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Acting Out Our Faith: A Different Kind of Currency

Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong.  He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.  When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. – Acts 3:6-10 (NIV)

I sure am glad that heaven runs on a different currency than the world.  When the world tries to fix a problem it is all about throwing money and resources at it until it is buried.  Issues are resolved by committee and conference.  We have programmed, politicized and popularized helping the needy, but I think we can come to depend on them more than the power of God.

It is comforting to me that poverty in the world’s eyes has nothing to do with the riches of God.  Peter has no silver or gold to give, but what he does have is better by far.  The power to transform lives, to heal and help those in need, cannot be replaced by material things.  It is gracious to give of our resources and we should give with grateful hearts for God’s providence, but we cannot forget to invest the currency God has made available to us through the Holy Spirit.

I don’t want to be rich in this world if it causes me to be a pauper in God’s kingdom.  I want to be wealthy in the things of God and spend that wealth on others.  I hope that the next time I see someone in need I will remember this and invest the currency that only God can supply.

Lord, thank you for Your Holy Spirit supplying me with kingdom currency.  Help me to spend it wisely and fearlessly for Your glory and the benefit of others. Amen.

Acting Out Our Faith: What Shall We Do?

“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”  When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off–for all whom the Lord our God will call.” – Acts 2:36-39 (NIV)

I love the response the people had when they heard Peter share the good news of the gospel: “What shall we do?”  They didn’t ask what doctrinal statement they needed to sign, they didn’t look for membership papers to sign and they didn’t ask for training in theological argumentation.  They asked what they need to do in response to the most amazing truth they had ever heard.

So what shall we do?  In response to the gospel, what shall we do each day?  The initial instructions from Peter are repentance and baptism, but I think those things are good for more than getting on the right side of salvation.  They are the door into a life empowered by the Holy Spirit.  So every day we need to make sure we are centered on Christ, living in the power of the resurrection and empowered by the Holy Spirit.  That is what we should do, but is it what we shall do?

It is easy to get stuck on the other side of salvation.  We cross that line from being lost to being found and we forget to keep moving forward.  We forget to ask God, “What shall we do?”  Be a doer.  Keep that question alive in your life with God.  Whenever you here the truth of God’s Scripture ask how it answers the question, “What shall I do?”

Lord, help me to continue moving forward toward You.  Lead me to the answer to the question, “What shall I do?” every day with You.  Make me a doer.  Amen

Acting Out Our Faith: No More Walls

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.  Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.  They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.  All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. – Acts 2:1-4 (NIV)

That must have been an amazing day. The onset of the body of Christ being manifest in His people through the Holy Spirit = amazing!  Communicating the power and glory of the gospel without the barrier of language = amazing!  Being united as one despite immense and historical differences = amazing!  Pentecost was one of the most important days in history and yet I do not live my life with this heritage in mind as often as I should.

Pentecost brought something to all of us who follow Jesus.  The Holy Spirit did not just come upon the apostles that day, but on the church, His body.  Pentecost is for us.  In fact, we cannot do the work of Christ without Pentecost truly taking place in our hearts and minds.  It is the Holy Spirit working in and through us that accomplishes all that needs to be done in this world by His people.  We live in a world after Pentecost.  The Holy Spirit has been sent to bring us fellowship with our creator and with one another, but we put up walls for our convenience and comfort.

I want to live a life without walls, empowered by the Holy Spirit and reflecting the image of Christ.  I don’t want any of my walls to get in the way of that kind of life.  This will not be easy, but why shoot for less?  The walls must come down.  They are built by pride and bolstered by ignorance, constructed brick by brick to create a comfortable box for me to live in.  No more living in a box.

Lord, humble me with Your spirit and break down my walls.  Amen

Acting Out Our Faith: Empowered by God

He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” – Acts 1:7-8 (NIV)

Power has received a bad rap, notably for its repeated abuse at the hands of so many of us.  We even have the saying “Power corrupts” floating around, but that really isn’t true.  It is we who corrupt whatever power we gain or receive.  It isn’t power that is the problem; it is the weakness of the human heart and mind.  Christ offers us hope in this passage for a different kind of power.

