Part II--The Eternal Heaven
But Jesus made it clear that most people are not going to Heaven when he said the gateway to life is narrow and "only a few ever find it".
Jesus taught that in Hell the wicked suffer terribly, are fully conscious, retain their desires and memories and reasoning, long for relief, cannot be comforted, cannot leave their torment, and are bereft of hope.
When we hear that in Heaven we will have new bodies and live on a New Earth, this is how we should understand the word new--a restored and perfected version of our familiar bodies and our familiar Earth and our familiar relationships.
As our current bodies are the blueprints for our resurrection bodies, this present Earth is the blueprint for the New Earth.
Too see God's face is the loftiest of all aspirations--though sadly, for most of us, it's not at the top of our wish lists. (If we understood what it meant, it would be.) To be told we'll see God's face is shocking to anyone who understands God's transcendence and inapproachability.
Exodus 33:18-23....Moses responded, "Then show me your glorious presence." The Lord replied, "I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will call out my name, Yahweh, before you....But you may not look directly at my face, for no one may see me and live." The Lord continued, "Look, stand near me on this rock. As my glorious presence passes by, I will hide you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand and let you see me from behind. But my face will not be seen."
Moses saw God, but not God's face. Too see God's face was utterly unthinkable. That's why, when we're told in Revelation 22:4 that we'll see God's face, it should astound us.
Seeing God would be like seeing everything else for the first time. Why? Because not only will we see God, he will be the lens through which we see everything else--people, ourselves, and the events of this life.
Part III--Life on the New Earth
Isaiah 11:6-9--In that day, the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard will lie down with the baby goat. The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion, and a little child will lead them all...The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra. Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes without harm....For as the waters fill the sea, so the earth will be filled with people who know the Lord.
Some people may say, "To imagine God would populate worlds with new beings is just science fiction". We may have it backward. Science fiction is the result of mankind's God-given sense of adventure, wonder, creativity, and imagination. It emerges from being made in God's image. It's not our sinfulness that arouses that excitement. It's our God-given hunger for adventure, for new realms and new beings, for new beauties and new knowledge.
God has given us a longing for new worlds.
1 Corinthians 6:2-3--"Don't you realize that someday we believers will judge the world? And since you are going o judge the world, can't you decide even these little things among yourselves? Don't you realize that we will judge angels?"
On the New Earth, human beings will govern angels. Perhaps the same angels who serve God now by watching out for us in this life will be under our leadership then. If so, imagine the stories they'll have to tell us!
Death is relocation of the same person from one place to another. The place changes, but the person remains the same.
We should expect the New Earth to be a place where we'll fulfill our calling to be faithful rulers and stewards of animals.
Today, Satan can speak through a human being but not an animal because people can talk and animals can't. But the fact that he spoke though an animal in Eden suggests the animals had the capacity to speak. There's no indication Eve was surprised to hear an animal speak, which suggests other animals also may have spoken. Even today whales, dolphins, elephants, and birds, as well as various primates, make sounds that communicate specific and sometimes detailed messages to their own kind. Might they originally have had even greater communicative abilities?
If people will be smarter and more capable on the New Earth, should it surprise us that animals might also be smarter and more capable? Might their restored or enhanced abilities include communication understandable to humans?
Psalm 56:8--"You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book."
There are also other books in Heaven. The books spoken of in Revelation 20 contain detailed historical records of the lives of all of us on this earth. The book mentioned specifically is the Book of Life, in which the names of God's people are written. There's no indication that these books will be destroyed.
God is proud of his people for fearing him and honoring his name. He promises that one day all will plainly see the differences between those who serve him and those who don't.
Satan's most basic strategy, the same one he employed with Adam and Eve, is to make us believe that sin brings fulfillment. However, in reality, sin robs us of fulfillment.
When there's fulfillment, when there's beauty, when we see God as he truly is--an endless reservoir of fascination--boredom becomes impossible.
Imagine the ability to question and challenge without any malice and to be questioned and challenged without a hint of defensiveness. Wouldn't that be Heaven?
God placed just one restriction on Adam and Eve in Eden, and when they disregarded it, the universe unraveled. On the New Earth, God will no longer put that test before us. No rules will be needed, for our hearts will be given over to God. What we should do will at last be identical with what we want to do.
Revelation 21:4--"He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain."
This verse primarily addresses the tears coming from in justice and sorrow, not tears per se. Regardless we know there will be no more tears of grief because there will be no more reason for grief.
We should anticipate pure and accurately informed emotions guided by reality. Our present emotions are skewed by sin, but one day they'll be delivered from it.
We know that people in Heaven have lots of feelings--all good ones.
As music is a means of worship, so is dancing. Unfortunately, many popular forms of dancing have become associated with immorality and immodesty. But of course, those kinds of dancing won't exist on the New Earth.
Heaven won't be without families, but will be one big family, in which all family members are friends and all friends are family members. Many of us treasure our families. But many others have endured a lifetime of broken hearts stemming from twisted family relationships. In Heaven neither we nor our family members will cause pain. Our relationships will be harmonious--what we've always longed for.
Adam and Eve had a capacity for sin, just as we do now, but when we're with God, we'll no longer have that capacity. The inability to sin doesn't inherently violate free will. God cannot sin, yet no being has greater free choice than God. We will forever choose freely and rightly.
Our relationships were appointed by God, and there's every reason to believe they'll continue in Heaven. Friendships begun on Earth will continue in Heaven, becoming richer than ever.
Perhaps you're disappointed that you've never had the friendships you long for. In Heaven you'll have much closer relationships with some people you now know, but it's also true that you may never have met the closest friends you'll ever have. Just as someone may be fifty years old before meeting her best friend, you may live on the New Earth enjoying many friendships before meeting someone who will become your dearest friend. Or, maybe your best friend will be someone you've never met, sitting next to you at the first great feast.
Jesus went to the cross to offer salvation to all because God doesn't desire any to perish in their unbelief. So even if God offered mercy, what consolation will that be to us if our loved ones refused to receive it?
What we loved in those who died without Christ was God's beauty we once saw in them. When God forever withdraws from them, I think it's likely they'll no longer bear his image and no longer reflect his beauty. Without God, they'll be stripped of all the qualities we loved. Therefore, paradoxically, they will not truly be the people we loved. I can't prove biblically what I've just stated, but it rings true to me, even if the thought now seems horrifying.
If we weren't ourselves in the afterlife, then we couldn't be held accountable for what we did in this life. Our own personal history and identity will endure from one Earth to the next.
If you know Jesus, you'll be in Heaven--without the bad parts--forever.
The point of comparing our knowing to God's knowing is that we'll know fully, in the sense of accurately but not exhaustively. When we die, we'll see things far more clearly and we'll know much more than we do now, but we'll never know everything. And we'll spend eternity gaining the greater knowledge we'll seek.
Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature. Jesus learned obedience. Growing and learning cannot be bad; the sinless Son of God experienced them.
When we enter Heaven, we'll presumably begin with the knowledge we had at the time of our death. God may enhance our knowledge and will likely correct countless wrong perceptions. I imagine he'll reveal many new things to us, then set us on a course of continual learning, paralleling Adam and Eve's. We won't ever know everything, and even what we will know, we won't know all at once.
On the New Earth, no good thing will be destroyed. I believe all of the old Earth that matters will be drawn into Heaven, to be part of the New Earth.
Once mankind is made righteous and entrusted with stewarding the New Earth, God will likely restore a common language.
Luke 6:21--"God blesses you who are hungry now, for you will be satisfied. God blesses you who weep now, for in due time you will laugh."
The reward of those who mourn now will be laughter later.
If resurrection had meant the creation of a new body, Christ's original body would have remained in the tomb. When we receive our resurrected bodies, we'll no doubt have some welcome surprises, maybe even some new features (though no glitches).
Your body does not merely house the real you--it is as much a part of who you are as your spirit is.
But if we understand that we'll actually live in a new heavens and New Earth, a new universe full of new opportunities, then we can forgo certain pleasures and experiences now, knowing we can enjoy them later.
Because our hearts will be pure and we'll see people as they truly are, every relationship in Heaven will be pure. We'll all be faithful to love of our lives: King Jesus. We couldn't do anything behind his back even if we wanted to. But we'll never want to.
Troubled sleep and sleeplessness are products of sin and the Curse, but sleep itself is God's gift.
Technology is a God-given aspect of human capability that enables us to fulfill his command to exercise dominion.
The passing of time will no longer threaten us. It will bring new adventures without a sense of loss for what must end. We'll live with time, no longer under its pressure.
But in Heaven, God may permit us to see what happened in the spiritual realm when he answered our prayers.
God is certainly capable of bending time and opening doors in time's fabric for us. Because God is not limited by time, he may choose to show us past events as if they were presently happening. We may be able to study history from a front-row seat. Perhaps we'll have opportunity to see the lives of our spiritual and physical ancestors lived out on Earth.
This planet is the setting for God's ultimate comfort, for his reversal of life's injustices and tragedies. God promises to make up for the heartbreaks of this life.
Are you living with the disappointment of unfulfilled dreams? In Heaven you'll find their fulfillment. Did poverty, poor health, war, or lack of time prevent you from pursuing an adventure or dream? Did you never get to finish building that boat or painting that picture or writing that book--or reading that pile of books? Good news. One the New Earth you may well have a second chance, or an eternity of renewed opportunities, to do what you dreamed of doing--and far more besides.
Work wasn't part of the Curse. The Curse, rather, made work menial, tedious, and frustrating. We'll have satisfying and enriching work that we can't wait to get back to, work that'll never be drudgery.
Jesus found great satisfaction in his work. We create, accomplish, set goals, and fulfill them--to God's glory.
Even under the Curse, we catch glimpses of how work can be enriching, how it can build relationships, and how it can help us to improve. Work stretches us in ways that make us smarter, wiser, and more fulfilled.
Because there will be continuity from the Old Earth to the new, it's possible we'll continue some of the work we started on the old Earth. Of course, some people's jobs won't exist on the New Earth, among them dentists, police officers, funeral directors, and insurance salespeople. What are now their interests or hobbies may become their main vocations. Others might continue working as they do now, as gardeners, engineers, builders, artists, animal trainers, musicians, scientists, craftspeople, or hundreds of other vocations. A significant difference will be that they'll work without the hindrances of toil, pain, corruption, sin, and exhaustion.
The first person Scripture describes as filled with the Spirit of God wasn't a prophet or priest; he was a craftsman. God gifted and called Bezalel to be a skilled laborer, a master craftsman, a God-glorifying artist. When we die, we won't leave behind our creativity but only what hinders our ability to honor God through what we create.
I believe we will see trade and business, although not for all the same reasons we engage in them now. Business is not the result of sin but of human interdependence, creativity and variety. There's much more to business and trade than putting food on the table or repairing the roof, though those are good reasons. Whether you work in a bookstore, bakery, or school, don't you experience joy in using your knowledge, skills, services, and products to help an please others? Sure, it's good and often necessary to earn money, too, but that isn't the ultimate source of joy.
Part IV--Can You Know You're Going to Heaven?
Make the conscious decision to repent of your sins and accept Christ's sacrificial death on your behalf. When you choose to place your faith in Christ and surrender control of your life to him, you can be certain that your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life.
Part V--God's Promises About Heaven
Ecclesiastes 3:11--"God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end."
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Monday, October 7, 2013
"Gods At War" by Kyle Idleman--notes by Chapter
Chapter 2--The Battleground of the Gods
What Infuriates You?
Everyone has a hot button or two--something that we say "makes us crazy". Are you so competitive that you can't stand for your team to lose a pickup game at the gym? Could it be that being the best is your idol? How do you respond sitting in traffic? When someone cuts you off, drives too close, speeds up and won't let you in, why does this stranger have so much power over your emotions? What about when someone embarrasses you or doesn't treat you with respect? What's the real issue here? Maybe your quick temper reveals the oldest idol of them all--the god of me.
Chapter 3--A Jealous God
In our times, it's common to live a nomadic existence, to move from city to city, from church to church within cities, from partner to partner. Our eyes are always on the horizon, looking for the bigger house, the superior career choice, the better life. We're always watching for a better deal. We live in a world where "no strings attached" is a popular choice when it comes to relationships. We seem to be a generation with one commitment: keeping our options open.
The only relationship God is interested in is one that is exclusive and completely committed. He is not interested in an "open relationship" with you. He won't consider sharing space on the loveseat of your heart.
Paul Copan (philosophy professor at Palm Beach Atlantic University) describes God' deep passion for our wholehearted devotion. People, he says, are like the dog who drinks out of the toilet bowl and says, "It doesn't get much better than this!" We could be enjoying the living water that only Christ can offer, yet we choose substitutes that are shockingly, disgustingly inferior.
Chapter 4--Calling all Gods
The gods that compete for our attention come at us based on the circumstances of our every day existence. They may have made a few costume changes over the years, but the categories are the same.
When you subtract the religious language, worship is the built-in human reflex to put your hope in something or someone and then chase after it. You hold something up and then give your life to pursuing it. And when you begin to align yourself with that pursuit, then, whether you realize it or not, you are worshipping.
The end result, of course, is that our lives begin to take the shape of what we care about most. We each make the choice to worship, and then at some point we discover that the choice to worship, and then at some point, we discover that the choice makes us. The object of your worship will determine your future and define your life. It's the one choice that all other choices are motivated by.
