My Friends,
I've been thinking a lot about Jesus' reputation as being a friend of sinners in connection with something from my playground days in school. To help think this through you have to transport yourself back to your elementary years.
How it usually happened is you are minding your business when someone approaches you and introduces themselves by telling you their name. Then they ask a simple question: Do you want to be friends? More than likely you said okay and then you began your friendship. Crazy, huh? Our adult intellect probably says something like, "We do a lot of dumb stuff like that when we're kids." I'm not so sure it's dumb. I don't think that Jesus was making idle suggestions when he told us we need to become like little children in order to fully enter and experience the kingdom of God. The question should be, "Did Jesus act more like us or children when gaining his reputation as friend of sinners?"
Luke 19 gives us insight into this. Jesus is on his way to Jericho when he meets a man named Zacchaeus. You know the story. But look closely at 19:3. It is clear that Zacchaeus had never met Jesus, yet when Jesus sees Zacchaeus he invites himself over to spend the day, just like they were long lost friends. Zacchaeus' reaction is telling. He gladly, immediately welcomes Jesus and as a result ends up giving half his possessions to the poor with a promise to restore anything he has cheated from anyone.
But to me it looks and sounds like the above school yard situation.
Jesus: Hi my name is Jesus.
Zacchaeus: Hi
Jesus: Do you want to be friends?
Zacchaeus: Sure
Jesus: Can I come over today and hang out?
Zacchaeus: I'd love that
The Master Teacher was teaching his disciples and ourselves about what it looks like to gain a reputation as a friend of sinners for the clear purpose of winning them to the kingdom. As Jesus said in 19:10, "The Son of Man came to seek and save that which was lost." And what do you do with your friends? You spend time with them doing friend stuff, like eating together and spending time at one another's homes. Your friendship to them has a sanctifying effect. In the Old Testament you touch a leper and you become unclean. In the New Testament you touch a leper and the leper becomes clean. Our Teacher was showing us the profound effect our presence has with those the world considers "sinners." We should take note and adjust our time to accomodate our mission.
One of the main problems is the problem of limited time. We all have commitments and friendships already that we feel we must maintain. Friendship takes work and commitment. It takes a time commitment to befriend "sinners." The question will then become, whose will is going to be done in your life? If your will is going to be done, no adjustment probably has to be made. Plan your vacations, your free time, etc. the way you have been. If the Father's will is going to be done in your life there may need to be an adjustment, because Our Savior spent whole days with sinners he had just met for the purpose of winning them to the kingdom.
I'm preaching to myself right now.
I don't have the answer, because our lives need balance. My suspicion is that they are already unbalanced heavily, but not in the way we would like to admit or adjust. Please pray with me and for me as I and others discern what needs to be adjusted so that we can also gain the reputation that Jesus had as a friend of sinners.
I love you all,
N8
Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Thursday, June 02, 2011
Engaging Grace Through a Posture of Prayer
Grace is really crucial. One of my mentors defines grace as "the empowering presence of God that enables you to do what God is asking you to do and be what God is asking you to be." It is God's grace that empowers us to do God's work. Sounds pretty simple. It is. But how do we engage this grace?
Proverbs 3:34 says that God, "mocks proud mockers but gives grace to the humble." Clearly humility attracts the empowering presence of God enabling us to walk in the fullness of who God called us to be. But in my mind it seems difficult to think someone could work up humility. Can someone become humble? I want to ensure that there is the empowering presence of God in every area of my life and ministry, so how can I keep this humility that attracts grace?
Both James 4:10 and 2 Chronicles 7:14 tell us to humble ourselves, so it must be possible. Biblically speaking, there are many times when scriptures testify that someone humbled themselves before the Lord (Psalm 69:10, 2 Kings 22:19, Daniel 10:12), and in almost every case it is a posture of prayer or fasting. According to the word of God, you humble yourself when you engage in the activity of prayer. It makes sense when you think about it.
In times when we come to the end of our strength we tend to cry out to God for help. When we're going through something with a child, or on our job, or in a marriage or you name it, and we can't seem to get a break we cry out to God with a certain intensity that shows our desperation. That desperation actually is a form of humility because it says, "I can't do anything in this situation. I need my God to do something." And this humility attracts grace.
So the opposite is true too. When we're pretty sure of ourselves and things aren't so dire, we are tempted to let up and not cry out to God like we did when we were in trouble. What is our prayerlessness saying? It unknowingly communicates that we can handle this on our own and in this certain situation we don't need the empowering presence of God. That is dangerous. So what is the answer?
It is important that we live reflectively and watch out for places in our lives where we have let up on our prayers. It is those places that we have subtly been tempted into thinking we can handle things on our own, and it is then in those places that our pride will resist the grace that we need to live well before God. If this seems simple it's because it is. In a sentence what I'm trying to say is, our life of prayer exhibits a humility that attracts the grace we so desperately need to live.
