Wednesday, December 9, 2015

The Mystery


I've often heard it said that as Christians what we need to do is "move over" and let God take control of the "steering wheel" of our lives. This same idea of us moving over and God taking over is conveyed through other familiar expressions such as "let go and let God" and "Jesus take the wheel" and statements like that. But are we really supposed to get out of the way so God can do all the driving? Are we really just along for the ride?

Statements like those sound wise but surprisingly this is not what Scripture teaches. In fact, the New Testament actually teaches the opposite. The Gospel is much greater than us moving over to the passenger seat.

The reason that "Gospel" means "good news" is because it is inclusive - God not only includes us in His divine plan, but we play a vital role - a central role with God. God is not seeking to replace us but to embrace us as new creations compatible with His nature. He no longer calls us servants, He calls us friends. He chooses to work through the uniqueness of our soul - according to our created purpose - rather than squashing us out or moving us to the side. He doesn't violate us, He inhabits us. This was His plan all along - the reunion of His Spirit with ours. Then, He teaches us how to drive.

When trying to explain this God-human reunion to the Colossian church, the apostle Paul referred to it as "the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them God has chosen to make known the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col. 1:26-27). In his letter to the Corinthian church Paul said something similar: "Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself?...The two became one flesh. Whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit" (1 Cor. 6:15-17).

This wonderful and amazing truth has profound implications. God now goes where we go. God now lives where we live. God now talks when we talk. God now walks when we walk. We are His "ambassadors" in every sense of the word. This is why the apostle John could say with confidence, "as He is, so are we in this world" (1 John 4:17).

This is where the rubber meets the road when it comes to our faith. Do I really believe the gospel - that God so fully embraces every aspect of my being that He can work through my interests, hobbies, personality and sense of humor? Do I really see my entire self as being righteous, clean, and acceptable? Or do I only believe those things are some “spiritual” part of me that is far off and irrelevant, not really me? If the latter, then the gospel is no good to me in the practical moments of every day.

For the gospel to manifest powerfully in my life, I must believe that what Christ has done in making me new pertains to the real me who wakes up every day and lives a normal life. Then I’ve begun to understand my personal union with Jesus Christ. Jesus lived thirty-three years in authentic human flesh to show that His divinity is compatible with our humanity. And His divinity is entirely compatible with your humanity - regardless of how dirty the enemy makes you feel.

So, I would like to propose some new analogies for describing the Christian life...

I'm driving the car, in the driver's seat, and I'm sitting on God's lap while He whispers in my ear. God gave me the steering wheel and put His hands on top of mine. I feel His joy and pleasure when I make the right turns. I feel His nudging when I don't. But He never forces the wheel. He never tells me to move over. He loves being with me as I learn how to drive.

Like a father teaching his son how to swing a bat, God stands behind me smiling with His arms around me and His hands over mine, showing me how to make a level swing. He likes that I swing a little differently than His other kids - He thinks it's cute - but every bit as effective. He will never leave me nor forsake me. Why? Because I am "united with Him in spirit" and my body is the "Body of Christ."

But beware - like the Pharisees of Jesus' day, there are those who instead prefer the comfort of religious predictability - the old way of rules and separation from God over the new way of relationship and union with God. For some people the gospel is just too good to be true. They can't really bring themselves to accept the truth of being united with God. They feel too dirty. It feels like too much - it's just too much responsibility. They are worried about what people may think if they really start to walk this thing out with that kind of confidence, or rather that kind of "God-fidence". It sounds too much like blasphemy.

So watch out! Jesus was crucified for it.

"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first." - Jesus

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

The Story of Cinderella

I'm beginning to understand that having a girl is quite a bit different than having boys. Hattie is two now and instead of cars and race tracks there is chap stick and dolls. Babies and diapers. Skirts and dresses. There is a softness that was brought into our house with her - it has been good for my boys and I to experience. It has made us better.

Recently I took Hattie to Costco and it didn't take her long to find a doll named Cinderella. She looked up at me with those innocent and precious eyes and said, "Buy? Daddy buy?"

There was really no question. I immediately put Cinderella into our cart. In fact, I almost grabbed another one. There was no saying no to those eyes - to those cheeks. It's hard to say no to my little girl.

After we got home I read the box and was reminded about the story of Cinderella. It's an inspiring story - a wicked stepmother and two jealous stepsisters kept Cinderella enslaved and in rags. She stood no chance of attending the royal ball. But when her fairy godmother appeared, she magically transformed Cinderella's reality into a dream come true. Cinderella enchanted the handsome Prince Charming at the ball, but had to face the wrath of her enraged stepmother and sisters when the spell wore off at midnight. 

I believe God has planted a version of this story into each of our hearts. I believe this God-given yearning for something better - our own promised land - is a powerful force in each of our lives and I believe it's the main reason why the Cinderella story has been so successful. It's a story of redemption.

I read a similar story about a Prince who lived not long ago. He came to this land to take for Himself a bride. The problem was the bride He wanted was also enslaved and in rags, just like in the Cinderella story. Like Cinderella, this bride also stood no chance of attending the royal ball with the Prince.

But this was no ordinary Prince.

This Prince had power over the wicked forces which held His bride in chains. After a while the bride fell in love with this Prince, but she couldn't let go of the past. Even though her chains were broken, she still thought like a slave girl and couldn't carry herself with confidence in the presence of this powerful Prince. The subjects of the Kingdom now looked to her as supernatural - as royalty, but she felt too inadequate. Making such a dramatic change from slavery to royalty was just too much for her to take.

The Prince was deeply saddened by this. His bride had access to all he owned - including his heart -  but the Bride could not walk with her head held high in His presence. Like a prisoner released after serving a 40 year sentence, the Bride could not assimilate into the land of freedom.

The Prince was desperate to help His bride, the love of His life. He desperately wanted to take her pain away - her sorrow - her depression - her past - her shame. So, He summoned the elders of the Kingdom and implemented a plan. He would enact an ancient ritual by which His death would multiply His very own Spirit into the one He loved. It was risky. It was powerful. It was love.

I haven't yet finished reading the story of this powerful Prince, for it is a story which continues to unfold to this day. It is a story which is still unraveling - like gigantic waves through the ocean of time. For the Prince went forward with the ritual - and it was far more powerful than anyone ever dreamed.

I will tell my little girl about this Prince. And I will tell her about the real Cinderella. The one who has been clothed in the robes of the Prince. The one who has been given the Spirit of the Prince. The one who is now able to walk with confidence alongside her Prince.

I will tell her of the Cinderella staring back at her in the mirror.

Die. Then Live!

While in college I answered a “roommate needed” advertisement for a place in Uptown Minneapolis. After talking with the guy on the phone I decided to meet with him, after which I decided to move in. After moving in I learned that he had to kick out his previous roommate because of his behavior - apparently the prior roommate was a heavy drinker and when he got drunk he would get violent and start to break things around the house. I noticed evidence of that around the house – some of the walls were damaged, I found some broken glass on the carpet and things like that. I even found some smutty magazines and a pipe for smoking weed in the bedroom when I moved in. The old roommate had moved out, but there was still evidence of him being there. 

