The Sarcasm of Jesus

February 8, 2012 2 Comments

John 6:41-45

He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.

Earlier Jesus had just fed the 5000+, then went to be alone. The people noticed He didn’t get on the boat with the disciples and noticed all the little boats were still counted for on the shore yet Jesus “somehow” made it to the other side of the sea. They continued to pursue Him even questioning how He got to Capernaum, the other side of the sea. They were merely following Him due to His abilities to do miracles.

After their discussion of the manna God had supplied their forefathers, Jesus claimed that He was the bread of life then led them into an outrageous claim that in order to have eternal life, one must eat His flesh and drink His blood. Jesus knew all along that would freak them out because Holy Spirit is the one who draws men to God, not miracles.

They bolted in disgust (6:60) then he turned to His disciples, the ones who had truly been led by the Spirit and asked, “Does this cause you to stumble?” (6:61-65)

I can surely see Jesus standing there watching them leave saying to Himself, “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” I’m sure somewhat bothered by their unbelief but He knew their real reasons for following Him. It had nothing to do with the heart and everything to do with their selfishness to get out of Jesus all they could.

“Does Jesus’ claim cause you to stumble? Consider why exactly you follow Him because if it’s what you can get out of Him, you might wanna check yourself. God made us for Him. 1 Colossians 1:16

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Lessons From Levi (In His Image)

January 24, 2012 Leave a comment

You are definitely your Father’s son. Have you ever heard that? I have. Well more so about Levi. When he was born, I was told numerous times that I couldn’t deny being the father. I still get that quite often. Folks kid me by saying “Poor child, he looks too much like his daddy.” I get it. It’s just terrible because he will have women flocking to him and falling over him because of his knock out looks and glaring eyes. He smiles with his eyes.

I love the fact that in reality, Levi is a great mix of Carrie and I. One day you can look at him and see Carrie all through his mannerisms. The next day, his facial expressions are a chip off the ole block.

It reminds me of how we should be in our relationship with our Heavenly Father. We should be the image of the invisible God because we were made in His image. We should act like Him. Love like Him. Show grace like Him. Have mercy like Him, and be Him to those who don’t know Him. When others see us, they should see God.

You’ve heard the old saying that sometimes the only time people will experience God is when you are in their life. It should be true. Too many folks out there don’t know Jesus so they don’t know the real man of grace. We should be showing them that truth.

People should be saying of us, “You are your Father’s son/daughter. There is no denying it.”

*Levi is my 2-year-old and I'm learning life lessons watching him grow

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Lessons from Levi

January 23, 2012 Leave a comment

For the next few weeks, I want to fill you in on some things I’ve been learning from my two-year old. But first let me tell you kids were never something I looked forward to. I really never liked being around them. They’re nasty, rude, a handful, annoying, time-consuming, resource hogs, and just plain icky.

That was before Levi.

Now they’re nasty, rude, a handful, annoying, time-consuming, resource hogs, icky but they’re also fun, enjoyable, teach me new things, cuddly, insatiable to be around, and magnetic. I can’t get enough of Levi. When I see other kids, I want to hug him, kiss him and tickle him. I just love showing him new things watching his eyes light up and that big teethy smile. It truly is awesome.

So I have been writing a few blog posts to share with you what Levi has been teaching me about God and life and I think you’ll enjoy them as well. So I will be posting twice a week for a few weeks  lessons I’m learning from Levi.

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21 Days of Fasting

January 22, 2012 Leave a comment

7 Steps to Fasting

This website from Campus Crusade for Christ gives some great tidbits on how to be successful with your fast.If you’re part of Xtreme, we’ve already been at it for one week. Way to go guys. Two more weeks. You can do this.

If you’ve slipped during your fast, that’s ok.  Fasting is a heart issue and as long as your heart is right, it’s ok if we slip. Just don’t make a habit of being lackadaisical. Work hard and continue to pray and ask the Holy Spirit for help during those tough times of temptation. Pick yourself up and get back at it.

Here’s some good reading to help you through the next two weeks. Remember why you’re fasting. It’s not a diet program. It’s not a habit breaking program. It isn’t a Christian game. It’s to deny yourself so that God sees you’re serious enough to answer your prayers.

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Bowing Before God

January 18, 2012 5 Comments

In today’s American culture we don’t bow. Showing humility towards someone else is just not the American way. I somewhat remember seeing some “iconic” figures in my Christian walk bow but those were the ones who most people considered sold out Christians while most aren’t or as my brother has put it; too religious.

Can I be a little transparent with you. I love to get on my face before God. Kneeling is not fun though. It hurts. But it’s supposed to isn’t it. Kneeling or lying prostrate before God is not supposed to be an enjoyable process. It’s not about our fun. It’s about our humbleness before our creator.

So what’s the big deal? Why don’t we bow if the bible says to. We can see throughout the whole bible where writers encourage or even command getting on your face humbly before God, the creator of the universe, the Alpha and Omega, the King of kings, Lord of lords. Oh that’s right, in America we don’t have kings or lords or in some cases a creator.

