Church Unity and Other Stuff

I want to respond to a comment made a few days ago. It regarded church unity, doctrine, communion, and some other issues. See comment on blog for more info.

The church unity issue is one that constantly weights on my heart. I have particular theological convictions which are good. But, I am amazed how some of these convictions can become an issue for others. They don't want to pray with me, or worship with me, and these are Christians. Jesus prayed in John 17:3, that we would be one, and I would argue that is one of the unanswered prayers of Jesus.

It is interesting that many Christians, including pastors, have very bad biblical understanding of doctrine and make some interesting leaps. Many Christians can not even defend biblical an understanding of who Jesus is, salvation, what is the church, etc. That worries me...

I think it is good that we have certain theological convictions because they are healthy and some convictions I can't buy into at this point. But, if Jesus is front and center, we can be on the same page. We can pray together, serve together, and worship together.

Here is something I have found interesting. When we are too compromising on doctrine or theological convictions it actually causes division. When we don't stand for something we don't stand for anything. Division comes when we let wolves, heretics, and bad theology run rampant. Every church and Christian must make some stands on big doctrines (Jesus, sin, humanity, Trinity, church, heaven, hell, salvation, etc.)

God has pressed my heart to pray with more of our local Christian leaders. Something supernatural happens when we can put aside our differences, which for the most part, are minor, and pray and serve together, and help one another. I never want CCR to be arrogant and prideful and forget that we are part of something much bigger than ourselves. A church that is eternal (past, present, and future), local, and universal, and global.

We "get it" and other churches don't if they are older, traditional, etc. These are still brothers and sisters in Christ. Granted, some churches should be shut down, because they are not faithful and don't bear fruit, but that is another issue.

It is funny that non-denominational churches thought they were the answer to division, and it has caused just as much, and bad theology. Churches like Calvary Chapel, claim to be not a denomination, but stand firm on many issues and doctrine. They even have a pope, Chuck Smith:)

Real quick: communion is a symbol of a spiritual reality. If we believe that when we take the bread and wine it really is Jesus, sacrificing himself again that goes against Hebrews 10. The other problem is that God is outside of matter, like bread and wine, this would be pantheism. I have issues with Catholic and Lutheran teaching on the sacraments.

We celebrate Christ by looking at these symbols and remembering in our hearts by the power of the Spirit the death and resurrection of Jesus until he comes again. The physical elements of baptism and LS, point beyond themselves to God, but have no power in and of themselves.

That is all I have for now...

Jesus Unplugged, done, but not completely

As we say goodbye to our series "Jesus Unplugged", it should only be the beginning of our journey. Series come and go, but hopefully lead us to further investigation, study, wrestling, and reflection. I have been so moved and become even more hungry for God, namely Jesus, and his mission in the world, through this series. As we journey towards Good Friday (Cross) and Easter (Resurrection), I look forward to the ways Jesus will open our eyes, hearts, and hands to be his kingdom and resurrected people in the world.

Our new series "Walk After Me" will keep us moving towards what it means to follow Jesus in the world.

I am going to continue to write on this blog for your enjoyment, and my own reflection. So keep coming back as we journey with Jesus together. Pick my brain! It helps me grow too...

"Christ-like Curriculum" Part 2

What do I do now? Once you have determined that pursuing Jesus is worth everything there are some practical steps we need to take on this journey together. How do we admire Jesus sufficently?

Ask. We need to ask Jesus emphatically and repeatedly our desire to see him and know him for who he truly is. The heart of the kingdom is "asking" to see God, much like the people in Exodus 3:7-10 "cryed out" to God to be rescued. Jesus is a cry or conversation away. I have never met anyone that has genuinely sought God, and not found him. This is an ongoing process by the way. This may take a few hours, a few quiet times alone, a few days, a few years, probably not that long. Let someone know, a pastor or friend, that this is a genuine desire you have so that they can help you. Jesus wants to be found...

Dwell, Reside, in His Words. Now that you have asked God to show himself, and your desire to be his disciple, you must dwell with his words, in the Bible. John 8:31-32: 31To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

Anyone who holds to the teachings of Jesus is a "true" disciple, and they will be set free. Not a bad deal. You will be set free from the bondadge of sin, death, and empty religion, and be found in the new life of the kingdom of God.

