When Old You Becomes New You's

"You have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God...and this word is the good news that was preached to you"  
1 Peter 1:23,25

Peter knew something about revival and rebirth--he certainly didn't know the mechanics of how God makes a person new by the hearing of Jesus' Gospel (it is sovereign and mysterious).  But he had witnessed the fruit of it countless times by the time he wrote this letter which would eventually be accepted as divinely-inspired revelation from God.

It was him preaching the first Christian sermon where 3000 people made decisions for Jesus.  Of course, we don't know if all 3000 of those who received his sermon and were baptized really did continue on in the faith, but we know that Jesus began a revival from that point forward.  Jesus' Name became famous, and Peter was the main speaker for it.  It was he who repeatedly defended his miraculous healing of the lame beggar saying it was Jesus' Name and Jesus' power that did it.  It was he who spoke truth to the liars Ananias and Sapphira, after which they dropped dead for lying to the life-giving and life-sustaining God the Holy Spirit.  It was he who took the Gospel message to non-Jews, telling them that Jesus will judge them all, but that He died for them so that faith in Him would assure their forgiveness--and many more people came to faith.  And it was he who stood over the council of Jerusalem and said that God cleanses mens' hearts by faith, and that that faith is faith in being saved "through the grace of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 15:9,11).  Surely Peter knows a little something about the power of God's Word to make a person into a new person.  But what does it look like practically?

Searching Leads to Finding

If you've ever been bored with your usual music playlist, you know how refreshing it is to come upon a new artist or band that meets the need and fills the void.  Any fan of music knows what I mean.  You've been missing something, you've felt the miss, and some new sound has met you where you are to give you a jolt of energy. 
While this is a poor illustration, it certainly has parallels to what happens when one is born again.  They've been either empty, broken, or at the very least missing.  Perhaps they've been questioning God, or man, or both.  They've struggled with the important questions (ie, why are we here?, where does right and wrong come from?, did the cosmos just happen or was it created?, why is the Gospel so good but the people who believe it such hypocrites?), and they've not found sufficient answers.

At this very point, which seems dark and fearful, Jesus' words from 2000 years ago--"Come all you are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28)--comes to them in a personal and powerful way.  To their joy, they realize that while they were slipping out of darkness's grip, it was because Jesus was pulling them into His.  The Father was teaching them and drawing them to Him so that they could have new life in His Name (John 6:44-45, 63), and just like all along He had been serving them rain, sunshine, and food from behind the veil of His creation (Matthew 5:45; Acts 14:17, 17:25), He has now served them through the life-giving truth of His Word.

The Map

Sometimes it happens through solid preaching from a pastor, sometimes through reading authors such as CS Lewis or John Piper, and sometimes through simple Bible reading.  But it always coincides with Jesus' Words being on a collision course with the hard questions, and it always leads to a radical change in perspective whereby one who was skeptical of "God said" is now saying, "yes he did, and I can't help but believe it".

This is what Peter means when he says you were born "not of imperishable seed..." (ie, human cunning, wisdom, decision, etc.), but of "imperishable" (the grace and kindness of a loving God, who has a Father's heart and wills that all would be saved through His powerful Word).  God can't die and God can't lie, and so He continues on eternally, giving a never-ending salvation to those who draw near to Him through His Son (Hebrews 5:9, 7:24-25). 

Home

In a culture marked by opinions flying through the air like bullets in a militia battle (most missing their intended targets), everyone is looking for truth.  And truth exists.  And truth doesn't change.  But most would rather run from the God who created them, even after He pursued them. 
This is why the Word has to be powerful enough to overcome their rebellion.  And while there is certainly never a "forcing", there is certainly a transformation that can't be explained in human terms.  One awakes and sees that the One they ran from in hopes of finding truth had the truth all along, and they ran because they were unsatisfied by it.  Now they are satisfied.  And it's sweet, and it's joyful, and it answers the big questions while leaving the little ones "to be continued...".  But it's also line-drawing, and so "freedom" has new boundaries.  But these boundaries are even good, because the "freedom" the person had before wasn't really freedom after all--it was rebellion.  And one can rebel and rebel and rebel, but eventually one must land and call it "home".  And having landed in Jesus' truth, out of darkness and into light, one finds that they have turned from "one" into "two"--their self, and the life of Jesus in them.