Let me tell you what bowing does for me.

  • It humbles me – Pride is the back-fall of most men I know. Giving ourselves in humbleness to others isn’t something that comes easy. By bowing, I learn to be humble and tell God He is greater than I am.
  • It reminds me – When I’m being tempted, it reminds me that I have prayed on my face and asked for strength in my weaknesses and that God will give me strength to overcome. Some call it a crutch but that’s pride. I believe in an omnipotent God who has the power to get me through all things so I may become more like Him.
  • It teaches me – Respect and submission is things God deserves and demands and by bowing before Him I learn to give respect and submit before Him. I may not be good at it at first but over time by getting on my face, I learn these things. Exodus 20:2-3
  • It connects me – Do you have problems praying and concentrating because of the noise around you? Yeah, me too, but when I get on my face, those things tend to disappear. Oh you fall asleep? Not when your knees are HURTING!

Before you say this is all about what bowing does for me, let me mention what does it do for God?

  • It glorifies Him
  • It honors Him
  • It worships Him
  • It respects Him
  • It puts Him in His rightful place as Lord and King

So I encourage you while you pray, bow. Bow at church. Bow at home. I probably wouldn’t bow in a public setting simple because you don’t want to be viewed as “one of those” but if God moves you, you might want to be obedient. But remember don’t be like the pharisees and do it to be seen.

Give it a chance. Bow on your knees or even lay out flat. One of the sweetest moments in worship on stage, I actually laid out flat and worshiped Him (I wasn’t leading). I know it sounds crazy but I don’t do it all the time. The Spirit was moving in a mighty way that day. We didn’t even have preaching. God just showed up in the music. Twelve received salvation that day. So don’t discount something like bowing because God desires it.

Here are some scripture to help you see the importance in bowing.

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I Didn’t Even Know It

January 17, 2012 Leave a comment

When we lead worship, one of the things we like to be aware of is if God is moving. For years, I always suspected God was moving by the way people moved, sang, or acted. What I’ve learned over the years is people respond to God in so many different ways, that it’s hard to tell sometimes, when God is moving. I don’t lean away from the fact that if God IS moving, sitting still with absolutely no response besides staring at the worship leader as if nothing is happening in the room is not a proper response.

Sometimes, as a worship leader we really just don’t know what’s going on in the heart of people. God could be sending messages that has the person so tore up that they sit there in unbelief. God has many times spoken to me as I sat there under the influence of the Spirit in an atmosphere of worship allowing Him to flow through my heart as it wanders through the space ministering to the church.

Really, though… We just don’t know sometimes. And that’s ok. Many times later after everyone has gone home do I learn from our pastor or a quick facebook post or email that God had impacted someone in a major way. I just didn’t catch the vibe. I didn’t ever see it come across the ticker on their face. It may have been a subliminal moment. Whatever the case, I never picked up on it.

God moved.

I didn’t even know it.

God spoke.

I didn’t even know it.

God intervened.

I didn’t even know it.

God was there.

I didn’t even know it.

Jacob woke up from his sleep. He said, “God is in this place-truly. And I didn’t even know it!”

the message – Genesis 28:16

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God Is Not a Sport’s Team

January 13, 2012 4 Comments

I’m guilty of it. I’ve asked the question among hundreds in an audience while leading worship,

“Why can’t we get excited about God like we do a sports team?”

I’m sure you’ve heard the exact same question. It’s a valid question in one aspect. I mean we do get pretty excited when our favorite team scores. I go crazy folks, I go crazy when the Cardinals hit a home run. You should have seen me watching game six of the 2011 World Series. No, that would have probably been as embarrassing as David’s wife was when he went dancing naked in the streets because the arc had been returned to Israel.

But in another aspect, it’s not a valid question. Because our favorite sports team is just that, a sports team. They’re not God even though we paint them to be. I mean they could be god, I guess (little g) but they’re not Yahweh! I assume we’re really trying to ask why can’t we have the same enthusiasm for God as we do our favorite sports team. That could be a valid question too. But let’s look at the reality of it.

The biggest sports fan:

  • They wear a hat, shirt, bracelets, necklace, earrings, and any other fashion accessory with the sport’s team logo on it.
  • Their house has tons of trinkets, and pictures and Fat Heads and decorations and the man cave could be considered for the team mascot’s lair.
  • They have emblems and stickers and flags all over their car and quite possibly the car is painted the team’s colors with seat covers and floorboard mats with the team colors and logo.
  • They know every stat for every team member past and present and unique information that only the true die-hard would even care to know.
  • They go to every game, they are the loudest and most obnoxious, and they keep up with live stats through each game.

Know anybody like that? Those are the ones who are going crazy at sport’s events. So you want Christians to be like that? What would that look like?

