesson they learned by not choosing God.

So is that the end of the story? Thankfully no, God is always faithful in His promises, even when we are not in return. Forty years later, we all know the story.

What I got out of this was the lesson of trusting God when He FIRST calls us to action. There is a difference between receiving a vision and acting on that vision. God promised the land to Abraham, but it was not delivered for several hundred years. Yet the time came and the people failed to act. This story challenged me to act when I know God is calling me to action on the vision that He has given to me. I hope that anyone who reads this passage or this blog post, will read it and be challenged to act!

God is calling us to trust Him and act when called! And that on the first time, not only after we have found out what the alternative will be. May we all be strong enough in faith do so!

God bless you and keep the faith!

2007-07-23T08:39:00.000-06:00

Maybe back at it?

It's funny that my last posting announced that I was accepted to Regent University in August of last year, because so much has happened since then! Very long story short, My wife Stephanie and I are moving out to Denver on August 11th to attend Denver Seminary instead! We are very excited about it and know that God has something awesome waiting for us there!

It has been a tough process just getting to the point where we are moving and I kind of feel like Abraham (but maybe not as dramatic!) as we head out into the unknown.

2006-08-07T13:14:00.000-06:00

Seminary

Got word today that I was accepted into Seminary at Regent University! It's been a 2-3 month process, but it's good to have that done!

2006-08-03T08:01:00.000-06:00

Unseen Benefits of Obedience

A few weeks ago I decided that I wanted to do something about the debt I had accrued. I had been feeling suffocated for quite a while with a feeling like I'd never be able to reduce it. I think the frustration came from know what I needed to do (suck it up and get second job part time), yet a distict lack of desire to do so. I wanted to do it MY way and have God just make a check magically appear in my mailbox one day!

So how does this relate to obedience? Well, I believe that God had been trying to tell me that I needed to make the sacrifices necessary to relieve debt in my life to act as a good steward of the provision He has provided for me. Still, I resisted for months because I continued to make excuses (I already have a full plate, I'll be too tired and it will wear me out, an second part time job has to meet my desired per hour rate) of why I didn't want to do it.

Finally, after literally months of this, I decided to suck it up and take on more hours at the part time job I've been working to help out, since nothing else was coming my way. I see this as being obedient to God's call to be a good steward of His provision. God also sees this as something that will be for my own benefit, because most people I know get stressed about debt, not relaxed!

After making the decision and actually following through, I began to calculate how long it would take to pay off the debt with the extra money I would earn and it was still a long road. But this is where the hidden blessing of being obedient comes in.

Literally the day after I decided for certain to take more hours, I was offered a place to live for extremely low rent, which will free up previously set aside rent money to pay off that debt. This will cut the pay off time in half!

I full believe that if I had not been obedient to God's call to take responsibility for this debt through more hours working, He would not have opened this other door of provision.

Some would argue that this is mere coincidence, but I'd strongly beg to differ!

I think the lesson learned here is that when we make the choice to obey God in our lives, He is going to pour forth a blessing on us that we never would have thought possible.

So, what blessing are you/me missing out on today because we have made the choice not to be obedient?

2006-07-11T06:55:00.000-06:00

Thriving on Depravity

In Romans 7 Paul essentially talks about the personal struggle between his fallen humaness and his spirit. When you read Paul's words, you can really see the struggle that he faces to 'die to the spirit,' and the frustration that he has when the self acts, rather than the Spirit living in him. I see this selfish desire we all have as thriving on the depravity of our own self serving motives.

In the end it's just not about me, you, us; but rather about God and bringing Him glory on this earth. Serving ourselves will in the end bring depravity. So, the question is, will you thrive on God's glory or on the depravity of serving yourself?

2006-07-07T11:33:00.000-06:00

Paul: know thyself (in Christ)

This week I've been attempting to meditate on Romans 1. I'm still trying to discover this ancient, lost art and have found it to be tougher than one might expect. However, God is faithful to those that seek Him and I noticed something that I most overlook when reading scripture.

As you may know (and if you don't, check it out), Paul starts off each of his letters with a sort of introduction of himself to his audience. As I mulled over this in Romans 1, I decided to check and see how he did this in his other letters. I think there is much to be learned from the simple introduction that Paul gives, here they and not necessarily in New Testament Order:

Romans 1:1-2 Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which He promised beforehand in the holy scriptures...
Phillipians 1:1 Paul and Timothy, Bond-servants of Christ Jesus...
Titus 1:1 Paul, a bond-servant of God and an apolste of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth wich is according to godliness...

I Corinthians 1:1 Paul, called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by teh will of God...
II Corinthians 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God...
Ephesians 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God...
Colossians 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God...
II Timothy 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus...

Galatians 1:1 Paul, an apostle (not sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead)...

