"Because we are in Christ, we have all we need to be missionaries. We are always looking for more boldness or wisdom, but the truth is that we are already ready. God has already fully prepared us for ministry."
All I have to say to that is "Wow." I went to Snelling after Freshley tonight, and this was what one of the Freshley small group leaders said to me. We had been talking about mission trips and preparing for them, and he gave me these wise words of advice. Ministry is not a job for an elite group of people who have been "properly trained" to share the Holy Spirit with other people. The Spirit has been poured out on all of God's children, and all of us are servant's of the Lord, called to do His work. "God will never call us to do something He has not equipped us to do." He has equipped all believers to share the gospel, so we are to do what He has given us the power to do. Ministry isn't something we learn to do; it's something the Spirit does for us, through us. So we have no reason to wait to start.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
"Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, 'Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?'"
Luke 14:3
I was flipping through my Bible to get to Romans earlier when I came to the page this verse was on, and I stopped. Something about the question caught my attention, so I had to postpone my study of Romans to take some notes on this verse. So I decided I'd share my findings.
—————————————————————————
Here Jesus is testing the Pharisees, although the Pharisees had been plotting to test Him. Healing is something only God can do, so Jesus is essentially asking, "Is it lawful for God to be God on the Sabbath or not?" The Pharisees couldn't perform healings unless God willed it, but they had never tried to heal someone on the Sabbath. If it was unlawful to heal on the Sabbath, God would have made their efforts fail. If it was unlawful, Jesus would not have been able to heal the man with the withered hand. By healing his hand, Jesus answered His own question: "Yes, it is lawful, but you Pharisees make things unlawful that are actually, not only lawful, but also encouraged and expected by God." Jesus repeatedly revealed His identity as God because, if any of His claims about Himself had been false, God would not have allowed Him to perform the miracles He did. Because He claimed to be God and continued to be successful in performing miracles, He had to be telling the truth.
In this passage, Jesus is, in a way, making fun of the Pharisees because they aren't all-powerful and they aren't favored by God, even though they think they are. No mortal man can heal another apart from the hand of God. So by asking His question, not only is Jesus asking if they believe God is allowed to be Himself on the Sabbath, but He is also asking if they believe they can perform healings without God, making them equal with God.
So how does this apply to us today? Well, we often rely on our own strength, our own abilities to get things done. It seems clear from this single verse that the Pharisees were doing the same thing. But in John 15:5, Jesus says, "[Apart] from Me you can do nothing." We can't succeed in anything unless God has willed it, even if we have prepared so much that it would be nearly impossible to fail; if we try to live apart from God, outside of His will, we will fail like the Pharisees. So we have to rely fully on God for everything, because only then will we have success.
We also have to just let God be God. We get so caught up in what we're doing that we forget to ask God what He wants us to do. Isaiah 55:8 says, "'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,' declares the Lord." When things aren't going your way, remember that they're going God's way, and God's plan is perfect, so much bigger than any of our plans could ever be. Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." Since the creation of the world, God has been moving, acting on everything that has happened in order to bring us into His perfection. When I was looking up Isaiah 55:8, I read on and came upon Isaiah 55:10-12, which I really liked: "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is My word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands." There is nothing on earth that happens that God cannot work with; His purpose will be fulfilled, and there's nothing we can do to mess it up. So that gives us all the more reason to seek God's will and act on it, so that we can claim to have been a part of carrying out God's will. When we live in God's will, He can't help but want to make us succeed. After all, our success is His success.
I was flipping through my Bible to get to Romans earlier when I came to the page this verse was on, and I stopped. Something about the question caught my attention, so I had to postpone my study of Romans to take some notes on this verse. So I decided I'd share my findings.
—————————————————————————
Here Jesus is testing the Pharisees, although the Pharisees had been plotting to test Him. Healing is something only God can do, so Jesus is essentially asking, "Is it lawful for God to be God on the Sabbath or not?" The Pharisees couldn't perform healings unless God willed it, but they had never tried to heal someone on the Sabbath. If it was unlawful to heal on the Sabbath, God would have made their efforts fail. If it was unlawful, Jesus would not have been able to heal the man with the withered hand. By healing his hand, Jesus answered His own question: "Yes, it is lawful, but you Pharisees make things unlawful that are actually, not only lawful, but also encouraged and expected by God." Jesus repeatedly revealed His identity as God because, if any of His claims about Himself had been false, God would not have allowed Him to perform the miracles He did. Because He claimed to be God and continued to be successful in performing miracles, He had to be telling the truth.