The biggest God fan:

  • They wear shirts, hats, bracelets, necklaces, or any other fashion accessory with a cross or fish on them.
  • Their house has trinkets, pictures, crucifixes even as far as having a real closet they go in to pray
  • They have stickers and emblems all over their car with seat covers and floor mats with crosses and fish on them
  • They can recite every famous passage of scripture, even the ones buried deep in Leviticus and Obadiah that no-one knows about.They know Greek and Hebrew thanks to Vine’s and wrote their own systematic theology
  • They go to church every Sunday, Sunday night, Tuesday night prayer service, Wednesday night bible study, Thursday night Pot Luck, and Saturday morning women’s/men’s breakfast.
  • They sing the loudest, know all the popular worship songs, and best hymns and makes sure everyone else knows they know them

Is that how you want a Christian to act? Personally, I don’t. I want Christians to be authentic. I want them to hurt when they hurt, not put on a facade. I want them to worship in spirit and truth, and not what others say worship looks like. I want them to speak of Jesus in public communication when led to and not because it’s the Christian thing to do. I don’t want a God fan, I want God followers.

The world sees authenticity by how you look. God sees authenticity by what you faithfully do. The world stereotypes, God accepts all types. The world says you gotta fit a mold, God says He molds you.

God is not a sports team. So I’m thinking we should lay off the pressure of treating Him like one. What do you think?

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Be Led Not Loud

January 10, 2012 Leave a comment

Act 16:6-9

6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia,but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”

We went on a mission trip one time for a week to Kokomo, Indiana. While there, our leaders had a few of us go down to the local Wal-Mart and tell people about our services in the park we were going to have. So we went there and a few of us approached those we felt God was leading us to, but there was this one guy in our group who was “one of those”.

He was shouting out loud to every passer-by they needed Jesus and they were going to Hell without him and all that jazz. It was embarrassing to say the least. We didn’t want to even be around the guy. Have you been around those obnoxious Christians? This is what I call obnoxious, loud and insensitive.

You know the door knocking folks? Yeah, those that try to get you to open the door so they can tell you about their sect of religion. I can’t stand those either.

I understand there are those who plant and those who water but these are not the way to plant and water unless you want it falling along the path, on rocky areas or in the thorns. It just won’t fare well in those areas. The seed has to be planted and watered in soil that’s fertile and ready for sowing.

The Holy Spirit is the one who prepares for sowing and leads the sower to the fertile ground. Sometimes, that means letting yourself being led and not LOUD! Listen to where God wants you to speak. Don’t just throw your pearls to swine. Speak the word when inspired by the Holy Spirit to speak, until then be QUIET!

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The Crime of Social Networking

December 19, 2011 8 Comments

When I first got my iPhone, my wife was upset because she always saw everyone paying so much attention to it, she thought I would never pay her any attention. I was conscious of this and tried my best not to ignore her. I did ignore her at times while waiting in lines and on our food but over some time, I’ve tried to make a concerted effort to pay more attention to those around me rather than my phone. We both have a smart phone now and she does the same as I. Recently, we were at Steak and Shake and purposely didn’t pull my phone out to give my wife and son my time. Liberating it was (in my Yoda voice)!

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to say Happy Birthday, I love you, or being nice to someone, or pray for someone over social networking, yet in person it’s a different story? I have noticed this. I have done this myself. I hope in the new year to make this a different story, I want to be more personal in the new year. I don’t want social networking to be my avenue for being personal. I don’t want social networking to be my avenue to say something that would be more special in person.

There’s this thing called the telephone that most of us have forgotten to use. We have gone from telegraph to telephone back to telegraph with tweeting and texting. I’ve even considered writing a letter recently but I see how that can really be slower than snail mail even in our fast ways of life.

I challenge you as well. Tell someone to their face how much they mean to you. Shake their hand instead of poking them. Give a hug. Make a phone call instead of a text. Even if you have to leave a voice mail. The sound of your voice can be more warming than cold text on a screen.

This is my hope in the new year. To spend more time in your face than on Facebook!

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The Proper Role Of The Gospel: You Share, He Saves

November 8, 2011 Leave a comment

“The gospel can lift a destroying burden from the mind, give beauty for ashes, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. But unless the weight of the burden is felt the gospel can mean nothing to the man; and until he sees a vision of God high and lifted up, there will be no woe and no burden. Low views of God destroy the gospel for all who hold them.”

-A.W.Tozer

This is the epitome of witnessing. Our only purpose besides worshiping God is to share the gospel with folks. It’s up to God to save them. But it’s a crazy cycle. We must have a high view of God. If we have a low view, He’s not high and lifted up. If he’s not lifted up, people will never understand they have a burden. If they never understand they have a burden, God can never take the weight of that burden away and give beauty for ashes and a garment of praise for their heaviness.

Lift up God today in whatever you do. So people will see him and understand their burden; that they are without Him, God of all eternity, maker of all creation, Alpha and Omega!

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