We will dwell and immerse ourselves in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). Find a version of the Bible that is readable (The Message, NIV, New Living Translation, Living Bible). We will study, reflect, pray, take notes, ask questions, ask others, listen to teaching in small groups, and public worship gatherings. Our minds need to be re-trained and changed by the word of God. TV and mindless entertainment will not cut it. Only watch enough to realize it is not worth our brain and heart capacity.

Not only will we dwell in the word, we must put it into practice. The word must be lived. We will do this imperfectly at first, it will feel strange, but it will become liberating. Know what the word says, but learn how to live it.

Two more things. Once you have read the Gospels many times, and God begins to teach you and change you. Read some other saints of the past. Mother Teresa, Wesley, Calvin, St. Francis, Augustine, etc. They will inspire us from years past how to be better disciples of Jesus.

Last. Get in a group of people that desire to be disciples of Jesus. You need to walk this in a community of like-minded people. We have many groups like this at CCR.

That is it for now. I will add some more in the coming weeks. I hope this has inspired you to take a next step with Jesus, as his disciple, his apprentice, in the Kingdom of God. Please respond with any questions or comments.

"Christ-like Curriculum" Part 1

How do I become a disciple of Jesus? I believe many Christians and even non-Christians want to live in the ways of Jesus. They are tired of the empty, shallow, direction-less lives they lead, and want something more, something that satisfies their "entire" lives, not a Sunday experience, or religious experience, ritual, but a whole life change. If we are honest we get to a point in life where the same sins and mistakes become old. The same anger, the same unforgivenness begins to wear on our souls, emotions, and even our physical lives. This does not imply that we will never make mistakes or sin; but we learn to desire something bigger than sin, and that is Jesus.

The idea of a "Christ-like Curriculum" may be misleading. These are some basic steps, principles if you will, to get us moving in the direction of Jesus and being his disciples. This is not 8 steps to Jesus, or 9 steps to being like Jesus; it is more organic. Life with Christ is not linear, it is up, down, sideways, close, far away, but always moving us somewhere. It even takes work; discipleship is not by accident, it is intentional, and a desire that must be cultivated. Salvation is a gift, but discipleship is a process.

Baseline question: what would cause someone to choose to be a disciple of Jesus? There has to be something in our souls, something deep down, that sees Jesus as the most magnificent, beautiful, amazing, loving, person, and of course the Son of God, Savior of the World, and we could go on and on... There has to be something of fascination, intrigue, and desire to move in this direction of discipleship. There has to be a desire to "be with" and learn from Jesus.

Reflection: reflect on these two scriptures Matthew 13:44, 45-46. Jesus gives us two parables that show the state of the soul for becoming his disciples.

44"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
45"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

Do these parables do something to you? Have you found Jesus to be so beautiful, breath-taking, and worth everything, that you would sell it all to know him, be with him, and be part of what he is doing in the world? Is there an excitement, a sense of loss if we miss it, a sense of expectancy, a sense of goodness that will come when we choose Jesus?

If you have even a small sense of what these parables describe you are on your way to becoming a disciple of Jesus. God has begun a work in you that is ready to go further into the life and discipleship of Jesus. The ones who bought the field or the pearls had no regrets. Of course they counted the cost and knew it was well worth the effort.

The idea that Christian discipleship is to be ugly, painful, and boring is a lie of culture and the enemy. These parables paint an entire different picture. The walk of discipleship will be hard; yes; it will be painful at times; yes; but it is well worth it. The result can be people who love God more, love people more, know how to forgive, know peace, know peace, become less self-addicted, know how to give, know what matters most in life, and that is only the tip of the iceberg. The idea of "taking up our cross" to follow Christ is not supposed to be drudgery. It is simply saying there is nothing more precious in my life than to follow Christ. So count the cost.

Image #1: Heart.

We talked about loving God with all of our strength on Sunday (Meo-dekah) from Deuteronomy 6:4-7. In the same verse we have the phrase to love God with all of our "hearts".