I Thessalonians 1:1 Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace...
II Thessalonians 1:! Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ...

I Timothy 1:1 Paul, an aposlte of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope...

Philemon 1:1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus...

I have in the past found that I speed through these verses so I can jump into the heart of the text, the 'important' stuff if you will, and I'll bet I'm not the only one who does so. However, I think we are missing out on an important aspect of scripture and an idea that God is trying to convey through Paul.

Most any christian can tell you that Paul loved God and served Him in mighty ways. They also wonder at how God used Paul in such amazing ways and do things that we dismiss as impossible or 'not for our time.' In spite of the fact that God chose Paul as a special messenger to spread the Gospel, I believe that God wants to use us today in equally powerful ways. But, maybe He won't until we come to an understanding of who we are in Christ so that then we can go out and be used by Him in all kinds of awesome ways! Paul knew who he was in Christ and what He was called to do, and that is expressed through his introductions as noted here.

May God reveal to you the purpose of your creation for His glory!

2006-06-23T12:51:00.000-06:00

Restoration

In the book "The Jesus Creed" by Scott McKnight (yes dad, I'm actually reading it!), the author talks about what Jesus' goal was in giving and living the 'Jesus Creed' found in Matt. 22: 37-40. A major part of this is the idea of Restoration. We see it in the healing of the paralytic, the bleeding woman, Lazarus raised from the dead, the woman's son at the funeral procession raised from the dead, etc. McKnight notes that the result of each of these was that Jesus was able to restore and make whole their lives in ways that were specific to them. An important part of following Jesus is imitating His actions in restoring people.

With that context in line, I've been blessed to be a small part of a friends life as God works to bring that restoration in their life. After suffering for years from an affliction of sorts, God finally delivered them from it and it's been great to see them experience deliverance, healing and the freedom that Christ promised and gave to us. Restoration is many times a process, with ups and downs, but it's encouraging to see this person realizing and experiencing things they never thought would be possible.

So, here's to Jesus and His awesome love through restoration! May you experience it as well!

2006-06-23T12:43:00.000-06:00

Seminary

Last week's Bible Study about God's summons was quite poignant in my life right now, as I'm considering going to Seminary. Yesterday I had my admissions interview and I've got all the balls rolling that way. It's interesting when God calls how everything seems to fall into place!
One of the major triggers in pointing me this way was my exploration of joining the Army Chaplain Corps. Since then, I've have met several people that have offered to put me in contact with either Chaplains or Chaplain canditates. I've found in my life that it's often scary to seriously consider major life changes and many times I'd imagine I've chosen to stay comfortable, rather than step out in faith and trust that God's got my back.
But, there's something different when God summons you; He doesn't let you get away! I'm glad God's not letting me get away here. Even if it ends in a dead end, I know I'm following what I think is His call in my life and that obedience is what's most important.

I would encourage anyone who reads this to try and stay the course in waiting on the Lord for His summons, and if you've recieved it already, trust God and be faithful to seek after it, remembering that He is always faithful!

Now, thinking of God's faithfulness is a great way to end the week!

2006-06-16T14:58:00.001-06:00

A Summons

(Matt. 10:1, 5-14; 28:18-20; and Acts 9:3-6, 15-16)
In Matthew 10, Jesus sends out the 12 disciples on their first mission. Most translations will read in Verse 1 "Jesus called His disciples to Him and said..." However, in the NASB version, it says Jesus 'Summoned' His disciples to Him.

Have you ever recieved a jury summons? It gives the air of responsibility, something larger than you, a sense of responsibility. It's not something you can just skip, it carries a weight and responsibility that a calling doesn't.

Wouldn't it be wierd if you 'summoned' someone? Instead of saying, 'I called so and so,' you say 'I summoned so and so.' I think (hope) you get the idea.

So, after the summons in verse 1, Jesus goes on to give them instructions for their mission (vs. 5-14).

I may go into detail on this later (no promises :D!), but I'd like to briefly parallel this 'summons' with two others; the 'Great Commission' and Paul's Conversion.

In each of these examples, there are two clear actions that happen.

1. Jesus summons those He wants. (Matt. 10:1, 28:18; Acts 9:3-4)

2. He gives instruction/direction on what He wants them to do. (Matt. 10:5-14, 28:19-20; Acts 9:15-16.

I can't tell you what or how Jesus will 'summon' you to the task He created you to do, but I do know this; That when He does summon you, you will know it and He is always faithful to point the way to what that is.

So to that end, my challenge would be this:

Pray and seek for His patience in waiting for the summons, because that waiting time is one of the hardest things to endure. I know from experience!

Once it comes, be faithful to follow it, no matter how hard or crazy it might seem. Becuase He will be faithful and will provide all that you will need to fulfill His summons in your life! And the fulfillment you desire will be found in that place that Jesus leads you.

