Imagining Heaven

We all imagine the streets of gold, crowns, mansions and all things rich and glorious when we get to Heaven...but what if we are just using the measures of success of our own world to define our eternal reward?  Have we missed the point??  Have we taken "the American dream" and applied it to heaven?  We  believe that if we do everything we are supposed to do here, then when we get to the other side we will be rewarded with gold crowns and mansions.  Our false sense of what is success has blinded us to the reality of eternity.

 I believe that when we enter the gates of God's Kingdom, all the wealth in the world will not impress us.  The streets of gold will be mere pavement...the jewels just trinkets. They will be meaningless, worthless because we will be standing in the light of our King.

In this present life we give much more importance to the pretty things than to the King.  We love God, but we don't understand the value of standing in his presence.  That IS the reward of Heaven. 

In his Kingdom, the important thing will really be important.  Just as we bask now in the warm sun, then we will bask in the light of His true, pure love & light.  In the coming kingdom, love will reign. The crowns and mansions, if they even exist, will not be what excite us.  It will be living daily in the light of the creator who redeemed us.

My prayer would be that we can grab hold of this in this world.  To realize there is nothing better or worth more than walking with the king.  I pray God will help us to understand we can share now in this kingdom; that when we focus on Him, his light will fill our hearts & lives fully.

It's not the mansion we long for...it's the King.

How Will They Know Us??

Jesus sat at the table with his disciples, their feet cleaned, their egos humbled. He shared with them, yet again, that soon he would be leaving them. And in the midst of this, he shared his desire for them. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

 He tells them how the world will know them. Likely, they had their own notions of how the world would know them. They knew he was the Messiah, they believed he would overcome all the reigning powers and that He would reign victorious, and they expected to be known in his courts. And yet he tells them, the world will know you are mine if you love one another.

 Their whole identity is wrapped in Him. He defines them. Even as Peter denies him in the courtyard, he is identified as “one of His”. From the day of Pentecost forward, these men are known as Christ followers. They are known as those who proclaim the name of Jesus, who have chosen to live as he lived and to teach what he taught. John, one of Jesus’ closest friends, said this is how we know we are in Him: whoever claims to live in Him must live like Him. (I Jn 2:6)

 Loving like Christ was their identity.

So many times in the last months I have heard the cry of ‘what if we lose our identity’. This should frighten us, but only if we are speaking of an identity that is in Christ.  I hear this from those who fear that any change in our Christian heritage will bring about a loss of identity. Our identity is misplaced. We seem to identify ourselves (as do those on the outside) through our issues…acapella worship, the name on our doors, how often we take the Lord’s supper. These things define us. And that frightens me.

Perhaps, just maybe, it is time to ‘re-identify’ ourselves. Not with some new contemporary, high tech notion but with an ancient, proven truth. What if our churches, truly began to practice, putting on Christ? What if we raised up disciples to be like Christ? What if, as the body of Christ, we started being known for the love of our savior & our replicating His love?

It worked in Jerusalem. The church there loved each other…and everyone around them. And in no small way. They were a mega church who took care of each other through small groups. The people around Jerusalem were amazed , they saw these people taking care of one another, joyfully and without any reservation. They heard the apostles teach of this Jesus who gave His life for all, and who had conquered death. The church was known for Christ. They were known for living the way he had taught them to live.

 And God grew the church. Not so it could be recognized but so HE would be recognized. The growth had nothing to do with how they worshiped. The growth had to do with how they lived and WHO they lived through. It was all about Jesus and living the love He had taught them.

What needs to change in the church today? I believe it is the way we identify ourselves. When society looks at the church and sees unreasonable love and devotion to one another and to God, we are on the right track. When our identity becomes so wrapped up in Christ that nothing matters but bringing glory to Him and to the Father, His church will flourish…just as it did in the beginning.

 Lord, I pray, let us shine your light.

 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” -John 8:12 


 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matt 5:14-16

Every Day?

In the heart of Jesus, unity was so key it was one of the last things he spoke to the Father about. Jesus prayed for us to be one, in the same way that He and the Father were one.

What did Jesus mean? Was it about everyone agreeing on everything? About a new doctrinal 'rightness'? Maybe, instead,Jesus was talking about relationships, about needing the body, about knowing our survival as Christians meant depending on Him and each other.