I want to give you some insight into this image. Understand that Hebrew/Jewish culture was a visual culture. The scriptures are filled with visuals that help us understand who God is and what he desires from us. The heart was seen as the seed of ones emotions, but it also meant the "mind".

In Hebrew the word heart = "lev" or "leva". It was the center of ones thought and spiritual life. The heart was connected with intelligence and emotions because when the heart beat fast it was related to emotions and when someone died the heart stopped. They didn't have any idea about physiology, but it made sense in their context.

If heart means our minds and emotions, it is saying to love God with all of our minds and emotions from Deuteronomy 6. Do we study the scriptures and fill our minds with God? In the Jewish culture studying God's Word was the highest form of worship. Do we fill our minds with mindless entertainment? Do we keep tabs on our emotions and love God with them as well?

Jesus and Paul were some of the greatest intellectual giants of our time. They expected their listeners to know the scriptures because loving God with the mind was essential to life with Him. In the West we tend to seperate our intellect from our emotions. In fact, when we begin to love God in this way our emotions will follow. Our affections for God will become greater and greater. That is a worthy endeavour.

Here is how Paul says it from 2 Corinthians 10:5 "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought to make it obedient to Christ".

Our minds matter, and they matter to God. Find ways this week to use your mind to love God in a fresh way. One of the obvious ways is to spend time with G0d in His word. Use some of the scriptures to get going from my earlier post.

Shalom!

Book Resource

You can get "Our Father Abraham" by Marvin Wilson from amazon.com for about $15. Check it out if you are interested in going deeper into our Jewish Heritage.

Applications from Sunday's Message...

What can we do now if we are serious about making God the one who guides our life and is the one we find true life in. Here are some ideas:

Scripture for Reflection:

1. John 1, 3, 4, 14-17
2. Matthew 22, 28
3. Genesis 1, 2, 3, 12, 15
4. Deuteronomy 6, 30
5. Psalm 1, 27, 63, 42, 145,
6. Jeremiah 2, 29
7. Isaiah 6, 9, 11, 40, 53, 55, 61
8. Romans 1, 3, 5, 8, 12
9. Acts 1-2, 3, 4
10. 1 Corinthians 1-2, 12-15
11. 2 Corinthians 1, 2, 4, 5
12. Ephesians 1-2
13. Colossians 1-3
14. Philippians 1-2
15. Hebrews 4, 11, 12
16. 1 Peter 1-3

These are some of the most important scriptures to reflect on and see what it says about God and what he desires in us and his world? Of course there are many more we could wrestle with. I am not giving you verse numbers to see if you can find the "meaty" verses, the ones that make you fall to your knees.

Here are some other applications:

1. Pray and read the Bible as a family.
2. Serve another family with your own family. Offer to bring them dinner, baby sit their kids so they can go on a date, shovel their snow, rent them a movie, be creative!!!
3. Fast from TV and have a game night, or a read instead night. TV makes your brain mush:) Or, simply have some good old fashion conversation.
4. Tell someone about Jesus.
5. Invite a person into your home for dinner.
6. Fast from eating out and use the money to bless someone under resourced, or adopt a kid at Compassion International.
8. Throw a party for your coworkers, just to celebrate being alive...
9. Invite a neighbor over for coffee.
10. Fast from food for a meal or two. Use that time to spend with God reading the Bible and prayer.
11. Tell your family that you love them, just because...
12. Send an email or letter to someone who needs to be encouraged.
13. Pray with a random person in a hospital.
14. Visit someone in jail for the purpose of helping them feel loved and not alone.

I know you can all come up with a million more ways to pursue God this year. I hope we all begin to grow in the commitment and dedication to our God, as we saw with Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

Shalom!

Question: what does "Lord of all" mean?

I was answering a question in regards to the place of other religions and mentioned that Jesus is even the "Lord of all" in these religions as well. If people from other faiths believe in Jesus they will be with him forever.

There can only be one true God. From the beginning to the end of Scripture you see God making this claim, that he is the Lord, and will not give his glory to another. "The" God revealed in Jesus in not one option among many other good options.