Amen!

2006-06-12T07:33:00.000-06:00

Grace

I think it's a common mistake among Christians to only accept just enough of God's grace to make us feel like we are forgiven by Him, but not by ourselves. Because of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us, when we ask for forgiveness, it's total. Many times I've found myself not really willing to accept the full measure of His grace, leaving myself wallowing in guilt and weighed down by my own imperfection.

However, I don't believe that this is what God intends or desires for us. I think that when we ask God's forgiveness and recieve it, we are completely clean and guilt no longer has a place. We must be able to fully accept His grace and move forward as if blameless in His sight, for that is what He sees. I think it is a powerful tool of Satan to hold us down with guilt over sins God has forgiven us for. By paralyzing us in that, he keeps us from truly honoring and loving God. Becuase, are we really being faithful to God if we ask forgiveness, but only allow ourselves to accept it partially?

I would contend that being faithful to Christ and honoring Him means we do not try to pay 'penance' for our sins, but rather fully accept his grace and forgiveness, praising Him for these things in the context of understanding that we in no way even come close to deserving it.

Next time you sin, don't pay your 'penance' and then ask for forgiveness. Do it right away and accept it. It'll feel wierd, awkward and underserving. But, God gives it to us anyway, because He loves us in spite of our selves! That's pretty ridiculous, too!

May God's grace be full in your life and give you the freedom He inteded it to.

2006-03-13T15:30:00.000-07:00

Sleeping in God's Peace

I'm sure you know the value of a good night's rest. You wake up and pop up out of bed and run around the house singing and hopping! Ok, maybe not that, but it sure does feel good. Well, I don't always sleep well, in fact, not very often. It is discouraging and something I haven't been able to understand for a while now.

However, last night I was talking with a friend on the phone who happens to be having trouble getting peaceful sleep as well and I prayed/read through Psalms 4 with this friend, claiming the words of God and believing that God would use it to give them a peaceful nights sleep. I then started thinking about how small my faith is. I believed it for my friend, but not for me. I've tried in the past to do so, but never really believed it.

That said, I'm praying God will help me in my unbelief to claim His words for myself. If you don't sleep well or just need a good word from the Lord, I hope that you can claim Psalm 4 for yourself and the promise that God has made to us!

God's peace to you!

Psalms 4
1.	`Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!` `You have relieved me in my distress;` `Be gracious to me and hear my prayer.`
2.	`O sons of men, how long will my honor become a reproach?` `How long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception? Selah.`
3.	`But know that the LORD has set apart the godly man for Himself;` `The LORD hears when I call to Him.`
4.	`Tremble, and do not sin;` `Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.`
5.	`Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,` `And trust in the LORD.`
6.	`Many are saying, "Who will show us any good?"` `Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O LORD !`
7.	`You have put gladness in my heart,` `More than when their grain and new wine abound.`
8.	`In peace I will both lie down and sleep,` `For You alone, O LORD, make me to dwell in safety.`

2006-03-13T15:27:00.000-07:00

The Garden of Eden or something like it...

Do you ever wonder what the weather in the Garden of Eden was like? I'll bet it was like the last few days here in DC! Sunny, warm and all around pleasant to be in. Then what happened...we sinned and messed it all up!

When it's super hot and humid and when it's cold and nasty, I always say 'God didn't create the human body to live in these conditions!' I stand by my statement! :D

Don't forget to thank God for the blessing of a beautiful day!

2006-03-09T11:59:00.000-07:00

God in the small things

You ever have one of those weeks where you just feel like Atlas, where you have the world on your shoulders? I had/am having one of those weeks. I'm not sad, depressed or feel distant from God, just burdened. Anyone relate? I'm sure you do!

Well, I was out at lunchtime getting some fresh air and enjoying the warmer weather when I noticed some blooms coming out of a tree near my office. I went over and smelled them! The frangrance of blossoms in the spring is one of God's greatest gifts to us (in my opinion). I felt much better and renewed in strength to push on with the day.

God used something as small and unassuming as a bloom to remind me that He is there, even in the most unlooked for places. It reminded me of the story of Elijah (or was it Moses, or someone else!??), when he went up on the mountain and God sent howling wind, rain, thunder, lightning and all this crazy stuff to him, but He wasn't in any of that. Then God came in a calm breeze that blowed by; the most unlooked for and unexpected place Elijah thought God would be.

Praise God for His blessings in the unlooked for! May He bless you with that today.

2006-02-28T15:01:00.000-07:00

Armor of God, put it on!

Eph. 6 is most well known for the Armor of God. But like Eph. 5, it also has some good stuff prior to that earlier in the chapter.

