living for the cause

This week Beverly and I watched the movie Amazing Grace. It is the story of William Wilberforce. Wilberforce was the driving force behind the abolition of slavery in the 1800's in Great Britain. While the movie seemed slow at times, it moved me deeply. Wilberforce's story is one of a man who gave his life to accomplish the work of God in society. In spite of repeated setbacks, Wilberforce lived to see Great Britain outlaw slavery.

Wilberforce literally gave his life to accomplish something beyond himself. This is the pattern of Jesus. Paul, the apostle, describes Jesus' life in the following words:

Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal’s death on a cross. Because of this, God raised him up to the heights of heaven and gave him a name that is above every other name... (Philippians 2:5-9)

Jesus gave His life for the accomplishment of God's purposes in the world. As a result, the world was forever changed. Jesus gave His life for two things. (1) To be with the Father and accomplish His purposes and (2) to serve people in a way that restored them to place intended by the Father.

I believe that each of us has the same opportunity to "live large" and give our life to accomplish God's purposes in the world today. Unfortunately the difficulties usually cause people to choose a "small life" (a life that revolves around themselves and their comfort) and as such never really accomplish anything with their time. Too often we choose the way of safety, sacrificing the opportunity to truly do God-sized things for our own comfort. A wealthy young man came to Jesus but was unwilling to disburse his puny wealth in order to participate with God in his world. (Any amount of wealth is puny compared to the greatness of partnering with God in the redemption of creation).

I choose to live my life for a cause, for the cause of Christ and His current work in the world today. The cause motivates me to willingly sacrifice things people hold dear so that the rule of God can be established on the earth today. I will give my life for a cause that is beyond the comforts of self-centeredness.

Someday I will have to give an account for what I did with my life. I want my life to have radically effected eternity. I want the purposes of God to be evident in the way I lived. I want people to experience all that God has for them because of the way I lived.

Today I choose to live for a cause beyond me. I choose to partner with God and I choose to serve people.

following Jesus in 2007

Jesus' constant invitation to people was "follow Me". To the fishermen, Peter, Andrew, James, and John, He said "follow Me". To Matthew the tax collector, He said "follow Me". To a wealthy young man, He said "sell what you have and follow me".

I believe that Jesus still invites us to follow Him in 2007. The question is this - How does following Jesus look in 2007? For each person, that may look somewhat differently. One certainty - if we are to follow Jesus in 2007, then we need to know Him.

For the past several years, most of my Bible reading occurred in the gospels. I want to know Jesus, to understand how He would respond to the situations I face. In the process, I have discovered a gradual but steady change in my thinking. My theology has been challenged. My presuppositions about Jesus and His behaviors have been shaken. Things I held dear were contested. I discovered more questions than answers. But perhaps the deepest transformation involved my priorities.

If we follow Jesus some themes begin to emerge in our life. Themes like:

• A deeper focus on people and less focus on systems and structures (incidentally this results in a deep frustration with religious leaders who value systems and structures above people)
• Less need to control
• Rest instead of striving
• A movement away from "right versus wrong" toward a focus on "life"
• A transformation from programmed discipleship to a deep heart-level interaction with people

This is certainly not a comprehensive list of transformational themes that emerge in our life. Time and space will not permit me to discuss them all. Just as following Jesus transformed the lives of people almost 2000 years ago, today we discover a radical transformation that occurs as we follow Him.

Let me clarify - When I use the term "following Jesus", I am not speaking of following a church (even though the fellowship of believers is a vital part of this walk). I am not speaking about following a pastor or a priest. (even though leadership is part of God's Kingdom). I am speaking of a wildly dangerous adventure, abandoning the things we hold most dear in order to walk with Jesus today. This is a practical lifestyle. We will begin to embody the priorities of Jesus.

I would encourage each of us together to ask, "How does following Jesus look in my life in 2007? Pursue Him and His priorities!

What is really important?

During the past several years, God stripped away many of the things with which I identified myself (and my relationship with Him). For example, I have not purchased a "worship album" in six months. It's not that I don't like music, it's not that I don't deeply enjoy worshipping. Yet God has limited the musical worship in my life at this time. I still worship and pray, but it often is in silence (external silence). The grace to lead larger conferences has disappeared, the invitations to teach have almost dissipated. My identity as a "pastor" no longer exists.

Perhaps at a deeper level, my ability to provide income for my family seems to have diminished. My inclination to work harder, to try more gets me nowhere. An then on top of all this, my efforts to control my emotions and sinful nature fall woefully short.

So who am I today?

In spite of the discomfort of my situation that last several years, there are some things I know. I know that I am a son of the I AM. I know that He is good and loves me deeply. But most of all I KNOW HIM!

I have discovered the reality of God apart from all the "props" that we assume we need. I have discovered what really is real - His love, His desire to be with me, His approval of me. He doesn't love me for what I do but for who I am.

the condition of your heart

I have observed that religious people constantly attempt to keep me from living from the place of my heart. Perhaps their favorite scripture comes from the words of the prophet Jeremiah. "The human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?" (Jeremiah 17:9) Like we are often prone to do, this verse is lifted out of the context of the whole of scripture.

The same people that quote Jeremiah 17:9 forget about Ezekiel's words. "I will take away their hearts of stone and give them tender hearts instead..." (Ezekiel 11:19). These two scriptures are not contradictory, rather, they are a reflection of the process we undergo as followers of Jesus.