Joshua--"Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve." **At least, he is saying, make an educated decision on the great goal of your life. Otherwise you will passively flow into some choice by mere osmosis, a little bit of you at a time, until you find yourself inside a temple bowing down to a god you never consciously chose.**
We raise our children in the faith we have--or the lack thereof. We may not do so consciously, but we are constantly erecting idols in our homes and teaching our children about who or what is worthy of our worship.
The law of exposure means that our minds absorb and our lives ultimately reflect whatever we are most frequently exposed to.
Here's my point: A lot of people become Christians. They invite Jesus Christ to come into their lives, to take the throne of their heart. Everything is great, but then they catch a strange whiff of something and realize they've brought stuff with them. Stuff that is embarrassing. Stuff that is fragrant, and not in a good way. Stuff that should have been destroyed a long time ago but managed to come along for the ride. It's hard to understand because they know their sins are forgiven. If they've been thoroughly cleaned, why is this stuff still clinging to them? In many ways, they haven't changed since their conversion; they still have the old desires, the old habits, . They've invited on Lord into their lives, but they're still paying attention to the old gods. That is the challenge for many of us: the problem is that we have tried to follow him without leaving something behind.
Chapter 7--The God of Entertainment
Have you ever had a Solomon moment in which you watch your fourth straight "reality show" or flipped through hundreds of channels and concluded, "there is nothing on!" What you're really saying is "Meaningless, meaningless! Utterly meaningless!" Instead of being entertained, we increasingly become the opposite--bored.
Neil Postman (author) wrote that popular culture is dumbing down our world at a startling fast rate.
Solomon seems to say, "It just wears me out. You work hard and what do you have to show for it? I mean really." He uses the rotation of the earth and weather patterns as examples of how he feels about life. It's like we're just spinning in circles. He wrote these words before the internet, iPods, and satellite TV. Never in the history of humanity has there been so much entertainment and so little satisfaction.
C.S. Lewis--"Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger...well, there is such thing as food. A duckling want to swim, there is such a things as water. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing."
We want pure, unadulterated joy, and the trail finally leads to God himself.
We were made for God, and until he is our greatest pleasure, all the other pleasures of this life will lead to emptiness.
A.W. Tozer said the more vibrant our inner lives are, the less we need from the outside--that is, the more active we are in mind and spirit, the less we need to fall back on external media and other input.
There is a place in life for relaxation through various forms of entertainment, including sports, television, movies, music, and games, but the question is, Do we seek to fill the spiritual vacuum inside us with empty entertainment, or is it the empty entertainment that is creating the vacuum? But there's plenty of evidence that our increasing reliance on the flash and glamour of our entertainment is blinding us to quieter and truer pleasure.
So how do we smash these idols? How do we kick them off the heart's throne? Often it's as easy as turning the power off.
Worshipping in Haiti, they can go 6 hours no problem. Why? They have no distractions! The Lord doesn't have much competition.
Chapter 8--The God of Success
He plays on the most basic problem of humanity--that pull toward doing it our way, aka pride.
In fact, one of the most common gods of success is the worship of religious rules. We put our trust in our own mastery of rule-keeping.
The god of success invites you to save yourself instead of depending upon Jesus to do it. Being a devoted disciple means they must acknowledge their own helplessness and their ultimate need--the need for rescue. It's not easy for a successful person to admit the need for help.
That makes sense to us, because life as we know it is all about earning things, making our own way. If you want something, you work for it.
When it comes to guilt, however, there's one problem: sin has put all of us hopelessly in debt. We'll never be successful enough. There are not enough deeds or donations in the world to buy an ounce of the purity we need.
So in God's economy, success only comes when we declare spiritual bankruptcy.
The rich young ruler had come to define himself by his success and accomplishments, whether they were counted in cash or commandments. he knew that no matter how much he wanted to go after Jesus, there was a price he would not pay; there was a god he could not overthrow.
For some people, the idea of standing before God without and impressive resume is unthinkable. We want to show him our success, prove our worth. But to God, success is precisely the opposite of that. It's being willing to step away from all the stuff, all the achievements, and say, "None of that means a thing to me, Lord. I lay it all before you; you and only you are my success.
Success is a word we use to speak of something that we have done and accomplished. The circumstances of your life can be the same, but the work blessed is an indication not that you have done something, but that something has been done for you.
Let me put it this way: success is when we achieve; blessed is when we receive. If we say, "I'm successful," we are giving the glory to ourselves. When we say, "I'm blessed," we are giving the glory to God.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:3)
Jesus is describing people who know they don't have it all figured out, people who are humble enough to ask for help.
This world's success puts the emphasis on being self-sufficient and self-reliant, acting as if we've got it all figured out. But Jesus redefines a successful life as one that humbly says to God, "I can't do this on my own. I need your help."
Some of us are formal goal setters; others have more vague ideas about what direction we would like to head.
You could have a dream of playing professional basketball, owning your business, or any number of other things. The real question is, What drives your goals? What is your motivation? Is it for your glory, or God's?
But along the way, climbing, working, earning, and achieving became ends in themselves. It was no longer about what we could do, but about whom we could out-do.
And we had several unhappy surprises. One was that we hurt people as we climbed over them or elbowed them down the hill. Another was that we were always weary from the effort. Not to mention always wary of the challengers to the throne. And the greatest surprise was that the top of the hill wasn't nearly as great as we thought it would be.
Chapter 9--The God of Money
Democracy was the star of the American dream, and when people talked about their "pursuit of happiness" the god of money would think to himself, What they really mean is the pursuit of me. Money has grown so dominant in our culture that it's difficult for us to stand far enough back to get a perspective.
The man in Luke 12:16-19 doesn't seem to understand that he has what he has because God has given it to him. When we approach money from the perspective that it belongs to us, it just doesn't work.
Psalm 24:1 simply puts it this way, "The earth is the Lord's and everything in it." When we keep that perspective we understand our dependence on him and we worship him as the provider.
God has given us the use of his resources for a short time here on earth, and we have much to be grateful for. Go through your day sometime just recognizing that everything is God's. Get out of God's bed and walk into God's bathroom, and turn on God's shower, and then put on God's clothes Eat God's cereal and drink God's coffee. Get in God's car and head to work. When we start to see all of our resources as God's it helps us develop and attitude of gratitude that leads to a heart of worship.
The reason money so often ends up being God's chief competition is that we tend to ascribe divine attributes to it. we look to money to do for us the very thing God wants to do for us.
And maybe you think if you could save just enough money, all your worries would go away. When we look to money as a security, it becomes our god, because that's where we are putting our hope and our dependence. Prayer becomes nice but not necessary because we have enough money to meet our own needs.
Proverbs 30:8-9 says "Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me my daily bread. Other, I may have too much and disown you and say, "Who is the Lord?" The gods of success appeal to our self-sufficiency.
