The Way of the Cross

The other day I was working on the reading for Porterbrook's first course entitled "Gospel Living." It looks at all areas of life and appeals to the cross as our only motivator, sustainer, and hope. As such, the cross ought to have an impact on every single facet of life, no matter how small. One of the exercises asked this question: How will the way of the cross affect your next five minutes/hours/days/months/years? 

I encourage you to ask yourself this question about each time frame given; for me, it is surprisingly difficult. We are often very good at talking about how Jesus' sacrifice makes us feel, and how we should respond to it in a general sense, but to ask how the cross will change my life in the next five minutes is another thing entirely. Do we believe that the cross changes not just my life in the cosmic sense, but my every moment? I had a harder time dividing it as specifically as the book, so I grouped them into Today, This Fall, and Years to Come. 

How will the way of the cross affect you today? 

I need to remain others-oriented in a busy schedule. In light of the focused perspective Jesus had for his mission, I can be fully present with every person in front of me, even when I'm aware of the next person/activity on the schedule. 

How will the way of the cross affect you this fall? 

Jesus gave to the point of death -- I have no right to let tiredness determine the amount of grace I give to others. I need to keep the big picture in view and follow Christ in all ways in ministry and personal life. I need to bring my stress to Jesus and not medicate in my own unhealthy ways.  

How will the way of the cross affect you in years to come? 

Come what may, the cross does not allow for bitterness. The future is completely unknown (to me, not God) and the cross frees me to live in peace regardless of circumstance. Loneliness, bitterness, fear, and uncertainty will come and go but resting in the power of the cross I am not alone. Ever. 

How does the way of the cross change your life? 

A Silver Soul

Last week I had the chance to be in the northwoods of Minnesota for four whole days! It was a great chance to rest, and it looks like church went along without a hitch, so no worries there! These are some of my thoughts from the time I had to read and journal.

We are coming up to the end of the I Thessalonians series at Antioch. Through the letter we have looked at a bunch of ways to live a Christ-filled life in faith, hope, and love so that the world will see Jesus because of us. Coming to the end means we will finally look at our memory verse! 5:23-24 is Paul's conclusion after so many instructions. In case you don't have it memorized yet...

     Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole soul and spirit and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. 

How would you describe "sanctification"? Sanctification is a big word to say set apart for a purpose. So a book that is read is sanctified. A book that is holding up an unsteady table is not. In being set apart someone or something who is sanctified is not mixed up with anything that distracts or detracts from their intended purpose. Another way to say it is, sanctified is to be holy. Only God is truly holy but he also commands us, "Be holy as I am holy" (Lev. 11:44). 

Don't miss the severity of Paul's language here. He prays that the believers would be sanctified completely and that every aspect of the reader's being would be totally blameless until the end of time. In other words, be perfect, and be perfect forever. If that doesn't break your heart and make you feel at least a little bit hopeless, you don't understand your sin in light of God's holiness. Thank God for verse 24: "He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it." The same God who says, "Be holy as I am holy" is the one who carries us to that end. And really, he's the only one who could. 2 Timothy 2:13 says, "If we are faithless, he remains faithful--for he cannot deny himself." 

I am afraid we have a view of sanctification that is much too soft. Of course we will never be made perfect in this life, but that doesn't give us permission to take Paul's prayer (or the Lord's command in Lev. 11:44) any less seriously. In John 17:17, Jesus prays for believers saying, "Sanctify them in truth. Your word is truth." Sanctification comes through the power of the Word, but it's not just 15 minutes in a devotional over a cup of coffee, praying that God would make you stop doing the same sins you've been praying about for years, and then living just like anyone else in the world. No, Sanctification is a radical transformation that takes drastic measures to accomplish. 

In his book Every Body Matters, Gary Thomas spends a lot of time looking at 2 Timothy 2:20-21. 

"Now, in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work." 

What is it that makes silver useful? Proverbs 25:4 gives us an insight, "Take away the dross from the silver, and the smith has material for a vessel." Dross is anything mixed with the silver that is not silver. This could be other metals like copper, or clay, or quartz. Until the silver is totally separated from the rest, the blacksmith cannot use it to make anything. As the dross must be removed, our sin has to be dealt with before we can be of any use to the Master. 

Removing dross from silver is not like an archeologist uncovering an ancient city; it is not done with a little brush and chisel. It is removed with fire. The mixed up metals get heated up to the point that everything else burns away, melts, or can be hammered into form. This process is brutal, but it's the only way for a vessel of silver to be made. 