In vs. 5-9 Paul gives a radical departure in slave to master relations. In a time when slaves were considered property and not really close to being people, Paul calls on slaves to honor their masters and be obedient all the time, even when the master is not there. But, more importantly, Paul calls on the masters to treat their slaves as equals, telling them that Christ sees no partiality...vs 9 '...knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.

More to come on this soon...

2006-02-28T14:42:00.000-07:00

Submission time baby!!!!

So, we went through Eph. 5 a couple weeks ago, but better late than never, so here you go!

Eph. 5 was a great chapter, full of fun, non-controversial topics like the roles of men and women! But before we get there, Paul addresses another important topic. In the first half of Eph. 5, Paul really sets a high standard for Believers to live by. Particularly striking to me was in vs. 4 when he says 'there must be no filthinies and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.' I often find myself slipping into coarse joking or insinuating around my friends when there are no other non-believers around, because I don't have to maintain my 'witness.' But, this is hypocritical, in that we are called to honor Christ at all times. I was challenged by this to clean up my own behavior! But what Eph. 5 is most known for is its address of the roles of men and women.

There was much anticipation regarding this chapter, because the way many people interpret the verses in 5:21-33 can vary, usually causing strife that shouldn't be there or fear to tackle an important issue.

The 'popular' thing to do is only quote vs. 22 'Wives, be subject to your own husbands.' That is where many stop and use this as a way to try and put women in their place. But, they forget to keep reading! The verse continues and says 'Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as unto the Lord.' Paul then goes on to describe the role of wives as one of submission to their husbands as the church submits to Christ. But, the women get off easy! (not really, submitting to Christ can really be tough for us selfish humans). Verses 25-29 explain the role of husbands. Paul says that we must treat our wives like Christ treated His church.
So, would you rather have to be the church or Christ? Both are hard, but being called to act as Christ did towards the church is a tall order. Why? oh yeah, because Christ was PERFECT!

I think what Paul is communicating is that if we seek to fulfill the roles above, we will honor God first and each other second. Strong, vibrant and whole relationships will ensue and we will feel secure in the roles God has called us to. Figuring out the nuances and exact definition of what those roles are in every day life, I'll leave up to you!

2006-02-21T12:00:00.001-07:00

Funked-ified

Ever have one of those days that you find yourself in a total funk and you don't know why? Yep, that's where I'm at today. It's like there is nothing you can do, but just get through the day so it will pass; and it does. Since I can't figure it out, I decided to call my state of being right now Funked-ified (Funked and Mystified together). I'm mystified as to why I'm funked out!

All that said, I knew that reading my bible just might help a bit. So I opened up to Luke 4. Simply put, this chapter ROCKS! It's Jesus' ministry bar-mitvah. We knew He was special way back at age 12 when He dumbfounded the religious leaders at the temple. But this is where Jesus starts his ministry 'manhood,' if you will (please do!).

So, Jesus heads out to the wilderness for 40 days of fasting.

-ok, HOLD IT, 40 days of fasting IN THE WILDERNESS?! As PM would most likely say, Jesus, You da MAN!-

Verse 2 says Jesus was out in the wilderness and '...for forty days, being tempted by the devil.' We usually read this story as Jesus only being tempted 3 times, but that wasn't true, it was much more than that! It was only after the 40 days that the big ones were used by Satan, but of course to no avail. Once again, Jesus goes straight Samurai on Satan, resisting temptation and honoring His Father. (I don't know what going straight Samurai means, but I like how it sounds right now!) Verse 14 says 'And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit...'
My guess is that you'd be feeling the power too after such a spiritual test. So, the short of it is Jesus is ready to kick some butt and take names for the kingdom!
So Jesus just strolls into Nazareth, into the synogogue, reads some Isaiah about the Messiah and then tells them that (vs. 21) 'Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.' That's a pretty bold statement and is hard to handle for the people there, but they go ahead and accept Jesus and have a party for Him.
Oh, wait, that's not it. Nope, they force him out of the synogogue and are going to throw Him off a cliff! But, they don't succeed. Verse 30 says, 'But passing through their midst, He went on His way.' Jesus must have had this look in His eye or just a presence that conveyed a hidden power. That hidden power was probably percieved as either very good or very bad, depending on how you viewed Jesus. I think this intangible of Jesus was one of the many that attracted so many people to Him.
Then Jesus goes on a demon-outing, body healing, lost saving trip, just another day in the life of the Son of God!!!!

Man, Jesus is pretty awesome! If that help get you out of the funked-ified or at least on the road out, I don't know what will!

When you are feeling out of it, read a little of God's Word, its the 'spirit fuel' we all need! God's blessings on whoever happens to get this far on today's post! May Christ's power be made evident in you!

2006-02-10T10:46:00.000-07:00

Ephesians Chapter 4.

