Christianity

Bible / Christianity / Dave (personal) — 1 Comment
25
May 10

What you see is what you get…sometimes

Having lived as an atheist during the first 37 years of my life, I have to admit that I had a burning desire to always be right. Even when I was wrong, I somehow had to find a way to prove myself correct in some aspect. I always had the last word. Almost 6 years into my life of faith in Christ, I take a different perspective. I don’t have to be right anymore. Specifically, I don’t care if others think I am wrong if I know I’m right. I can walk away and let them think I’m wrong. I don’t have to win the argument, nor prove that I’m smarter than someone else. However, this Scripture is something I struggle with:

“If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.” --Luke 17:3-4 NIV

You see, when I read certain passages in the Bible it seems to tell me that there are times when I should point out the wrongdoing of others. However, it’s hard to do so without coming across as more-righteous than another and that’s a place I really don’t want to go to anymore.

With that said, I must admit that there are times when people do something out of ignorance. It’s prejudicial, racist, condescending or even blasphemous and I want to reach out and tell them how wrong it is, but 99.9% of the time I just let it go. Unfortunately with me, what happens is that I tend to hold the words or actions of another against them. I won’t be fake and act like I’m okay, but I’ll just choose to avoid the situation and not make a big deal. When I find people say something, yet have their actions reveal something else it’s hurtful and difficult for me to accept in silence.

People aren’t always who they say they are and usually it isn’t revealed in what they say, but instead in what they do. I want to call them out on it. I feel like I have Biblical ammunition to support my case. In the end, I just offer grace and hope that they’ll learn that they are transparent and at some point their words will be revealed as meaningless. I guess I hope that this reaction will be the conviction they need to correct themselves. I just believe that God is there to take care of these things and rather than make a bad situation worse, I’ll let God deal with it in other ways.

My new position finds me feeling weak at times. I come home and kick myself for not standing up and saying something some times. Whether it’s right or wrong to take the high road, I do my best to keep the integrity of my faith and beliefs intact. Some days it’s hard though.

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Bible / Christianity / Dave (personal) — 5 Comments
13
May 10

The clothes make the man!

Funny story, but I ended up wearing a tie to go out on an interview yesterday. It’s the first time I’ve worn a tie in over 2 years. For fun, I posted a picture of me in the tie right before my interview and it’s gotten more responses from people than any nature or family picture I’ve ever posted before on twitter or facebook. Who knew my clothes would have made such an impact!

One of the things I noticed while I was preparing for my interview was how different I felt wearing dress clothes. I was confident and ready to impress. Not that I’m some kind of fashion model in my tie, but that I felt like I was ready to face any question or situation the interviewer would throw at me and knock it out of the park. I was ready. It was the clothes. Had I been dressed in casual attire, I feel as if I would have given casual answers. My mindset was being dictated by how I was dressed.

As I noticed all of the commentary going on about the photo of me in a tie, it got me to thinking about another set of clothes and how they made me feel. As a Christian, I have been taught that I have been clothed by God in righteousness and salvation. Lately, this suit hasn’t made me look good. It isn’t the clothes, but it’s the wearer of the clothes that needs to clean up. You see, I’ve gone through some experiences that have negatively impacted my spirit and outlook. It’s caused me to succumb to a lot of pessimism and negativity. Regardless of the clothes I am wearing, my attitude and language has been one of feeling defeated and without worth.

In Isaiah 61:10 we read about the clothes we’ve been freely given:

I will sing for joy in God,
explode in praise from deep in my soul!
He dressed me up in a suit of salvation,
he outfitted me in a robe of righteousness,
As a bridegroom who puts on a tuxedo
and a bride a jeweled tiara.

Do I realize that no matter what clothes I may physically put on to start my day, I always have on a suit of salvation and a robe of righteousness? The simple answer is, no I do not always realize this. I have accepted the beautiful wardrobe Christ has given me, but I wear it with a sour attitude and an unappreciative expression.

How about you? Do you always remember that you are as dapper as groom in his tuxedo or as stunning as a bride in her jeweled tiara? God wants us to remember this and to be forever thankful for his grace in our lives, as he shares his grace through us for others.

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Christianity / Dave (personal) / faith / jesus / worship — 2 Comments
22
Apr 10

Love is to risk…

Saw a tweet from Exponential yesterday from my friend Jenni Clayville:

“LOVE is to risk. When we play it safe, we aren’t being like Jesus.” --Alan Hirsch

It caused me to reflect on how often we (his disciples) see Jesus in so many different ways. Some may say it’s a reflection of the various aspect of Jesus as he goes about meeting our needs or calling us closer to him, but I would disagree. I think regardless of how we feel Jesus is speaking to us, we always think of it from his perspective of loving kindness. However, in reality, Jesus was a risk taker and game changer! He challenged the authority and even the traditional rules of the holy sabbath day. Jesus was rarely in a place that would be considered safe. So, if we are truly following him, then if we find ourselves in safe and comfortable places, is Jesus really just one step ahead?

I’m reminded of the Nooma Video titled Dust. It’s titled Dust because back in Jesus’ day rabbis had followers that walked with them everywhere in the hopes that they would learn some great piece of wisdom. Rumor has it that they followed so closely that even while going to the bathroom a rabbi could expect a disciple to be at his side in fear of missing out on something if he weren’t there. They had a saying back then:

“May you be covered by the dust of your rabbi.”