To use Gary Thomas' phrase, do you have a "silver soul"? Are you able to withstand the brutal process of eradicating sin in order to be sanctified? Are you burning up your sin, or are you content to live all mixed up with worthless things? If sin has a stranglehold around your neck, massaging it's fingers will not loosen it's grip. You have to cut off the hand. 

Yes, sanctification will take a lifetime in Christ. But that is no excuse for appeasing our sin, letting the dross of this world take residence in our souls. If you have become accustomed to anything in your life that is less than holy, repent and turn to Jesus! Let him sanctify you. Let go of the junk and be made wholly useful. 

So, we need to be sanctified by the Spirit. But don't forget it's for a purpose. The Lord wants to take our ridiculous mess, burn away the dross, and hammer us into something useful in his great house. As we eradicate sin by the power of the gospel, we need to look at every aspect of our being. I mean every part of us. Paul says, "may your whole soul and spirit and body be kept blameless." See that? He prays for our spiritual, emotional and physical elements. Are you testing your spirit and soul and body to see if it is ready for every good work and useful to the Master? Ask yourself these questions: 

     Am I filling my soul with Scripture, or am I worshiping lesser gods? 

     Is my attitude motivated by Christ, or am I responding to others like one who has no hope? 

     Are my thoughts honoring to God, or am I meditating the things of this world? 

     Am I filling my body with life-giving food, or am I content to fill up on empty calories that leave me with no energy to be ready for good work? 

     Am I caring for my body in a way that makes me "ready for every good work" and "useful to the Master"? 

We as the body of believers need to spur one another on in this. I encourage you as we come to the end of this series to talk with others in your Community Group or close friends about where you need sanctification. And then don't be afraid to ask each other how it is going! Follow up is a crucial part of the process of spurring one another on. How great would it be if every single person in Antioch had a "silver soul"? 

A little song I'm working on

Never the Same

Captivated by your love, this is real. 

Enraptured in this mystery I can only feel. 

Who am I to say that you should ever look my way, but you did. 

And I'll never be the same. 

I'm too small to comprehend your great love.

If only I could see the fullness of your grace. 

But You came down and rescued me, God as Man, in you I see.

And I'll never be the same. 

You Lord, called my name

You Lord, sought me out

You Lord, saved me from all my doubt and shame 

And I'll never be the same. 

Even though I walk the Valley of Death,

You are right beside me guiding me to the end.

There's no place that's high, deep, long or wide enough to be beyond you

And you will remain same. 

You Lord, called my name

You Lord, sought me out

You Lord, saved me from all my doubt and shame 

And I'll never be the same. 

Looking Jesus in the Face

The Gospel of John, chapter one, is one the the most exciting passages of all of scripture to me. It's like a great story where you're not sure what's going on until part way through, but when you go back and read it again you see all the details were there from the beginning. You just didn't understand the story enough yet to see them. 

Starting in the cosmos John explains Jesus to be the Word of God through whom all creation came into existence. Light explodes everywhere in creation and from Him. It's like the beginning of an action movie where the camera starts back near Pluto, rockets past the planets, cuts our atmosphere, and lands on a street corner in Brooklyn. Or in this case, a middle eastern wilderness. Zooming into focus we see this guy named John (not the author) who came to tell about this cosmic Light. Crazy John (as his friends called him) starts telling everyone about this Light that is coming, and is here already, and that this Light can make you a child of God because the Light is God. The onlookers aren't so sure about this guy.

Jesus walks into the group and John flips out in excitement, "This is the Light I've been telling you about! Your Messiah is here!" The Holy Spirit descends like a dove from the sky, confirming that this guy is the Son of God. Something tells me we're not done with the cosmic perspective in this book. 

But then things get personal. Jesus starts talking with people. John's disciples leave him and follow Jesus. And the first recorded words of Jesus in the book are to these men: "What are you seeking?" It's clear they don't quite know what they want, except to be with him. "Come and you will see." So they followed. 

Jesus comes across this guy Philip, "Follow Me." Philip had a personal encounter with Jesus and there was nothing he could do, but be changed. He ran home and told his buddy Nathanael. "We found our Messiah! He's Joseph's son from Nazareth!" Nathanael seriously questions him. "Oh come on, how could the Messiah be the son of a carpenter from a hick town?" Philip could have argued this point for awhile, with prophecies from the Old Testament, with what Jesus did and said already, but Philip just replies, "Come and see." 