So Eph. 4 took 2 studies (over 3 weeks) to get through, which just goes to show how chock full of good stuff it is!

Chapter 4 focuses a lot on the idea of unity with fellow believers. This is particularly important in today's world where we have so many different denominations and individual churches. Even at NCC, we have two locations. The temptation is to view each other as competition vs. players on the same team, just with different things to contribute. A couple weeks ago, one of the people at our study 'opened the can of worms' that is denominations, certainly a touchy subject in our day(even the non-denominational church has become a denomination!). Two thoughts on Denominations:

I am not a huge fan of them. Many churches have split over minor doctrinal issues that should be debated in a loving context within the church. If you can't reconcile differences of opinion, then maybe a church split is ok. But, it can lead to dangerous disunity in the church at large. Which is quite evident in the current state of the church. When the 'world' sees Christ followers arguing and bickering over these things, I don't think Christ is being glorified and honored.
Some biblical/doctrinal debates should be only conducted internally within the church, because non-believers won't understand the issues and it will leave a negative impression.
To catagorize this, I think anything that does not have to do with essential doctrine, that which would affect someone's eternal destination, does not have a place outside the church. What good is it going to do to argue over an issue like speaking in tongues or Biblical roles of men and women with or around non-believers? I believe that best left in a private setting within the church. Finally, above all its important for us, when discussing any point of contention to follow what Eph. 4:15-16 says: But in speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. It does no good to debate these things, unless we do it together in the context of God's love.

Now that I've blasted denominations, I'll make my second point to try and salvage myself! We had a tough talk on denominations, but it was mentioned and we all agreed, that denominations are a great benefit to us, in as much as they provide different ways for us to express our love to God and to worship Him. We aren't robots all made the same, so we are going to have different ways that we will want to worship or serve God in. In this way, denominations are a great thing.

I'm certainly no saint when it comes to having a good attitude toward other churches or denominations, I'm just human. But, I think it is time the church at large made a more significant effort to rebuild the unity that has broken down, so that we will be made whole vessels that God can use in mighty ways. God always works and will do great things in spite of our differences. But, imagine how many 'extra' blessings we would experience if we were united together under God's purposes! Eph. 4:1-3: Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to twalk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

That's no easy task, but with God's help(and his ridiculously large amount of grace and mercy) we can do it!

2006-02-10T10:40:00.000-07:00

The Bible says what??

Mark 14:51-52: A young man was folowing Him, wearing nothing but a linen sheet over his naked body; and htey seized him. But he pulled free of the linen sheet and escaped naked.

Ok, so why in the world is this in here? I wonder if this young man was whichever of the disciples that recounted this story to John Mark! I can imagine him reflecting on that night in a solemn way, but then laughing when recalling that he ran away naked because he was only wearing a linen sheet. Must have been a warm night! I thought about expounding on a couple deep, spiritual lessons we can learn from this, but I'd rather just let it be and enjoy the mystery of why that would be there!

2006-01-31T08:08:00.000-07:00

Did he just do that?

I was reading in Mark 6 this morning, the story about Jesus walking on the water. To give this story context, it is important to note that Jesus sent the disciples out on the boat right after feeding the 5,000. That being an amazing miracle in itself!
Mark 6:47-52: When it was evening, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and He was alone on the land. Seeing them straining at the oars, for the wind was against them, at about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea; and He intended to pass them. they supposed that it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw Him and were terrified. But immediately He spoke with them and said to them, 'Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid.' Then He got into the boat with them and the wind stopped; and they were utterly astonished, for they had not gained any insight from the incient of the loaves, but their heart was hardened.

You have to wonder if Jesus wasn't holding back a smile when He approached the boat. I mean, c'mon, Jesus was WALKING ON THE WATER. He had to know that would freak out the disciples! I can just see Him on shore before he walks in, saying 'watch this!' Then there's the guy sleeping on the shore, full from the loaves and bread, just waking up in an early morning haze, wringing his eyes in unbelief and thinking he is dreaming as Jesus walks out into the sea on the water! It even appeared to the disciples that He was going to walk right past. I can see Jesus calmly turning his head toward them when they cried out and then telling them not to be afraid! I don't think Jesus was arrogant, but He is God and has the power to do something like walk on water, so why not? We all know that if knew we could do that, we would! Come on; be honest :D
ok, seriously...
Despite what He had just done with loaves and fishes, Jesus does not rebuke them when he gets in the boat for their lack of faith. In fact, the only rebuke that comes is to Peter when he begins to doubt AFTER stepping out of the boat (Matt. 14:30-31). But, in Mark the author notes Their short coming. I think this says a couple things to us.
1. Jesus understood the disciples. He knew they were not at a place of maturity in their faith that they would be able to really believe that Jesus could perform a miracle of that magnitude, even after the feeding of the 5,000. So Jesus went ahead and calmed the winds and they went on to the other side of the lake. This should make us thankful that God still loves us and continues to work miracles in our lives in spite of our lack of faith and failure to recognize the miracles He does do. Just goes to reinforce that God is going to work whether we are with Him or not! Just imagine how blessed we will be when we are with Him!