In this passage, Jesus is, in a way, making fun of the Pharisees because they aren't all-powerful and they aren't favored by God, even though they think they are. No mortal man can heal another apart from the hand of God. So by asking His question, not only is Jesus asking if they believe God is allowed to be Himself on the Sabbath, but He is also asking if they believe they can perform healings without God, making them equal with God.
So how does this apply to us today? Well, we often rely on our own strength, our own abilities to get things done. It seems clear from this single verse that the Pharisees were doing the same thing. But in John 15:5, Jesus says, "[Apart] from Me you can do nothing." We can't succeed in anything unless God has willed it, even if we have prepared so much that it would be nearly impossible to fail; if we try to live apart from God, outside of His will, we will fail like the Pharisees. So we have to rely fully on God for everything, because only then will we have success.
We also have to just let God be God. We get so caught up in what we're doing that we forget to ask God what He wants us to do. Isaiah 55:8 says, "'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,' declares the Lord." When things aren't going your way, remember that they're going God's way, and God's plan is perfect, so much bigger than any of our plans could ever be. Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." Since the creation of the world, God has been moving, acting on everything that has happened in order to bring us into His perfection. When I was looking up Isaiah 55:8, I read on and came upon Isaiah 55:10-12, which I really liked: "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is My word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands." There is nothing on earth that happens that God cannot work with; His purpose will be fulfilled, and there's nothing we can do to mess it up. So that gives us all the more reason to seek God's will and act on it, so that we can claim to have been a part of carrying out God's will. When we live in God's will, He can't help but want to make us succeed. After all, our success is His success.
"Take me into the Holy of holies."
"Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?" ~ 1 Corinthians 3:16
"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light." ~ 1 Peter 2:9
"Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks." ~ John 4:23
I never noticed how these verses connected until last night at Fortnight, an event the UGA Wesley Foundation put on just for guys. I was only there for a little over an hour, but the message I heard was really insightful. The message was about prayer and worship, the only two things that we will take with us from this life on earth into the next in heaven. When the speaker mentioned these verses together, something seemed to click for me.
We are God's temple, the house of the Lord, the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. At a designated time every year, the high priest of Israel would go into the Most Holy Place inside the temple, which was where God's Spirit resided and where offerings of sacrifice and praise were presented to the Lord. Only the high priest was allowed to enter the Most Holy Place, and only at a specific time each year.
We are a royal priesthood, the Levites who were set apart to be the priests of Israel to present offerings to God on behalf of the people. We are now all called to enter into the Most Holy Place, into the presence of the Spirit. We offer up our lives to God because it's all we have to give.
We are no longer required to worship in a specific place because the temple moves wherever we go, because we are the temple. So whenever we come to God to worship, we enter into the tabernacle—into ourselves—to praise Him. That's why we often close our eyes when praying or when singing in church: we are withdrawing into ourselves, into the temple. That's also why quiet time is so important: we need the time to separate ourselves from the rest of the world and enter into God's presence, where nothing can distract us. It was in solitude that Moses entered God's presence on Mount Sinai and learned His will for the Israelites. It was in solitude that Abraham showed his devotion by being willing to sacrifice his son Isaac, and it was in solitude that God came to him and confirmed His covenant with Him. It was in solitude in Arabia that Paul entered into God's presence and learned the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which he then shared with the Gentiles, eventually coming to us today. And it was in solitude that Jesus Himself prayed to the Father for perseverance to carry out His will; He was in constant communion with the Lord, frequently withdrawing to spend time alone with God in order to discern His will and receive a willing Spirit to carry it out. Jesus, although He was God in the flesh, chose to live as a human, setting an example for us to follow; with this mindset, He displayed for us the way to know God, rather than simply acting on His identity as God to instantly complete His plan. Because He set the example for us, we are to imitate Him, being in constant prayer and worship, withdrawing into the temple frequently to speak with God. Yes, there is a reason for fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ, but there is also a purpose for spending time alone with God; there's a reason God made Eve for Adam, but there's also a reason He made her separate and independent from him instead of attaching them like Siamese twins.
I've been hearing a lot lately about the advice one president gave to his successor: "Use Camp David." This president frequently withdrew to Camp David to remove himself from the rush of life in the White House. Although a president cannot lead from Camp David, the rest Camp David provided for him was essential for his success as a leader. In the same way, although we cannot serve the world from our withdrawn state inside the temple, frequent visits to the house of the Lord are crucial to our understanding of God's will and our success in carrying it out. So "use Camp David"; use your alone time wisely.
