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.