And this is why Paul writes, "it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).  Paul believed that Jesus really did die for him, and really did put His life inside of him.  Paul certainly isn't Jesus (nor is anyone but Jesus), but Paul is "in Jesus" (3:28), and this unity has made him new, as it has for anyone who has "put on the imperishable" (1 Corinthians 15:54).

This new home is temporary, but it contains in it the reminder that an eternal one is coming.  One where truth will be fully unveiled to every eye, where justice will be fully carried out by He who alone can carry it out, and where there will be no more longing because all that can be had will be.  This is why Peter said earlier in His letter that the Father has "caused us to be born again to a living hope, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1:3).  This is a hope that becomes the center of one's gravity.  Whereby one assumed before that hope exists to orbit around them, they now find themselves orbiting around it.  And this is the way it should have been all along. 

Kingdom, week 7: Heaven-Mindedness and True Rest

"Lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven...do not be anxious about tomorrow...seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you" (Matthew6:20, 34, 33).

Worry Roots

Our natural tendency to worry flows from several different avenues, but its primary root is a lack of acknowledgment of the Living God.  Our minds are set on comfort, satisfaction, and happiness from worldly and natural things (money, affirmation, possessions, power, family and friends idolatry, etc.), and because none of these things are guaranteed, we find ourselves in a constant struggle against anxiety.  It always feels like we're out of oxygen and ocean waves are crashing over us.  It's not that we don't believe in God...most of us do.  It's just that we function like we're God, and our narrative is the right one.  Because of this, we never find ourselves truly at rest and peace.

I remember being a younger man (not that long ago), and struggling with excruciating depression.  It was an extremely dark time that lasted several years and it never seemed it would let up.  I remember finding solace in reading the Psalms (especially 33, 42-43, 77), because the writers were brutally honest in communicating their anxieties and frustrations with God.  The reason I connected with that so well was because I saw myself the victim and God the mean "big man upstairs" who was withholding blessing from me and not giving me what I wanted.  No affirmation, no true fellowship, not a lot of success in the things which marked my livelihood (music, sports).  When it began to sink in that it wasn't going to work out for me, the darkness set in, and it didn't seem it would ever lift.
As I studied the Scriptures and came to ask Jesus about my struggles, I began to see that the reason I was so sad and angry was because I had allowed the world/culture to define "success" and "joy" for me, and since I couldn't measure up to that narrative, I was mad at everyone, including myself and God.  Instead of seeking out what God says is best for me, I was defining that myself, and getting upset at Him for not giving it to me.  I viewed God as a genie who was there to give me my wishes.  I remember writing songs and blog posts talking about how I was "waiting on God" and trusting Him, but it wasn't true.  I was really just upset with Him and trying to impress others with how "spiritual" and "patient" I was.  I was a poser, and Jesus knew it best, even if no one else (including myself) did.

Shifting Focus

Then things began to change.  When I moved back to my home state after college, I was in a church ministry capacity to teens.  It always seemed to me that the ministry of the Church was to teach the Bible.  As I studied it to get better at my "craft" (whoa to me for thinking ministry was my. craft.), I began to be enlightened.  I began to see that my hostility towards God was because I hadn't honored him or thanked Him, and in return, He had withdrawn His restraining hands and told me, "fine, let THY will be done" (Romans1:18-24).  I the creature was under judgment for not honoring Him the Creator.  I saw that not only was this the root of my sin, but that I was enslaved to it (John8:34), and that I had as much chance at changing myself as a leopard has at changing his spots (Jeremiah13:23). 
But then I saw that Jesus came into the world to save sinners (1Tim1:15), calling lost people to forsake their self and follow Him (Luke19:10), and that if they'd stop trying to protect their self, He would start protecting them and never stop (Matthew16:24, 2Timothy2:12).  I learned that Jesus was the greatest man who ever lived, but instead of seeking glory on earth, He died for sinners to draw them back to God.  I saw myself as a sinner who needed Him, and He brought me to faith by His powerful Word (John6:44-45, 63).  I also saw that I had never truly believed this before because I was seeking glory from other people, and this hamstringed me from submitting to Him (John5:44, 1Cor2:14).
This is what happens to true disciples.  At first, their minds are set on mans' things, but then they begin to see God's things.  It's painful, and it often takes time, but it brings them to child-like faith, which is necessary, because without it, they'll never make to heaven (Matthew18:3). 
Peter rebuked Jesus for Jesus' saying He would be killed, and then Jesus told him he was being selfish (Matt16:22-23).  Then Peter denied knowing Jesus three times in Jesus' greatest hour of need (Matt26:69-75).  Then after Jesus rose, Peter was still comparing himself to others (John21:20-23). 
But Jesus loved him.  And He patiently broke down Peter's hard-heartedness.  Eventually Peter led a movement in Jesus' name for Jesus' glory...one that's still continuing today.

