This is from Tim Keller on how the gospel makes us both bold in presentation and winsome in spirit when sharing the gospel. The combination of both is a rare, but valuable and attainable, spiritual grace!
“When the gospel ‘comes home’-humbling and affirming you, it turns every believer into a natural evangelist…Evangelism happens because of a) the humility of the gospel. The gospel (unlike religious moralism) produces people who are not disdainful and contemptuous towards those who disagree with them. Also, it happens through b) the affirmation of the gospel. Because of the reality and joy of Christ’s love, we are not as concerned what others think. The gospel brings a gentle boldness.”
“The gospel makes us neither self-confident nor self-disdaining, but both bold and humble at once. To the degree I am still functionally earning my worth through performance (i.e. to the degree I am still functioning in works-righteousness), to that degree I will be either operating out of superiority or inferiority. Why! Because if I am saved by my works, then I can either be confident but not humble (if I am living up) or humble but not confident (if I am not living up). In other words, apart from the gospel, I will be forced to be superior or inferior or to swing back and forth or to be one way with some people and another way with others. I am continually caught between these two ways, because of the nature of my self image.
So the gospel humbles me before anyone, telling me I am a sinner saved only by grace. But it also emboldens me before anyone, telling me I am loved and honored by the only eyes in the universe that really count. So the gospel gives a boldness and a humility that do not “eat each other up” but can increase together.”
http://blog.marshill.com/2012/01/02/lisas-story-a-witness-in-orange-county/
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Saturday, October 15, 2011
The Voice of Truth
It's been awhile since I have posted. I have a number of blogs that I have started due to different resources I have come across but I haven't been motivated enough to bring any of them to completion. And it isn't just an issue of motivation. I have been enduring a dry time in my spiritual walk. After such richness and depth over the past two or three years, I suppose I may have been due for a walk into the valley, but it is an unwelcome departure.
During this dry season I find my relationship with God losing its vibrancy and urgency. My desire to seek, to grow, to press into my Lord has been weakened. This is the real reason behind my absence from this blog. There is no doubt that the great majority of my posts have been greatly influenced by the work of the Holy Spirit in my life. I will occasionally go back and read past blogs and am absolutely shocked that something so insightful and full of truth came from my mind and fingers. The truth, of course, is that the ultimate source of that wisdom was not me but the One I call the Spirit and the Triune God. That is indeed the Voice that shouts the truth through these pages. As my spiritual growth stagnates that voice gets lost amidst all the other voices of the world, as well as those of my flesh and of Satan. I still hear God but my ability and desire to stay in that conversation has been neutralized.
As this is the third Saturday of the month, it is the day that I volunteer at Sunshine Ministries, which is a Gospel-centered mission and ministry for the homeless and poverty-stricken of downtown St. Louis. If my desire to seek and obey God is under severe attack, then it stands to reason that my desire to seek out and help the lost and hurting will also be impacted. That has certainly been the case although I often feel more accountable to other people than I do to God. Backwards I know, but that is a fact.
So this morning I wake up to my radio alarm. Getting up early on a Saturday morning doesn't excite me after a long week of work. However, the song on the radio this morning was "Voice of Truth" by Casting Crowns. As soon as I heard it, I knew it was for me. This wasn't a random event. These were the first lyrics I heard this morning:
But the stone was just the right size
to put the giant on the ground
and the waves they don't seem so high
from on top of them looking down
I will soar with the wings of eagles
when I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus
singing over me
I have giants in my life and I often feel powerless against them because I don't think I have the resources, ability or opportunity to overcome them. The truth is that what God has given me, when used for His glory and with His power, will overcome anything that stands in the way of living the life God has called me to live. I live too much with a bottom-up perspective instead of a top-down view, which can make problems seem so much bigger than they actually are. Do that long enough and you will be depressed, exhausted and defeated. I have been there and I am there. I'm just tired because I have once again allowed myself to live in the story where I am the center, where what I do and how I perform define who I am. It's confusing because I know where that story leads and yet I seem to end up there time and time again. It is good for my soul to know that Jesus continues to call to me. He continues to intercede for me. He continues to be for me. He just wants me to stop and listen.
