We are blessed to be a blessing. This is an idea that has been a part of God’s story since the beginning. From the start, God has blessed his people so that they could bless the world.
In Genesis 12, God goes to a man named Abram and makes a covenant with him. Here are the words of that covenant…
1The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
2“I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
3I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”
Notice that God does not tell Abram that he is blessing him because Abram is better than everyone else or because Abram is the strongest. God blessed Abram so that all people on earth would be blessed.
God’s purposes have not changed since then. In the New Testament we see the same idea continuing. As Jesus prepares to ascend back to the Father, Matthew records the following words that Jesus spoke to his followers…
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
In Luke’s telling of the story, we find Jesus saying...
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
God has always been in the business of blessing people so that they could turn around and bless others. We are meant to be his witnesses. Unfortunately, it seems as though many Christians, especially in our country, have fallen prey to the idea that God has blessed us for our sake. Some seem to believe that because we are a powerful nation, God owes us a blessing. And even if they don’t think that, some people appear to believe that we are better than everyone else because God has blessed us in a special way.
Are we a blessed people? I believe so. Are we blessed so that we can enjoy our blessings? Maybe. Is our blessing actually given to us so we can bless others? Absolutely! I believe that Scripture is clear that God blesses us so that we can be a blessing.
As you think about the blessings God had given you, are you enjoying them without using them for the purpose God intended? Are your blessings more about you than about God? Remember that God has blessed people since the beginning so they can bless others and so he can be glorified. Be a blessing because you have been blessed.
shine!
Jason
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Sunday, September 23, 2012
I can do it on my own?
We live in a society that tells us we can do it on our own. Bookstores are filled with self-help books that give us advice on how we can do things on our own. The story of the American Dream says that if you work hard enough, you can achieve anything you want.
While it is true that hard work is important, we can come to believe that we don’t really need God, even when it comes to the things of the Kingdom. We can begin to think that with the right marketing, a great speaker, entertaining worship, and quality programs, that we can accomplish great things for God.
While I don’t want to dismiss those things or call them bad, they reveal our attitude that we don’t really need to rely on God. God doesn’t need clever marketing or talented entertainers to accomplish his purposes. For thousands of years, God has relied on common people, sometimes even below average people, to do great things for the Kingdom.
First, let’s consider when God was seeking a new leader for his people to replace Saul. Each of Jesse’s sons was brought before Samuel, but none of them were the one that God wanted. While Samuel was looking for the one that looked the best on the outside, God was looking at something else…
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)
While David made his share of mistakes, some of them huge, God chose the person who had the heart that God desired. God wasn’t choosing a king based on his height, build, or apparent strength. Rather, God was seeking someone who was willing to trust in him.
In the New Testament, we find another person who trusted in God. As he shared significant struggle he faced, Paul wrote these words about dealing with his “thorn in the flesh”…
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
We must learn to trust in God and rely on God. It is an essential part of the Kingdom and one of the hardest things to do in our society. While almost everything around us tells us to trust in ourselves and our own strength, God shows us time and time again that when we trust in him, we can accomplish more than we could ever imagine.
shine!
Jason
While it is true that hard work is important, we can come to believe that we don’t really need God, even when it comes to the things of the Kingdom. We can begin to think that with the right marketing, a great speaker, entertaining worship, and quality programs, that we can accomplish great things for God.
While I don’t want to dismiss those things or call them bad, they reveal our attitude that we don’t really need to rely on God. God doesn’t need clever marketing or talented entertainers to accomplish his purposes. For thousands of years, God has relied on common people, sometimes even below average people, to do great things for the Kingdom.
First, let’s consider when God was seeking a new leader for his people to replace Saul. Each of Jesse’s sons was brought before Samuel, but none of them were the one that God wanted. While Samuel was looking for the one that looked the best on the outside, God was looking at something else…
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)
While David made his share of mistakes, some of them huge, God chose the person who had the heart that God desired. God wasn’t choosing a king based on his height, build, or apparent strength. Rather, God was seeking someone who was willing to trust in him.
In the New Testament, we find another person who trusted in God. As he shared significant struggle he faced, Paul wrote these words about dealing with his “thorn in the flesh”…
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
We must learn to trust in God and rely on God. It is an essential part of the Kingdom and one of the hardest things to do in our society. While almost everything around us tells us to trust in ourselves and our own strength, God shows us time and time again that when we trust in him, we can accomplish more than we could ever imagine.
shine!
Jason
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Hunger for God's Word
Every year members of our youth group participate in the 30 Hour Famine. From noon on Friday until 6:00pm on Saturday, we do not eat any food; we only drink water and juice. Shortly before we break our fast, the parents who have prepared our dinner show up and set things up. It’s in those moments that the smell of food spreads through the house. After more than a day without food, many of us are hungry and ready to eat. It’s always interesting to watch how much a meal is appreciated after not eating for that long.
What if we had that kind of hunger for the Word of God? How might that change our lives? How might that change our approach to church?