"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light." ~ 1 Peter 2:9
"Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks." ~ John 4:23
I never noticed how these verses connected until last night at Fortnight, an event the UGA Wesley Foundation put on just for guys. I was only there for a little over an hour, but the message I heard was really insightful. The message was about prayer and worship, the only two things that we will take with us from this life on earth into the next in heaven. When the speaker mentioned these verses together, something seemed to click for me.
We are God's temple, the house of the Lord, the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. At a designated time every year, the high priest of Israel would go into the Most Holy Place inside the temple, which was where God's Spirit resided and where offerings of sacrifice and praise were presented to the Lord. Only the high priest was allowed to enter the Most Holy Place, and only at a specific time each year.
We are a royal priesthood, the Levites who were set apart to be the priests of Israel to present offerings to God on behalf of the people. We are now all called to enter into the Most Holy Place, into the presence of the Spirit. We offer up our lives to God because it's all we have to give.
We are no longer required to worship in a specific place because the temple moves wherever we go, because we are the temple. So whenever we come to God to worship, we enter into the tabernacle—into ourselves—to praise Him. That's why we often close our eyes when praying or when singing in church: we are withdrawing into ourselves, into the temple. That's also why quiet time is so important: we need the time to separate ourselves from the rest of the world and enter into God's presence, where nothing can distract us. It was in solitude that Moses entered God's presence on Mount Sinai and learned His will for the Israelites. It was in solitude that Abraham showed his devotion by being willing to sacrifice his son Isaac, and it was in solitude that God came to him and confirmed His covenant with Him. It was in solitude in Arabia that Paul entered into God's presence and learned the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which he then shared with the Gentiles, eventually coming to us today. And it was in solitude that Jesus Himself prayed to the Father for perseverance to carry out His will; He was in constant communion with the Lord, frequently withdrawing to spend time alone with God in order to discern His will and receive a willing Spirit to carry it out. Jesus, although He was God in the flesh, chose to live as a human, setting an example for us to follow; with this mindset, He displayed for us the way to know God, rather than simply acting on His identity as God to instantly complete His plan. Because He set the example for us, we are to imitate Him, being in constant prayer and worship, withdrawing into the temple frequently to speak with God. Yes, there is a reason for fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ, but there is also a purpose for spending time alone with God; there's a reason God made Eve for Adam, but there's also a reason He made her separate and independent from him instead of attaching them like Siamese twins.
I've been hearing a lot lately about the advice one president gave to his successor: "Use Camp David." This president frequently withdrew to Camp David to remove himself from the rush of life in the White House. Although a president cannot lead from Camp David, the rest Camp David provided for him was essential for his success as a leader. In the same way, although we cannot serve the world from our withdrawn state inside the temple, frequent visits to the house of the Lord are crucial to our understanding of God's will and our success in carrying it out. So "use Camp David"; use your alone time wisely.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
"Before Abraham was, I AM!"
John 8:58.
I was thinking about this verse the other day and planned on writing something, but I never got to it, so I decided to write about it now.
There's something about this verse that just emanates power. That's probably how I'm supposed to feel when reading it because God Himself, in the Person of Jesus, is declaring His eternity, His everlasting power. "Before Abraham was, I AM!" Before Abraham was even born, God exists. From a grammatical standpoint, we all know that this sentence is very wrong. Jesus should have said, "I was before Abraham," or something similar, but instead, He said, "I AM before Abraham was." Why? Well, for one thing, God gave Moses "I AM" as His name in Exodus 3:14. But I think there's more to it than that, something extra behind why "I AM" is His name. In order for God to know everything that has happened in the past and everything that is happening now and everything that will happen in the future, and in order for Him to be in control of the future and be able to remember the past so that He can fulfill everything He promised, God must be outside of time. If God existed within time, He would not be able to know the future; therefore, God must exist independent of time. He makes this clear by saying, "Before Abraham was, I AM." In this one statement, Jesus condensed the name of His glory: the One "who was and is and is to come." He exists from beginning to end; nothing precedes Him, and nothing succeeds Him.
"I AM!" God exists! He is everywhere at all times. He is omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent. He is yesterday, today, and forever. He is the Bread of Life. He is the Living Water, the Living One who sees us (Lahai Roi; Genesis 16:13-14) and knows us. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords, the Prince of Peace, God Almighty (El Shaddai). He is our Savior. He is Yahweh. And He is, for all eternity, above all things. To God be the glory!
I was thinking about this verse the other day and planned on writing something, but I never got to it, so I decided to write about it now.