If money and success are your gods, may you be so blessed as to have them taken away from you, rather than spend your life bowing don to them only to find out you missed the real thing.
But even though experientially we know that money won't satisfy us, we seem to always be chasing it. I know in my head that simplicity is highly underrated and wealth brings unanticipated complications, but something within my heart still says "more".
Where we put our money reveals what we've put our trust in. (Matthew 6:21--Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.")
Giving away money breaks its power. It's like you're saying to money, "I don't even care about you. you are so unimportant to me that I can just give you away."
Chapter 10--The God of Achievement
It's not surprising that, in our culture, personal achievement is a very powerful and alluring idol. But when our lives are all about getting things done, we can find that there is not much room for God. Instead, our approach to worshipping God can be checking off a box on our to-do list labeled "Go to church".
But Jesus wasn't preoccupied with a checklist of things to do and objective to meet that day. He wasn't a slave to his schedule but simply stated that he did whatever the Father wanted him to do. He regularly took time to get away and pray.
The god of achievement distracts us from following Jesus by distracting us with all the things that need to be done. How often do we live with good intentions of spending time with Jesus and turning our heart toward him only to find at the end of the day that's the one thing on our checklist that we never got around to?
The god of achievement offers a method of measurement. For many of us it's much easier to give our time to the tangible. We like to see what we got done.
When I get through spending time with Jesus, I don't see immediate results, but when I paint a room, the change is obvious. When I spend time in prayer and worship there isn't immediate visual evidence that I've accomplished something, but when I balance the budget, I've got something to show for it.
What we are doing may be good, but the good is bad when there is something better.
Once again we see that many of the gods that battle for our hearts don't try to lure us with what is obviously wrong or overtly sinful. The issue of idolatry comes down to one word: choice.
(Martha and Mary) Martha compares herself and seems to be keeping score. High achievers will turn almost anything into a competition.
Symptoms of the god of achievement:
1. A constant frustration with people in your life who, from your perspective, aren't getting it done. This frustration with others for not dong their fair share comes to the surface in the form of criticism.
2. Constant sense of discontentment with yourself for not getting done what you hoped you would.
When we worship the god of achievement, getting things done and getting things done right becomes more important than almost anything or anyone else. It's hard to worship the god of achievement and be still and worship the Lord God at the same time.
But that's the illusion of achievement. We begin to believe in what we've done, but it's more than that. What we've done begins to define who we are. We are our achievements. When you meet other adults these days, they introduce themselves with name and business. I know that's just how we talk, but our jobs are becoming almost hyphenated to our names, which of course is how surnames began. John the miller became John Miller, and Peter the baker became Peter Baker.
Shelia Walsh--"I measured myself by what other people thought of me. That was slowly killing me." She didn't think it [being in a mental hospital] was a big deal, because it seemed to her that she had already lost everything. And sometimes, that's what it takes for us to connect with God. The idols have to be burned down, and that can be incredibly painful. We have to let go of a lot of garbage before we can gain the one thing worth having--but we're very attached to that garbage. It seems like a part of us. It takes a lot of faith to let go of all that junk and take hold of the cross with both hands.
From the distance of the years, he realized he had gone so far and enjoyed too little. Who had time to enjoy? The work as sacred. You worked, and that created more work. It never ended.
Strange how a man can go behind bars, yet be more free than he's ever been. Don't just choose what is good, choose what is better.
Hard work is good, but why are you doing it? Is it to prove yourself? Driven people are highly busy, and they see what as a sign of their success or significance. They don't tend to enjoy their work, but only the results of it, the fact of reaching a goal. Guilt is a motivation factor in all they do.
Chapter 11--The God of Love
When you make a relationship with someone else your god, it will eventually be marked with disappointment and bitterness. When you look to someone to be your god, they are going to let you down. When you say to someone, "I want you to satisfy me; I want you to save me; I want you to be my source of significance," what you're really saying is, "I want you to be god to me." Well, that's a lot to ask of someone. That puts a lot of pressure on the relationship, and given enough time that pressure will cause some cracks.
Chapter 12--The God of Family
In C. S. Lewis's view, it's not so much that God won't let us into heaven it's what we won't let ourselves in. If we can't learn how to say, "Thy will be done," then finally God must sadly say, "Okay , then thy will be done."
We're doing what we're supposed to be doing [raising a family], we simply don't realize we've gotten things out of order.
God's greatest gifts are also His greatest tests. The more beautiful a thing is, the more capacity it has to become an idol. The more I fear losing it, the more likely I am to worship it.
As I was working on this chapter, I happened to be talking to a young mother who listened carefully as I communicated this ideas. After taking time to reflect on it she became convicted that her children had become false gods in her life. I asked her what led her to that conclusion. She explained that it wasn't that she made them to much of a priority, she said; it was more about letting them control her. Her children, and what was going on with them, determined whether or not she had a good say. If they behaved themselves and didn't throw any tantrums, she could feel good about life. Otherwise she could not. If they were happy, she was happy. If they were upset, she was upset. Her children had the power to fill her with anger or peace, with disappointment or joy. She realized that they were control-passed. This is exactly what a false go does: it recreates us in its own image.
If I am constantly critical of others for the emptiness I feel, if I am always giving the ones I live a hard time for not meeting my needs and not making me happy, it's almost likely because I'm asking them to do something they weren't made to do. They can give me love and joy, but there's a deeper satisfaction and contentment that much come from god alone. Criticism often marks our families and relationships because we want someone to do for us what only God can do for us and they are always falling short.
Chapter 13--The God of Me
In my brokenness, I feel the pull to worship me. I hear the whispered lie that Adam and Eve first heard: "Your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God" (Gen. 3-5). Why serve? You rule! You have everything you need to be your own god. Every day is a trip to that orchard; every day the snake is waiting. I must face the same choice: Will I worship God, and find my true place in this universe, the perfect place he has arranged for me? Or will I worship me and decide I can somehow come up with a better life then he Creator of all could design?
One symptom of worshipping the god of me is arrogance. I'm always right. My way is the best way. The god of me won't listen to the wisdom others. Another symptom that surfaces when I start to worship the god of me is insecurity. The god of me is consumed with what others think and terrified of trying something and failing. You can't help but be self-conscious, because when you're god, it's all about you. How about defensiveness? Have you ever found yourself taking the slightest suggestion, the blandest criticism, as a personal attack? What makes people this way? Well, when you're god, you must be perfect, and no one else could possibly be in a position to criticize you. The god of me will make you lonely, because you can't handle equals. You certainly can't handle authority. You need people to constantly reaffirm that it's all about you.
Instead of looking to God as a source of comfort, we turn to:
But you've patching one leak after another and it seems that it is beyond repair.
you had such hopes and dream for them [your children]. You've done your best and invested so much in them. And now there is a sense of panic as you see the decisions they are making and direction they are going and where it's all leading; you're left wondering, How did this happen?