We had 14 men come in this morning for breakfast, a Bible Study and an opportunity to take home clothing, food and basic necessities. One of the men is a bit off mentally but is one of the nicest guys there. He will approach you and say the same thing over and over and over again. You can nod and agree and try to move the conversation along but if he has a thought in his head and you want to talk with him you better be prepared to hear it A LOT. This is a paraphrase of what he was saying to me today (by the way, he calls me "New Chris" because there is another Chris who has volunteered there for awhile but who I have yet to meet):
"You got to let God lead the way. I can't lead, you can't lead, nobody else can lead. Got to let God be in front, we just follow, got to let God be out in front. Doesn't matter if you are young or old, God got to lead."
We talked for probably 15 minutes or more today and it was basically those words on a repetitive loop. And ya know what? I didn't mind one bit. Because he wasn't just rambling. He knew what he was saying. I knew what he was saying. I knew that God was using Reginald as his messenger...an unlikely messenger perhaps...but prophetic nonetheless. I haven't been letting God lead. I haven't been willingly following. Try living that way and NOT have a dry season spiritually.
There are many ways God's voice of truth comes to us. Keep your eyes and ears open. God is speaking to you as He has to me today.
"Persuasion changes our thinking. Propaganda reduces our ability to think. (DiFonzo) God enables us to be persuaded by truth." - John Piper
During this dry season I find my relationship with God losing its vibrancy and urgency. My desire to seek, to grow, to press into my Lord has been weakened. This is the real reason behind my absence from this blog. There is no doubt that the great majority of my posts have been greatly influenced by the work of the Holy Spirit in my life. I will occasionally go back and read past blogs and am absolutely shocked that something so insightful and full of truth came from my mind and fingers. The truth, of course, is that the ultimate source of that wisdom was not me but the One I call the Spirit and the Triune God. That is indeed the Voice that shouts the truth through these pages. As my spiritual growth stagnates that voice gets lost amidst all the other voices of the world, as well as those of my flesh and of Satan. I still hear God but my ability and desire to stay in that conversation has been neutralized.
As this is the third Saturday of the month, it is the day that I volunteer at Sunshine Ministries, which is a Gospel-centered mission and ministry for the homeless and poverty-stricken of downtown St. Louis. If my desire to seek and obey God is under severe attack, then it stands to reason that my desire to seek out and help the lost and hurting will also be impacted. That has certainly been the case although I often feel more accountable to other people than I do to God. Backwards I know, but that is a fact.
So this morning I wake up to my radio alarm. Getting up early on a Saturday morning doesn't excite me after a long week of work. However, the song on the radio this morning was "Voice of Truth" by Casting Crowns. As soon as I heard it, I knew it was for me. This wasn't a random event. These were the first lyrics I heard this morning:
But the stone was just the right size
to put the giant on the ground
and the waves they don't seem so high
from on top of them looking down
I will soar with the wings of eagles
when I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus
singing over me
I have giants in my life and I often feel powerless against them because I don't think I have the resources, ability or opportunity to overcome them. The truth is that what God has given me, when used for His glory and with His power, will overcome anything that stands in the way of living the life God has called me to live. I live too much with a bottom-up perspective instead of a top-down view, which can make problems seem so much bigger than they actually are. Do that long enough and you will be depressed, exhausted and defeated. I have been there and I am there. I'm just tired because I have once again allowed myself to live in the story where I am the center, where what I do and how I perform define who I am. It's confusing because I know where that story leads and yet I seem to end up there time and time again. It is good for my soul to know that Jesus continues to call to me. He continues to intercede for me. He continues to be for me. He just wants me to stop and listen.