"Lord" was a bold statement made in Philippians 2:6-11, and many other places, by Paul. Paul came to realize that by Jesus coming to earth, giving up his rights as God, and serving humanity through the Cross makes him the one true "Lord" of heaven and earth.

"Lord" was always a loaded term. In Jesus' day it had political meaning. The ruler of Rome would be called the "Lord" of the universe and even was considered a divine being to be worshipped. When Jesus makes claims of being "Lord" and then you see his followers making this claim later in the NT, it meant that God was Lord and Cesar was not. It meant that God had claim of the entire world, our lives, and the rulers or governments of the day did not.

So when we make this bold claim that Jesus is Lord, it means no other idol, world religion, government, world leader, system of thinking, has claim on us, only Jesus, the one true Lord. One day the entire world will bow, even if they don't believe in the Messiah Jesus, and claim him as the one true God. Hope that helps.

Question: why do Christians no longer worship on Saturday?

When the early church was forming there were many Gentiles (Non-Jews) coming to faith in Jesus. They moved the corporate gathering of worship to Sunday's because that was the day Jesus rose from the grave. It was also thought that a pagan form of worship done by the Roman Empire was done on Saturday, and they wanted to not associate themselves with this kind of worship. Many Jews saw this as a way they (Christians) were separating themselves from Jewish tradition, but that was not the intent. The church did not want to be a church divided (Gal. 3:28).

It is believed that some Jewish Christians might have still worshipped on Saturday in the Synagogue and then worshipped with fellow Christians on Sunday's. The New Testament Church began to see every day as a day to worship and not a particular day. The law of worshipping on the Sabbath (Saturday) was seen as specific to ceremonial law of Israel and did not apply to the new movement of Jesus. You can argue if that was right or wrong.

The problem with today is that we don't do a good job of Sabbath. We don't take a full day to rest as God has commanded us to do. Try it. It is a way to reconnect with God and acknowledge we are not God and we are not human "doings", rather we are human "beings".

Book Resource

If you have an itch to get a basic understanding of our Jewish Roots as Christians, and where we have severed those roots for good and bad, check out the resource below. Beware it may change your life and faith!!!

"Our Father Abraham: Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith" By: Marvin R. Wilson

Great Question #2: Why are Christians not considered Jewish if that is where our roots come from and Jesus was Jewish?

Another great question asked after the service.

Again, Romans 10:11-13 will help us. After Jesus goes back into heaven and the message of Jesus spreads through the world in Acts, we get a different flavor of a message. The main message of Jesus was for his Jewish audience, and now the message was spreading to include Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews). Jesus wanted to show his own people that he was the one they were longing for and now the whole world would be included.

Paul explains that Jesus is Lord of all, Jew and Gentile alike. Their will be no difference. If you are a Jew who comes to Christ, or a Gentile who comes to Christ we are all part of the same family. The word Christian is only used 3 times in scripture and was made up by non-Christians during the 1st century. It was a reference to being "little Christ-ones". The people were so impressed by the lives of disciples of Jesus they called them Christians. The word disciples is used 260+ times in scripture. It means to be a learner, apprentice, follower of Jesus. That is a better definition for anyone who follows Jesus. Christian has too much political and religious baggage to be helpful. Many of the early Jews who believed in Jesus were considered Jewish Christians. See Acts 15 for an early debate over this issue, in the early 1st century church.

If we came from Jewish stock, we could be said to be Messianic Jews, but most people that come to faith in Jesus are considered Gentiles. The heart of the message of Jesus is a relationship with God through a person, namely, Jesus (See Hebrews). That is why I like to say we are followers of Christ, disciples of Jesus, or part of the Jesus movement. It gets at the heart of being in a relationship with God and confessing Jesus is Lord! Jesus was not interested in starting a world religion, he was interested in starting a movement by the Spirit, in the lives of people, and his church. Jesus main message was the kingdom of God, not sign up to a religion, club, or philosophy. Jesus came to show the Jew and the Gentile that God has come, he is showing us how to be truly human, how to live, how to be rescued from sin and death, and that God is putting the world back together through his Son. Amen!!!

