I like words. Especially ironic words. For instance, have you noticed before that the word "palindrome," which describes words that are spelled the same forwards and backwards, is not a palindrome? It's kind of awesome. Another one is "Simplify." Three syllables doesn't strike me as something that is being made less complex. Someone should change that.
Anyway, this last weekend, God gave me a reminder about simplicity. The source of this is rooted in my sincere belief that all parts of the Bible are not equally important. (I can say this with confidence that God will not zap me with lightning.) I realized how much focus that I can give to the parts that are less important if I'm not focused on the ones that are crucial.
I've been a Christian for a long time, and sometimes I can forget that those who I am privileged to preach to do not share my background. They don't understand all the scriptural references I do. They don't need the same convictions of heart that I need. But they need to know the Jesus I know, and it's the saving sacrifice of this Jesus that I can forget when I get wrapped up in dogmatic debates whose outcomes of a fist pump cannot compare to a life-saving victory of the Gospel winning a heart to Jesus. It's this that calls me to simplification, editing the content of my teaching or even my beliefs, so that people don't fail to take away from my teaching or conversation the most important point of scripture: God loves us so much that he gave up the life of Jesus, so that anyone that believes in Him will be saved from death.
Sounds familiar.
St. Francis once said "Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words." Good advice. Just don't forget: sometimes it's necessary to use words.
1/25/12
1/16/12
It's a simple question. (Part 3)
Being a Christian is about sacrificing yourself to God.
Why? Well, it depends on where you want to start. For instance, if you start in the Beginning. Who makes the first sacrifice to God in the Bible? It's not Cain and Abel. Start earlier.
Have everything else you want, but sacrifice this one thing. We often think of sacrifices as things that we do have, then give up. We put it on the altar, and burn it up. But sometimes the sacrifice, like this one, is to never have what we want. If you look at it this way, then every command of God is not only demanding obedience; it is demanding some form of sacrifice. That kind of idea is a lot bigger than rams and knives and the book of Leviticus.
The next two great characters of the Old Testament are Noah and Abraham (Abram), and God's first words to each of them are a demand for sacrifice. Respectively, he tells them, "Build a giant floating zoo," and "Move your whole family from your home. I'll tell you where you're going later." (para: Gen 6:13-14; Gen 12:1)
So why is this a sacrifice?
Because I'm not a carpenter.
Because they will call me crazy.
Because the lions will eat me.
Because I'm too old.
Because I'm happier here.
Because my sandal is broken.
Because you're not giving me enough information.
Because it's in my family's best interest.
Because I don't want to.
Every excuse that didn't pass their lips was a sacrifice to God. Every feeling of confusion and doubt that they kept to themselves and gave him an offering of trust and obedience instead. That is sacrifice.
The New Testament follows the same pattern.
Sacrifice fairness; practice benevolence. (Mt 5:38-42)
Sacrifice confidence; practice faith. (Mt 6:25-34)
Sacrifice patriotism; bring bandages instead of bullets. (Lk 10:30-37)
Sacrifice doing it your way; throw your nets on the other side. (Jn 21:5-6)
Sacrifice your life; Jesus did this for you. (2 Cor 5:14-15)
If our relationship with God is not built around sacrificing ourselves for him, it is not because he hasn't required it; it's because we're afraid of it. Pride often clouds us to the point that we will not even accept the nature of such a relationship to him, but without accepting this, how can we even begin to know God?
Sacrifice is the overarching image of man's relationship to God. It leads us to knowing his will.
It's what being a Christian is about.
Why? Well, it depends on where you want to start. For instance, if you start in the Beginning. Who makes the first sacrifice to God in the Bible? It's not Cain and Abel. Start earlier.
“You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” (Gen 2 NIV)
Have everything else you want, but sacrifice this one thing. We often think of sacrifices as things that we do have, then give up. We put it on the altar, and burn it up. But sometimes the sacrifice, like this one, is to never have what we want. If you look at it this way, then every command of God is not only demanding obedience; it is demanding some form of sacrifice. That kind of idea is a lot bigger than rams and knives and the book of Leviticus.
The next two great characters of the Old Testament are Noah and Abraham (Abram), and God's first words to each of them are a demand for sacrifice. Respectively, he tells them, "Build a giant floating zoo," and "Move your whole family from your home. I'll tell you where you're going later." (para: Gen 6:13-14; Gen 12:1)
So why is this a sacrifice?
Because I'm not a carpenter.
Because they will call me crazy.
Because the lions will eat me.
Because I'm too old.
Because I'm happier here.
Because my sandal is broken.
Because you're not giving me enough information.
Because it's in my family's best interest.
Because I don't want to.
Every excuse that didn't pass their lips was a sacrifice to God. Every feeling of confusion and doubt that they kept to themselves and gave him an offering of trust and obedience instead. That is sacrifice.
The New Testament follows the same pattern.