When Nathanael goes and meets Jesus face to face, Jesus is able to tell Nathanael where he was sitting when Philip found him. Nathanael replies in awe, "You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" I almost think I can see Jesus laughing at Nathanael when he says, "You believe in me because I could see where you were? You will see greater things than these! You will see heaven itself!" This man who is calling people to follow can also control the cosmos! 

The rest of the gospel of John goes on to tell about the Jesus' life, but the message is the same. Jesus Christ is God of the universe, creator of all things, and he is the one who sees Nathanael lounging in his shady backyard. He left his throne where the earth was his footstool, and came down to save us sinners. He has complete sovereignty and he wants to rescue us from our mess. 

The best witness Philip had was to invite Nathanael to come and have the same face-to-face experience that he had. I could make brilliant arguments that prove Jesus is God, but until you or I have a personal encounter with Him, it makes no difference. When Jesus says "Come and see. Follow Me," can we do anything but follow? There is no other adventure like it. 

Look him in the face and see for yourself.

I Thessalonians and Personal Growth

This coming Sunday, Pastor Andy is going to kick off our new sermon series through the book of I Thessalonians. I was reading I Thessalonians this morning and I realized I had done a project on the letter while I was a college student. After digging through a couple of files I found my project. The goal of the project was to synthesize the themes in Paul's letter. While so often biblical study is focused on analyzing and breaking down the text into the smallest bits, my professor wanted us to bring it together; to look at the whole thing at once. I had a blast with this project because as much as I love to analyze I need to see the big picture for it to be worth the work. 

But as I looked closer at this project, I started seeing a bunch of things I didn't like. I drew some connections that don't seem that important, and missed some more of the obvious points. I didn't like how I broke down the segments. Why did I stop that section there, when Paul kept on the same theme in the next verse? Did I seriously misspell a three letter word? In a matter of minutes, this prized project became embarrassing. 

Then I noticed the date on the cover page: December 12, 2002. I did this ten years ago?!? I did this project the first semester of my college career! Now I feel old. But, I also get to have grace for myself. While this was a mildly impressive display of biblical literacy when I was 18 (at least my prof thought so), I have changed in the last 10 years. I see things differently now.

Life with Christ is never stagnant. We never learn anything in finality. We are always growing and changing, and so our understanding of God and his Word must always be growing as well. The Bible is living and active (Hebrews 4:12) and so are we! The gospel of Jesus never changes, but because of its infinite dimensions, we should always see it new. 

I pray that I never see the Bible as something I have all figured out, or even any one book as something I've already studied enough. I pray these next 13 weeks through 1 Thessalonians will be a great rediscovery of the unchanging message of the gospel and that it would penetrate our lives in a brand new way. 

Living in Reality

Psalm 4

¹ Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!

You have given me relief when I was in distress.

Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!

² O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame?

How long will you love vain words and seek after lies?    Selah

³ But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself;

the LORD hears when I call to him.

⁴ Be angry, and do not sin;

ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent.   Selah

⁵ Offer right sacrifices,

and put your trust in the LORD.

⁶ There are many who say, “Who will show us some good?

Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!”

⁷ You have put more joy in my heart

than they have when their grain and wine abound.

⁸ In peace I will both lie down and sleep;

for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

----------------------

A few weeks ago I stumbled across this verse while playing a little Bible Roulette. I don’t recommend this as a regular reading plan because it can really lead you in the wrong direction, but I didn’t have any ideas of where to read that day so I was just flipping around. 

The Psalms are well known for not mincing any words, and for expressing extreme emotions, but what stuck out to me about this chapter is not the circumstantial context of the words but the process David goes through. He looks honestly at his circumstance, looks at the truth of the Lord, and then responds in light of the truth. 

In verses one and two David cries out to God about his troubles, and to his neighbors about their sin. David looks around and asks, “How long?” In other words, “Will this never end?” It is easy to get caught in that cycle of thinking: look at the messed up world around me (or the messed up me!), yell at God, repeat. But David doesn’t stop there; he looks beyond the trouble to what he knows about God. 

Who The Lord Is

The truth about the world is glaringly obvious to us, but the truth about God is all too often more difficult to find. In the middle of his distress David is able to say in verse three, “The LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD hears when I call him.” 