Resting

Once one has been taken through this rebirth process, they see Jesus not only as God who's worthy of worship, but as a friend who has loved them and always will.  They read that He has all authority (Matt28:18), that He is seated at God's right hand interceding to Holy God for them (Hebrews1:4), that He's returning one day to take them to their true home (1Cor15:22-24), and that He has promised to love them and protect them and always be with them (John10:28, Matt28:20) even through the hard stuff, because He is actually alive inside of them (Galatians2:20, Colossians3:4). 
Not only do they read these things, but they actually believe them!  He has become to them not only the King who sits upon the throne of their hearts, but the Shepherd who holds them in His arms and makes them lie down and rest.  "I'm not perfect...but I press on to make it my own, because Christ has made me His own" (Philippians3:12). 
"We who have believed enter that rest" (Hebrews4:3), one said about disciples' present reality of the future Kingdom which will come when Christ return.  It's a Kingdom of rest, because one has been brought to see their self subject to God (not man), and Christ has given them a permanent right-standing with God.  "There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus" (Romans8:1), and "if God is for us, who can be against us?" (8:31).

There are surely moments of weakness and unbelief.  Temptation will come, and men will fail their Lord.  But He won't.  He'll convict them and bring them to repentance.  They'll grieve over their sin and confess, sure to be forgiven (1John1:9).
There's no greater way for a leader to gain the allegiance of those in his charge than to make them know he loves them and will go to the end of himself for them.  Jesus is the King of God's eternal Kingdom, and He has gained His peoples' allegiance by having born their sins and sorrows on the execution stake, and risen again to tell them about it.  They live in the world, but their King is the One who has always been King.  And He will continue as such until He returns and makes a new world.

10 Ways You Know You Belong to Jesus, part 2

Continuing from last week, here are the last five ways we know we belong to Jesus.

6. You are learning how to love others better

     Jesus Himself had said that the Law was fulfilled in just two commands: "Love God with all you have" and "love your neighbor as yourself".  Love is typically defined today as "doing everything you can to not offend or 'judge' others".  But this is really just self-protection: protecting one's self from awkward conversations and letting others in close.  There is a standard set by One who is above us (our Creator, Provider, and Redeemer), and this is why we all consider right and wrong to be so important (see Romans2:14-16). 
At the same time, it also isn't any good for a religious person to act like the morality police around everyone else, telling everyone when they're breaking the standard (as though you are the Holy Spirit!).  God's love which flows through His people is the love that Jesus showed: Grace and truth (John1:14,18).  The grace to patiently forbear with people the way He does with us...forgiving others when they wrong us (Matthew6:14-15), and earnestly loving them with a desire for their knowledge of the truth (because without love, this "knowledge" is useless...see 1Corinthians13:1-3). 

7. You are learning how to tell the truth to others better

      But also there is willingness to speak the truth even if it means awkwardness and hatred.  It isn't loving to pretend that the most loving thing we can do is let people continue on doing things that are going to destroy them in the end.  Sin is sin, and if left unchecked, it will win and we will lose (Matthew13:22). 
Belonging to Jesus is the only way to bring about the grace and truth balance.  And as we walk with Him, we see His perfect "tough and tender" love embodied, and, by His grace, it becomes part of our character as well.  An example of this is seen in Paul--his desire was for the Jews to believe the Gospel, so much so that he would weep for them and even wish a curse upon himself if it meant that they would believe (cf Romans9:2, Philippians3:18).  At the same time though, he would make clear the condemnation the Gospel speaks over those Jews who refused to submit to the truth, and he would leave and move on to those who might listen (cf Acts13:46, 28:28).