Without a doubt, the heart is wicked and self-centered UNTIL a miraculous transformation occurs. Jesus alluded to this when he talked with Nicodemus (recorded in John 3). He used terms like "born from above" and "born again". Jesus' words reiterated what Ezekiel prophesied centuries earlier. While we were born with a wicked bent, the desire of God is to rid us of that wicked heart and replace it with a new heart, a GOOD heart.

I have discovered that as I pursue God in the place of my heart, my heart has not been wrong or evil. Great wisdom comes from my new heart because I am now the dwelling place of God.

If your heart has been transformed, YOU CAN TRUST IT! It is the dwelling place of God. Pursue the desires of your heart!

we make this too hard

I had a conversation with a young man who was struggling with his purpose in life. He desperately wanted to know the will of God for his life. At one point I asked him what it was that he wanted to do, to which he replied, "that would be too easy". He like so many of us assumed that discerning God's will has to be difficult.

David, the wise king of Israel wrote the follow words in a Psalm. "Take delight in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4) The phrase "take delight" literally means to be soft or pliable. Eugene Peterson in his Bible paraphrase The Message uses these words, "keep company with God". Perhaps a more earthy rendition would say "hang out with God".

Jesus told his disciples that the day was coming when He would be in the Father, and we (he spoke to the disciples but I believe it applies to us as well) in Him and He in us. This speaks of a deep spiritual oneness. (John 14:20) Where does this oneness first occur? In our heart/spirit.

Something happens as I allow God to impact me, as I get next to Him. I begin to want what He wants. I start to think His thoughts. His desires become my deep heart desires. Therefore the secret to doing the will of God is not revealed by some external voice or person, but arises from the heart.

In other words, if I choose the way of God, if I am seeking Him, I can trust my heart's desires.

Don't spend your time and energy striving to find the will of God for your life; it will be discovered as you look to the desires of your heart. It really is that easy.

joy in the journey

It seems to me that many people who profess to be Christians are sadly lacking in joy. People frequently confuse Christianity with a rather boring lifestyle marked by things we do not do. We often grudgingly perform our expected duties, hoping that our "faithfulness" will be noticed by God and somehow rewarded at some later date. Our sacrifice is expected to win favor with God.

I am an earthly father with four children. They bring me most joy when they are being who they were created to be. It brings me joy to see Justin solve a math problem on which he has worked for days. I deeply enjoy watching Heidi play soccer. When Karisa dances in her graceful manner, my heart sings. This past fall, I watched Sarah immerse herself in a differant culture and enjoy every minute of it; my heart swelled with a good kind of pride. For each of them, these are activities they WANT to do.

My children bring me most joy by being, not because they have kept the rules properly. I don't appreciate them more because they sacrifice their joy in an attempt to please me. In the same way, I believe our heavenly Father is not impressed by our drudgery of sacrifice but rather by our fulness of joy.

I have determined to pursue Jesus and the abundant life He brings. I will not waste my time in this life with things that do not bring life. I will not engage in activities that continually steal my joy. I will not participate in the things the keep my heart from soaring with the Father. I purpose to enjoy life, to relax, to pursue the dreams God has placed in my heart. I will enjoy the journey with Jesus.

I have decided that I will do what I want as long as it does not contradict what God says and as long as it does not stifle the life flow that comes from my oneness with God. If I want to throw a party to celebrate God's goodness, then I will do so. If I want to fast to experience a deeper communion with the Father, then I will do so. However, I will do neither out of a sense of obligation.

As I say so often...Relax! Enjoy yourself!!!

the adultery of ministry

Several days ago, I shared some thoughts on ministry (See January 30 post). I am convinced that our paradigm of ministry is flawed. In fact, I believe that our perception of ministry frequently inhibits abundant life.

I know from experience that it becomes easy to focus on ministry, on the building and expanding of it. I know from experience how quickly my focus turns from God to the protection and perpetuation of ministry (especially MY ministry). I know from experience how I find my worth as a person in the success of my ministry. I know from experience that the adulation of people can quickly cause me to lose sight of my God-given purpose for living. I know from expereince that my vision for ministry can overtake me in a way that causes me to forget about people. I know from experience that ministry can cause me to turn away from God.

Any time that "my ministry" causes me to neglect people and to reject the "messiness" of their life, I can be sure that my priorities no longer align with God's priorities. When I find my worth in the success of my ministry, I have ceased to be intimate with God and instead have become intimate with my ministry.

In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus rebukes people who seem to be very concious of "their ministy". They prophesied, cast out demons, and performed wonders, all in the name of Jesus. It seems as if these people found a great deal of their identity in the greatness of their ministry. Contrast that with people Jesus describes in Matthew 25:33-40. They never seemed to be really aware of their ministry and the impact of their life. I believe that for them, doing the heart of the Father came naturally. Their focus was not on a ministry but on being with the Father.

I like to ask leaders how they are doing with God. The majority answer this question with some answer that pertains to the ministry activities with which they are involved. Their relationship with God is built on a ministry foundation. If these leaders had no ministry platform, I wonder how they would relate to God (or even IF they would relate to God) .

Any lover that steals our heart from oneness with the Father's heart is an adulterous lover. Perhaps the most insidious of all false lovers is ministry as we define it in the church today.