We had 14 men come in this morning for breakfast, a Bible Study and an opportunity to take home clothing, food and basic necessities. One of the men is a bit off mentally but is one of the nicest guys there. He will approach you and say the same thing over and over and over again. You can nod and agree and try to move the conversation along but if he has a thought in his head and you want to talk with him you better be prepared to hear it A LOT. This is a paraphrase of what he was saying to me today (by the way, he calls me "New Chris" because there is another Chris who has volunteered there for awhile but who I have yet to meet):
"You got to let God lead the way. I can't lead, you can't lead, nobody else can lead. Got to let God be in front, we just follow, got to let God be out in front. Doesn't matter if you are young or old, God got to lead."
We talked for probably 15 minutes or more today and it was basically those words on a repetitive loop. And ya know what? I didn't mind one bit. Because he wasn't just rambling. He knew what he was saying. I knew what he was saying. I knew that God was using Reginald as his messenger...an unlikely messenger perhaps...but prophetic nonetheless. I haven't been letting God lead. I haven't been willingly following. Try living that way and NOT have a dry season spiritually.
There are many ways God's voice of truth comes to us. Keep your eyes and ears open. God is speaking to you as He has to me today.
"Persuasion changes our thinking. Propaganda reduces our ability to think. (DiFonzo) God enables us to be persuaded by truth." - John Piper
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Dying to Self
I recently said that I am my biggest idol so how do I completely surrender to God? Here is today's devotional from Oswald Chambers:
True surrender is not simply surrender of our external life but surrender of our will — and once that is done, surrender is complete. The greatest crisis we ever face is the surrender of our will. Yet God never forces a person’s will into surrender and He never begs. He patiently waits until that person willingly yields to Him. And once that battle has been fought, it never needs to be fought again.
Surrender for Deliverance. “Come to Me . . . and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). It is only after we have begun to experience what salvation really means that we surrender our will to Jesus for rest. Whatever is causing us a sense of uncertainty is actually a call to our will — “Come to Me.” And it is a voluntary coming.
Surrender for Devotion. “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself . . . ” (Matthew 16:24). The surrender here is of my self to Jesus, with His rest at the heart of my being. He says, “If you want to be My disciple, you must give up your right to yourself to Me.” And once this is done, the remainder of your life will exhibit nothing but the evidence of this surrender, and you never need to be concerned again with what the future may hold for you. Whatever your circumstances may be, Jesus is totally sufficient. (see 2 Corinthians 12:9 and (Philippians 4:19).
Surrender for Death. “. . . another will gird you . . .” (John 21:18 ; also see John21:19). Have you learned what it means to be girded for death? Beware of some surrender that you make to God in an ecstatic moment in your life, because you are apt to take it back again. True surrender is a matter of being “united together [with Jesus] in the likeness of His death” (Romans 6:5) until nothing ever appeals to you that did not appeal to Him.
And after you surrender — then what? Your entire life should be characterized by an eagerness to maintain unbroken fellowship and oneness with God.
True surrender is not simply surrender of our external life but surrender of our will — and once that is done, surrender is complete. The greatest crisis we ever face is the surrender of our will. Yet God never forces a person’s will into surrender and He never begs. He patiently waits until that person willingly yields to Him. And once that battle has been fought, it never needs to be fought again.
Surrender for Deliverance. “Come to Me . . . and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). It is only after we have begun to experience what salvation really means that we surrender our will to Jesus for rest. Whatever is causing us a sense of uncertainty is actually a call to our will — “Come to Me.” And it is a voluntary coming.
Surrender for Devotion. “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself . . . ” (Matthew 16:24). The surrender here is of my self to Jesus, with His rest at the heart of my being. He says, “If you want to be My disciple, you must give up your right to yourself to Me.” And once this is done, the remainder of your life will exhibit nothing but the evidence of this surrender, and you never need to be concerned again with what the future may hold for you. Whatever your circumstances may be, Jesus is totally sufficient. (see 2 Corinthians 12:9 and (Philippians 4:19).
Surrender for Death. “. . . another will gird you . . .” (John 21:18 ; also see John21:19). Have you learned what it means to be girded for death? Beware of some surrender that you make to God in an ecstatic moment in your life, because you are apt to take it back again. True surrender is a matter of being “united together [with Jesus] in the likeness of His death” (Romans 6:5) until nothing ever appeals to you that did not appeal to Him.