8. You have new desires to be obedient to God

     God has given us everything that pertains to life and godliness, and it is through His promises in the Gospel that we "put on the divine nature" (2Peter1:3-5).  The Gospel is based on the promises of God, and through faith in these promises, we are not only adopted into God's family, but we even begin to have His nature put inside of us.  We don't become God by any means, but we become like Him in much the same way a child begins embodying his or her parents' characteristics.  Because God is holy, His people are to become holy as well (1Peter1:15, Hebrews12:14).  Following the Bible's commands is not a chore to children of God--it's a privledge and a pleasure.   They want to follow God's Word; although the flesh might be at war with the Holy Spirit inside of them, it's the Holy Spirit's desires that the Christian really wants.  See Galatians5:17.

9. You trust Him

     While Peter walked out onto the water and began to sink, Jesus then asked him, "Oh you of little faith, why did you doubt?" (Matthew14:31).  Peter rightly lacked faith in himself and the water, but he began sinking when this lack began eclipsing His faith in Jesus and His perfect command.  Surely no one should have complete faith in fallible humans and created things.  But Jesus' command is completely trustworthy regardless of how untrustworthy everything (and everyone) else is. 
     A Christian may struggle with doubts at different points in the journey, but Jesus' death, resurrection, and continual intercession for His people until He returns becomes enough for them to trust Him even now.  You might be prone to fail, and so might the water.  But Jesus doesn't.  As Christians are transformed by the renewing of their minds (Romans12:2), they believe more and more that although they are prone to sin and faithlessness, He is faithful (2Timothy2:13)...and in this they not only rejoice, but their faith increases.

10. You pray for His will, and really want it

     Finally, one of the first things Jesus taught His disciples to pray for was God's will to be done:  
          First, that God's name be hallowed (regarded as holy);
          Second, that His Kingdom come; and
          Third, that His will would be done on earth as in Heaven (Matthew6:9-10). 
     To pray that God would have His way can be faked (as it is anytime one prays this prayer as a religious rite, but don't really mean it).  But to earnestly desire His will being done requires one's trusting that His will is best, and one's trusting that God can bring it about (which is why they're praying for it!). 
     Seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew6:33-34) isn't like one seeking to end world hunger--a goal that isn't yet reached, and that's why they're trying.  Seeking first God's Kingdom is what one does because the Kingdom has already made a home in them!  The Kingdom has already been established--not in its fullness yet--but established nonetheless.  Those in Christ desire that His Name be made much of, and His glory fills the whole earth, because His glory fills them.  Called to proclaim His excellencies, one believes He is most excellent, and this pushes them to desire His will to be done.

Again, I hope this has been helpful for you.  Grace and peace!

10 Ways You Know You Belong to Jesus, part 1

The Bible says we can know we belong to Christ (1John5:13, Philippians3:12), and that the Holy Spirit (the very presence and power of God in us) is the One who tells us this (Romans8:16, 1John3:24).  But Jesus also said that one can be recognized by the fruit that they bear.  We'll spend the next couple of posts looking at what the Bible says is "good fruit", sure that the Holy Spirit will guide us into the truth.

1. You love Him

     "Love" is a word thrown around like a rag doll today.  It's meaning is found in the eye of the beholder, defined however the person wants to define it.  Jesus, the Word and Creator of all things--thus qualifying Him for having the right definition--defined it in several ways: a) laying your life down for your friends, the way He did for us (John15:13); b) having a deeper affection for Him than for even your family (Matthew10:37); and c) living in obedience to His Word (John14:15).  A disciple is one who has left all to follow Him, acquired a love for Him that surpasses love for even family, and is willing to die for Him because obedience to His command is worth even death.  "Though you haven't seen Him, you love Him" (1Peter1:8).