With panic and dread you look on but it seems like there is nothing you can do.
Are you stressed out and thirsty for peace? Are you lonely and thirsty for love? Are you bored and thirsty for purpose? Are you thirsty for acceptance? For validation? For significance? Are you just thirsty for something more? The of me relentlessly calls us to chase after all these things. But ultimately we're left more thirsty than ever.
So here's the invitation from Jesus: "Drink from me, and you'll never thirst again."
What Infuriates You?
Everyone has a hot button or two--something that we say "makes us crazy". Are you so competitive that you can't stand for your team to lose a pickup game at the gym? Could it be that being the best is your idol? How do you respond sitting in traffic? When someone cuts you off, drives too close, speeds up and won't let you in, why does this stranger have so much power over your emotions? What about when someone embarrasses you or doesn't treat you with respect? What's the real issue here? Maybe your quick temper reveals the oldest idol of them all--the god of me.
Chapter 3--A Jealous God
In our times, it's common to live a nomadic existence, to move from city to city, from church to church within cities, from partner to partner. Our eyes are always on the horizon, looking for the bigger house, the superior career choice, the better life. We're always watching for a better deal. We live in a world where "no strings attached" is a popular choice when it comes to relationships. We seem to be a generation with one commitment: keeping our options open.
The only relationship God is interested in is one that is exclusive and completely committed. He is not interested in an "open relationship" with you. He won't consider sharing space on the loveseat of your heart.
Paul Copan (philosophy professor at Palm Beach Atlantic University) describes God' deep passion for our wholehearted devotion. People, he says, are like the dog who drinks out of the toilet bowl and says, "It doesn't get much better than this!" We could be enjoying the living water that only Christ can offer, yet we choose substitutes that are shockingly, disgustingly inferior.
Chapter 4--Calling all Gods
The gods that compete for our attention come at us based on the circumstances of our every day existence. They may have made a few costume changes over the years, but the categories are the same.
When you subtract the religious language, worship is the built-in human reflex to put your hope in something or someone and then chase after it. You hold something up and then give your life to pursuing it. And when you begin to align yourself with that pursuit, then, whether you realize it or not, you are worshipping.
The end result, of course, is that our lives begin to take the shape of what we care about most. We each make the choice to worship, and then at some point we discover that the choice to worship, and then at some point, we discover that the choice makes us. The object of your worship will determine your future and define your life. It's the one choice that all other choices are motivated by.
Joshua--"Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve." **At least, he is saying, make an educated decision on the great goal of your life. Otherwise you will passively flow into some choice by mere osmosis, a little bit of you at a time, until you find yourself inside a temple bowing down to a god you never consciously chose.**
We raise our children in the faith we have--or the lack thereof. We may not do so consciously, but we are constantly erecting idols in our homes and teaching our children about who or what is worthy of our worship.
The law of exposure means that our minds absorb and our lives ultimately reflect whatever we are most frequently exposed to.
Here's my point: A lot of people become Christians. They invite Jesus Christ to come into their lives, to take the throne of their heart. Everything is great, but then they catch a strange whiff of something and realize they've brought stuff with them. Stuff that is embarrassing. Stuff that is fragrant, and not in a good way. Stuff that should have been destroyed a long time ago but managed to come along for the ride. It's hard to understand because they know their sins are forgiven. If they've been thoroughly cleaned, why is this stuff still clinging to them? In many ways, they haven't changed since their conversion; they still have the old desires, the old habits, . They've invited on Lord into their lives, but they're still paying attention to the old gods. That is the challenge for many of us: the problem is that we have tried to follow him without leaving something behind.
Chapter 7--The God of Entertainment
Have you ever had a Solomon moment in which you watch your fourth straight "reality show" or flipped through hundreds of channels and concluded, "there is nothing on!" What you're really saying is "Meaningless, meaningless! Utterly meaningless!" Instead of being entertained, we increasingly become the opposite--bored.
Neil Postman (author) wrote that popular culture is dumbing down our world at a startling fast rate.
Solomon seems to say, "It just wears me out. You work hard and what do you have to show for it? I mean really." He uses the rotation of the earth and weather patterns as examples of how he feels about life. It's like we're just spinning in circles. He wrote these words before the internet, iPods, and satellite TV. Never in the history of humanity has there been so much entertainment and so little satisfaction.
C.S. Lewis--"Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger...well, there is such thing as food. A duckling want to swim, there is such a things as water. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing."
We want pure, unadulterated joy, and the trail finally leads to God himself.
We were made for God, and until he is our greatest pleasure, all the other pleasures of this life will lead to emptiness.
A.W. Tozer said the more vibrant our inner lives are, the less we need from the outside--that is, the more active we are in mind and spirit, the less we need to fall back on external media and other input.
There is a place in life for relaxation through various forms of entertainment, including sports, television, movies, music, and games, but the question is, Do we seek to fill the spiritual vacuum inside us with empty entertainment, or is it the empty entertainment that is creating the vacuum? But there's plenty of evidence that our increasing reliance on the flash and glamour of our entertainment is blinding us to quieter and truer pleasure.
So how do we smash these idols? How do we kick them off the heart's throne? Often it's as easy as turning the power off.
Worshipping in Haiti, they can go 6 hours no problem. Why? They have no distractions! The Lord doesn't have much competition.
Chapter 8--The God of Success
He plays on the most basic problem of humanity--that pull toward doing it our way, aka pride.
In fact, one of the most common gods of success is the worship of religious rules. We put our trust in our own mastery of rule-keeping.
The god of success invites you to save yourself instead of depending upon Jesus to do it. Being a devoted disciple means they must acknowledge their own helplessness and their ultimate need--the need for rescue. It's not easy for a successful person to admit the need for help.
That makes sense to us, because life as we know it is all about earning things, making our own way. If you want something, you work for it.
When it comes to guilt, however, there's one problem: sin has put all of us hopelessly in debt. We'll never be successful enough. There are not enough deeds or donations in the world to buy an ounce of the purity we need.
So in God's economy, success only comes when we declare spiritual bankruptcy.
The rich young ruler had come to define himself by his success and accomplishments, whether they were counted in cash or commandments. he knew that no matter how much he wanted to go after Jesus, there was a price he would not pay; there was a god he could not overthrow.
For some people, the idea of standing before God without and impressive resume is unthinkable. We want to show him our success, prove our worth. But to God, success is precisely the opposite of that. It's being willing to step away from all the stuff, all the achievements, and say, "None of that means a thing to me, Lord. I lay it all before you; you and only you are my success.
Success is a word we use to speak of something that we have done and accomplished. The circumstances of your life can be the same, but the work blessed is an indication not that you have done something, but that something has been done for you.