There's something about this verse that just emanates power. That's probably how I'm supposed to feel when reading it because God Himself, in the Person of Jesus, is declaring His eternity, His everlasting power. "Before Abraham was, I AM!" Before Abraham was even born, God exists. From a grammatical standpoint, we all know that this sentence is very wrong. Jesus should have said, "I was before Abraham," or something similar, but instead, He said, "I AM before Abraham was." Why? Well, for one thing, God gave Moses "I AM" as His name in Exodus 3:14. But I think there's more to it than that, something extra behind why "I AM" is His name. In order for God to know everything that has happened in the past and everything that is happening now and everything that will happen in the future, and in order for Him to be in control of the future and be able to remember the past so that He can fulfill everything He promised, God must be outside of time. If God existed within time, He would not be able to know the future; therefore, God must exist independent of time. He makes this clear by saying, "Before Abraham was, I AM." In this one statement, Jesus condensed the name of His glory: the One "who was and is and is to come." He exists from beginning to end; nothing precedes Him, and nothing succeeds Him.
"I AM!" God exists! He is everywhere at all times. He is omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent. He is yesterday, today, and forever. He is the Bread of Life. He is the Living Water, the Living One who sees us (Lahai Roi; Genesis 16:13-14) and knows us. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords, the Prince of Peace, God Almighty (El Shaddai). He is our Savior. He is Yahweh. And He is, for all eternity, above all things. To God be the glory!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Up and Up
"To be prosperous would not require much of me. You see, contentment is the one thing it entails—to be content with where I am and getting where I need to be. I'm moving past the past where I have failed."
I was listening to a Relient K playlist last night, and the lyrics of a lot of songs caught my attention. So I went back to listen to them again today, and this one, "Up and Up," seemed particularly interesting. This verse was what really got me thinking.
"To be prosperous would not require much of me." The world looks at fame and fortune as something you earn for yourself. If you succeed in school and in your career, you will have (or at least, be able to afford) all you could ever want. But if you just fail at life, you have nobody to blame for your poverty but yourself. But Relient K seems to think differently. They take the godly view of success: all success and failure, victories and hardships, are given or allowed by God to ultimately bless us. In the difficult times, it can be hard to see how God is blessing us through our trials, but when we emerge from them, we come out stronger than before, rejoicing and thanking God. And when God gives us success, He gives it to us so that we would glorify His name and make His power known to those who have not experienced it. So according to the Bible, prosperity comes from God, and only God; however, that does not mean that we should sit back and let Him do everything. He has given us talents and abilities so that we would use them. The success we achieve with those abilities comes from God because He gave us the abilities in the first place.
But the song doesn't stop there: "You see, contentment is the one thing it entails—" Let's look at Job for a minute. Job was a wealthy man by all standards; he had many children, he had abundant livestock, he had plenty of slaves, he was wise and thoughtful, he was strong in health, and he was very deep in his relationship with the Lord. But then Satan attacked him, stealing everything he had from him: he took his family and his earthly riches; he took his health; he attacked his thoughts by challenging him, through his own wife, to give up God. But he could not take God from him. Job remained faithful to God, and because of his faithfulness, God blessed him with more than he had had before Satan attacked. He became even wealthier than before. But even in his trials, Job remained the wealthiest man alive. How? He remained content. He trusted that God would bring him through his trials stronger than before, and he knew that God would never abandon him; God was all he needed. When you have God, and God is all you need, you will never be disappointed.
So to be prosperous—wealthy, successful—contentment is all we need. The song continues: "—to be content with where I am and getting where I need to be." Job knew where he was, all the trials he was facing; but he also knew that God was with him through it all. And he also knew that God was going to take him above and beyond where he had been before. He was content with where he was, and he was content to be moving toward his final destination, no matter how difficult the journey.
"I'm moving past the past where I have failed." Another song by Relient K, "Getting Into You," says, "You say You will not dwell on what I did, but rather what I do." What this means is that what's past is past; if you have repented, God has forgiven you. There's no point in dwelling on the mistakes of the past, so we move ahead. God has forgiven our past. What He cares about most is what you do now, how you act on what you learned from your past. Contentment lies not only in accepting where you are and where you are going, but also in accepting where you were and knowing that you're not there anymore.
It's amazing what God can teach us through music.
I was listening to a Relient K playlist last night, and the lyrics of a lot of songs caught my attention. So I went back to listen to them again today, and this one, "Up and Up," seemed particularly interesting. This verse was what really got me thinking.
"To be prosperous would not require much of me." The world looks at fame and fortune as something you earn for yourself. If you succeed in school and in your career, you will have (or at least, be able to afford) all you could ever want. But if you just fail at life, you have nobody to blame for your poverty but yourself. But Relient K seems to think differently. They take the godly view of success: all success and failure, victories and hardships, are given or allowed by God to ultimately bless us. In the difficult times, it can be hard to see how God is blessing us through our trials, but when we emerge from them, we come out stronger than before, rejoicing and thanking God. And when God gives us success, He gives it to us so that we would glorify His name and make His power known to those who have not experienced it. So according to the Bible, prosperity comes from God, and only God; however, that does not mean that we should sit back and let Him do everything. He has given us talents and abilities so that we would use them. The success we achieve with those abilities comes from God because He gave us the abilities in the first place.