2. You know He loves you

     Far from the myth that "actions speak louder than words", actions do provide context to the words that are spoken.  God told Israel that their mouths honored Him, but their hearts denied Him (because He could see their hearts) (see Isaiah 29:13).  Jesus' act of dying on the cross to bear His peoples' sins ("His people" being those who believe in Him--John3:16) demonstrates His and the Father's love for us--that while we were still sinners and ungodly, "Christ died for us" (Romans5:8).  For the one who is in Christ, this isn't just a head-knowledge that gets sung about on Sunday mornings at church--this is the very center of their existence, that they are those whom Jesus has loved, like John continually referred to himself throughout his Gospel account.  This can be communicated and told...and it should be (1Peter3:15-16)...but the cross and all of its effects can only be appreciated by those who are in Christ.  See Paul's prayer for us to understand this more in Ephesians3:14-19.  When understood, this loves makes a person into a new person--a new creation in Christ (2Corinthians5:17).  They can't explain everything, but they know they love Jesus and they believe that He loved them first.
     This is important because many live lives of religion where they try and please God enough that perhaps He will one day say that He loves them.  In Christ, we know that He pleased God for us.  And in believing in Him, we're not seeking to please Him in hopes that He'll love us, but rather, because we know He already does love us.  And living in Christ is a joy when you're not performing for a grade.

3. You hate sin

     On the cross, Jesus became sin so that we would become God's righteousness (2Corinthians5:21).  He bore our sins in His body that we would die to sin and live to righteousness (1Peter2:24).  God hates sin (Psalm5:5, 11:5), and on the cross, God treated Jesus like He had committed our sins, so that we who committed them would be treated like we hadn't.  Jesus was "cut off" for a short time so that we who were cut off would be grafted back in...adopted into the family of God through our big brother Jesus having purchased our adoption.  Because of this, Christians despise and grieve the sin they have in their lives, because sin destroys and leads to death (James1:15).  They hate it so much that they're willing to dig deeper to find the real reason behind it.  For example, if a man lusts after another man's wife, he'll afterward think, "why did I do that?  I know I shouldn't, so what makes me do that?"  The presence of sin grieves him because Jesus died to put away sin and make us new creations who are dead to sin and alive to God in Christ.  They also hate seeing others destroy themselves in rebellious, unrepentant, following after sin.  This grieves the Christian, the same way it grieves God.

4. You are convicted in areas that need repentance

      Being willing to dig deeper, conviction then comes.  The Holy Spirit was sent by Jesus to convict us of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John16:9-10), and to lead us into all the truth (John16:13).  He shows us what the "sin underneath the sin" is, and leads us to see what areas we need repentance in.  This is important, because most will usually only assume that the act of sinning is what needs repented of...and this is true, there is a reason why the Christian would still give into things that lead to death while eternal life dwells in them: the flesh, which battles with the Holy Spirit, wages war on the person "to make them do the things they don't want to do" (Galatians5:15-25).  This is contextualized to the exact situation, and one finds their self with a choice.

5. You then repent

     Since hatred of sin and even conviction isn't enough--actual repentance is necessary.  Jesus said that those who love Him will keep His commands (John14:15, 15:8), and His command is to abide in His love (15:3-5).  Love for Him and love for sin can't coexist, because they're two different masters, and both can't be served.  One will either follow after one and deny the other, or vice-versa (Matthew 6:24).  Those in Christ renounce and forsake that which would hold them back from fellowship and eternal life with Christ.  Justification (God's pronouncement that we are forgiven in Christ) is only a reality if it is then followed with faithful obedience to God's leading (see Romans5-6).  Justification comes by faith in Christ, but if it be without the good works the Father has given us to do (to repent, be faithful, follow Him by His Word and Spirit, etc.), it's not real.  Faith without works indeed is dead (James2:17).  We consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ, because Christ died not only to give us forgiveness but also freedom from the sin that had us needing forgiveness (Romans6:11, 1Peter2:25).

#s 6-10 will come next week, Lord willing!  I hope this is helpful for you, and thank you so much for taking the time to read.  Grace and peace be on you and in you, in Christ.

Kingdom, Week 6: God-Centered Worship

"Beware of practicing your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven."   Matthew 6:1

Jesus has been showing that his disciples are to embody humility, mission-mindedness, and diligence with God's Word.  Now His focus shifts to their character as they worship God in their religious acts. 