I got to thinking - this is what it’s like after being born again. Our “old man” was “crucified with Christ and no longer lives” and then “God sends the Spirit of His Son into our hearts” - in other words our old roommate moves out and dies and then a new roommate moves in. But there still may be evidence of the old roommate laying around the house. Our old self is gone – died and buried – but we might find some of his old socks laying under the bed or some empty bottles or smutty magazines or things like that.

Often times this confuses us and we get deceived into thinking the old roommate was somehow resurrected and moved back in. Waves of anxiety and depression wash over us as we frantically try to fight and kick out an old roommate who is 6 feet underground. We see his empty bottles and smelly socks under the bed and assume he’s hiding in the closet. Unless we snap out of it and remind ourselves the old roommate is dead, we will see all his old stuff and assume we are still struggling. And, if we think we are still struggling, we will still struggle. If we think our house is still divided, it will be divided. If we think we are still sinners, we will sin.

“We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” – Romans 6:2

There are those who are teaching that we need to die multiple times – that we need to continue fighting the old roommate – that we will never truly kick him out until we die – that we will always be struggling with sin. But what this does is create a battle that isn’t even there. What this does is deceive us into thinking, “Well, the old roommate is always going to be here so I might as well just make a truce with him and try to live with him as best as possible.”

But “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” is not what Jesus had in mind. 

Jesus died once for all. It is finished. We identify with His death once – that is what baptism represents. When we go under the water it symbolizes our death, and when we rise up out of the water it symbolizes our new life. Death happens once. We don’t need to be baptized over and over again. We made the decision. We took up our cross. We died. Jesus didn’t nail Himself back onto the cross after His resurrection. 

Neither do we. 

But we may still find some of that old man’s stuff laying around our house. We may need to purge the house of a few things. Those things are no longer consistent with who we are. We lost interest. This first “purge” may require a dumpster. After that, the garbage we throw away becomes more manageable as the new roommate takes over His responsibilities. 

May we come to know the truth which makes us free. May we rise up out of the baptismal waters into the new life that Jesus promised. May we grab a dumpster, purge the house, and rest in the righteousness of our new Roommate – Jesus Christ.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." - 2 Cor. 5:17

Where are you?

The other day my son Chase decided he wasn’t going to do something we told him to. After this he went over to “sit on the stairs” like he often does after doing something that he knows he shouldn’t have. A few minutes passed and I went over to the stairs to talk with him about it, and when he saw me he hid his face and ran up the stairs. While running up the stairs he even did the “mad yell” as I like to call it. 

Not the prettiest sound I’ve heard.

After some more time passed I went up and found him in his bed where he continued to hide his face from me. I reassured him that I still love him and reminded him of all the reasons why he needs to listen to Susie and I. Then I changed the subject and started talking about something else because I wanted him to snap out of it and come back downstairs with the rest of the family.

What was it that caused him to hide his face from me? Why did he run away from me? Did he hide because he was disobedient? Did he hide because he thought I didn’t love him anymore? Did he hide because he thought my ‘rules’ were too burdensome? No. What was it then?

Shame.

It was shame that caused him to hide his face. It was shame that caused him to run away and separate himself from me. I didn’t cause the separation - he did. I didn’t turn away in disgust when he disobeyed me – he turned away from me. On the other hand, it was ME who pursued him – it was ME who initiated the reconciliation.

See, we often teach people that it’s our sin that causes the separation between us and God – kind of like how oil separates itself from water. But that isn’t true. It’s our shame that causes the separation. We run from God, He doesn’t run from us. He doesn’t turn His face in disgust when we sin – He reaches out and follows us. Embraces us. Sin doesn't taint God. He's not scared.

Jesus said, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father”. What did He do around sinners? Did He shake His head in disgust and walk away condemning people? Did He EVER seek to separate Himself from sinners? Did He ever seem worried about getting dirty when He reached out His hand to touch the ‘untouchable’ leper? The prostitutes? The sex addicts? How about the alcoholics?

Nope. Not even once. 

In fact, He pursued the disobedient. He looked for the dirtiest people, knowing He had the only water in the world which could make them clean.

“Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more” – Romans 5:20

You’re not too dirty for God. You never will be. Dirt is a magnet for God’s love.

It’s God’s kindness that causes us to turn around. He runs after us and changes the subject because He wants us to snap out of it, turn around and come back to the family where we are secure in His love. We yell “I’m a sinner!” He yells, “You’re my son!” When we rest securely in His love, our actions conform themselves to His image. Our behavior takes care of itself. Apple trees grow apples, not oranges.

Love never fails. It’s just too irresistible.

Often times those in the church get it backwards. They put the behavior stuff before the love stuff. They expect to get apples without planting any apple trees. Or worse, they just point out all your oranges. If you have been the recipient of this false gospel, I apologize on their behalf. Come back! Turn around. Snap out of it. Bring your dirt. Your Father is waiting with open arms.

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” – John 3:17

He Calls Me Saint

My boys are twins but they are quite a bit different. Chase is outgoing, Owen is a bit more introverted. Chase moves from task to task while Owen remains focused on getting one job done. Chase tells funny jokes, Owen is a good dancer.

It's funny though - they didn't see themselves this way until Susie and I recognized them for these traits. Chase didn't try to be funny until we encouraged & recognized him for telling good jokes. Owen didn't make up his "hip shake" dance until we recognized him for being a good dancer. I love watching him do the hip shaker!

Words have a prophetic nature to them - they become self-fulfilling - especially when they come from people we respect. If someone we respect recognizes our generosity, we will literally morph into a more generous person. On the other hand, if someone we respect says we are selfish, we will either attack their character to make them into someone we no longer respect, or we will believe them and start to "own" our selfishness.

Our enemy knows this, which is why he is known as the "accuser of the brethren". After we start following Jesus as Lord, our enemy knows that if he can get us to believe we are still sinners instead of the saints God says we are, then our actions will naturally flow out of seeing ourselves as sinners. The enemy wants us to believe that we are what we do. The fruit of believing this accuser is obvious - feelings of condemnation, defeat, depression, anxiety, etc. This line of thinking often ends with the person saying, "I'm just a sinner saved by grace" - after which Satan does a victory dance. It sounds wise, but it's only a half truth. Yes, we are saved by grace but NO we are no longer sinners. If he can't get us to doubt the identity of Jesus he will make us doubt our own. But the truth is that our Father calls us righteous. Blameless. Forgiven. Loved. Son. Daughter. Holy. Saint. Divine. Nothing can separate us from His love.

Nothing.

May we have the faith to believe what our Father says about us - regardless of how we measure up. May we have the boldness to stand up against the accuser, armed with the truth that sets us free. May we look up at our Daddy, shake our hips and do a little dance, knowing that He delights in seeing the joy that comes when we believe what our Father says about us.

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Take the Key


Once there was a man who was thrown in prison for killing another man. His sentence was life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Many years passed, and the man in prison fell into deep depression. He was very sorry. He wept for what he had done, and sitting alone in his prison cell he desperately wanted to make things right. He often thought about what was going on outside of the prison. He dreamed about freedom and what that would feel like. In spite of no hope and the worst of circumstances, somehow he managed to go on, day after day, year after year. The mundane routine and predictability of the day, although hopeless, sadly started to serve as a comfort to him. 

But there was something very unique about this particular murder case.