Selah
I love you all,
N8
Proverbs 3:34 says that God, "mocks proud mockers but gives grace to the humble." Clearly humility attracts the empowering presence of God enabling us to walk in the fullness of who God called us to be. But in my mind it seems difficult to think someone could work up humility. Can someone become humble? I want to ensure that there is the empowering presence of God in every area of my life and ministry, so how can I keep this humility that attracts grace?
Both James 4:10 and 2 Chronicles 7:14 tell us to humble ourselves, so it must be possible. Biblically speaking, there are many times when scriptures testify that someone humbled themselves before the Lord (Psalm 69:10, 2 Kings 22:19, Daniel 10:12), and in almost every case it is a posture of prayer or fasting. According to the word of God, you humble yourself when you engage in the activity of prayer. It makes sense when you think about it.
In times when we come to the end of our strength we tend to cry out to God for help. When we're going through something with a child, or on our job, or in a marriage or you name it, and we can't seem to get a break we cry out to God with a certain intensity that shows our desperation. That desperation actually is a form of humility because it says, "I can't do anything in this situation. I need my God to do something." And this humility attracts grace.
So the opposite is true too. When we're pretty sure of ourselves and things aren't so dire, we are tempted to let up and not cry out to God like we did when we were in trouble. What is our prayerlessness saying? It unknowingly communicates that we can handle this on our own and in this certain situation we don't need the empowering presence of God. That is dangerous. So what is the answer?
It is important that we live reflectively and watch out for places in our lives where we have let up on our prayers. It is those places that we have subtly been tempted into thinking we can handle things on our own, and it is then in those places that our pride will resist the grace that we need to live well before God. If this seems simple it's because it is. In a sentence what I'm trying to say is, our life of prayer exhibits a humility that attracts the grace we so desperately need to live.
Selah
I love you all,
N8
Friday, January 14, 2011
Happy New Year People of God,
I would like to begin this New Year with some encouragement for you that has helped me in the past few months. It all began when I made public what I heard privately from the Lord that the street ministry was to expand to Benton Harbor. Not long after that I knew that I was to finish school a.s.a.p. so that I could begin working there full time. At first this was fine, but then the enemy attacked and helped me to meditate on all the implications my obedience would have.
I started to think about how I wouldn't have enough money to drive back and forth every day from Kalamazoo to Benton Harbor. Next I started to think about how I didn't know anybody in Benton Harbor and how much work it would be to start the ministry over from scratch in a city I was unfamiliar with. And as I allowed my mind to wander, doubt and unbelief washed over me like a flood and real fear began to grip me. I couldn't shake it. After I got quiet before the Lord, the Holy Spirit whispered to me, "Consider Jesus." What was the Spirit saying?
Well, in speaking of Jesus Hebrews 12:3 says, "Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." That word "consider" can actually mean to star gaze. In order for us not to lose heart we are directed to star gaze at Jesus. So I began to gaze at Jesus and the words He gave to us. I gazed at the promise in Deuteronomy 31:6 which says, "Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." I meditated on Matthew 6:26 where Jesus assures us, "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" And slowly but surely the fear melted away and trust in the Father returned.
E.W. Kenyon said once, "Faith comes by continually considering Jesus. Doubt comes by considering circumstances and environment." I can affirm this wholeheartedly. If you're going through something difficult or a circumstance you are feeling anxiety or hopelessness about, check your gaze. It may be that you are considering something the Bible hasn't asked you to. Checking my gaze helped me. I hope it can help you too.
I love you all,
N8
I would like to begin this New Year with some encouragement for you that has helped me in the past few months. It all began when I made public what I heard privately from the Lord that the street ministry was to expand to Benton Harbor. Not long after that I knew that I was to finish school a.s.a.p. so that I could begin working there full time. At first this was fine, but then the enemy attacked and helped me to meditate on all the implications my obedience would have.
I started to think about how I wouldn't have enough money to drive back and forth every day from Kalamazoo to Benton Harbor. Next I started to think about how I didn't know anybody in Benton Harbor and how much work it would be to start the ministry over from scratch in a city I was unfamiliar with. And as I allowed my mind to wander, doubt and unbelief washed over me like a flood and real fear began to grip me. I couldn't shake it. After I got quiet before the Lord, the Holy Spirit whispered to me, "Consider Jesus." What was the Spirit saying?
Well, in speaking of Jesus Hebrews 12:3 says, "Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." That word "consider" can actually mean to star gaze. In order for us not to lose heart we are directed to star gaze at Jesus. So I began to gaze at Jesus and the words He gave to us. I gazed at the promise in Deuteronomy 31:6 which says, "Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." I meditated on Matthew 6:26 where Jesus assures us, "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" And slowly but surely the fear melted away and trust in the Father returned.
E.W. Kenyon said once, "Faith comes by continually considering Jesus. Doubt comes by considering circumstances and environment." I can affirm this wholeheartedly. If you're going through something difficult or a circumstance you are feeling anxiety or hopelessness about, check your gaze. It may be that you are considering something the Bible hasn't asked you to. Checking my gaze helped me. I hope it can help you too.
I love you all,
N8
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