The power the apostles received was pure and incorruptible.  The power of the Holy Spirit equips us to be what we cannot be on our own – holy.  He brings fruitfulness, purity, gifting and more.  This certainly does not sound like corruption, but it is certainly powerful.  In our flesh we pursue power in the worst possible ways.  We seek power so that we can be in control and get what we want, but the power of the Holy Spirit is given for the purposes of God’s kingdom and no other reason.

Being empowered by God is something that comes through seeking Him and waiting on Him.  If we seek the power first it can lead to all kinds of unhealthy and unrighteous behavior.  We can think there is some secret combination of religious requirements that will gain us access to this power, but we are grasping at thin air.  God cannot be manipulated into empowering anyone.  He empowers those who follow His Son when they need it and how they need it.

I need the power of God in my life.  We all do.  We cannot do the work of God without the power of God, but we cannot have the power of God if power is all we want.  I need to grow the attitude in myself that the power of God is means to be used by Him.  So I will pray for a right heart.  I will seek God with all my heart, mind, strength and soul.  I will do all I can to make myself available to be empowered by the one who calls me beloved.

Acting Out Our Faith – a new series

My wife and I have been privileged to be part of a fellowship of people who are working on following Jesus the best they can.  Our small group is currently working on ways we can minister to others in a way that doesn’t seem “churchy” in the worst sense of that word.  I have been drawn to read the book of Acts again after looking over several passages with this group, and so this series of posts will be on Acts.  The series is entitled “Acting Out Our Faith” and I hope that you are blessed by the posts.

Blessings,

Chris

Life in Community: Learning to Love Extravagantly

While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper,  a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.  When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked.  “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”  Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me.  The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.  When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.  I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”  - Matthew 26:6-13 (NIV)

In October of 2001, I was privileged to work with others at Ground Zero during the recovery efforts.  I was careful during my time away to call my 1 ½-year-old daughter every day to stay in touch.  However, this plan did not end up working out so well. About day four, she had grown quite tired of talking to me on the phone and wanted to know when I was coming home.  By day five she was no longer speaking to me and Mommy was dealing with many tears at night about Daddy being gone. I returned home after my two-week tour and was met at the airport by my wife and little girl.  As soon as she saw me, any thoughts of anger vanished in tears and excited cries of “Daddy! Daddy!”

She ran through that airport completely unaware and certainly unashamed of her extravagant display of emotion.  We held each other and cried and laughed and hugged and kissed and didn’t care a whit about what anyone thought.  For a moment the rest of the world didn’t exist.  This is the beauty of life among believers.  This is the power of fellowship.  We learn to love God with such abandon and extravagance in the presence of our spiritual family that we grow more capable of expressing it where less understanding eyes will see.

It is years later and I have not yet reached that point in my relationship with that once little girl where she is embarrassed to be seen with me.  I hope that I never will, but it causes me to ask the question, “Am I ever ashamed to express my love for God?”  I read the passage above and wonder if I would have loved Jesus enough to overcome my fears and doubts.  I wonder if I am more driven by self-preservation than I am by compassion and devotion.  Fortunately my current spiritual family is more than willing to seek an extravagant love for God together.

I want to worship God with abandon.  I want to weep with tears of deliverance.  I want to laugh with heartfelt joy.  I want to kneel at the feet of my Father and worship Him as He sees fit.  While the thought of this sometimes causes me to fear, I am assured that “perfect love casts out fear.”  There are not words to express the comfort and courage that are gained by knowing I am surrounded by others who desire the same experience.  We want to love God more than we love our reputations, more than we love our possessions, more than we love anything that this world has to offer.

So what is your alabaster jar?  What is it that you need to give up in order to love God as He deserves to be loved?  Who is it that looks with mocking eyes on your faith?  What price are you willing to pay in order to worship without shame? To be honest, I’m still working on answering those questions myself, but I am sure that I want to know the answers.

Life in Community: It’s Unity, Not Uniformity

Introduction: The service at church today was focused in on the larger part of this passage in Ephesians and really hit home with me.  I need to get busy being the body of Christ with others.  It was a great word and a great service.  If you are interested, you can hear the sermon after Wednesday this week at www.Risenking.org.