The Judge had made a written stipulation when the man was sentenced. It was a written stipulation which the murderer didn’t know about. See, way back when the man was sentenced to prison, the judge gave the dead man's brother the option of setting the murderer free under two conditions: the brother of the deceased had to completely forgive the murderer, and then give him the only key to his house along with all his possessions and let him move in. Forgive him and give him a new life. The stipulation was high. The brother was very wealthy.

After a long time had passed, the brother heard about the murderer - how he had expressed regret and sorrow about what he had done. Amazingly, without hesitating the brother raced to the prison.

When the brother arrived he provided the prison warden with the stipulation paperwork from the trial, the warden had no choice but to arrange a meeting. The brother was then humiliated as he went through security and was stripped down to his underwear and given the clothes of a prisoner while inside.

The brother was led to a large room where he waited for the murderer to arrive. During this time the warden showed the murderer the stipulation paperwork and explained to him that the brother of the man he murdered is waiting for him in the next room. The murderer dropped to his knees as the weight of the moment gripped his heart. Tears flooded his eyes as he heard the loud buzz of the prison door opening.

As the door swung open he saw a man on the the other side of the room, now beginning to run towards him. The murderer, still on his knees, braced himself with his head between his knees waiting to be kicked and beat by the brother. As the running footsteps drew closer, they started to slow down and finally stopped right by the murderer’s head. 

The brother, standing over the man who killed his younger brother, sat down on the floor next to the murderer. After a few moments the murderer finally looked up and their eyes locked. The brother’s eyes were opened wide, with, compassion. Confused tears streamed down the murderer’s face and as he opened his mouth to speak nothing but sobs poured out from the inner depths of his soul.

“I…I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

The brother replied, “I know you are son.”

“I’m a murderer! Why are you here?? Why are you doing this??”

The brother declared, “You are forgiven” and wrapped his arms around the murderer. The mouths of the nearby prison guards dropped as they saw the reckless act of love unfold before their very eyes.

The brother continued, “When you did the things you are now ashamed of you did not know who you were. You didn’t know where you came from. You didn’t know what you’re capable of and why you’re here. Son, look at me. I forgive you completely.”

When the prison warden heard those words, he looked down at the stipulation paperwork and put a checkmark next to stipulation #1.

The murderer, now violently sobbing, embraced the feet of the brother and wept aloud while thankfulness poured from his heart.

The brother reached into his pocket and pulled out a key. “Son, this key gives you access to everything I own. Everything I have is now yours.” And he set the key down on the floor. “No longer will you call yourself a murderer. From this point forward your name will be Justis, which means ‘righteous one’.”

Justis continued sobbing on the floor, and his eyes came into focus on the key. 

“Son, take the key” the brother told him.

After a long while Justis got up and dried his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt. “Sir, what you did is amazing. I sincerely thank you for your forgiveness. I can now die knowing that I am reconciled to my Maker. So, thank you.”

Now speaking in a more firm voice the brother said, “Take the key”.

Justis turned around and started walking back toward the prison guards.

The brother, now screaming, “Son! Take the key! There is more – everything I have is yours! I have given you freedom!”

Justis continued walking back into the prison, and the guards shut the door behind him.

The brother’s eyes were streaming with tears. “TAKE THE KEY JUSTIS! TAKE THE KEY!” The prison guards shook their heads at the decision of Justis while putting the shackles back on him.

The prison warden, still standing there with the stipulation paperwork, said “I’m sorry sir, but the prisoner did not accept your key. I cannot sign this paperwork.”

The brother turned, hung his head and walked out of the prison. Every day after that he returned to plead with Justis – telling him about his freedom. His destiny. His inheritance.

Often times we become so comfortable with the routine and predictability of slavery. We get comfortable with our three rations per day. We get comfortable with the same prison inmates. We get comfortable with the shame of dead religion. We feel undeserving and hide behind false humility. We say things like, “It’s my cross to bear” and begin to fear the very idea of freedom. We forget freedom even exists. Or worse, we’re deceived into thinking the prison cell is the most freedom we deserve.

See forgiveness is awesome but it doesn’t save us. It doesn’t set us free and empower us to change. It cleans up the old heart but doesn’t give us a new one. It tears down the old house but it doesn't raise up a new one. It’s the resurrection of Jesus that saves us. "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 36:26). Sadly, most churches only like to talk about the death of Jesus - forgiveness - leaving us with a key to the door of nowhere.

The new heart of flesh is given in this life, not the one to come. It is finished. His death reconciles us, His life saves us. We need to take the key and leave the prison. We need to see what lock it opens. Jesus died to deal with who you were, but was resurrected to make you into something new.

We’re not forgiven prisoners. We have been set free.

Take the key!

“For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” – Romans 5:10

Divided Kingdoms Don't Stand

I like to keep my lawn looking good. There's nothing like a thick, lush, dark green lawn. I have a lot of different tools & supplies for keeping it looking good such as my lawn mower, my weed whip, weed killer, edger, fertilizer, dandelion remover and those kinds of things. I own my lawn, and I'm in control of my lawn. I'm responsible for what goes on in my yard. My name is on the title and I have assumed the responsibilities of a home owner. Pretty soon my sons will be old enough to start helping me out. I will teach them how to use the mower, the weed whip, how to fertilize and all the other tips & tricks for keeping it looking nice.

When that time comes I will go out into the lawn with them and demonstrate. I will get down on their level and let them try and walk along side of me until they get the hang of it. After a few demonstrations and having them walk along side of me for a few weeks, I will formally hand over responsibilities to them. I will transfer my authority as the home owner to them, my sons, and give them the key to the mower. Then I will go back into the house.

While I'm in the house, I will listen for them and keep my ears open for any cries for help. I'll be thinking about them a lot, and hoping they do well and really take ownership in the work. While sitting in my chair I'll glance over at their pictures on the coffee table and think about how much I love them and how proud I am to be their father.

Then I'll remember that the lawn falls prey to voles and grub worms during certain times of the year. For a moment I'll be concerned but then I'll remember how I showed them how to get rid of these vermin and parasites and that there is nothing to fear because my sons are in control and they have way more power than those little things. Just step on them and throw out some poison. I love watching them take authority over these things - just like I taught them to do.

Never in a million years would I consider opening the window and start shooting my sons with a BB gun in the knees to teach them something or to see if they can still take care of the lawn while in pain. Never in a million years would I take some dandelion seeds and throw them out into the lawn. Never in a million years would I 'take' one of my sons while the other son weeps for the loss of his brother and calls me "mysterious."

Never.

Why? Because I'm a loving father. Because suffering never really teaches us anything other than how to endure more suffering. Because just as Jesus said, "a kingdom [or lawn!] divided against itself cannot stand."

If I was telling my boys to take care of the lawn while hurting them in any way, or allowing voles & grubs into the lawn, or weeds - I would not have a lawn for very long, and I would be a terrible father. My sons would likely give up, thinking that I must have changed my mind about wanting a nice lawn because I'm sending all their problems. "We might as well sit tight and take a break - it looks like Daddy must have changed his mind about us."

See, Satan's #1 goal is trying to deceive us into thinking God is somehow responsible for evil & suffering because our entire identity is formed by how we experience God's love.

Because we have fallen for this deception, we come up with complicated, false theories & doctrines about the absolute sovereignty of God which is completely unbiblical - we tell the world that "God is in control" and lay down in the lawn while the weeds, voles & grub worms take over. We tell each other that Daddy's tools stopped working anyway. Our loved ones die from grub worm bites, and at the funerals we try to comfort them by saying Daddy is in control and "Daddy works in mysterious ways."