God our Father 

Almost every religion recognizes the need for generous giving, prayer, and fasting.  And almost every religion recognizes that these are to be done towards the ends of seeking a reward from God.  But only Christianity has Jesus saying to do these for the ends of receiving a reward from your Father in heaven. 
The idea that God becomes a Father to us is intensely personal, as we each have an earthly dad, whether a good or bad one.  And much of our self-image and worldview is shaped by our dad and how connected we are (or were) to him.
Jesus says that in Him, God becomes a Father to us.  The Bible says when we receive God's Son Jesus, we're born of God (John1:12-13), and He adopts us into His family because our big brother Jesus paid for our adoption (Romans8:14, Galatians4:4-6).  God is loving, but He's also Just, and we, being sinners, while being continually blessed and provided for by Him, are under His condemnation for our sin.  But Jesus bore our sin and became sin for us.  In Him, God forgives us, adopts us, and makes us His children.  We're reborn through Jesus' resurrection into a new family.
When God is our Father, our worship of Him is soaked in thanksgiving, because He's lavished on us grace upon grace in Christ.  "Whatever you do, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (Colossians3:17), for "this is God's will for you, that you'd pray without ceasing, giving thanks in all circumstances" (1Thessalonians5:17). 

Every Blessing

If we're in Christ, God has blessed us with every blessing that can ever be imagined, even though we don't see it in all of it's fullness yet (see Ephesians1:3, 1Peter1:7-9).  Surely God could never withhold anything from us if it's already ours, which is Paul's point in Romans8:33-39.  So this saturates our prayers and acts of service: we know God has blessed us, is blessing us, and will continue to.  So we continue coming to Him in prayer and thanksgiving.

But if we don't think we're going to receive blessing from God, we'll begin to seek blessing from others ("Scott, I love that song, thanks for singing it"; "excellent message..you nailed it!"; "oh you're fasting..wow, you're really committed!"). 
Jesus says that if this praise from others is our motive, it, in and of itself, is the only reward we'll receive (6:2, 4, 16).  This is because we're not approaching God as a Father who accepts us on Christ's basis.  Since we're not doing it thankfully in Him, we're trying to achieve acceptance from others, and so we're worshiping them but not Him.  In much the same way, many of us don't care as much about others' opinions of us, but we care deeply about our own opinion of ourselves.  Since men naturally feel more godly and pious when they do worshipful things, this gives us assurance.  But in this, we're worshiping us but not Him.  Either way is giving honor and glory to created things over the Creator, and is a direct breakage of Commandment #2. 

Fake Worship

Jesus says that many will come to Him with claims of intimacy, crying out "Lord Lord!", but He will say to depart, because He doesn't know them, to which they'll respond, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?" (Matt7:21-23).  These are people who are expecting that God will accept them because they've done religious service like what's described here in chapter 6.  But profession and religious service isn't enough.  Truly being God's son or daughter is what's required.  This is why 7:21 said that it's not those who claim "Lord Lord", but those who "do the will of the Father", which Jesus later defined as sitting at His feet listening, calling those who do it His "brother and sister and mother" (see Matt12:46-50).  Ah! And we're back to needing to be Jesus' family--sons and daughters of the most high God.

How do you worship?  Do you worship God as a Father who has loved you enough to bury your sins through Jesus' cross?  Do you worship Him as a child who can only say thanks and enjoy spending time with Dad?  Or are you still performing for others, hoping for their approval?  Or worse, are you performing for God, hoping for His approval, when Jesus already said, "It's finished"?

Honesty

One can't "fake" worship with God--He sees our hearts (1Samuel16:7, John2:24-25); so we need to come honestly when we're giving, praying, or fasting.  There will be times when we won't "feel it", as well as times when we'll be angry with God even.  But there is never a time when God isn't worth it, nor is there ever a time when we don't need to be seeking Him and disciplining ourselves.  That's what it means to be a disciple.
This is why the truth that God is our Father in Christ is so important to remember.  If we have struggles, temptations, questions, and emotions, we can come to Him as a child comes to their father.  In Christ, God's not going to love us any less, because His acceptance of us is based on the performance of Jesus on our behalf, not on our own.
And so this should spur us on to not view our worship as a performance, but as a "sacrifice of praise, holy and pleasing to the Lord".