2. Most of us would think their reaction would not be astonishment that Jesus did it, but rather awe in a new miracle that they should have expected. This is especially true given how often they were around Jesus doing miracels. The truth is probably closer to this: That we doubt just as much, or even more than the disciples did. I look at my own life and see the areas that I doubt and feel some shame in my lack of faith. But, God will continue to do miracles in our lives because He is good and knows that He will be able to use these (at the time) unseen mircales to strengthen our faith in the future when we mature enough to actually believe in the miracles He is already doing!

These stories that highlight God's amazing love and power; and man's continued fallability, continually remind me to thank God for His grace and love. I'd sure be lost without it; and so would you!

2006-01-25T15:58:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 3
The 3rd chapter in Ephesians kind of sums up the first two chapters. In the first verses, Paul continues to emphasize that the 'Great Mystery' of God is that Christ came and made all people one under Him, meaning Jews and Gentiles. This was important for Paul to emphasize. Remember that it took a distict vision from God to Peter for him to go to Cornelius and stoning of Stephen to cause the believers to spread from Jerusalem, in order for the Gospel to be available to those other than Jews.
For many Jewish people (I think including many of the Apostles), there was this idea of a birthright of the Messiah. This thinking pervaded Jewish thought at the time and so it took a Paul, called distinctly to the Gentiles, and other events like the ones mentioned above to reveal this mystery that Christ came to redeem all mankind, not just those of Jewish origin.
In verse 6, Paul starts off by saying 'to be specific;' giving it emphasis so that the Ephesians don't miss that Christ made Gentlies fellow heirs and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. Thank God He did that, or I know I'd be in trouble!

Tolkien imitates God?
Eph. 3:9-10: '...and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.'
God didn't reveal His full mystery to anyone, even the angels, until Christ came and rose again. It seems odd that He would withold this information from His most trusted servants. But I think it shows two things:
1. God is the only omniscient being and is the only one who knows all things.
2. Even the angels can't grasp the fullness of who God is and they are always learning new, cool stuff that makes God all the more awesome to them, too!

When I read this, I was reminded of the Silmarillion by JRR Tolkien. In his 'prelude' to Lord of the Rings, he explains the how Illuvatar(God) created things. First he created the 'Valar' and then the 'Maiar' which are basically angel type beings. Illuvatar uses them to sing the world into creation. He grants them the ability to see things in the future and how things will go, but it's not always a clear vision. They know that Elves and Men will be coming to earth, but they don't know when. So when the elves arrive in Middle-Earth and the Valar find them, they are amazed and in wonder at this new revelation from Illuvatar. They found that the elves were good and they praised Illuvatar for this new found aspect of who Illuvatar was.

Now, I'm not saying that because the angels didn't know that Christ and what He did for mankind was the great mystery of God, that we are for some reason better than the angels. Rather, what I'm saying is that when God revealed how He would redeem man to Himself through Christ, the angels were able to see the greatness, love and kindness of God in a way they had not experienced before. I think their reaction was awe, wonder and worship to their awesome God.

I don't think the angels will ever know exactly how if feels to have Christ redeem you to Himself, because they never strayed from Him when Satan fell. So we will have that special connection with God that no other part of God's creation can have or experience. Likewise, I don't think mankind will ever know the amazing experience of living in fellowship with God totally free from the effects of sin, like the angels do now. This is something that when we are with God for eternity, we can thank Him for the unique way that He revealed Himself to us, and through sharing that with each other, we will love and worship God even more!

2006-01-19T07:43:00.000-07:00

Dog Poop Miracles!