But He does not work in mysterious ways. He is good ALL the time. He is not mysterious, and He put us in control of the lawn.

To this, there are some Christians who will say, "That makes for a pretty small God" as if claiming that removing evil from God somehow diminishes His nature. To me, that's just sad. Removing the allowance of evil from God doesn't diminish His nature or character - it strengthens it. It puts evil its proper place - "Satan, the father of lies". Anything other than this Jesus describes as the "blasphemy of the Holy Spirit" - attributing evil to God's goodness.

Other Christians will say, "Wait a minute, I learned a lot from the times of my suffering." Of course you did, because "all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Rom. 8:28). God doesn't cause the suffering. He may pick you back up and "work it together" for your good because He loves you, but He never causes it. He loves you. He never pushes you off your bike, He just picks you back up and bandages your wounds.

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." - Jesus

See, God loves you. If something is not going well or if there is evil in your life, use the authority He gave you and command it to leave. "The power of life and death is in our tongue" (Proverbs 18:21). You have the keys to the lawn mower. Pick up the rake and smack that thing in the head. Don't blame God. If you want to blame someone, blame the adversary - Satan. And then step on him.

May we trust in the goodness of our Father. May we trust that our Daddy's garage is full of "everything we need for life & godliness" (2 Peter 1:3). May we look up at the house window, see our Father giving us a 'thumbs up' from His chair and mouthing the words "I love you. Well done. You've got this."

Realm of the Butterfly

The other day my boys and I found a caterpillar crawling in the backyard. The thing about caterpillars is that they are really slow and they can't see very well so they will crawl right up into your hand. The boys were looking at it up close and passing it back and forth. In the midst of all the commotion they dropped it and one of them accidentally stepped on it. Whoops.
 
I explained that there would be one less butterfly in our yard this year which led to further chats about the life of caterpillars. You know, one of those father-son teaching moments where we try to explain complex processes in kid terms as if we really understood it in the first place. I felt like Clark Griswold talking with Rusty about exterior illumination.

It really is pretty cool though - how caterpillars transform into butterflies. I think the technical term is metamorphosis. It got me thinking about the gospel which basically says the same thing happens to us when we're born again. We are literally born again into new creations, just like caterpillars becoming butterflies.

But there's no butterfly without the cocoon experience. There is no life without first dying. Early on I struggled a lot in my Christian walk because of this - I never completely died. I never crawled into the cocoon. I never "took up my cross". See, if we try to get born again without first dying we will end up in perpetual labor. Stuck in the birth canal. Trust me. Straddling the fence never ends well. He who wants to save his life MUST lose it. I looked for other ways but there wasn't any.

When we finally get to the point where we understand the cocoon experience is the only pathway to life, we crawl in - sometimes even without fully understanding what the cocoon will do to us. But we do it - either by process of elimination or sometimes through the help & encouragement of others.

But I think we often focus too much on the cocoon - as if the cocoon is the entire point of the Christian life. Death. We come to the end of ourselves, repent of our sins and crawl into the cocoon never to be seen again. But forgiveness is not the point of the gospel. The point of the gospel is the new creation. A new heart. Wholeness. Freedom. The restoration of that which was lost. It's as if we never ate from the tree in the garden. We are forgiven SO THAT we can walk in freedom and "newness of life" as ambassadors of a new kingdom - a kingdom not on the ground of the caterpillar with its poor eyesight and dulled senses, but a new kingdom in the realm of the butterfly - the new creation - looking down on our circumstances because we are "seated with Christ in heavenly places" (Eph. 2:6).

See, Jesus didn't just die for our forgiveness. Forgiveness is awesome but there is so much more than the cocoon experience. The rest of the good news is that you enter the cocoon as a caterpillar - and you leave as a butterfly. You are no longer a slave to the ground but free as the wind. There is only one catch: in the kingdom of the butterfly you can only use your wings when you actually believe you have them. Just like the butterfly as it emerges from its cocoon, we cannot see our wings - the new creation - with our natural eyes. At first, we only know we have been changed because of the words of the first Butterfly who went before us. We can't see our wings so we must believe His words instead of our eyes. It's only after taking the leap from our cocoons that we gain the revelation of who we have actually become.

There are two kinds of Christians out there - those who take this leap and those who don't. For those who don't, they crawl back in the cocoon and wait for the first Butterfly to come back with more detailed instructions. For those who do, well, they are out playing and making more cocoons.

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." - Heb. 11:1

Voice of Truth

It could very well be that the knowledge & beliefs we inherited from our parents were only partially true or not true at all. This isn’t something we normally like to consider but Jesus demands it of us. Our pursuit of the Truth must always outweigh allegiances to our family. That’s why many people believe the truth with their minds but their hearts will refuse it because it seems to contradict the faith of their parents. People think they are dishonoring their parents by believing something else, believing in a different way, finding a new church or making other changes. But in reality this is not about dishonoring people but rather the “pulling down of strongholds” (2 Cor. 10:4).

This is what Jesus meant when He said, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters--yes, even their own life--such a person cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26). He wasn’t trying to be mean or harsh, He was simply saying they might not be right. He was saying we must have the willingness to follow Him regardless of the cost – regardless of what our parents taught us (or didn’t teach us) about spiritual things. He was saying we must follow the whisper of Truth wherever it leads us.

Our families love us and want the best for us but we must be willing to follow Truth – even if it leads us outside the camp.

“And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.” – John 10:4

Children

Today I was with my 7 year old boys pretty much every moment of the day. We went to church, we went to Target, we played at home and I answered a gazillion questions for them (some questions multiple times). Then for the rest of the day I helped them mount their God-forsaken homemade Pokemon cards on posterboard and laminate them. Over and over again we did this. They basically think I'm an arts & crafts god now. I have to admit, I'm pretty good at mounting & laminating homemade Pokemon cards.

It's a gift.

There was one moment in the middle of the day when they were coloring (yes, homemade Pokemon cards) when I had a chance to go out to the garage to do some organizing. I went out there for 30 seconds before I realized I forgot something, so I went back in and Owen was standing there staring at me with his mouth open and a disgusted look on his face, "DADDY WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!? I WAS WORRIED - I FINISHED MY POKEMON CARD AND I'M READY TO LAMINATE."

After a lengthy apology for not manning my post I proceeded to laminate their homemade cards with clear packing tape while they asked me for snacks, how to use the computer and what my favorite Pokemon character is.

My parents tell me to soak these moments in because a time is coming when they will want nothing to do with me. I can see the truth in that - every time I blink they seem to get bigger and bigger - and a little less dependent on Susie and I. As parents we often get tired and frustrated but I think when the smoke clears we all enjoy being needed. Wanted. We all enjoy providing for our children. Teaching them. Encouraging them. Loving them.

"Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these...Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." - Luke 18:16; Matt. 18:3

What was it about children that Jesus loved so much? Was it their intellect? Their perfect work? Their theology? Their doctrines?

No.

It was their dependence on others. It was the complete absence of pride & shame. It was their humility. It was the absence of judgment & criticism. It was the absence of entitlement. It was their lightheartedness and emotional sensitivity. It was their freedom.