Let me put it this way: success is when we achieve; blessed is when we receive. If we say, "I'm successful," we are giving the glory to ourselves. When we say, "I'm blessed," we are giving the glory to God.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:3)
Jesus is describing people who know they don't have it all figured out, people who are humble enough to ask for help.
This world's success puts the emphasis on being self-sufficient and self-reliant, acting as if we've got it all figured out. But Jesus redefines a successful life as one that humbly says to God, "I can't do this on my own. I need your help."
Some of us are formal goal setters; others have more vague ideas about what direction we would like to head.
You could have a dream of playing professional basketball, owning your business, or any number of other things. The real question is, What drives your goals? What is your motivation? Is it for your glory, or God's?
But along the way, climbing, working, earning, and achieving became ends in themselves. It was no longer about what we could do, but about whom we could out-do.
And we had several unhappy surprises. One was that we hurt people as we climbed over them or elbowed them down the hill. Another was that we were always weary from the effort. Not to mention always wary of the challengers to the throne. And the greatest surprise was that the top of the hill wasn't nearly as great as we thought it would be.
Chapter 9--The God of Money
Democracy was the star of the American dream, and when people talked about their "pursuit of happiness" the god of money would think to himself, What they really mean is the pursuit of me. Money has grown so dominant in our culture that it's difficult for us to stand far enough back to get a perspective.
The man in Luke 12:16-19 doesn't seem to understand that he has what he has because God has given it to him. When we approach money from the perspective that it belongs to us, it just doesn't work.
Psalm 24:1 simply puts it this way, "The earth is the Lord's and everything in it." When we keep that perspective we understand our dependence on him and we worship him as the provider.
God has given us the use of his resources for a short time here on earth, and we have much to be grateful for. Go through your day sometime just recognizing that everything is God's. Get out of God's bed and walk into God's bathroom, and turn on God's shower, and then put on God's clothes Eat God's cereal and drink God's coffee. Get in God's car and head to work. When we start to see all of our resources as God's it helps us develop and attitude of gratitude that leads to a heart of worship.
The reason money so often ends up being God's chief competition is that we tend to ascribe divine attributes to it. we look to money to do for us the very thing God wants to do for us.
And maybe you think if you could save just enough money, all your worries would go away. When we look to money as a security, it becomes our god, because that's where we are putting our hope and our dependence. Prayer becomes nice but not necessary because we have enough money to meet our own needs.
Proverbs 30:8-9 says "Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me my daily bread. Other, I may have too much and disown you and say, "Who is the Lord?" The gods of success appeal to our self-sufficiency.
If money and success are your gods, may you be so blessed as to have them taken away from you, rather than spend your life bowing don to them only to find out you missed the real thing.
But even though experientially we know that money won't satisfy us, we seem to always be chasing it. I know in my head that simplicity is highly underrated and wealth brings unanticipated complications, but something within my heart still says "more".
Where we put our money reveals what we've put our trust in. (Matthew 6:21--Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.")
Giving away money breaks its power. It's like you're saying to money, "I don't even care about you. you are so unimportant to me that I can just give you away."
Chapter 10--The God of Achievement
It's not surprising that, in our culture, personal achievement is a very powerful and alluring idol. But when our lives are all about getting things done, we can find that there is not much room for God. Instead, our approach to worshipping God can be checking off a box on our to-do list labeled "Go to church".
But Jesus wasn't preoccupied with a checklist of things to do and objective to meet that day. He wasn't a slave to his schedule but simply stated that he did whatever the Father wanted him to do. He regularly took time to get away and pray.
The god of achievement distracts us from following Jesus by distracting us with all the things that need to be done. How often do we live with good intentions of spending time with Jesus and turning our heart toward him only to find at the end of the day that's the one thing on our checklist that we never got around to?
The god of achievement offers a method of measurement. For many of us it's much easier to give our time to the tangible. We like to see what we got done.
When I get through spending time with Jesus, I don't see immediate results, but when I paint a room, the change is obvious. When I spend time in prayer and worship there isn't immediate visual evidence that I've accomplished something, but when I balance the budget, I've got something to show for it.
What we are doing may be good, but the good is bad when there is something better.
Once again we see that many of the gods that battle for our hearts don't try to lure us with what is obviously wrong or overtly sinful. The issue of idolatry comes down to one word: choice.
(Martha and Mary) Martha compares herself and seems to be keeping score. High achievers will turn almost anything into a competition.
Symptoms of the god of achievement:
1. A constant frustration with people in your life who, from your perspective, aren't getting it done. This frustration with others for not dong their fair share comes to the surface in the form of criticism.
2. Constant sense of discontentment with yourself for not getting done what you hoped you would.
When we worship the god of achievement, getting things done and getting things done right becomes more important than almost anything or anyone else. It's hard to worship the god of achievement and be still and worship the Lord God at the same time.
But that's the illusion of achievement. We begin to believe in what we've done, but it's more than that. What we've done begins to define who we are. We are our achievements. When you meet other adults these days, they introduce themselves with name and business. I know that's just how we talk, but our jobs are becoming almost hyphenated to our names, which of course is how surnames began. John the miller became John Miller, and Peter the baker became Peter Baker.
Shelia Walsh--"I measured myself by what other people thought of me. That was slowly killing me." She didn't think it [being in a mental hospital] was a big deal, because it seemed to her that she had already lost everything. And sometimes, that's what it takes for us to connect with God. The idols have to be burned down, and that can be incredibly painful. We have to let go of a lot of garbage before we can gain the one thing worth having--but we're very attached to that garbage. It seems like a part of us. It takes a lot of faith to let go of all that junk and take hold of the cross with both hands.
From the distance of the years, he realized he had gone so far and enjoyed too little. Who had time to enjoy? The work as sacred. You worked, and that created more work. It never ended.
Strange how a man can go behind bars, yet be more free than he's ever been. Don't just choose what is good, choose what is better.
Hard work is good, but why are you doing it? Is it to prove yourself? Driven people are highly busy, and they see what as a sign of their success or significance. They don't tend to enjoy their work, but only the results of it, the fact of reaching a goal. Guilt is a motivation factor in all they do.
Chapter 11--The God of Love
When you make a relationship with someone else your god, it will eventually be marked with disappointment and bitterness. When you look to someone to be your god, they are going to let you down. When you say to someone, "I want you to satisfy me; I want you to save me; I want you to be my source of significance," what you're really saying is, "I want you to be god to me." Well, that's a lot to ask of someone. That puts a lot of pressure on the relationship, and given enough time that pressure will cause some cracks.
Chapter 12--The God of Family
In C. S. Lewis's view, it's not so much that God won't let us into heaven it's what we won't let ourselves in. If we can't learn how to say, "Thy will be done," then finally God must sadly say, "Okay , then thy will be done."
We're doing what we're supposed to be doing [raising a family], we simply don't realize we've gotten things out of order.
God's greatest gifts are also His greatest tests. The more beautiful a thing is, the more capacity it has to become an idol. The more I fear losing it, the more likely I am to worship it.