How could David say this with such certainty? I think there are two basic reasons. First, David knew the history of God’s faithfulness to his people. He would have grown up being told all about how the Lord had called Abraham out of his homeland, how he had protected Joseph from slavery and made him #2 in all of Egypt, how he had called Moses to service through the burning bush, how he made the Red Sea dry for the Israelites to cross, and then flooded Pharaoh's army in it. He would have known about the manna and how the Lord led them by fire and cloud through the wilderness. He knew about (and had copies of) the Law that was handed down to the Israelites to set them apart for the Lord. 

But knowing about good work of God in other people’s lives does little to change our own. After all, David’s older brothers would have known all the same stories, but they weren’t exactly jumping up to fight Goliath. Which leads me to the second part: David had personally experienced the Lord’s work in his life. When he was just a kid he talked King Saul into letting him fight Goliath by saying, “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” (1 Samuel 17:37 ESV) He had seen the Lord protect him before and he had confidence that He would do it again! 

For us, all of these stories and more are now in our Old Testament. If we don’t know the history of God’s faithfulness, how will we ever trust him ourselves? It would be like handing over your children to a daycare you had zero research on, and no one recommended to you! Having personal experiences with the Lord, however, leads to greater and greater trust in Him. This means we cannot hide in our comfort zone. We need to be willing to be in places that require us to trust God. It means stepping out in faith even when the reality of the situation is grim, because the reality of God is great. 

David responds this way in verses four through eight, with a few instructions and some attitude adjustments. If we really believe that God hears us and will always care for his people, we are freed up to not be angry, to trust the Lord, and to live in joy. Even with his enemies all over the place David entrusts his safety to the Lord so much so that he can lie down and sleep in peace! 

If the Truth is True...

If this doesn’t sound like you, what is missing? If we say we believe the truth about who God is and what He can do, then why should we live any other way than in peace and joy? Either we don’t believe the reality of God, or we are crazy. Reality (i.e. truth) inevitably affects how we live. 

Consider this example: You have a friend who is deaf. You know this about her, so naturally you communicate differently with her than with a hearing friend. Maybe she can read lips, so you’re conscious of facing her when you speak. Or maybe you learn sign language, or you type to each other. Whatever you do, you change your typical habits in light of the reality of her hearing loss. You then see someone walk up to your friend and start speaking to her as if she can hear. The speaker doesn’t get a response and repeats themselves more loudly. What goes through your head at this point? Either 1) they don’t know she’s deaf so they aren’t changing their habits, or 2) they do know she’s deaf and they’re foolish for thinking that they should be able to communicate the same way they always do! 

We naturally conform to reality in every day life, so why is responding to the reality of God so hard? Either we don’t truly know or believe who the Lord is and what He can do, or we are actively choosing to live life contrary to that reality. 

Truth is not just a thing to be studied or argued about, but something that radically changes our lives. In John 8:31-32 Jesus says, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” David was not spending sleepless nights wondering what would happen to him. He slept soundly, knowing the Lord was protecting him. Knowing the truth turns us from slavery to freedom! 

So what? 

A couple questions to consider:  

Do you know the Lord? God has revealed himself to us through his Son Jesus (“the Word made flesh”) as recorded in the Bible (“The Word”). God is powerful enough to overcome any circumstance, but he will only do so if you know him. Commit your life to him, and turn from your sin. If you are struggling with trusting God in tough times, spend more time in his Word, and find out who he says he is. He has things to say to each of us in our situations, and wants to be our Redeemer. 

Are you living in reality or in fear? Sometimes we live contrary to the truth we know because even if we say we know it, the scary reality of life is more convincing than the reality of God’s truth. Meditate on John 8:31-32--the truth will set you free! Ask yourself, “What am I afraid of?” and then ask Jesus to redeem that fear and help you live in the truth of his love and power. We need to continually remember that His Word is the ultimate authority on everything, and when our circumstances don’t make sense, he is still true. 

Who will walk with you? The Christian life cannot be lived alone. We need each other to function. Share with at least one person where you need help trusting the Lord and ask them to support you...and support them as well! Your Community Groups are a great place for this. You don’t always need to give all the details, but no one will be shocked if you share that you are not always believing the truth of the gospel and living it consistently at all times in all ways! The nature of life on this earth is one of constant growth in this area. 

Other thoughts? Leave a comment below!