But the song doesn't stop there: "You see, contentment is the one thing it entails—" Let's look at Job for a minute. Job was a wealthy man by all standards; he had many children, he had abundant livestock, he had plenty of slaves, he was wise and thoughtful, he was strong in health, and he was very deep in his relationship with the Lord. But then Satan attacked him, stealing everything he had from him: he took his family and his earthly riches; he took his health; he attacked his thoughts by challenging him, through his own wife, to give up God. But he could not take God from him. Job remained faithful to God, and because of his faithfulness, God blessed him with more than he had had before Satan attacked. He became even wealthier than before. But even in his trials, Job remained the wealthiest man alive. How? He remained content. He trusted that God would bring him through his trials stronger than before, and he knew that God would never abandon him; God was all he needed. When you have God, and God is all you need, you will never be disappointed.
So to be prosperous—wealthy, successful—contentment is all we need. The song continues: "—to be content with where I am and getting where I need to be." Job knew where he was, all the trials he was facing; but he also knew that God was with him through it all. And he also knew that God was going to take him above and beyond where he had been before. He was content with where he was, and he was content to be moving toward his final destination, no matter how difficult the journey.
"I'm moving past the past where I have failed." Another song by Relient K, "Getting Into You," says, "You say You will not dwell on what I did, but rather what I do." What this means is that what's past is past; if you have repented, God has forgiven you. There's no point in dwelling on the mistakes of the past, so we move ahead. God has forgiven our past. What He cares about most is what you do now, how you act on what you learned from your past. Contentment lies not only in accepting where you are and where you are going, but also in accepting where you were and knowing that you're not there anymore.
It's amazing what God can teach us through music.
Monday, February 14, 2011
"With all creation I sing"
I don't regularly close my eyes during worship, but when I feel especially moved or when I feel especially detached and desperate for a Spirit of worship, I'll close my eyes to get into a posture of prayer. So tonight during worship at Freshley, I had my eyes closed when we started singing Revelation Song. When we got to the line, "With all creation I sing, 'Praise to the King of kings! You are my everything, and I will adore You,'" an image of birds chirping and the famous UGA North Campus squirrels flashed through my mind, and I thought of something. "With all creation I sing"— "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse" (Romans 1:20). All of creation is constantly testifying to who God is, revealing His power and bringing Him glory. When birds sing in the morning, most people think they are calling to each other or sounding out mating calls. But I believe they have another motive behind their singing. Dogs bark, cats meow, cows moo. All animals have their unique calls, and with those unique calls, all of creation praises the Creator. Sure, animals have mating calls, but consider this: Could it be possible that an animal's mating call is nothing but a song of worship to God that attracts the opposite gender of its species? I think animals show an even greater understanding than we do of the quote, "A woman's heart should be so lost in God that a man has to seek Him to find her."
Anyway, my point is that all of creation is always in a state of worship, bringing praise to God with their mere existence. Shouldn't we be the same way? God has made us unique and set us apart from the animals, but that doesn't mean we can't learn from them. After all, the Bible makes plenty of references to animals as examples when giving advice. The reason for our existence is to bring glory to God and to bring others to desire to do the same, and that's exactly what God's creation does, but we have fled from our purpose. "Go to the ant, you sluggard," Solomon says in Proverbs 6:6; "Go to creation, you servant of God!" We need to learn what it means to worship, and according to creation, to live is to worship and to worship is to live.
"With all creation [we] sing, 'Praise to the King of kings! You are my everything, and I will adore You!"
Anyway, my point is that all of creation is always in a state of worship, bringing praise to God with their mere existence. Shouldn't we be the same way? God has made us unique and set us apart from the animals, but that doesn't mean we can't learn from them. After all, the Bible makes plenty of references to animals as examples when giving advice. The reason for our existence is to bring glory to God and to bring others to desire to do the same, and that's exactly what God's creation does, but we have fled from our purpose. "Go to the ant, you sluggard," Solomon says in Proverbs 6:6; "Go to creation, you servant of God!" We need to learn what it means to worship, and according to creation, to live is to worship and to worship is to live.
"With all creation [we] sing, 'Praise to the King of kings! You are my everything, and I will adore You!"
Sunday, February 13, 2011
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