Kingdom, week 5: Careful With God's Word

Jesus spoke in Matthew 5:21-48 of the need to tremble before God's Word, never assuming you're doing a "good enough" job of keeping it that He'd consider you righteous.  "Be perfect, as your Father is perfect" is the concise summation in 5:48.  Implied is the need to continue to approach the Word of God and listen to it in order to bring about this end.  Jesus perfectly embodied this, in that He always quoted the Old Testament as authoritatively God's spoken Word.
This falls to the floor among many believers today.  Because the Word of God is being doubted, questioned, debated, and tossed around like it's an awards show acceptance speech, the idea of "being perfect as your Father is perfect" isn't popular.

But among those who actually HAVE God as their Father (and it's not everyone, but only those who have received Jesus, God's Son, as Lord; see John 1:11-13), this is a welcome invitation because they love the Word of God.  We trust that it tells the truth.  We don't look at it as a scientific textbook when it comes to the details of physics and things like that, but we consider that if it ever says something that's directly contrary to any other truth claim being postured in the world, the Bible wins, because the God who created wrote it.

We shouldn't think God's Word can be put on the same plain as "reason, tradition, and experience", as though it's worthy of being subjected to the mind of fallen people and the history of a fallen world (and if you do adhere to the so-called Wesleyan Quadrilateral, which has these three with Scripture as the top-left first point, you might disagree that here Scripture is made equal with the others; but practically, it is made equal with the rest, because the nature of a quadrilateral is that all the points are equally necessary to make the quadrilateral, even if some of the angles are wider than others).  On the contrary, obedience to Jesus' command to be careful with God's Word places the Word of God as the sun around which everything else (reason, tradition, experience, etc.) orbits.
Jesus' people believe that God has spoken, and all he speaks is right.  "I the Lord speak the truth" (Isaiah 45:19).  They view every word found in the Bible as authoritative, because a) Jesus and Moses both said that man lives by every Word that comes from God's mouth (see Deuteronomy 8:3 and Matthew 4:4), and b) Paul said that all Scripture is breathed out by God (2 Timothy 3:16).
Therefore, we should shut our mouths if we are hasty to utter a word before God, if we aren't first listening to God's Word to us.

Pharisaism had fallen into a state of apostasy, upholding with great care religious acts that made the people look like they were worshiping, while their diligence and care with God's Word spoke something different.  Jesus spoke this way in His Sermon on the Mount to show that God requires perfection, because He is perfect.  You can imagine that this would thunder through the peoples' hearts like a lightning bolt when they heard it.  But this is how Jesus the Living Word spoke--He spoke the truth, and truth pierces like the double-edged sword the Word of God is. 
If you've never been led to the foot of the cross and seen your need for the perfect sacrifice of the perfect God-man, Jesus, His teaching that one must be perfect should do the trick (and yet, for most, it won't).  But if you have been led there, and Jesus is your righteousness before a holy God, Jesus' teaching here should make you want to dig into the Word of God and seek a deeper discipleship and faithfulness.  Disciples are taught to obey "all that Jesus commanded" (Matt28:19), always "let(ting) the Word of Christ dwell in (them) richly" (Colossians 3:16). 

The fact is, you're building your life on some kind of foundation, assuming that it's the right one.  You hope that the foundation will keep your house standing during any storm the future might hold.  What a fearful task, to find the truth and build on it perfectly!

But Jesus offers an easier yoke--one that says "come and learn from me, and I will give you rest" (Matt11:28-29), and "if you build your life on my Words, you will stand firm" (see Matt7:24-27).
His Gospel is the way to be freed from the enslavement to sin and the world that would draw you away from His Word.  Beginning with understanding that you're a sinner and Jesus is the Savior who invites you to come as you are to be changed into a new creation by His grace and power, you're sure to make it, because He is sure to deliver.  His cross pays the ransom for sin that ensnares and His resurrection sets free those who have died with Him.
His Word promises it's true.  "This is the one to whom I will look--he who is humble and contrite in heart, and trembles at my Word" (Isaiah 66:2).

Kingdom, week 4: Salt and Light

"You are the salt of the land....You are the light of the world.  A city set on a hill cannot be hidden...let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good deeds and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."  Jesus, Matthew 5:13-16

It's no secret that Christians know they should be evangelical, meaning they should be sharing the message.  Everyone knows this, and this is part of the reason so many Christians have such a hard time loving each other--one group thinks the other group is misrepresenting Christ by being too loose, while the other thinks the first group is misrepresenting Him by not intersecting with non-believers at all.
There is no shortage of material, books, sermons, and opinions out there on what it means to the the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Though it certainly wouldn't be a waste of time to talk about this, I want to look at it a different way: what MAKES Christians the salt and light?