See, childlike dependence is ironically the only doorway to true freedom. This is how God set it up. Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Him will find it.
Part of what it means to lose our life is to lose our worldly reputation. Children will laugh, cry, shout, plead and beg in front of others without even thinking about it. When we break away from the pack and start pressing into God, people may shake their heads at us. Even the so-called religious folks may label us "immature" and persecute us. In fact, Jesus said they would. For the love of God, the religious folks accused Jesus of being demon possessed! If Jesus is our model for what normal Christianity is supposed to look like, bring it on.

I believe God gave us parent-child relationships as a model which tells us exactly how He wants us to relate to Him - with utter dependence. With reckless abandonment. Hands in the air, crying to be held. If you want help finding God, just watch your kids.

May we depend on God like our kids depend on us. May we pursue God with reckless abandonment. May we stand in the doorway and say, "Daddy, where have you been? I have been worried and I'm ready for your help."

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Interruptions

I've normally got all my days planned out pretty well. I wake up, get dressed, work 9 hours, play with my children, talk with my wife, read, and then go to bed. I guess you could say this daily schedule is my sovereign will. It's what I intend to do for the day.

But often times there a lot of interruptions. Some interruptions I am able to ignore. Some are much more, well, interrupting. These kind of interruptions are able to alter the course of my day because they come from those who are relying on me the most - my loved ones. 

For example one time I got a call from my son's school, telling me he had a fever of 103. Without even thinking I got up and completely disregarded the remainder of my daily routine. I had to go pick my son up and be with him. He needed my help.

Another time my wife called me at work saying she was going into labor - my two sons were ready to be born. By the time I got home I think my car was still in Drive as I jumped out. My family needed me. These kind of interruptions are unavoidable. Some are even welcomed.

God is like that too. After all, He made us in His image. He may have some things lined up for the days, years, decades and centuries; but He stops in His tracks when His loved ones call. "The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him" - 2 Chron. 16:9. Much like a GPS, God turns off the intended path and then "recalculates" based on our hearts - our needs - our prayers.

See, God is first relational, then sovereign. Responsive, then organized. Emotional, then assertive. We have the amazing ability to tug on His heart strings.

Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.

Freedom

I heard a story about how elephants are tamed so that they can be used to help with harvesting teke trees in Thailand. What the people do is they take a wild elephant and tie a chain around one of their back legs, and then tie the other end of the chain to a small tree.

The elephant tries to pull and pull but the tree just flexes and the elephant cannot get free. After a while the elephant continues to pull, but the chain around it's leg starts to dig into its skin and cause pain, so it doesn't pull as hard after that. After a while the elephant stops pulling completely. 

At this point the people untie the chain from the tree, but they leave the chain on the elephant's leg. The elephant sees that the chain is still around his leg, so it doesn't try to get free. It thinks it is still captured and is scared about the potential pain of trying to break free. So, it doesn't run. Even though the elephant is far more powerful than the people, it doesn't fight them because it still sees the chain.

This is a very sad story, and unfortunately it is also the state of many Christians. Often times the enemy - and even other people in our lives such as our friends or family - will remind us of our past. What this does is remind us of the chains of our past life. In discouragement and shame we hang our heads, drop our weapons and slip back into the very bondage we have been set free from, except this time it's all in our heads.

We must let God's voice be louder than the voice of the world - louder than the enemy - louder than our friends - louder than our family and LOUDER than even ourselves. What God says about you is true. Free. Forgiven. Loved. Powerful. This is who you are. Everything else is just noise.

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." - Galatians 5:1

Forgiven

The other day my son Owen spilled his big glass of milk on the kitchen table. It flowed across the table, through the cracks, off the table onto the chairs, and finally started pooling on the floor.

Now, before I go any further let me tell you that I used to get much more, well, angry, when this kind of thing happened. I used to bark out things like, "You need to be more careful!" or "Why weren't you paying attention?!?" I used to deal out big doses of shame when these kinds of things happened. But since then I've gotten a lot better - a lot more even-keeled - because I've realized that I'm also a milk-spiller. See, Owen was born into a family of milk-spillers.

After surveying the flood, Owen looked up at me and our eyes met. His eyes were big, his mouth was open. We looked at each other for a short time, then the initial panic of the moment wore off and I gave him a little smirk and said, "That was a big one Owen." Amused and relieved about my smile, he smiled also and said, "I'm sorry Daddy." My grace led to his repentance.

But the truth was, I didn't need to forgive him in that moment. I'm sure he will make some other mistakes that are, well, more intentional, but my love for him and forgiveness of him isn't dependent on his behavior. Every mistake he makes, throughout his whole life whether it's past, present or future, is forgiven. He is my son. See, I didn't forgive him when he said "I'm sorry", I forgave him when he was born into my family. He is my son. The "sorry" wasn't for me, it was for him. He wanted, he needed, to let me know he recognized the mistake, that there was no need for discipline - no need for a teaching moment. He needed to let me know that he agrees with me about clean tables being better than messy ones. I knew he was sorry even before the milk spilled.

This is how it is with God too. I think often we are so busy riding the roller coaster of performance-based love and forgiveness that we don't realize God isn't even on the roller coaster - He is over by the river floating on an inner tube, motioning for us to join Him. He already rode that roller coaster. Now He is "finished".

See, God loves you. If you are His child there is literally nothing you can do about it. Grab an inner tube and plop yourself down in the river of grace. Your Father is waiting, with a smirk on His face.

Experience

When I go on business trips I tend to miss my family quite a bit. Unlike others in my office, I don't enjoy being away from them. Sometimes while I'm gone I get opportunities to see different attractions such as beaches or museums, but I don't really enjoy these things like I do when Susie is with me. Experiencing new things just isn't the same without her.

To help with the loneliness I suppose I could go to the bookstore and read about marriages or how to best raise a family - I could read stories about good marriages and that kind of thing. I could even memorize passages of the books so I could recall them later. It would actually be really helpful and useful. I would grow a lot in my understanding of marriage, I would learn what makes marriages work well, what good marriages look like, who I am as a husband, how to be a good husband & father and that kind of thing. I would be sowing into my marriage.

But, calling Susie on the phone is way better. The bookstore would be great and it's filled with great truths, but Susie is my wife - not a subject. I would much rather spend time with her than read about her. Better yet, have her come with me to the bookstore. Susie is my focus, not her biography. I need to stay attentive because sometimes she says things and does things that are not written in the marriage book. She never contradicts the marriage book, she just gives me fresh content to work with.

See, marriage is a dynamic relationship, not a doctrine or a statement of faith. The Bible says this is how we should relate to God - "in Spirit and in truth." Relationships can be messy - even unpredictable at times - but they have no substitute. If faith becomes predictable, it's a good indication we are falling out of relationship. Without spending time with one another, relationships become dysfunctional. Dry. Dead. It’s not only what God said yesterday, it’s what God is saying today. God is a relational being – He didn’t speak out the words of the Bible and then zip His mouth shut – He allows us to experience Himself. It’s an ongoing, experiential relationship. That’s what the Holy Spirit is all about.