Sacrifice fairness; practice benevolence. (Mt 5:38-42)
Sacrifice confidence; practice faith. (Mt 6:25-34)
Sacrifice patriotism; bring bandages instead of bullets. (Lk 10:30-37)
Sacrifice doing it your way; throw your nets on the other side. (Jn 21:5-6)
Sacrifice your life; Jesus did this for you. (2 Cor 5:14-15)
If our relationship with God is not built around sacrificing ourselves for him, it is not because he hasn't required it; it's because we're afraid of it. Pride often clouds us to the point that we will not even accept the nature of such a relationship to him, but without accepting this, how can we even begin to know God?
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Rom 12 NIV)
Sacrifice is the overarching image of man's relationship to God. It leads us to knowing his will.
It's what being a Christian is about.
1/12/12
It's a simple question. (Part 2)
I heard some ministers doing a segment on K-Love a few days ago about "God's will." Particularly, they were offering response to the question of some callers "How can I know God's will for me?" There were a few stutters and miscues as they fired up their engine, like "Well, you see, Scripture wants us to know... what I mean is, we are all made by God... If you'll look at Jesus' life..." Soon after, they were on track, and headed in a little more coherent direction, though it still included quite a few commas and run-on sentences as they tried to exhaustively cover every disclaimer they thought was necessary for all the foreseeable loopholes in what is a very broad theological subject.
I have no ill will towards these two guys or the station, because I think they are seeking Jesus to the best of their understanding and helping others along the Way. But I had to giggle a bit as they groped for an answer mostly because I had the privilege during Bible college to hear a very wise professor lecture on this subject, and what the radio guys outlined in three minutes, my professor summed up in eight words.
God's will is the redemption of all people.
Sometimes questions initially seem quite simple. Then we discover that they are far deeper than we had anticipated. But if we will be honest enough with ourself, our beliefs, and with the question itself, we will often return to the truth that the answer will be, like the question, quite simple even despite its depth.
So what would you say being a Christian is all about?
When the question was raised, my initial reaction was to think "oh yeah, I should definitely know the answer to this." Then I thought for a minute and came to the conclusion, "wow, I don't really know the answer to this." At least, I didn't immediately. And that feeling of disablement is somewhere between insulting and humiliating. After all, I've spent my life being a Christian, so why couldn't I answer this off the top of my head? I resolved to find a real answer.
Not unlike our radio friends, my initial thoughts were riddled with addendum's, and would have rendered listeners far more confused than they had been had they initialized the question themselves. Then it occurred to me that the answer was rather obvious and plain, just like God's will.
Usually, our difficulties with answering these questions are self-inflicted because we are either asking or understanding the question wrongly–usually egocentrically. For instance, you will never sufficiently answer God's will for you until you recognize that his will, much like the Bible, isn't for you. And, if that's the question you're trying to answer on a radio show, your listeners are going to be in for a long drive. Only once you accept God's corporate interest in our world, can you neatly find the answers for yourself as you fit yourself into the answer, redeeming all people, instead of trying to fit the answer to your own circumstance. Similarly, a corporate perspective on Christianity will lead you to a definitive ending to a seemingly impossible question. Want to know what being a Christian is all about?
Being a Christian is about sacrificing yourself to God.
Plain and simple.
In the interest of keeping this at a readable length, I will expand the theology of sacrifice in my next post.
Plain and simple.
In the interest of keeping this at a readable length, I will expand the theology of sacrifice in my next post.
1/10/12
It's a simple question.
What is the meaning of life?
Has there ever been such a simple question that is so hard to answer? Statements like these are almost pieces of art. Childlike in innocence, yet opening the door to seemingly unlimited responses from every philosophical camp, each requiring nuanced explanation to justify their certainty.
Being a minister, these sorts of endless questions arise from time to time. And while philosophy and religion can be a fun game for the logical mind to puzzle over, you can't avoid the obvious implication that the answers being sought by questions of such depth are, even if unsearchable, pretty important. So we search.
A similarly simple/difficult question arose recently in a book I've been reading, Sticky Faith, where the author is seeking formative roots for a Christian identity during teenage years. If you're reading this, I implore you to respond, and I want you to answer it as immediately as you can, only thinking about it as long as you would think about answering me if I asked your name. So here is the question:
What would you say being a Christian is all about?
It's a simple question. In my next post, I'll tell you what it's all about ;)
Has there ever been such a simple question that is so hard to answer? Statements like these are almost pieces of art. Childlike in innocence, yet opening the door to seemingly unlimited responses from every philosophical camp, each requiring nuanced explanation to justify their certainty.
Being a minister, these sorts of endless questions arise from time to time. And while philosophy and religion can be a fun game for the logical mind to puzzle over, you can't avoid the obvious implication that the answers being sought by questions of such depth are, even if unsearchable, pretty important. So we search.
A similarly simple/difficult question arose recently in a book I've been reading, Sticky Faith, where the author is seeking formative roots for a Christian identity during teenage years. If you're reading this, I implore you to respond, and I want you to answer it as immediately as you can, only thinking about it as long as you would think about answering me if I asked your name. So here is the question:
What would you say being a Christian is all about?
It's a simple question. In my next post, I'll tell you what it's all about ;)
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