It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built upuntil we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.  Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.  Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.  From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Ephesians 4:11-16 (NIV)

Every day I realize two things: my daughters and I are very similar and very different.  It is an amazing thing to see pieces of your character and personality in the actions, words and expressions of your children, but it is even more amazing to see those unique creations reveal their individuality.  I am finding that it is more my job to help my daughters discover who it is God has designed them to be than telling them who to be.

Let me be clear: I am not saying that discipline is never employed on either of them, but much of that is regarding what she is doing or why she is doing it, not who she is.  I am humbled that God has entrusted this responsibility to me and my wife.  Our only hope in being successful is to do all of this together, in unity.  In fact, it is only through a strong unity that we will be able to guide our daughters into becoming strong and whole individuals.

So it is with our church family.  The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are in perfect unity and we have been adopted into that unity through Christ’s sacrifice.  However, it is only our participation in this unity that will bring us to maturity as individuals.  I will even go so far as to say that it is nearly impossible to be a mature Christian without practicing the “unity” in community.

In the passage above, it is clear that Paul recognizes the uniqueness of each believer, while confirming the unity necessary to attain maturity.  We need to remember that He gave us to one another.  In this passage and others, Paul employs the illustration of the body to describe the greater community of Christians.  It is important to note that no single part of the body exists for its own benefit, but for the benefit of the whole body.

If it is my desire to see my daughters become mature in Christ then I must live this model of community out in front of them and with them.  This requires a change of perspective from my younger days of personal goals and dream jobs and my wants being met.  My life is theirs (and my wife’s).  I am working toward Paul’s confession, “He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. (2 Corinthians 5:15 NIV)  A community of strong, unique, and mature believers is rooted in selflessness, so help us, Lord, to be more about the body and less about ourselves.

Life in Community: The Place of Holiness

Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.  But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
1 Peter 1:13-16 (NIV)

There is an assumption that to be holy, one must be alone or at least surrounded by other people who like to be alone.  When we think of titles like “Holy man” or “Holy one,” images of quiet men in robes living on a mountain top come to mind.  While I would never dismiss the discipline and dedication that is shown by that lifestyle, I am not sure that it is the pinnacle of holiness.

Jesus, The Holy One, was engaged and connected to those around Him.  His moments of solitude and prayer are notable, but they were not where He stayed.  His ministry is marked by movements from isolation to intervention; from stillness to action; from quietness to proclamation.  It is obvious that Jesus did not need His time intervening, acting and proclaiming to spend time alone, but used His time of isolation, stillness and quietness to prepare for moments of engagement.

Our movements should follow the same pattern.  Our solitude, silence and prayers with God inform and transform us to then move into the world.  Holiness may be forged in the disciplines that set us apart to God, but it is expressed in the activities of community and fellowship.  My daughter has been learning to pray regularly, read her devotions, seek God in quiet moments and learn what it is to be His child, but I want her to know that these are just doors to living a holy life with and among others.  She needs to understand that to “Be still and know that I am God” needs to lead her to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19 NRSV)

Holiness matters to God, but life in community helps make holiness matter to others.  We can be holy in isolation, but it is hard to be salt and light in isolation.  God’s holiness does not stay in heaven, but invades this present life through His kingdom and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  When we are holy as He is holy, our holiness does not stay somewhere inaccessible to those around us.  It is engaged in the lives of others through a mind prepared for action.  It is empowered by the fullness of hope we have through grace.  It is the cure for the sin in our lives.  Holiness together for each other and the glory of God.

Good Friday Poem – Hammer and Nail

Hammer and Nail

 

Muscled hands, calloused and rough,

Work with care and a gentle touch.

Tree to timber with saw and stone;

Through patient skill a form has grown.

A stable manger of humble scale,

Put together by hammer and nail.

 

A babe is born inBethlehem;

A wooden manger a bed for him.

Babe becomes child, child becomes man;

The Carpenter’s skill flows through His hands.

Left His home on a long, hard trail.

Earning His keep by hammer and nail.

 

Love has led Him to a lonely hill;

The Cross His burden for doing God’s will.

The mockers taunt, the angry yell,

Those sinners He would save from hell.

A slaughtered Lamb to rend the veil.

Hung on the Cross by hammer and nail.

 

I strike a blow each time I fail;

Hand and foot, hammer and nail.