Which in essence meant, may you so-closely follow in the footsteps of your rabbi that as he walks, the dust that gets kicked up from his sandals covers you. Pause for a moment and process that. Take any of the gospel accounts of Jesus that you can think of and imagine following him that closely. You’ll realize that Jesus was a very dangerous man in his day, and he has called us to follow him into those areas as he covers us in his holy, loving, empowering dust.

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Christianity / church — 1 Comment
16
Mar 10

Why do we diminish the power of the gospel?

The first century Christian church was comprised of people gathering together in homes, learning from the teachings of apostles, sharing in a meal together, and selling what they had to give to others with need. As we learn from Acts 2, not only did they do this, but we know that they did this daily.

Can you imagine if I came to your Sunday worship service and told your church that they had to gather together corporately every single day? We have such a difficult time just getting people to commit to one day a week to gather together, that just asking them to help form community by meeting in a home during the week or serving those in need for a day seems ridiculous to many. In essence, we love Jesus, but we love him on our terms when it is convenient for us to do so.

When we have a reference such as Acts 2 that describes a lifestyle of worship and community, why do we then have to go and mess that up by making it about ourselves? What motivates us to believe that the church today needs to change in order to be relevant to modern society? In the first century church, do we really believe that people went around to various homes looking to see who offered the most uplifting music, the most innovative youth ministry, the most up-to-date furnishings, the best tasting food, or had the most engaging preacher? In a time when professing a faith in Christ could lead to someone’s death by crucifixion or being boiled alive in hot oil, it was just a blessing to be amongst other people of faith living out their lives together for the sake of sharing the gospel with others.

When did the gospel become about modern sanctuaries, how far we’re willing to walk in the rain to get from our car to our seat, how the worship music is performed, funny sermon illustrations, or the talent of the preacher to speak you off the edge of your seat? I seriously contend that we have individualized the gospel and therefore diffused its transformational power when we make it about us and our comforts and desires.

In the first century church it was evident that lives were radically transformed in the name of the gospel. The Apostle Paul is a perfect example. If Paul, who was probably the last person any of us would have chosen to be the minister to the Gentiles, can be used by God for the beauty of the gospel, what is our excuse? What are we waiting for? Do we honestly believe that if we keep trying, we will find that one perfect church where our description sounds less like a church and more like our living room? When we gather together in the name of Christ, that is the church. When we love God and love others as ourselves, that is the church. Just like a car does not need a garage in order to function, we as Christians don’t need a building in order to be a church. Funny how we can look back in history and see how we’ve gotten things all wrong.

We in ministry try to cater to our consumers to attract and retain them, yet in Acts 2:47 we learn that it is not our ideas that grow the church--If we gather together and study the Word, share in fellowship, live life together, and give sacrificially God tells us that he will honor that by adding to our numbers daily. When we make the gospel about us, it becomes less about God. Are we really smarter than God? Do we really believe in the transformative power of the gospel as described in Romans 1:16 or do we use it merely as a tool for our own works?

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Christianity / leadership / life — No Comments
19
Dec 09

Repost from 12-22-2008: Where are the blessings in today’s economic hardships?

Well, as a follower of Christ on a journey to start a new church in my city, I get discouraged sometimes at hearing the negativity in the church about finances. Pastors telling other pastors that it’s a bad idea to start a new work in this down economy. Churches shutting their doors because they couldn’t support their ministry when the offerings were down. Programs and pastors being dropped because of lack of funds in the budget. Where does it end? If it truly is God’s church, then how can it be that doors are closing and pastors are being laid off?

However, as children of God won’t we be taken care of? Philippians 4:19 tells us: And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Should we be at the mercy of man’s money or God’s provision? What about those that don’t have the knowledge that trust in God will prevail over all other things? You know, those people that are destined for an eternity away from God? Rather than focus on ourselves and what we are lacking--sometimes even pointing the finger at our fellow man and thinking they lack faith because they won’t give sacrificially in these difficult times--why don’t we rally together and find a way to get the message of the gospel out there at a time when people need hope and mercy more than ever?

If we love God above all other things and love our neighbors as ourselves, won’t God in all his glory see to it that his people are taken care of for the sake of others to know that he is God?

Is an out-of-work pastor out of a job? Yes. However, is an out-of-work pastor out of a calling? That answer should be no. We are called to be ministers of the gospel and to somehow dig down deep inside and find the strength to be Jesus for the sake of someone that may never otherwise have a chance to be redeemed. Most of us know by heart Philippians 4:13 in the NKJV that states: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. However, I ask that as you reflect on what you lack and look inwardly at your circumstances, peer into the city outside your doorway and see what Christ sees. See the hurting people that don’t Jesus and what they are going through. We have Christ, while others have nothing. As you consider this, may you meditate on Philippians 4:13, but use the Amplified Bible translation instead, which reads: I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency].
Now more than ever is the time to do all that we can so that hurting people that don’t know where to turn have an opportunity to find Christ and put their trust in him. Be faithful to the calling and God will be faithful in his provision. Now is the time for us to be bold in our faith and show the devil that we will stop at nothing to see others come to know the Lord, even if economic conditions seem to be getting the best of us!

Dear friends, I am praying for each of you by name and pray that those who are going through difficulties will know the blessings of God even if they don’t show up in monetary form. For those of you in your cities having to find the wisdom and strength to help those that are hurting and questioning, may God give you the insight and example of perseverance to cause others to look to the Lord rather than the dollar and put their trust in him.

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