missing your moment

missing your moment

Imagine the surroundings: Jesus’ 12 closest disciples sitting around a small table, having a meal, and listening intently to Jesus teach.

He’s speaking in hushed tones, causing everyone to lean in close to hear him clearly. He’s sharing with them some of his last words and final instructions before he’s betrayed by Judas.

Then suddenly a big distraction begins as a couple of the disciples start to argue with each other. Were they arguing over what Jesus was teaching? Maybe having a discussion over how to defend Jesus against the upcoming attack?

No, they were arguing over which of them was Jesus’ greatest disciple. Can you imagine that? In a life changing moment in history, they’re missing the significance because they’re arguing over their own... significance.

The same is true for us. We often miss God’s big, significance plan for mankind because we’ve become distracted with things not near as important. We can fall into the trap of caring more about things that don’t matter (worship styles, political views, religious preferences) near as much as the significant (personal relationship, discipleship, evangelism).

So how do you know if the things that you’re attaching your life to are significant? The best way is to look at the disciples that evening: they missed their moment because they were concerned primarily for themselves, while Jesus was capturing history by laying his life down for others.

me being me

me being me

Have you ever heard someone say something offensive, and then defend their actions by saying, “I’m just telling the truth!” What about the person who offends people by their humor, personality, or rudeness and explains that, “I’m just being myself!” These people leave a trail of hurt and pain in their pursuit of ‘me being me’. The Bible has another description for this type of behavior: stumbling block.

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15 that “But by the grace of God I am what I am...” but he also said that, “...his grace to me was not without effect.” God has uniquely created you and His desire is that you would fully become that unique person. But this isn’t a license to say anything, do anything, and hurt anyone all for the purpose of ‘keeping it real’.

Ask yourself if ‘keeping it real’ is actually keeping people away. Not away from liking you or accepting you, but keeping people away from seeing the power of Christ in working in your life.

His grace is powerful, but it works best if it works in you and through you, with the effect being others drawn into a relationship with Christ.

So how do you do both; be yourself and draw others into a relationship with Christ? Paul’s advice is to remember that not only does God have a plan for your life, he has a plan for all of humanity. And the best way to know that you have truly become the person that God has created you to be, is to live a life that’s making an effect on others.

you said what?

you said what?

You already know that you can pray to God, praise Him, and thank Him. But did you know that in the Bible there are also examples of people begging Him, negotiating with Him, attempting to convince Him, and even arguing with Him? This is a radical departure from how most people view a relationship with God. We’re used to stained glass, creaky pew, and only speak when given a turn expressions of Christianity and we think it’s irreverent for someone to speak about their disbelief, fear, or pain.

Oftentimes, we’re offended and feel the need to defend God every time someone expresses their doubts or voices their anger towards God.

But is God offended?

Of course, God is the only true God and is worth our praise, worship, adoration, and devotion. But unlike us, He’s not offended or upset when people express their honest feelings and emotions towards Him. Instead, this is the place He wants us to get to: an honest, raw, and authentic expression of our hurt, pain, and need for a Savior.

The Bible says that in our moments of weakness, His strength is made possible. It means that in the times when we suffer in our faith and struggle with understanding, our ability to turn to Him makes us strong again.

And what really is the alternative? Do we expect people to shut-up, pretend everything’s fine, and suffer in silence? Jesus’ death on the cross wasn’t phony, it was powerful. Powerful enough that those who are hurting, seeking, and even suffering can honestly express themselves and not offend a Savior who loved us, even while we we’re still sinners.

ridiculous story

ridiculous story

The Christian faith was birthed by a small tribe of shepherd people who were the bearers of a radical new concept, and this concept became the basis for not only a new form of religion, but of a better way to live.

In that day, the dominant theology was pagan religion. They believed that divine creatures predated creation and humanity, but the gods themselves had been created by some mystical force. Supreme deity was not imposed on these gods, as each tribe and people group worshipped their own gods and followed their own set of morals and laws.

In this landscape, a ridiculous story began. It spoke of a personal relationship with God. It declared that not only was God good (James 1:17) but that he was also all-powerful; the one true God (John 14:6)

This ridiculous story grew, stating not only the supremacy of a true God, but also a bold, new relationship between God and humanity. It spoke of an intimate and personal relationship with God, and His desire to engage the heart of people groups from all tribes and nations. This wasn’t a new form of “religion” nor did it attempt to destroy the religious ideology of its day. Instead, it became the personal testimony of a group of people speaking out of the context of their own personal relationship with Creator God.

But where did this leave people groups who were entrenched in pagan theology and skeptical of rejecting this new form of “truth”? Were they condemned, marginalized, left out of God’s design and plan for humanity?

Joel 2:32 describes God’s definitive plan for mankind, a way to bridge economic, racial, religious, and political divides; “And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved…”

So today we continue to celebrate our unique and personal relationship with God. And just as important, we reach out of our own “family” with the passion to share the truth that Jesus has a plan and destiny for all of humanity.