Many believers who want to make an impact in the world are doing whatever they can to bring the message of Jesus' love to the world and are doing a good job of seeking to live as salt and light.  The problem is in motivation: they aren't doing it because they love Jesus, but because they love the world.  And make no mistake: true Christians don't love the world (see 1 John 2:15--"if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him", and also James 4:4).  Instead, true Christians love Jesus, and this makes them love their neighbors.  There's a difference between loving the world and loving your neighbors--the former is concerned with one's own identity in the world, and the latter is concerned with one's neighbor's identity with Jesus.  What needs to change with this group is their starting point: they need to see themselves as Christ's ambassadors (2Corinthians5:17-21), sent to bring people to Jesus. 
Think of the "light" analogy:  Light shines from the object producing the light, outwardly to objects outside of itself.  Christians need to know that their identity with Jesus (who is Himself the light--John 8:12) is what makes them the light.  The world is not the light, but Jesus is.  Instead of seeking acceptance with the world, one seeks fellowship with Jesus, and wants others to have it as well.  This makes them the light.  But they're not the light if fellowship with and acceptance in the world still matters more to them than Jesus. 
They must remember that Jesus had said earlier that there's blessing for being persecute for Him.  One might need also to ask the question, "Is my evangelism flowing from my love for Jesus and desire to see people come to know Him, or is it flowing from a desire for people to accept me and my Christianity?"  Verse 16 said the motivation for shining the light is that of wanting people to glorify God...not you.  Where do you fall on this?  I have to repent daily.

On the other hand, many believers are into the practice of staying behind closed church doors and talking about two subjects: what's wrong with the world, and how following our religious activity would fix it.  And this isn't light either.  Believers who spend all their time talking about what's wrong with culture, society, and non-believers are both guilty of not "letting their light shine before others" (v16), or being "the salt of the earth" (v13).  Salt seasons and preserves--it is only useful in that it is scattered and spread on the objects that aren't salty.  Salt is of no use if it stays in the salt shaker, the grains talking amongst their self about how unsalty everything outside is. Jesus says true Christians are only fulfilling their call when they're poured out of the shaker and are salting that which isn't salty.
This means you're NOT taken "out of the world" but are "kept from the evil one" (John 17:15).  You live in the world, but you're not under Satan's power as you're here.  You belong to Jesus, and so you can be a citizen of your city, town, neighborhood, etc., seeking to connect and build bridges with non-believers in hopes that they come to know Jesus, without the fear that they'll influence you more than you'll influence them.
Religious activity never saved anyone (cf Matt15:8-9; Ac13:39, 15:10; Rom3:20; Gal3:10).  If you're with your church group, talking about what's wrong with the world and how if they came into your church they would be fixed as they become like you, you'd actually make them worse if they came in, because Jesus' people live as salt, and you're not salt, so you're not Jesus' people.

People who believe the gospel share the gospel with others.  This doesn't mean they don't struggle with cowardice (Paul was even afraid at times--Acts18:9; 2Corinthians1:8, 7:5). It just means that, having the Holy Spirit, God's Word wells up in them like it did for Jeremiah, a "fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary of holding it in, and I cannot" (Jerem20:9).  If you believe, you speak and act (cf 2Cor4:13). 
But you do it knowing who Jesus is: the Beginning and End of all things, who came to bear our sin on the cross, rose to make us new, and is coming again for those who are waiting for Him.  He's the Light, and that makes us the light.  And our shining the Light proves we have the light. 

Some may be in danger of loving the world and that's why they speak and act.  Others may be in danger of loving themselves and that's why they don't speak (because they think "people should come to me, not me to them").  Both are wrong.  God's people shine as light in the world, for everyone to see, that His glory would fill the earth, and His Name would be made much of.  "I have made you a light for the nations, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth" (Isaiah 49:6).  What makes us the light is acknowledgement that a) people need saved by Jesus, b) we've been saved by Jesus, and c) no one, including us, has any light without Him.  Let those who have the light shine it that people would know Him who is Light.