Yet, especially in our western post-enlightenment culture where scientific rationalism is emphasized and experience is downplayed as too "subjective", we throw the baby out with the bathwater. We throw out the relationship as being too messy - too unpredictable. We prefer to read about our Spouse instead of interact with His Spirit because it's more comfortable and familiar to us. We haven't learned how to use all the features of our spiritual phones so we stay in the bookstore. After all, “those Holy Spirit folks are too weird and unpredictable. They believe in all that weird relational stuff – the stuff the marriage book talks about. Just give me the book keep it to an hour." Yet ironically, it's only through experience that we truly come to know someone.

One of my favorite passages of Scripture is Matthew 9:17 where Jesus talks about how we need to put new wine into new wineskins. Basically what He is saying is that new batches of wine will expand as it ferments in its container and burst the old wineskin (container). So, we need to put new wine into new wineskins which are still flexible enough to handle the expansion – kind of like filling a water balloon. Essentially what this means for us is that God is going to stretch us, and if we are not flexible we will burst. That’s why Jesus chewed out the Pharisees so much – they were rigid Bible thumpers who closed themselves off to fresh moves of God. They claimed to be all about God’s Word while ignoring the heart of what He said. Jesus didn’t fit into their small boxes of understanding – He broke their wineskins.

May we always leave room for new wine. May we always remain flexible and respect what God is saying and doing through others. God has billions of intimate relationships going on right now and He has lots to say to each one of us. May we pick up our spiritual phone and ask the Holy Spirit how to use it – all the features – even if it seems a little weird at first.

The Wrench

There's a scene in the movie "Good Will Hunting" where Will (Matt Damon) is talking with Sean (Robin Williams) about how his father used to beat him. He was telling Sean how his father would put a belt, a stick and a wrench on the table and then make Will choose which one he wanted to be beat with. The story is heartbreaking.

Sean said "You chose the belt, right?"

Will said, "No, I used to go with the wrench"

Sean said, "The wrench? Why"

Will said, "Because 'F' him, that's why"

I don't know why, but that scene has always stuck with me. Why chose to endure more pain than necessary? Why chose a weapon that can inflict so much damage?

In the Old Testament when people would sacrifice animals for the forgiveness of their sins, they would bring a lamb to the altar and then it's throat would be slit. The lamb wouldn't suffer, it would just bleed out and die. Using the imagery from the movie, the lamb would get "the belt" - the easier of the three choices. No unnecessary pain, no unnecessary suffering.

So, once we get to the New Testament when Jesus died to take away the sins of the world, why on earth would Jesus choose the wrench? Why on earth would He choose to endure all that suffering instead of just getting His throat slit? All He had to do is die for us to be forgiven. All the Jews had to do is walk up to Him and slit His throat and we would still be forgiven. He was the perfect sacrifice. So, why the wrench? Why all the whipping, the spitting, the scourging, the thorns, the mocking, the suffocation, the nails, the torture?

Jesus chose the wrench - the nails - because He wanted to give us much more than forgiveness. He wanted to give us a hope and a future - "abundant life". He wanted to buy us the entire benefits package which included internal peace, freedom from sorrow & depression, freedom from pain, freedom from addiction, freedom from sickness & disease - all of which He described as the work of the enemy - the devil. "FOR THIS PURPOSE the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8).

See, Jesus came for more than our forgiveness - He came for us. We are not only forgiven, we are made whole. Not later, now. The devil had a field day with all the "killing, stealing and destroying" he had done. There was a LOT for Jesus to clean up - a lot for Him to make right - a lot more than forgiveness was needed.

That is what the Christian life is all about - understanding the finished work of Jesus and appropriating that work on earth as it is in heaven. Enforcing His victory. We may not understand it all right away - we may not understand why some people are miraculously healed and why some are not. But it is our calling & duty to lean into the finished work of the cross and make it happen as Christ's ambassadors. Jesus said that "believers will lay hands on the sick and they will recover." When people do not appear to be healed, we do not doubt God's Word - we do not doubt the wounds of Jesus - we keep pressing in until we get our breakthrough. There is a lot more going on in the spiritual realm than meets the eye. Jesus told many stories about how we need to keep knocking, seeking, finding. We need to be like the persistent widow who kept pressing and pressing until she got what she wanted (Luke 18). It's always God's will for us to be whole - for us to be healed. Jesus died for it.

He chose the wrench. He chose level 10 pain for level 10 blessings. He chose healing. He chose wholeness. He chose the full benefits package. He chose you.

"Surely our sicknesses he hath borne, And our pains -- he hath carried them, And we -- we have esteemed him plagued, Smitten of God, and afflicted. And he is pierced for our transgressions, Bruised for our iniquities, The chastisement of our peace [is] on him, And by his bruise there is healing to us." - Isaiah 53:4-5

Repent?

The church is kind of funny sometimes. We tell people salvation is a free gift they can't earn, but we then tell them repentance is the prerequisite to salvation. But if my salvation is hinging on my repentance, I'm in big trouble because I've often had to repent of the same sin over and over and over again. Does this mean my repentance was never genuine and that I'm no longer saved?

Do you see the problem with this? Thousands of people who really love God have been pulling their hair out for years because they have been riding a roller coaster of grace mixed with works. New wine inside of old wineskins. Grace mixed with law. If there's poop in my salad I'm sorry but I'll pass. This is not the Gospel (good news). This is really bad news actually. 

Salvation (being made whole) is God's grace plus nothing (Eph. 2:9). Grace is a free gift. Zero payment is required. The notion of you doing anything for it is completely obsolete (Heb. 8:13). The notion of you striving for God's approval has passed away. As Jesus died on the cross, He exclaimed "It is finished!" We shout the same thing, and in thankfulness fall to our knees as we realize the immense debt which was wiped away from us. As we lift our heads and wipe away the tears of joy, our eyes slowly come to focus in on the King who saved us - this King who saw EVERYTHING in us and yet washed it away like it was nothing. As far as the east is from the west. How can this be? What kind of love does this? Welcome to repentance.

To repent means to change our minds. All those street-corner preachers have given the word 'repent' a lot of negative baggage throughout the years, but all it means is "to turn" or "to change your mind" - that's all. It's the natural response to God's kindness.

I think as the church we often focus in on telling people they need to "repent" but that's like telling people to be thankful for something they don't know they have received. What we need to do is tell people about God's love and kindness - about all that He has done for them - and the repentance will take care of itself. It's the Holy Spirit's job to convict, not ours. He is much better at it anyway.

"All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." - 2 Cor. 5:18-21

Sunday, September 6, 2015

Recalculating

I've normally got all my days planned out pretty well. I wake up, get dressed, work 9 hours, play with my children, talk with my wife, read, and then go to bed. I guess you could say this daily schedule is my sovereign will. It's what I intend to do for the day.

But often times there a lot of interruptions. Some interruptions I am able to ignore. Some are much more, well, interrupting. These kind of interruptions are able to alter the course of my day because they come from those who are relying on me the most - my loved ones. 

For example one time I got a call from my son's school, telling me he had a fever of 103. Without even thinking I got up and completely disregarded the remainder of my daily routine. I had to go pick my son up and be with him. He needed my help.

Another time my wife called me at work saying she was going into labor - my two sons were ready to be born. By the time I got home I think my car was still in Drive as I jumped out. My family needed me. These kind of interruptions are unavoidable. Some are even welcomed.