As I was working on this chapter, I happened to be talking to a young mother who listened carefully as I communicated this ideas. After taking time to reflect on it she became convicted that her children had become false gods in her life. I asked her what led her to that conclusion. She explained that it wasn't that she made them to much of a priority, she said; it was more about letting them control her. Her children, and what was going on with them, determined whether or not she had a good say. If they behaved themselves and didn't throw any tantrums, she could feel good about life. Otherwise she could not. If they were happy, she was happy. If they were upset, she was upset. Her children had the power to fill her with anger or peace, with disappointment or joy. She realized that they were control-passed. This is exactly what a false go does: it recreates us in its own image.
If I am constantly critical of others for the emptiness I feel, if I am always giving the ones I live a hard time for not meeting my needs and not making me happy, it's almost likely because I'm asking them to do something they weren't made to do. They can give me love and joy, but there's a deeper satisfaction and contentment that much come from god alone. Criticism often marks our families and relationships because we want someone to do for us what only God can do for us and they are always falling short.
Chapter 13--The God of Me
In my brokenness, I feel the pull to worship me. I hear the whispered lie that Adam and Eve first heard: "Your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God" (Gen. 3-5). Why serve? You rule! You have everything you need to be your own god. Every day is a trip to that orchard; every day the snake is waiting. I must face the same choice: Will I worship God, and find my true place in this universe, the perfect place he has arranged for me? Or will I worship me and decide I can somehow come up with a better life then he Creator of all could design?
One symptom of worshipping the god of me is arrogance. I'm always right. My way is the best way. The god of me won't listen to the wisdom others. Another symptom that surfaces when I start to worship the god of me is insecurity. The god of me is consumed with what others think and terrified of trying something and failing. You can't help but be self-conscious, because when you're god, it's all about you. How about defensiveness? Have you ever found yourself taking the slightest suggestion, the blandest criticism, as a personal attack? What makes people this way? Well, when you're god, you must be perfect, and no one else could possibly be in a position to criticize you. The god of me will make you lonely, because you can't handle equals. You certainly can't handle authority. You need people to constantly reaffirm that it's all about you.
Instead of looking to God as a source of comfort, we turn to:
- food or mindless entertainment
- accomplishments
- money
- spouse and children
- popular opinion and academic consensus
But you've patching one leak after another and it seems that it is beyond repair.
you had such hopes and dream for them [your children]. You've done your best and invested so much in them. And now there is a sense of panic as you see the decisions they are making and direction they are going and where it's all leading; you're left wondering, How did this happen?
With panic and dread you look on but it seems like there is nothing you can do.
Are you stressed out and thirsty for peace? Are you lonely and thirsty for love? Are you bored and thirsty for purpose? Are you thirsty for acceptance? For validation? For significance? Are you just thirsty for something more? The of me relentlessly calls us to chase after all these things. But ultimately we're left more thirsty than ever.
So here's the invitation from Jesus: "Drink from me, and you'll never thirst again."
Saturday, October 5, 2013
"Crazy Love--Overwhelmed by a Relentless God" by Francis Chan--notes by Chapter
Chapter 1--Stop Praying
Solomon warned us not to rush into God's presence with words.
We rely on technology over community. Slow to listen, quick to speak, and quick to anger.
"Spiritual Amnesia"--we forget how awesome God and His creations are.
God is Holy. We don't get to decide who God is.
God is Eternal. It is ridiculous to believe we have the right to limit God to something we are capable of comprehending.
God is All-Knowing. We can fool humans, but we cannot fool God.
God is All-Powerful. Everything was created for God, not us. God is not here to bless us, He put us here to bless Him.
God is Fair and Just. He never excuses sin. He can hate and punish it severely as His justice demands.
Chapter 2--You Might Not Finish This Chapter
We could die before finishing the chapter. At any moment.
It's easy to think of today as "just another day"--full of "to do"s, appointments, family, desires, and needs. We get caught up in ourselves.
Justified Stress
When I am consumed by my problems, stressed about my things, I actually believe I am more important that God.
Worry=implies we don't trust God.
Stress=says that things are important enough to merit our impatience, our lack of grace toward others, our tight grip of control. We are we so quick to forget God??
We need to get over ourselves.
Eg. Seeing the back of our head in a crowd for 2/5 of a second and thinking the movie is about us.
Thank God We are Weak
Stop taking risks and turn inward? If life were stable, we'd never need God's help.
Chapter 3--Crazy Love
We have a difficult time understanding God's love for us.
Jesus didn't command us to have a set time with Him every day. Once we love Him, we study out of love, not guilt. Not because we think we SHOULD.
"My belief in God was still theoretical, not a reality I lived out or experienced." (before a 4 day sabbatical in the woods)
**If God's mercy didn't exist, there would be no hope.**
The irony is that while God doesn't need us but still wants us, we desperately need God but don't really want Him most of the time. **He treasures us and anticipates our departure from this earth to be with Him and we wonder, indifferently, how much we have to do for Him to get by.**
Chapter 4--The Profile of the Lukewarm
"Do not assume you are good soil."
Most of us have too much in our lives. A lot of things are good by themselves, but all of it together keeps us from living healthy, fruitful lives of God.
LUKEWARM PEOPLE:
1--attend church fairly regularly. It's expected, so they do it.
2--give money to charity and to the church as long as it doesn't impinge on their standard of living.
3--tend to choose what is popular over what is right when they are in conflict. They are more about what people think of their action then what God thinks of their hearts and lives.
4--don't really want to be saved from their sin; they only want to be saved from the penalty of their sin.
5--are moved by stories about people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do not act.
6--rarely share their faith with their neighbors, coworkers, or friends. They do not want to be rejected or uncomfortable.
7--gauge their morality by comparing themselves to the secular world.
8--say they love Jesus, and He is, indeed, a part of their lives. But only a part. He is not allowed to control their lives.
9--Love God, but they do not love Him with all their heart, soul, and strength.
10--Love others, but do not seek to love others as much as they love themselves. They love others who love them back, but they have little time for those who don't love them back or who intentionally slight them, or have uncomfortable conversations with them.
11--will serve God and others, but there are limits to how far they will go or how much time, money, and energy they are willing to give.
12--think about life on earth much more often then eternity in heaven.
13--are thankful for their luxuries and comforts, and rarely consider trying to give as much as possible to the poor.
14--do whatever is necessary to keep themselves from feeling too guilty.
15--are continually concerned with playing it safe; they are slaves to the "god of control".
16--feel secure because they attend church, made a profession of faith at age 12, were baptized, come from a Christian family, vote Republican, or live in America.
17--do not live by faith, their lives are structured so they never have to. They don't have to trust God--they have their savings account, etc.
18--typically drink and swear less than average, but other than that, they really aren't different than your typical unbeliever.