And after you surrender — then what? Your entire life should be characterized by an eagerness to maintain unbroken fellowship and oneness with God.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Worship
"Human history is the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy." - C.S. Lewis
"Everybody has something, that if they lose it, they won't even want to live life anymore. That is what you're worshiping." - Tim Keller
"You will most certainly praise that which you most prize." - Darrin Patrick
What are you worshiping in your life? This isn't a new subject for me to write about but one that keeps coming back time and time again as I confront idols in my life that have built up over time. It's become increasingly clear that my biggest idol has been, and probably remains, me. My abilities, my potential, my dreams...they seem to be the biggest obstacle to placing all my hope and faith in God. In one way or another, and usually on a subconscious level, I continue to try to be my own savior. My most severe bouts of depression have occurred when I have failed to come through like I thought I would. Tim Keller is right...in those cases it greatly impaired my willingness to go on.
I remember writing an email a few months back to a friend who asked how I was doing. I used the phrase, "I have come to the end of myself". I had never used that language before but it just came out in that moment. It was profound and right and I give the Holy Spirit credit for those words of wisdom.
The truth is that we were made to worship. It's why we are here. We had this discussion recently in my men's care group. It is still an uncomfortable concept for a lot of Christians...that we aren't the center of the story. An excerpt from a recent Matt Chandler sermon lays it out with no apologies:
God created us for His glory (Isaiah 43:6-7). I want you to think about this. The reason you exist, the reason you are is for the glory of God, the name and renown of God. The praising of His infinite perfections, that’s why you exist. You’re not here for fellowship. God was not lonely and decided to make you because He was just tired of being alone after an eternity of being alone. God was perfectly content within the Godhead. God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit did not need to create you. He did create you for the praise of His glorious grace. That’s why you exist. It’s the reason you’re alive.
How does that sit with you? Is there a part of you that wants to argue against it, say that it is taking it too far? I've been there. I am still there sometimes. This world tells us just the opposite. It's about our glory. After all, it is OUR life, right? (Wrong.) Our sin, pride and selfishness often lead us to worship everything and anything but the One who made us. We love to worship the creation rather than the Creator. And our favorite part of creation is usually ourselves.
Again, it seems to just come back to the belief we have that God isn't out for our best...especially if our existence is meant to glorify Him. "What about us?", we say. So, we must go back to the cross and know that what happened there proves God's love for us and that He does have a purpose for us that is good and right and infinitely satisfying.
Going back to Chandler:
Now let me tell you why this is the best news in the universe. If God is after the praise of His glorious grace, then He is not after my begrudging submission, but rather He is after my joy. So all the commands in Scripture are about God lining you up with how He designed things to be for your greater joy. What God has enabled me to do in saving me is to spend my days making much of Him, and He never gets old, He never lets me down and He never ever runs out of areas for me to gaze upon, to wonder at and to make much of.
That rolls into this next piece. If God is for God, if our joy is inseparably linked to God being for God and if God’s salvation of us is not ultimately about us but rather setting us free to make much of Him, then heaven is an ever-increasing experience of these glories. If we had time to get into Ephesians 2, it says that in the coming ages God will show to us the riches of His grace in Christ Jesus. A billion years from now, those of you who are believers will just be scratching the surface about how infinite the joy of God is.
Here’s what has to happen. You have got to get over you. You’re not the point, and the more you think you are the point, the more you will be enslaved to a thousand vices. But when it’s not about you, you’re free. When it’s not about you, you get to extend grace. When it’s not about you, you get to rest. When it’s not about you, you get to breathe.
The truth is that we were made to worship...we were made to worship the God of the Bible, our Creator, our Savior, our Sustainer, our Hope and our Joy. That act is not meant to be one of begrudging submission bur rather of complete and perfect satisfaction. When I find myself having to force worship, or simply not desiring to worship at all, I know that I have forgotten who God is and who I am and what my heart and soul desperately need. I have lost my place in the only story that makes sense.