Tuesday morning I got up to go to the prayer group I gather with. I warmed up the car, picked up a couple guys and then turned on the heater. The car started to smell aweful! I mean, we all almost threw up, it was gross. So I figured a rat or something had died on my engine, so when we got to prayer, I dropped of the guys and went to the gas station and checked under my hood. I couldn't find anything, but my car still reeked. I drove back down and parked it, leaving the windows open to air it out. During our time together, I asked the men to pray for my car that nothing was wrong, because I didn't want to have to take it to the shop to figure out what was wrong with it.
Sure enough, when we left it still reeked in the car. I panicked internally and figured that God had decided not to fix my car stink problem. Then the guy sitting in the passenger seat showed me something on the plastic floor mat, DOG POOP! That's right, he had stepped in it and brought it into the car. That brought a five minute laugh fest from us as we drove back to my place (with windows down, cause the car still stunk). After arriving at my place, the floor mat was washed clean and I'm happy to report that my car no longer smells bad at all!
As I was walking to work an hour later, I realized that I had not thanked God for fixing the problem. Since it was just dog poop, I figured there was nothing wrong with the car and that was the end of it. But, God did indeed answer the prayer to fix my car and that is, at least to me, a miracle. This may seem like a trivial thing to most people, but it's incidents like this that reveal the true selfish nature of man apart from God.
On Sunday, Pastor Mark talked about 'Y give.' He mentioned praying with Lora about a financial gift back in July that they gave out of faith. They didn't EXPECT a return on that, but God blessed them with one recently with not only the signed contracts for his book writing, but also a royalty advance. The Connection of that prayer and this blessing could only be a God thing, because I would never have put the two together if it had happened to me. The point is that when we pray, we need to be waiting in expectation of what God is going to do. Not so we can selfishly recieve his blessing, but so that when we experience that blessing, we can give God the thanks for it and I believe He will give us the discernment to see how and why He did it the way He did, for the benefit of His Glory (and to help us grow in and understand Him better).
God used a stinky run in with dog poop to teach me a valuable lesson of His goodness and faithfulness to us. My challenge for eveyone would be to always be looking at how and in what God is blessing you. It will allow you to always and increasingly appreciate Him and His grace in you life.

2006-01-13T14:50:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 2:

I realize that I have not posted on Chapter 1 as of yet. However, I want to get some thoughts down on Chapter 2 before they are gone. We had a great discussion on Chapter 2 at Bible Study last night. Here are a few things that we talked about:

You can't really separate the last few verses of Chapter one from chapter 2, the flow with the thought and point that Paul is trying to make. In Eph. 1:18-23, Paul establishes who Christ is; Eph. 2:1-3 states the condition of man apart from Christ. Eph. 2:4-10 explains the great gift of grace from God and His purposes for us. verses 11-22 Paul lays out how Christ reconciled everyone to Himself and explains that we are all one in Him and that we "are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, having been built on the foundationof the aposltes and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone..."(vs. 19-20_

God's amazing Gift

When I look at the description of who Christ is and the condition we are in, it is humbling, exciting and enduces one to gratefulness when we fully understand what God did for us. Paul explains that while we were dead in our sins and transgression, God sent his Son to reconcile us to Him. Some of the words used to describe God as He does this are 'rich in mercy,' 'great love with which He loved us,' 'His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus,' 'gift of God.'
I think many times we think of Christ's sacrifice to reconcile us to Him as an obligation that He did so that maybe He could fix a problem within His creation. However, I think God could have just destroyed us and been done with it. Instead, because He loved us so much, He made sacrifices on a scale we'll never understand to reconcile us to Him. On top of that, He did it out of a free choice to express His love for us. Pretty amazing!
It got me thinking of how I treat others that don't know God or have spoken ill of Christ and rejected Him; I usually write them off and give up. I think God gives us an amazing example to follow. Even when in rebellion against God by people, we can't give up on them becuase Christ hasn't, and we need to joyously do all we can to reach the lost.

Do we abuse God's grace?

Most Christians know that God will forgive us when we sin and are thankful and appreciative of that. However, earlier this week on my way to work, I was thinking about, am I giving my best to God in all aspects of my life? Pastor Mark (NCC, Washington, DC) has mentioned in his sermons and on his blog about being the best at what we do for God's sake. As I thought about this, I was convicted of the fact that I had not given my best to God last Sunday.
I stayed up till 3 am watching season 2 of 24. I showed up tired and a bit loopy on Sunday morning for production. Afterwards I had trouble staying awake and/or concentrating on the sermon (sorry Pastor Mark :D it's not you, it's me!). Obviously I did not prepare myself to give my best to God on Sunday morning, a day I set aside for Him. I asked for forgiveness, knowing I would recieve it. But, if I continually do this, wouldn't that be an abuse of His grace? I think so, only if I don't make an effort to honor Him in this area going forward.
God knows we are going to mess up and He meets us where we are at and will forgive us, that's the greatness of His grace. I know I abuse His grace all the time, and I'm praying that God will reveal to me when I'm doing it so that He can root that out of me.
I challenge anyone reading this to examine your life and find where you are abusing His grace and ask Him to help you not abuse it, take it for granted or anything else that would diminish the awesomeness of His gift to you in your life!

It ain't us, its Him!!!!!!!!!

Eph. 2:9-10 says...'not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works...' Paul just explained God's grace, that we don't recieve it by our works, But we are His workmanship. Anytime we gain a victory over sin or temptation in our lives, it's the Holy Spirit working and moving in our life, not anything we did. The only thing we do is surrender our will to God and allow Him to form us into the Man/Woman of God that He knows us to be; His workmanship!