God is like that too. After all, He made us in His image. He may have some things lined up for the days, years, decades and centuries; but He stops in His tracks when His loved ones call. "The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him" - 2 Chron. 16:9. Much like a GPS, God turns off the intended path and then "recalculates" based on our hearts - our needs - our prayers.

See, God is first relational, then sovereign. Responsive, then organized. Emotional, then assertive. We have the amazing ability to tug on His heart strings.

Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.

Friday, August 21, 2015

What is God Waiting For?

"But when this Priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time He waits for His enemies to be made His footstool" (Hebrews 10:12-13).  

If Jesus is sitting and waiting for His enemies to be made into an ottoman, who is supposed to be doing the fighting?

"When Jesus had called the disciples together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases" (Luke 9:1).

"I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (Matthew 16:19).

“Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom (Luke 12:32).
 
If we think He is in control but He says we are in control, who is in control? 





"For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed" 
(Rom. 8:19).
 

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Already or Not Yet?

In the first century in Rome there was a place called the Agora which was the market - it was the place where people would buy & sell food, clothing and other items. At the entrance to the Agora there was a large statue which depicted the Roman Caesar. In 58-64 AD it happened to be Caesar Nero.

Nero is one of the most evil men to ever walk the face of the Earth. The people and writers of that time referred to him as the "beast". To give you an idea of what made him so evil, he had his mother executed. He kicked his pregnant wife to death. He lit Rome on fire, a third of which burned to the ground. He blamed the Christians for it, and then unleashed a 3 1/2 year (42 month) persecution against them. He impaled Christians on stakes and lit them on fire to provide light while he ate dinner. He put Christians in the coliseum and watched as hungry lions tore them apart. This was Nero.

The required admittance fee to enter the Agora during that time was to pay a fee and then kneel down and worship the statue of Nero. After doing so, the Roman soldiers would place a mark of ash on people's forehead or right hand to show homage had been made. Unless you worshiped the statue of the "beast" and received the mark, you could not go in to buy, sell or trade. This was the mark of the "beast" Nero - which happened almost 2000 years ago. 

What is also interesting is the fact that in the Greek and Hebrew languages, each letter of the alphabet was given a corresponding number. Adding up these numbers gives a numeric value to a word or name. When applying this method to "Caesar Nero", the number is 666.

Sound familiar?

Friday, August 14, 2015

This is My Son



"And a voice from heaven said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.'" - Matthew 3:17

In Jewish culture in the first century, when a boy turned thirteen they had what's called the "bar-mitzvah" which basically meant that the boy was becoming a man and the raising of the boy transferred at that point because up until the age of 13 the boy was being raised mostly by his mother. But when he turned 13, there was a transfer where the boy went to work with his father and he began to learn the family trade. In Jesus' case, he went to work with Joseph and started learning the family trade of carpentry. 

But there was another transfer that took place when the boy reached the age of 30. At the age of 30, the father would take his son out to the public market and stand him up on a platform and he would declare to those around saying, "This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased." Essentially the father was saying, "Now you can deal with him in business separately from me. He is his own man, he represents our family - he is my authorized representative." 

This was the cultural understanding. So, at Jesus' baptism, when He was 30 years old, God the Father uttered those loving words to His Son. The heavens were opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him and rested. I would imagine Jesus shed some tender tears of joy after hearing His Father say those loving words. At that point Jesus began "His Father's work".

What is so amazing to me is that God gives us of this same Spirit. Through relationship with Jesus we are also the Father's sons & daughters, in whom He is well pleased, so we can also represent the family as His authorized representatives. He set us on a platform and shouted in the public square!
Before Jesus physically left He told us that we would actually do "greater works" than He did. Can you believe that? 

What a calling. What responsibility. What hope! The Father sees you and is well pleased. 

Go get 'em tiger.

Leaven from Heaven

“Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees...” - Mark 8:15

Leaven (or yeast) is a substance that has a fermenting quality. It has a penetrating or diffusive power to it - a little goes a long way. It spreads particle to particle and causes a little piece of dough to rise up and become bread.


In the Bible, the word leaven is used in both positive and negative ways. For example Jesus used the word leaven to illustrate the growth of the Kingdom of Heaven. He also used it in a negative way like He did in the above verse about the Pharisees. In the Bible it essentially means "way" or "teaching" or "seed".

When I was a teenager I remember having life all figured out. In a way it was kind of fun approaching life with such confidence and pride. There was nothing that could stop me - I knew everything and I had my whole life ahead of me. I was king of my kingdom. I didn't need the advice of my family and friends. I was 'smart' enough to figure life out for myself.

But hundreds (ok, thousands) of mistakes later, I started settling in to reality. If I was king, I was doing a pretty bad job. My best decisions landed me in front of a brick wall. Helpless. Hopeless. Lost. Confused. Powerless.

This is the leaven of the Pharisees - close minded reliance on our own understanding. It is rooted in selfish pride. See, there is a way that seems right to us - a way that seems good. But who's "good" is it? In the words of John Bevere, is it good or is it God?

The thing about deception is that it's deceptive. No one believes they are being deceived until they hit the brick wall.

The leaven of the Pharisees is goodness apart from God. Knowledge without wisdom. Scripture without Spirit. Religion without relationship. Talk with no power or demonstration. Mind knowledge over heart knowledge. Our real ears are the ones attached to our heart - not our heads.

There is a river flowing to the heart of God. We must hop in and trust His rhythm, His flow - the gentle lap of His water flowing in and through us. See, the same hands which knit us together are the hands that lead us. The same breath which called us forth is the same breath which continues to blow. This is the unforced rhythms, the whisper - the true leaven, of our Father God.

Love Letter

Imagine you have invited a very special guest over to your house. A long time before the special day you send him a long letter which gives him detailed turn-by-turn instructions on how to get to your house. You spend a long time on the letter - you even write down examples of other people who have tried to get to your house but took wrong turns. In the letter you also write about how excited you are to see him and how much you care about him. You give him an open invitation to invite as many of his friends as he wants to. You mail the letter - Certified Mail with proof of delivery.

When the big day arrives, you can't even contain your excitement. You have prepared a table - a feast with only the best of everything. No expense has been spared. Your heart is full of love and anticipation of what the day may bring. Then, the phone rings. It is your special guest! But he sounds scared. Confused. Lost.

He asks you for directions.

"Directions? Didn't you receive my letter?"

Your special guest replies, "I did, but I just skimmed through it and then got sidetracked. I've just been so busy lately."

You are heartbroken. Your special guest took a series of wrong turns and is such a long way off he will never find his way in time.

Many people are waiting for a phone call from God when He has already sent them a Letter.

Doctrine

Sound doctrine is important, but it's not the point. Doctrine doesn't transform lives, the Spirit of God does. Sooner or later we must leave the comfort of studying doctrine all the time and understand it has already been written on our hearts. It's not until we step out of the boat that water-walking happens. When our toes touch the water for the first time, it's no longer about doctrine, but the power of God.

Anchor for our Souls



The expectations that other people have of us will toss us around the sea of life until we fall apart. Seeing our worth through the eyes of others is like floating around in a sea of empty promises without ever arriving anywhere. Today we are going this way, tomorrow that way. It's like chasing after the wind.

The Bible says that God's promises are like anchors for our souls, firm and secure. The worth of something is determined by how much someone is willing to pay for it. God gave his Son for you. Set down your anchor in that promise today. You are worth everything to Him, and there is nothing you could ever do that would make Him love you less.