So many times we look at the church of the first century and we try to decipher how they "did church", and yet we absently overlook how they "did life". This 'mega church' group needed each other. They needed each other daily. They sought each other out in the temple courts, they got together for dinner, they knew when someone needed something and they took care of it...and the effect? The prayer of Christ was answered.

Jesus Prayed:(John 17:20-23)

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

Jesus prayed that his people would be so one that their love and unity would cause the world to take notice and believe and bring glory to the Father.

And look what happened. (Acts 2:42-47)

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Their fellowship and love brought glory to God. The world saw and responded. The world wanted to be a part. This was exactly what Christ prayed.

After the day of Pentecost, the new believers did not resign themselves to "have" to go to the temple at least one day a week to worship and to "have" to do certain things to be accepted by God. Instead, they fell in love with their God and they fell in love with one another. And everyday, they sought out their brothers.

Imagine the excitement and the joy of hurrying to the temple courts, looking for your brothers...embracing them, sitting with them at the feet of Peter and John. Imagine the awe as they sat and listened to the stories told about Jesus...as they watched these ordinary guys heal and do wonderous things in the name of Jesus. Imagine that as they listened, they saw love and humility and servanthood. They saw the Christ through these men. And the Spirit of God was at work. As they gathered, He acted. As they listened, He taught. And through Him, God was in their midst.

I believe more and more in the merit of spending time everyday with our brothers. Not in a formal, sterile assembly, but in our homes, in our parks, in our cities. We need joyful, playful praise. We must be aware of needs. We need to commit ourselves to praising God daily and to talking about God's presence in our lives.

Fellowship should be a thing we hold near and dear. We need one another. God designed it that way. Relationships must be built. A casual, once a week fellowship falls far short of the unity and love described in Acts. The brothers here were ingrained in the lives of each other. We don't know if they ever met as a WHOLE (all those converted in Jerusalem), but we know for certain they sought each other out and they gathered in small groups and went to one another's homes and made sure everyone was taken care of. They became as close as family.

Today could be the very same. If the world saw friendships and family in the church today, if they saw us entrenched in praise for our God and living in love, so that there was no time to tear others down, how would they respond?

The very essence of this new church was its heartbeat of fellowship and love. They loved the Father and the Son first. Then they fell in love with each other because of Him.

And the world took notice. And God used their love for each other and added to the church every single day.

On Searching for A Church Home

In the past few weeks we have begun the endeavor of searching for a congregation to call home. I have spent much time in thought and prayer on what exactly we are searching for. In my mind, a picture has begun to form. Please understand that I know that all congregations have flaws and are all human. I know there is no such thing as a "perfect church" (except through Christ). But as I search, I believe these are the things that have come to matter most to me and the things for which Clay & I are searching.

1. A church who is convicted fully that Jesus is the son of God; That Jesus lived on earth, that he died for our sins & that he was resurrected by the power of God so that we might walk with Him. And this church must hold this out as the one & only gospel. A church that knows Jesus is "the way, the truth and the life and that the only way to the father is through him." (John 14:6)

2. A church that recognizes that without this gospel, life is hopeless; That we have zero chance of being reconciled with God without His grace and the sacrifice of Christ. (I Corinthians 15:1-2)

3. A church that is passionate about loving God with all their heart, mind, soul and strength & loving others because of this love for God and the love He has for us. (Mark 12:29-31)

4. A church who strives in all things to look like Jesus, to the world and to each other. This should show through:
A. Their actions and service in the community - they should be
recognized by the community around them for their actions and
their love.
B. Their leadership - The leadership should model Christ through
their love, their shepherding, their passion for spiritual growth
in the body & just generally looking like Jesus.
C. Their budget - it reflects what is most important to the church
and their willingness to "put their money where their mouth is".

5. A church where freedom in Christ is embraced and the mission of Christ always trumps the traditions of man. A place that takes seriously "being all things to all men that some may be saved" (I Corinthians 9:20-22)

6. A church where we can engage and have an impact on the Kingdom of God. A church that needs what Christ has to offer through us. (Romans 12:3-7)

Just my thoughts.

God in the Midst

May 30, 2011

Some would posit that God sent the storms to Joplin. I do not believe that.

