The Word Becomes Life

I've been in church my entire life. I grew up in Pentecost and was able to sleep 1) through the loudest of services and 2) under a pew without dancing folks stepping on my head. I have seen and heard it all. One thing I'd heard over and over again was that you could read the Bible and each time you read a passage, something new would speak to you. Candidly, I thought this was a fair amount of hype. How can you read the same words over and over again and get anything but the same result? It turns out you can.

This past Sunday evening, we watched Pastor Glenn Massey's sermon from Because of The Times. If you haven't heard it, you really must. It's incredible to hear his personal story and the application in real life. The gist of his message was that radical faith produces radical results. Oddly, in my Bible reading yesterday, I had this particular passage from Luke 11.

5Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story:“Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, 6‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ 7And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ 8But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.

I love the term "shameless persistence". It projects a radical desire to see something accomplished. I fear I am guilty often of "mildly requesting" which may be polite but doesn't move heaven. Though I had had read that passage multiple times, this time, it came alive to me. It was as though I had seen the words with fresh set of eyes. The Word did indeed become life.

Let me add one more note before I end this post. Over the last year or so, Bible reading has become a radical habit with me. I'm active and travel a fair amount but the advent of many apps for my phone and tablet make it possible to read the scriptures anywhere. My personal favorite is YouVersion but I encourage you to find something that works for you and stick with it. Make personal Bible reading a habit and it will bring life to your day. 

Why Read?

If you're like me, you just finished or are in the process of finishing a Bible reading plan. Also if you're like me, you just started reading it again. To the natural mind, this makes no sense at all. Who in the world reads a book and, the day after they finish it, starts reading it again?

The Psalmist wrote, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light to my path". We have about one storm every year where the power goes out. I hate it. No power means no cooking, no television and worst of all, no lights. Reading the Bible keeps the lights on. It illuminates our path and gives us vision for the journey.

Growing up in church, I heard people say they got something new every time they read the Bible. To my young mind, this was nonsense. But I have come to find that these sweet people were exactly right. There are nuggets and new perspectives I find each and every time I read a passage that I have read many times. Line upon line, precept upon precept- this is the way we grown in the Lord. Reading the scripture is an essential part of that.

If you haven't started reading for this year, I encourage you to get after it. I'm a big fan of YouVerson.com. There are multiple reading plans and translations of the Bible to fit what you're looking for.

Go turn the lights on.

The Danger of Success

2 Chronicles 25:14
When King Amaziah returned from slaughtering the Edomites, he brought with him idols taken from the people of Seir. He set them up as his own gods, bowed down in front of them, and offered sacrifices to them!

I came across this nugget today in my bible reading. Normally, during my annual trek through the bible, Chronicles is like having a tooth pulled. Ever. Day. But this year, I've found more and more truths as I read the stories of the kings of Israel and Judah. In this particular passage, Amaziah goes to war with Edom. He originally is going to use mercenaries he's hired from Israel but the Lord tells him to trust Him and go to war without the hired guns. He does this and has a great victory in Edom, killing 10,000 on the field of battle and another 10,000 by execution. As a side note, he has these second 10,000 cast off the side of a cliff which is both brutal and wins points for originality. 

The problem is after his great, God given victory, Amaziah brings back the gods of Edom and begins to worship them. He even cops an attitude with the prophet who comes to warm him that God isn't pleased with this particular turn of events. Needless to say, he's on the road to downfall from here.

The issue that struck me was that Amaziah followed God and walked in His way right up until the moment he had success. Success is intoxicating. It makes you feel good. The key to remember is that our success, ANY success, is from God. Whether it's within the church, the marketplace or any other venue, God is the one who blesses us. 

Success is awesome. God is more awesome. Don't let success go to your head. 

Why Bother

I was up late last night waiting for my eldest to return from taking her friend to work. Even though she's 21 I still feel like I have to wait up for her. Old habits die hard. But that's a post for another day.

While I was waiting up I was tinkering around my office and listening to music on Spotify. PS- great service- highly recommend. I found myself listening to a number of selections from Carleton Pearson's Azusa concerts from back in the 1990s. The music was awesome. Traditional black gospel played with emotion that bled through my computer and into my ears. It was like church in my office.

I noted on Facebook that "Carleton Pearson may be a flake but he could sure put out some good music". That was the catalyst for a thought rolling around in my brain. Carleton Pearson embraces the theology of "universal acceptance". In short, he's a universalist. He thinks that there is no literal hell because hell is lived out on earth and in the afterlife we are all reunited with God.

As I mused on this I thought, if there was no literal hell, why bother with God. Or church. Or any type of relationship that would draw one into fellowship with the Almighty. I don't think our walk with God should be motivated by fear of hell but fear often compels us to action, whether it be our initial steps or to shake us from our moribund state. If I don't have a healthy fear of hell- of separation from God, why bother with any of this.

The scriptures speak clearly and unambiguously that there is indeed a hell that is reserved for those without Christ. For this reason, we are compelled to not only work out our own salvation with fear and trembling but to go into the harvest field to reach others. We go because it is the will of Christ that no man is lost.

This is why we bother.

Because of Love

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to take one of my wife's family home from church because they weren't feeling well. If you are married, you likely have in-laws. Some of these in-laws may not be like folks you would normally hang with given the choice. However, since you married into the family, you have no choice. I feel this way about some of my in-laws and know Charity feels likewise about some of my family. However, I love my wife dearly and for that reason, I make nice with her crazy family (as she has with mine).

This made me think about my relationship with Jesus Christ and His church. Like any family, the church family has some folks we'd just as soon keep up in the attic away from public view. If you don't have folks like this, you go to a very, very, small church or not to church at all (or you are willfully blind). Also, if you're like me, you really wish these folks would go far, far away. However, because you love Jesus you embrace his family. That doesn't mean you agree with them on everything but it does mean you loves them and do not treat them with disdain.

The fact is, the body of Christ is large and diverse. Not everyone is going to agree on everything and that's okay. What isn't okay is becoming insular and rejecting those aren't just like us. If we truly are the bride of Christ, we will embrace His family and learn to live with the quirks because of love. Easier said than done but give it a whack.

Not Why But Will

John 5:5-6

5 One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years.6 When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?”

I love this passage of scripture and have used it many times. It happens to be in my reading for today and refreshed my memory. The man in this portion of scripture had be infirm for 38 years. That's just shy of the number of years of my life so I have a little perspective on it. Read the first part of John 5 for the whole story but it involves an angel troubling the water and the first person in getting healed. This man was never the first person in so he remained in his sickly state.

Jesus' question to him was "Would you like to get well?". The man proceeds to tell Jesus all the reasons he can't get to the pool and so he can't change his situation. Jesus didn't ask WHY he wasn't well. He asked if he'd like to be well. Huge difference.

Often Jesus will speak inspiration and promise into our lives and our first reaction is to find reasons why these things can't happen. Specifically, we will inform Him of why we can't do what He has promised. Jesus isn't asking you why. He's asking you if you'd like.

Surrender your whys to Jesus and let Him do the work. What will you have Him do in your life today?

Testing, One, Two

Is this thing on....