Nothing.

Peace

Sometimes our kids annoy us and tire us out so we project that onto God and assume He gets tired & annoyed with us too. But God never gets annoyed with us nor does He ever need a break from us. Nothing can separate us from His love - not our behavior, not our crabbiness - nothing. His face is always before us, smiling, and waiting for us to recognize His voice.

Eyes to See

God usually only shows us what our view of Him allows. If we view Him as distant, powerless and uninterested we will likely notice very little of what He is doing around us. If we stand in awe of Him, acknowledge Him and see Him as a Source of power in our lives, He will show us miracles. That's what Jesus meant when He talked about having eyes to see and ears to hear. No one ever found treasure without looking.

First Steps

In a way, the Lord is kind of like a parent who teaches His child to walk by showing her how to do it and then backing away so the child will need to take more steps to reach Him. Of course He never leaves us but He wants us to keep walking and seeking Him with our hearts. Often instead of taking more steps to reach Him we give up or get scared and sit down just short of where He was leading us.

Tree of Life

We can't just try harder to do better. It's like arm wrestling ourselves. Our own knowledge of good cannot fix our knowledge of evil. Remember, both good & evil hung on the same tree which was nourished by the same root system.

We all know evil when we see it. It's our knowledge of good that's the problem. Most people spend their whole life chasing the "good" that seems right, hopping from branch to branch on the tree of knowledge. Most of this comes in the form of religion, or whatever the smart people are saying.

Then there are those who, in the midst of their toiling, recognize that all the branches are on the same tree. They perceive a whisper which calls them to a narrow path at the base of the tree. This path leads away from the tree and through a long series of hills and valleys. Everyone on this path feels their heart calling them forward but many turn back seeking past comforts & familiar surroundings. The few that press on eventually find another Tree at the top of a mountain whose fruit is of a different type altogether. This fruit is sweet, full of nourishment - full of Life. No one hops from branch to branch in this Tree - there is no need - each branch provides a perfect place of rest and joy. 

This path is the Way. This whisper is the Truth. This Truth is the Life.

There were two trees in the Garden.

Go All the Way

After seeing the Lord's power, Pharaoh made another proposal, "I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away" (Exodus 8:28). Sound familiar? When we begin to break free of the world to serve the Lord, we will hear from all kinds of people about the 'dangers' of going too far with God. True believers will refuse to let the world tell them how far to go with the Lord. If the enemy cannot keep us in complete bondage, his next strategy is to make us compromise.

Humility

The religious establishment has a way of rubbing our noses in the past to keep us humble, but reviewing the sinfulness of our past in order to become humble is perverted. This actually creates shame, and shame is a poor counterfeit of humility. It requires us to hold onto something that Jesus died for. It is much more humbling to live in the freedom of unearned forgiveness. When we walk in the truth of being completely forgiven, it changes us. Forgiveness is the source of humility, not our failures.

On Earth as it is in Heaven


I have often heard people ask the question, "If God is so good why did he create the devil?" Often when they ask the question they do so with a smirk as if the question itself somehow disproves God's existence. The answer to the question is simple: God didn't create the devil. God created Lucifer, who was a beautiful angel in heaven who evidently was musically inclined and was in charge of worship of the Lord. He chose to rebel against the Lord through the use of his free will along with a host of other angels. After this point he is referred to as the devil, or Satan (which means adversary), or the evil one, or the enemy, etc. So, Lucifer created the devil, not God.

To have love we must have the freedom to choose it. Love is an act of our will, not our emotions. Where this ability to choose love exists, the ability to choose evil must also exist. God doesn't allow evil, we do, because He gave us "dominion" over the Earth. See, there is a big difference between God being sovereign and God being in control. Just because God is sovereign (supreme; top of the food chain) doesn't mean He is in control of everything that happens on Earth. I am sovereign over my lawn, for example, but if I tell my 6 year old boys to take care of it I will likely end up with a bunch of weeds unless they come to me for instructions. If a person believes God literally controls (or ultimately allows) everything that happens on Earth, they will have a very perverted view of God. This is Satan's #1 goal - making people believe God (who is love) is doing the things that Satan is (who is evil). If God is really in control of everything that happens here, Jesus certainly wouldn't have told us to pray, "Your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven." In Heaven, God's will is being done. On Earth, not so much. On Earth, God's will is only being done to the degree we are stepping into our identity as His sons & daughters and "ruling over the Earth and subduing it" by establishing the Kingdom of God (Reign, or rule of God) on Earth as it is in Heaven.

"For the creation waits with eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed." - Rom. 8:19

Dreaming with God


When I was a kid in Sunday school I remember learning about all the miracles that Jesus did. I remember being riveted by the stories of healing, deliverance, multiplication of food, walking on water, knowing hidden details about people and things like that. The teachers taught us that Jesus was able to do these things because He was God - because He was God the Son - a member of the Holy Trinity. But they always seemed to skip over the verses where Jesus referred to our ability to do the same things as Him. Verses like this:

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father." - John 14:12

If Jesus could only do miracles because He is God, then why did He repeatedly tell us that we can do the same things? Not only the same things, but "greater" things?

So I did a little searching. The Bible says in Philippians that "though he was in the form of God, he did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men."

In other words, Jesus willingly emptied Himself of His "God-ness" while He walked the Earth. Not His identity as the Son of God, but His 'MoJo' - He willingly made Himself in the likeness of a mere man, emptying Himself of His divine power. That is, until He received the Holy Spirit at His baptism, much like how the Bible says we receive the Holy Spirit when we are born again.

After receiving the Spirit He often would withdraw into solitary places to be alone and pray - the first time was a 40 day fast in the wilderness. It was almost as if He was getting to know the Holy Spirit all over again - this time as a man - learning to perceive the Spirit as a man - learning how to be led by the Spirit as a man. And then it hit me - Jesus was modeling for us what it looks like to be led by the Holy Spirit. He was, as a man, showing us what we are capable of when we are fully submitted to the Holy Spirit. Are you kidding me?! He was teaching us how to walk in the miraculous? We are really able to do this?

"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." - John 1:12-13

The Bible also says in Romans 8 that "those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God". That's why we can do the "same and greater works" as Jesus - because we are also sons & daughters of God, with the very same Holy Spirit. There is no difference - "we are all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:28) ! We are the bride and He is the Bridegroom - the two become one flesh!

That's why Jesus told us to "heal the sick, cleanse the leper, raise the dead and cast out demons" - He told US to do it, not ask Him to do it - because we are also sons & daughters of God with the "same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead" (Romans 8:11)! His hands are our hands! All we need to do is believe who we are! God knows who you are! Satan knows who you are! Angels know who you are! Demons know who you are! It's only YOU who doesn't know who you are! We are royalty! Don't skip over those verses - it's who you are! 

That's why! Jesus isn't just God, He is your big brother! Close your eyes and imagine what God has planned for you - let Him imprint His dreams for your life upon your mind. Imagine what you are capable of with God in you. You can do "ALL things through Christ"! Dream with Him - go off into the wilderness and get to know Holy Spirit. Talk to Him! He loves you. You are His son. You are His daughter. He has a massive inheritance for you, the debit card is in your back pocket and the keys to the Kingdom are yours!