I believe there is an epic spiritual battle going on of which, we are mostly totally unaware. It is a battle of proportions that we cannot even imagine. The God of everything continuously battles with the prince of the world, who roams the earth looking for those he can devour.

I believe Satan, in this battle, heaps destruction, death and devastation on the people of this world. His battle plan is to cause the people of our world to forsake their God and curse His name. The battle rages fiercely and totally out of our scrutiny. We reject it because we cannot see it.

In my humble opinion and opinion only, I believe the tornados in Joplin were an assault from the Satanic forces we battle against. I envision Satan laughing at the victory he perceived as the F5 storm devastated a 9 square mile area. I imagine him smirking at the destruction and death and cheering victoriously when the people asked “Where is God?” His siege was working…

And God, I believe was heartbroken at the cost of the battle. God stepped in and began to soothe the pain. He was there with the mother who clung to her child and prayed that Jesus would save them. He was there with the family that hid in the tub and was dumped out on the ground as the vicious winds ripped the tub into the air. He was there with the lady hiding in her apartment tub who cried out to God for the safety of the children in the apartment next who she could hear crying….even as she was trapped in her own tub as it filled with rain water. God was there and I believe if God cries, He cried. I believe he wept for the people He so loves.

And when Satan’s sadistic attack was over, and he proclaimed victory in this battle, God said, “Not yet”. And throughout the country, He spoke to the hearts of His soldiers and He commanded them to GO. And they did. Thousands of dollars worth of supplies, food and funds were shipped within hours. God’s earthly army began mobilizing. The branches of our Lord’s army were forgotten; suddenly we just all served the one true God and were there to bring His love and His peace to a battle stricken area. The saints of God arrived and declared they were taking back what Satan had claimed as victory.

We were all part of a larger-than-life battle. As God’s children, we are called into battle. We fight back the advances of Satan every day. But, in these times, we are called into action. We must choose to stand side by side with our brothers and show the world “where God is”. He is in His children.

He is in the hands of those who gave. He is with those who drove hundreds or more miles to deliver supplies. He is in the hands of the ones spreading hope, who are working side by side with people who lost everything. God is in the midst of those who cried with the broken. He was there as thousands gathered to pray for the peace and courage of the battle stricken areas. And as the people of Joplin looked around and found some semblance of hope and realize they are not abandoned, God began to smile. When they looked to Heaven and reached their hands upward to God, the victory was God’s.

God is alive and He is working through His saints to finish the battle…and the battle is won… so many proclaimed life and victory through Jesus this week. The people we worked with, sorting through the wreckage and the chaos that is now their lives, praised Him and were amazed and humbled at the servants of God. Even those of us working were amazed at seeing God at work. Car after car came by the worksites bringing cold drinks, hot food, snacks…and all were ready to pray and love and listen.

I stand amazed at my Father and how He can take such an ugly strike from the devourer and He can proclaim victory. He can proclaim victory because love still stands strong and the people of God heard the calling and rose up to conquer the destroyer’s victory with the love of their Father.

A Different Spirit

My God is big enough. I serve the mighty God of Moses. The God in whom Caleb believed in wholeheartedly. As I reread the story of the spies coming back from the promised land, I was struck with the testimony God himself gave of Caleb. God said, "my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly". Oh to hear my God say this about my faith.

I want to follow Him...especially when there are giants in the land. When all the odds seem insurmountable. I want to have the faith in my God to realize that he is bigger. Bigger than giants who loom over us, bigger than those who are with me who say it can't be done.

Faith. It's a funny thing. If you only believe in things you see and can hold, you have no faith. Recently a preacher asked who believed he held a $100 cash in his fist, few believed. He opened his hand and showed us the money. He then asked, who believes now? Of course everyone did. But seeing the money and believing does not constitute faith...it is seeing. I do not have faith in things I see; I have sight.

God has worked so much in our past and we believe Him. We see how mightily God has worked in our midst. But this is the money in the fist. This is sight. It is cause to grow and be thankful. However, faith is in those things God has not yet done; the things we can see no answer to. God holds the keys. If we focus on Him and building His Kingdom, as we were commanded, He is faithful and He will give in accordance to His will. When we are living faithfully in Him, we can ask for anything and He will give it. We can relax and know that God is in control and he does not need me to manage Him. He just needs me to faithfully share His Kingdom.