We must understand that God's pursuit of God and our pursuit of joy are not at odds with each other.
"The most dangerous form of idolatry does not come from things that are bad, but that are good." - Jeff Bode
In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forever (Psalms 16:11). "You can't improve Full and Forever." - John Piper
"When a man is getting better he understands more and more clearly the evil that is still left in him." - C.S. Lewis
http://fm.thevillagechurch.net/resource_files/transcripts/201108141115FMWC21ASAAA_MattChandler_VillageIdentity-TheMission.pdf
http://www.zachicks.com/blog/2012/6/4/how-passive-worshipers-become-more-active.html
"Everybody has something, that if they lose it, they won't even want to live life anymore. That is what you're worshiping." - Tim Keller
"You will most certainly praise that which you most prize." - Darrin Patrick
What are you worshiping in your life? This isn't a new subject for me to write about but one that keeps coming back time and time again as I confront idols in my life that have built up over time. It's become increasingly clear that my biggest idol has been, and probably remains, me. My abilities, my potential, my dreams...they seem to be the biggest obstacle to placing all my hope and faith in God. In one way or another, and usually on a subconscious level, I continue to try to be my own savior. My most severe bouts of depression have occurred when I have failed to come through like I thought I would. Tim Keller is right...in those cases it greatly impaired my willingness to go on.
I remember writing an email a few months back to a friend who asked how I was doing. I used the phrase, "I have come to the end of myself". I had never used that language before but it just came out in that moment. It was profound and right and I give the Holy Spirit credit for those words of wisdom.
The truth is that we were made to worship. It's why we are here. We had this discussion recently in my men's care group. It is still an uncomfortable concept for a lot of Christians...that we aren't the center of the story. An excerpt from a recent Matt Chandler sermon lays it out with no apologies:
God created us for His glory (Isaiah 43:6-7). I want you to think about this. The reason you exist, the reason you are is for the glory of God, the name and renown of God. The praising of His infinite perfections, that’s why you exist. You’re not here for fellowship. God was not lonely and decided to make you because He was just tired of being alone after an eternity of being alone. God was perfectly content within the Godhead. God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit did not need to create you. He did create you for the praise of His glorious grace. That’s why you exist. It’s the reason you’re alive.
How does that sit with you? Is there a part of you that wants to argue against it, say that it is taking it too far? I've been there. I am still there sometimes. This world tells us just the opposite. It's about our glory. After all, it is OUR life, right? (Wrong.) Our sin, pride and selfishness often lead us to worship everything and anything but the One who made us. We love to worship the creation rather than the Creator. And our favorite part of creation is usually ourselves.
Again, it seems to just come back to the belief we have that God isn't out for our best...especially if our existence is meant to glorify Him. "What about us?", we say. So, we must go back to the cross and know that what happened there proves God's love for us and that He does have a purpose for us that is good and right and infinitely satisfying.
Going back to Chandler:
Now let me tell you why this is the best news in the universe. If God is after the praise of His glorious grace, then He is not after my begrudging submission, but rather He is after my joy. So all the commands in Scripture are about God lining you up with how He designed things to be for your greater joy. What God has enabled me to do in saving me is to spend my days making much of Him, and He never gets old, He never lets me down and He never ever runs out of areas for me to gaze upon, to wonder at and to make much of.
That rolls into this next piece. If God is for God, if our joy is inseparably linked to God being for God and if God’s salvation of us is not ultimately about us but rather setting us free to make much of Him, then heaven is an ever-increasing experience of these glories. If we had time to get into Ephesians 2, it says that in the coming ages God will show to us the riches of His grace in Christ Jesus. A billion years from now, those of you who are believers will just be scratching the surface about how infinite the joy of God is.
Here’s what has to happen. You have got to get over you. You’re not the point, and the more you think you are the point, the more you will be enslaved to a thousand vices. But when it’s not about you, you’re free. When it’s not about you, you get to extend grace. When it’s not about you, you get to rest. When it’s not about you, you get to breathe.