It seems as though many people hunger for church because of how it serves them more than seeing it as an opportunity to experience the Word of God. This hunger for the Word is a something that David Platt addresses in his book, Radical. David asks if the Word is enough for us. Then he continues with these thoughts…
This is the question that haunts me when I stand before a crowd of thousands of people in the church I pastor. What if we take away the cool music and the cushioned chairs? What if the screens are gone and the stage is no longer decorated? What if the air conditioning is off and the comforts are removed? Would his Word still be enough for his people to come together?
How would you answer that question for yourself? How do you think others would answer that question? In a time when it seems that so many look for a church that caters to them, what if we looked for a church that challenged us to grow and learn? Would that change what we look for in a church? And, more importantly, would it change our attitude when we gather with other believers?
The reality is that no church is perfect. If a church was perfect, I am sure that I would change that when I showed up. But at the same time, God is calling all of us to become more than we are, both as individuals and a community.
That change and growth demands that we consider what we hunger for. Jesus said in Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” What are you hungry and thirsty for in your life?
I have heard many people complain that a certain church isn’t meeting their needs or it doesn’t speak to them. That makes church sound more like a restaurant or store than it does the body of Christ.
When I go to McDonald’s, I might stop eating there because I don’t like the way the food tastes. But the church is not McDonald’s.
Before we complain about the “flavor” of a church, maybe we should make sure our hunger is for the right thing.
shine!
Jason
What if we had that kind of hunger for the Word of God? How might that change our lives? How might that change our approach to church?
It seems as though many people hunger for church because of how it serves them more than seeing it as an opportunity to experience the Word of God. This hunger for the Word is a something that David Platt addresses in his book, Radical. David asks if the Word is enough for us. Then he continues with these thoughts…
This is the question that haunts me when I stand before a crowd of thousands of people in the church I pastor. What if we take away the cool music and the cushioned chairs? What if the screens are gone and the stage is no longer decorated? What if the air conditioning is off and the comforts are removed? Would his Word still be enough for his people to come together?
How would you answer that question for yourself? How do you think others would answer that question? In a time when it seems that so many look for a church that caters to them, what if we looked for a church that challenged us to grow and learn? Would that change what we look for in a church? And, more importantly, would it change our attitude when we gather with other believers?
The reality is that no church is perfect. If a church was perfect, I am sure that I would change that when I showed up. But at the same time, God is calling all of us to become more than we are, both as individuals and a community.
That change and growth demands that we consider what we hunger for. Jesus said in Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” What are you hungry and thirsty for in your life?
I have heard many people complain that a certain church isn’t meeting their needs or it doesn’t speak to them. That makes church sound more like a restaurant or store than it does the body of Christ.
When I go to McDonald’s, I might stop eating there because I don’t like the way the food tastes. But the church is not McDonald’s.
Before we complain about the “flavor” of a church, maybe we should make sure our hunger is for the right thing.
shine!
Jason
Sunday, September 09, 2012
The cost of following Jesus
This week we begin a two-month series based on the book Radical by David Platt. Our purpose will be to examine how our faith and our culture intersect and sometimes conflict. What does it mean to be a Christian in 21st Century America?
In Luke 9, we find Jesus’ brief discussions with three different people about the cost of following him.
57As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
58Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
59He said to another man, “Follow me.”
But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
60Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
61Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”
62Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
Following Jesus requires something of us. Sometimes we will have to make the choice that stands in contrast to the demands of our culture. Consumerism and materialism often fight against the call of the Kingdom of God to put others first and share all we have.
Let me share two quotes from David Platt’s book, Radical that address the struggle that I am talking about:
“We are settling for a Christianity that revolves around catering to ourselves when the central message of Christianity is actually about abandoning ourselves.”
“Radical obedience to Christ is not easy... It's not comfort, not health, not wealth, and not prosperity in this world. Radical obedience to Christ risks losing all these things. But in the end, such risk finds its reward in Christ. And he is more than enough for us.”
It is not easy following Jesus, but the easy road is not always the one that is best. And while the cost of following Christ may seem high, it is a cost that is worth the reward. Let’s take the journey together as we seek to discover what it means to be a Christian in 21st Century America.
shine!
Jason
In Luke 9, we find Jesus’ brief discussions with three different people about the cost of following him.
57As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
58Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
59He said to another man, “Follow me.”
But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
60Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
61Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”
62Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
Following Jesus requires something of us. Sometimes we will have to make the choice that stands in contrast to the demands of our culture. Consumerism and materialism often fight against the call of the Kingdom of God to put others first and share all we have.
Let me share two quotes from David Platt’s book, Radical that address the struggle that I am talking about:
“We are settling for a Christianity that revolves around catering to ourselves when the central message of Christianity is actually about abandoning ourselves.”
“Radical obedience to Christ is not easy... It's not comfort, not health, not wealth, and not prosperity in this world. Radical obedience to Christ risks losing all these things. But in the end, such risk finds its reward in Christ. And he is more than enough for us.”
It is not easy following Jesus, but the easy road is not always the one that is best. And while the cost of following Christ may seem high, it is a cost that is worth the reward. Let’s take the journey together as we seek to discover what it means to be a Christian in 21st Century America.
shine!
Jason
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