Faith. Jesus rebuked his most faithful followers again and again for their lack of faith. Sometimes, I think he must look at us and do the same. "Oh you of little faith", "When will you believe?"...I pray that my God does not whisper these words over me. I pray that as I fall face down in worship to Him, that he will help me in my unbelief (Mk 9:24), that He will remind me that "all things are possible for him who believes" and that He will look at me and say, "this one has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly".

His Kingdom or My Kingdom?

(I am studying the book of Luke right now and I have been intrigued by all the references to the Kingdom of God/Heaven. It would seem that the primary message of Jesus' ministry was that this Kingdom was near or at hand. Along with this I began reading a book I had kept on my shelf for sometime, This Beautiful Mess: Preaching the Presence of the Kingdom of God. God stirred something within me.)

Am I living in the Kingdom of God? Do I embrace Him as my King? Or am I like the people on the hill in Galilee who liked to hear what he had to say, liked the blessings He bestowed, but rejected Him as the Messiah? Do I recognize Him as the sovereign king, do I realize that whether I do or not, He is still the King?

Unfortuneately, I think most times, I recognize Jesus as a wonderful friend, as a great help...in my kingdom. I think so many times, I invite him to do his thing in my kingdom. Yes, they are good things and I truly try to make my kingdom live in harmony with his, but yet...it is still my kingdom. Where does the Savior, the true King fit?

We have taken His free salvation insurance like those folks on the hillside ate his free lunches. Then we go home. We carry with us a nice Jesus with a cool title. But all the same we go home king-less. --Rick McKinley This Beautiful Mess

Well, not exactly. I tend to be king of my kingdom. I work hard to keep all the plates spinning. I do all the "right" things and even try to do them with the right heart. But the reality is, my kingdom is a wreck. My selfishness and my control are constantly in friction with the things of God. I am afraid that I may be guilty of inviting God to be part of my kingdom, I want him to be part of my world, my life, and my reality and the future I have in mind. I wanted him to be King of my domain and in putting him into action there, I failed to miss the fact that He already has a Kingdom. Jesus did not die to be King of my kingdom. Jesus' agenda was never to help me be a better king in my kingdom. In fact, what he wants is for me to surrender my kingdom and enter His. But, how do I get there?

Jesus said, "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news." I think this is where we miss it. To give up our self proclaimed kingdoms, we have to fall on our faces, bow before The King and repent. I am not talking about saying sorry to God.

To repent means to turn around, to stop what you are doing and do the opposite. To repent means that even though you used to assume one thing was true, you now know it's wrong - all wrong- and you will now believe and act upon something totally different. REPENT is a good, strong word, full of hope and new beginnings. In the context of Jesus' kingdom, repent is an invitation to another world, another life...

But do I really want to do this? Where might God lead me? The truth is, when I am dead honest with myself, is I am not really sure I want to surrender everything to Jesus. It is scary. It is so much harder than just letting him be part of the world I have made for myself. And, to be perfectly honest, I am not comfortable in His Kingdom. This is hard for me. I like to think I want Christ to permeate every aspect of my life. But the truth is, I don't live it. I live unto myself and tip my hat to the Savior. I believe He is calling me to repent. And I am not sure where He is taking me. I am not sure I really want to go. Wow...did I really just say that? But I think that is why he has been teaching me so much about His Spirit this year. I think he is making me understand that I don't enter His Kingdom on my feet. I enter it through the heart of His Spirit. As I lay myself at His feet and repent, His Spirit takes me by the hand. He opens the door to the Kingdom for me. It is only by God's Spirit that I even have the desire to live in the Kingdom of God each day. It is only through His Spirit that I can see the Kingdom of God, through God's eyes. When I enter His Kingdom, though His Spirit, I leave myself behind. And even though the humanness in me fights it every step of the way, I know if I continue to seek His kingdom through His Spirit, I will find it. He is calling me to a new reality, His Kingdom. And there, even when all hell breaks loose around me in this world, I will know I am in the arms of the King and I don't have to control anything...for my KING reigns there perfectly.

I pray today that God's Spirit will continue to draw me into His kingdom. I pray that he will pry my hands loose from my kingdom and allow me to see the love, and peace and joy of living fully in His kingdom. I pray and ask you to pray for me that he will use me and that he will multiply my desire to be used by Him.