The truth is that we were made to worship...we were made to worship the God of the Bible, our Creator, our Savior, our Sustainer, our Hope and our Joy. That act is not meant to be one of begrudging submission bur rather of complete and perfect satisfaction. When I find myself having to force worship, or simply not desiring to worship at all, I know that I have forgotten who God is and who I am and what my heart and soul desperately need. I have lost my place in the only story that makes sense.
We must understand that God's pursuit of God and our pursuit of joy are not at odds with each other.
"The most dangerous form of idolatry does not come from things that are bad, but that are good." - Jeff Bode
In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forever (Psalms 16:11). "You can't improve Full and Forever." - John Piper
"When a man is getting better he understands more and more clearly the evil that is still left in him." - C.S. Lewis
http://fm.thevillagechurch.net/resource_files/transcripts/201108141115FMWC21ASAAA_MattChandler_VillageIdentity-TheMission.pdf
http://www.zachicks.com/blog/2012/6/4/how-passive-worshipers-become-more-active.html
Monday, August 29, 2011
Not of...but sent into
From Desiring God...
“In. . . but not of” — are you familiar with this popular phrase? It captures a truth about Jesus’ followers. We are “in” this world, but not “of” it.
“In. . . but not of.” Yes, yes, of course.
But might this pithy slogan give the wrong impression about our (co)mission in this world as Christians? You see, the motto seems to give the drift, we are in this world, alas, but we need to make sure that we’re not of it. In this scheme, the starting place is our unfortunate condition of being “in” this world. Sigh. And our mission, it appears, is to not be “of” it. The force is moving away from the world. “Shucks, we’re frustratingly stuck in this ole world, but let’s marshal our best energies to not be of it.” It’s an emphasis that’s sometimes needed.
But we’d do well to run stuff like this through biblical texts. And on this one in particular, we do well to turn to John 17, where Jesus is using these “in” and “not off” categories. So what’s Jesus’ sentiment on the whole thing?
Jesus’ Take
On the eve of his crucifixion, Jesus prays to his Father in John 17:14–19,
I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
Not of This World
Notice Jesus’ references to his disciples being “not of the world.” Verse 14: “The world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” And there it is again in verse 16: “They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.”
So let’s all agree that it is clearly the case that Jesus does not want his followers to be “of the world.” Amen. He says that he himself is “not of the world,” and he says that his disciples are “not of the world.” Here’s a good impulse in the slogan “in. . . but not of.”
Where It’s Headed
But notice for Jesus how being “not of the world” isn’t the destination in these verses but the starting place. It’s not what things are moving toward, but what they’re moving from. He is not of the world, and he begins with saying that his followers are not of the world. But Jesus is headed somewhere.
Enter verse 18: “As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.”
And don’t miss the (possibly) surprising prayer of verse 15: “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.”
Sent into This World
Jesus is not asking his Father for his disciples to be taken out of the world, but he is praying for them as they are “sent into” the world. He begins with them being “not of the world” and prays for them as they are “sent into” the world.
So maybe it would serve us better — at least in light of John 17 — to revise the popular phrase “in. . . but not of” in this way: “not of. . . but sent into.” The beginning place is being “not of the world,” and the movement is toward being “sent into” the world. The accent falls on being sent, with a mission, to the world — not being mainly on a mission to disassociate from this world.
Crucified to the World — And Raised to It
The assumption is that those who have embraced Jesus and identified with him are indeed not of the world. And now the summons is our sending — we are sent into the world on mission for gospel advance through disciplemaking.
Jesus’ followers have not only been crucified to the world, but also raised to new life and sent back into it to free others.
May God be pleased to make our not-of-this-world churches to be more and more communities also sent into this world.
“In. . . but not of” — are you familiar with this popular phrase? It captures a truth about Jesus’ followers. We are “in” this world, but not “of” it.
“In. . . but not of.” Yes, yes, of course.