Hope this makes sense. Correct me where I need correcting and respond with any questions you may have for me.

Great Question #1: Do Jews go to heaven when they die if they don't beleive in Jesus?

I had a great question asked of me after the service today. This is one of two great questions...

This is not an easy question because I have always believed that God is a merciful God and his grace extends further than I could ever imagine, or our finite minds could imagine (See Romans 11:33-36). So with any question regarding a persons salvation whether they be Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Mormon, or atheist, we must tread lightly and not try to play or be or know God's mind. When people die and have not professed Christ as Lord; in any tangible or visible way, I am often asked this question. But, we need to answer this question based on what we do know, based on history (scripture) and faith.

You need to check out Romans chapters 9-11 for answers to this question. Paul in the beginning of this chapter is in anguish over his people, the Israelite, Jewish people, that they have not believed in the Messiah, Jesus. Paul being a devout Jew was zapped by God on the Road to Damascus in Acts 9, and saw Jesus as the Risen Messiah. Paul did not become a Christian at that moment, he experienced the full expression of Judaism and became a follower of Jesus, he now followed the Messiah, the one he had been waiting for, the one revealed in the Hebrew scriptures, the one he had been persecuting. He wanted so badly for his own people to know this Messiah, because at this point many Jews did not in the Jesus movement.

Paul knew that Israel was still God's chosen people. The problem was that even within this people many did not follow God. Even within his own people they refused to believe in the Messiah, Jesus.

Romans 10:1-4 is the key for us. Even though Jews were devout for God, they refused to believe in Jesus, in his righteousness, they were still trying to find a different way. Paul then makes it clear that if they confess with their mouths and believe in their hearts that Jesus is Lord, they will be saved as well (9).

So do Jews go to heaven when they die? Yes, if they believe that the Messiah Jesus is the fulfilment of their faith. Do Mormons go to heaven, Buddhists, Muslims, yes, if they believe that Jesus is Lord of all. God can even show himself to these religions because his love is that great, and he desires to save and reveal truth to all man.

Lastly, don't give up our Jewish friends. Read chapter 11:25-36. God is still saving many Jewish people, and showing them the fullness of their faith, the Messiah Jesus. They are still his chosen people and many will see and believe. Love our Jewish heritage, love our Jewish neighbors, that is the best thing we can do as disciples of Jesus.

Please respond with clarification or any questions you may have for me.

Scripture Reflection: 1 Timothy 2:3-7 (NIV)

"3This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time. 7And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles".

"the man Christ Jesus" makes it clear that we should take on this conversation. If Jesus is the "mediator" the man who stands between us and God, the man that makes us right with God, the man who saves us, frees us, forgives us, and makes us new, we need this conversation, like we need breath. We need to study him, reflect on him, get to know him, and listen to him. My life, your life, the lives of people all around us need this conversation. Salvation is at stake, life is at stake, and hope is at stake.

"who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth". Another haunting part of this passage. God is in the business of saving and teaching us truth. Truth in our culture has become not necessary because we can make it up as we go, or whatever feels right, or whatever your friends tells you, that is your truth. I want us to wrestle with the truth and ask the tough questions. That is part of seeking truth. We are all seekers in need of truth.

God wants all people to seek Him and his truth, it is what we are created for, it is the longing of our hearts. God embraces you where ever you are on your journey of truth. Don't be afraid to ask questions, express doubts, sound silly, or not know the right answers. This is not the point of this site. We are all on a spiritual journey together, and that is why we want to have conversations and not debates. I hope our conversations lead to better questions and will in turn lead to living better and coming to know Jesus maybe in a fresh way or for the first time. If we all become better disciples of Jesus we have done something special.

Questions for reflection and discussion:

1. What words or phrases excite you, scare you, or cause you to have questions?
2. What can we do to enhance our study of Jesus as a historical figure?
3. Who is Jesus to you? ...and how is he portrayed in our culture and in the church (for good or ill)?
4. If Jesus is the mediator and the source of salvation for all humans what is our role and how do other religions fit into this plan?
5. What basic questions do you have about Jesus?

Please respond to one another in a respectful manner.