2006-01-10T07:30:00.000-07:00

Good thoughts from my Dad...

In regard to last night's post...

When looking at sin it is good to look at the origination of sin on earth, as far as we know the original sin would be the events that caused the fall of belzibulb from heaven.

The origin of sin in man would be, as you so aptly stated, the fall of Adam and Eve. But what was the cause of the fall? Genesis 3 tells us that Eve fell for satan's lie that God wanted to withhold something good from her because God did not want him to be as smart as He. Bottom line is that she wanted to be like God instead of being His obedient and blessed creation. That is the source of much heretical thought. Most false religions allow followers to become gods in some fashion. Others come through people who will not acknowledge the Lordship of Christ in their lives. They think they can do it alone and to bring Christ into the equasion diminishes themselves.

The thing we have as Christians is that if we acknowledge our inability to live as Christ designed us to live, sinless, and recognize that it is our weakness that causes this condition not a whimsical desire of God's that we be held under His control even though we are capable of so much more; then we can be free to be used of God without the pressure to live up to some man made standard.

2006-01-09T15:36:00.000-07:00

Why through our weakness?

I was reading in II Corinthians this morning and a couple verses address the idea of weakness...
II Corinthians 13:3-4:
...since you are seeking for proof of the Christ who speaks in me, and who is not weak toward you, but mighty in you. For indeed He was crucified because of weakness, yet He lives because of the power of God. Fore we also are weak in Him, yet we will live with Him because of the power of God directed toward you.

What weakness was Christ crucified for?
I would say that sin is the weakness that Christ died for. That's the sunday school answer, but I think it rings true. Adam and Eve allowed their will and desire to take over when tempted to eat of the forbidden tree. Their initial sin is just a good example of the weakness of Man's will when it is outside of God. In verse 3 Paul says that Christ is mighty in us; and in verse 4 that because of the power of God, we will yet live with Him, that is Christ. When we rely on God's power, our weaknesses won't get in the way of living the life God intended for us.
In II Corinthians 12:9, God says "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." That's a popular verse that most people know and I think that together they show us one way God works in us to accomplish His will! Notice also that he says perfected, rather than just perfect.
To me that's an encouragement when I fail, knowing that God's work in my life to demonstrate His power is a work in progress and that's ok.

I'm sure most people know the phrase "you are only as strong as your weakest link." I think if God were to re-phrase it, He'd say "I am strongest through your weakest link."

2006-01-09T11:54:00.000-07:00

Intro to Ephesians:

Here's a simple introduction to Ephesians:

Although there has been debate on authorship, Paul is most likely the Author.
Ephesians is unique to the other Pauline epistles in that it does not address a specific issue within the Ephesian church. For example, in Galatians Paul was specifically addressing the legalism problem arising from the influence of Judaizers. Rather, Ephesians focuses on the glory of God and his great gifts to us. Bible.org has a link to the book of Ephesians by Bob Deffinbaugh, Th.M. that is a much more detailed description. Within, Deffinbaugh breaks down Ephesians in this way...

Chapters 1-3: The Glory of God in the Church
Chapter 1: The glory of God in Redemption
Chapter 2: The glory of God in reconciliation
Chapter 3: The glory of God in the revelation of the mystery of the church
Chapter 4-6: The Glory and Pleasure of God through the Church
Chapter 4: The glory of God in the unity and growth of the church
Chapter 5: The glory of God in the imitation of Christ by the saints
Chapter 6: The glory of God in victory of Christ

My challenge during the study on Ephesians is to take this outline into thought and see if we agree with Deffinbaugh in his assessment of Ephesians.

Above everything, Ephesians is a great reminder of how awesome God is and what he has done for us. I hope that anyone who reads this remembers that and will be able to appreciate God in a new way.

2006-01-09T11:49:00.000-07:00

Book of Ephesians

Last week, my Bible study started a study on the book of Ephesians. In an attempt to try and pull more out of the study, I've decided to blog on Ephesians as we go through the study. I've already been told that if I commit heresy, the torches and pitch forks will be ready for me at my door! I hope this addition to our normal study is helpful! God bless!

2006-01-09T11:36:00.000-07:00

Why do a blog?

After doing much thinking and not much doing, I've finally set up this blog and have decided to actually use it! My goal is to create a place where I can interact with others on God's Word through my initial thoughts and challenge/be challenged by others and theirs! Proverbs 27:17 says 'As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.' To that end, I hope this can be a place where people can come and be 'sharpened' in faith to Jesus Christ, tacl;e tough questions and anything else that comes up!

2006-01-06T09:04:00.000-07:00

Testing this crazy thing!