But might this pithy slogan give the wrong impression about our (co)mission in this world as Christians? You see, the motto seems to give the drift, we are in this world, alas, but we need to make sure that we’re not of it. In this scheme, the starting place is our unfortunate condition of being “in” this world. Sigh. And our mission, it appears, is to not be “of” it. The force is moving away from the world. “Shucks, we’re frustratingly stuck in this ole world, but let’s marshal our best energies to not be of it.” It’s an emphasis that’s sometimes needed.
But we’d do well to run stuff like this through biblical texts. And on this one in particular, we do well to turn to John 17, where Jesus is using these “in” and “not off” categories. So what’s Jesus’ sentiment on the whole thing?
Jesus’ Take
On the eve of his crucifixion, Jesus prays to his Father in John 17:14–19,
I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
Not of This World
Notice Jesus’ references to his disciples being “not of the world.” Verse 14: “The world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” And there it is again in verse 16: “They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.”
So let’s all agree that it is clearly the case that Jesus does not want his followers to be “of the world.” Amen. He says that he himself is “not of the world,” and he says that his disciples are “not of the world.” Here’s a good impulse in the slogan “in. . . but not of.”
Where It’s Headed
But notice for Jesus how being “not of the world” isn’t the destination in these verses but the starting place. It’s not what things are moving toward, but what they’re moving from. He is not of the world, and he begins with saying that his followers are not of the world. But Jesus is headed somewhere.
Enter verse 18: “As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.”
And don’t miss the (possibly) surprising prayer of verse 15: “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.”
Sent into This World
Jesus is not asking his Father for his disciples to be taken out of the world, but he is praying for them as they are “sent into” the world. He begins with them being “not of the world” and prays for them as they are “sent into” the world.
So maybe it would serve us better — at least in light of John 17 — to revise the popular phrase “in. . . but not of” in this way: “not of. . . but sent into.” The beginning place is being “not of the world,” and the movement is toward being “sent into” the world. The accent falls on being sent, with a mission, to the world — not being mainly on a mission to disassociate from this world.
Crucified to the World — And Raised to It
The assumption is that those who have embraced Jesus and identified with him are indeed not of the world. And now the summons is our sending — we are sent into the world on mission for gospel advance through disciplemaking.
Jesus’ followers have not only been crucified to the world, but also raised to new life and sent back into it to free others.
May God be pleased to make our not-of-this-world churches to be more and more communities also sent into this world.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
My Soul's Desire
I hate my sin.
I hate that I fall back into sins that I felt at one point were behind me.
I hate that my mind doesn't imitate Philippians 4:8.
I hate that I value myself more highly than I value my Creator.
I hate that my selfishness impacts my ministry to others.
I hate that I have just cause to write all of this and much more.
And what I hate most of all is that I don't hate any of these things as much as I truly should.
But I do love my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who has covered my multitude of sins on the cross through His death and resurrection.
Some people say that we spend too much time focusing on being "sinners saved by grace". That we should talk more about our restored glory, being a co-heir with Christ and being a new creation with a new name. Those are all amazing and wonderful things to be thankful for and to meditate on.
But the ministry to my soul has always rested, and I believe always will rest, on the recognition, acceptance and truth of being a sinner saved by grace.
And that makes me want to love Jesus more.
Godliness is how you live when you believe that Jesus is better than sin.
I hate that I fall back into sins that I felt at one point were behind me.
I hate that my mind doesn't imitate Philippians 4:8.
I hate that I value myself more highly than I value my Creator.
I hate that my selfishness impacts my ministry to others.
I hate that I have just cause to write all of this and much more.
And what I hate most of all is that I don't hate any of these things as much as I truly should.
But I do love my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who has covered my multitude of sins on the cross through His death and resurrection.
Some people say that we spend too much time focusing on being "sinners saved by grace". That we should talk more about our restored glory, being a co-heir with Christ and being a new creation with a new name. Those are all amazing and wonderful things to be thankful for and to meditate on.
But the ministry to my soul has always rested, and I believe always will rest, on the recognition, acceptance and truth of being a sinner saved by grace.
And that makes me want to love Jesus more.
Godliness is how you live when you believe that Jesus is better than sin.
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