**"Jesus asks for everything, but we give Him less."**
Chapter 5--Serving Leftovers to a Holy God
Too many people are just concerned about their salvation, not the relationship.
Can I still go to heaven if I divorce my wife?
Do I have to be baptized to be saved?
If I'm ashamed to talk about Christ, is He really going to deny knowing me?
**Which is more messed up--that we have so much compared to everyone else, or that we don't think we're rich?**
**God wants our best, deserves our best, and demands our best.**
**"Leftovers are not merely inadequate; from God's point of view lest we forget, they're evil. Let's stop calling it "a busy schedule", "bills", or "forgetfulness", it's evil."**
"Obviously it's not what you advertise that counts, it's what you are really made of." (aka Character)
The word "love" is overused and worn out. Even 1Cor. 13 4-8;13 seems "tired".
Substitute your name for "love" I 1Cor--for every phrase. Kind of feel like a liar by the end, eh?
Luke 9:25 "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet lose or forfeit his very self?"
Many of us believe we have as much of God as we want right now, a reasonable portion of God among all the other things in our lives. Most thoughts are centered on earthly matters.
Do you know that nothing you do in this life will ever matter, unless it is about loving God and loving the people He had made?
Chapter 6--When You're in Love
When loving Him becomes obligation, one of many things we have to do, we end up focusing even more on ourselves.
*The fact is, I need God to help me love God. And if I need His help to love a perfect being, then I need His help to love other fault-filled humans. The Holy Spirit has to move in our lives in order for this to happen.*
Our prayers for more love result in love, which naturally causes us to pray more, which results in more love.....and so on.
You have to stop loving and pursuing Christ in order to sin. When you are following, you have no time to wonder if you are not doing enough or doing things right, etc.
*When we stop actively loving Him, we find ourselves finding fulfillment elsewhere.*
Chapter 7--Your Best Life...Later
"Something is wrong when our life makes sense to unbelievers."
*How would my life change if I thought of each person I came in contact with as Christ?* Slow checker at grocery, slow driver, own member of family that annoys you?
"God just didn't give a little for us, He gave His best. True love requires sacrifice. And our love is shown by how we live our lives."
When we fail to give freely and joyfully, we are loaded with too many good things, while others are desperate for a small loaf.
*When it's hard and you are doubtful, give more.*
Chapter 8--Profile of the Obsessed
People who are OBSESSED with Jesus are not consumed with their personal safety and comfort above all else.
What about this travel prayer? "God, bring me closer to you during this trip, whatever it takes..."
Crazy Ones
Sometimes I feel like when I make a decision that is remotely biblical, people who call themselves Christians are the first to criticize and say I'm crazy, that I'm taking the Bible too literally, or that I'm not thinking about my family's well-being.
OBSESSED people are more concerned with obeying God then doing what is expected or fulfilling the status quo.
A person who is OBSESSED things about heaven frequently. Obsessed people orient their lives around eternity; they are not fixed only on what is here in front of them.
People who are OBSESSED with God are raw with Him; they do not attempt to mask the ugliness of their sins or failures. Obsessed people don't put it on for God; He is their safe lace, where they can be at peace.
Joy is something that we have to choose and then work for. It doesn't come automatically. It needs cultivation.
Chapter 9--Who Really Lives That Way?
Extraordinary stories of those living and sacrificing to live out God's will. "Wow" is the only way to describe those.
Solomon warned us not to rush into God's presence with words.
We rely on technology over community. Slow to listen, quick to speak, and quick to anger.
"Spiritual Amnesia"--we forget how awesome God and His creations are.
God is Holy. We don't get to decide who God is.
God is Eternal. It is ridiculous to believe we have the right to limit God to something we are capable of comprehending.
God is All-Knowing. We can fool humans, but we cannot fool God.
God is All-Powerful. Everything was created for God, not us. God is not here to bless us, He put us here to bless Him.
God is Fair and Just. He never excuses sin. He can hate and punish it severely as His justice demands.
Chapter 2--You Might Not Finish This Chapter
We could die before finishing the chapter. At any moment.
It's easy to think of today as "just another day"--full of "to do"s, appointments, family, desires, and needs. We get caught up in ourselves.
Justified Stress
When I am consumed by my problems, stressed about my things, I actually believe I am more important that God.
Worry=implies we don't trust God.
Stress=says that things are important enough to merit our impatience, our lack of grace toward others, our tight grip of control. We are we so quick to forget God??
We need to get over ourselves.
Eg. Seeing the back of our head in a crowd for 2/5 of a second and thinking the movie is about us.
Thank God We are Weak
Stop taking risks and turn inward? If life were stable, we'd never need God's help.
Chapter 3--Crazy Love
We have a difficult time understanding God's love for us.
Jesus didn't command us to have a set time with Him every day. Once we love Him, we study out of love, not guilt. Not because we think we SHOULD.
"My belief in God was still theoretical, not a reality I lived out or experienced." (before a 4 day sabbatical in the woods)
**If God's mercy didn't exist, there would be no hope.**
The irony is that while God doesn't need us but still wants us, we desperately need God but don't really want Him most of the time. **He treasures us and anticipates our departure from this earth to be with Him and we wonder, indifferently, how much we have to do for Him to get by.**
Chapter 4--The Profile of the Lukewarm
"Do not assume you are good soil."
Most of us have too much in our lives. A lot of things are good by themselves, but all of it together keeps us from living healthy, fruitful lives of God.
LUKEWARM PEOPLE:
1--attend church fairly regularly. It's expected, so they do it.
2--give money to charity and to the church as long as it doesn't impinge on their standard of living.
3--tend to choose what is popular over what is right when they are in conflict. They are more about what people think of their action then what God thinks of their hearts and lives.
4--don't really want to be saved from their sin; they only want to be saved from the penalty of their sin.
5--are moved by stories about people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do not act.
6--rarely share their faith with their neighbors, coworkers, or friends. They do not want to be rejected or uncomfortable.
7--gauge their morality by comparing themselves to the secular world.
8--say they love Jesus, and He is, indeed, a part of their lives. But only a part. He is not allowed to control their lives.
9--Love God, but they do not love Him with all their heart, soul, and strength.
10--Love others, but do not seek to love others as much as they love themselves. They love others who love them back, but they have little time for those who don't love them back or who intentionally slight them, or have uncomfortable conversations with them.
11--will serve God and others, but there are limits to how far they will go or how much time, money, and energy they are willing to give.
12--think about life on earth much more often then eternity in heaven.
13--are thankful for their luxuries and comforts, and rarely consider trying to give as much as possible to the poor.
14--do whatever is necessary to keep themselves from feeling too guilty.
15--are continually concerned with playing it safe; they are slaves to the "god of control".
16--feel secure because they attend church, made a profession of faith at age 12, were baptized, come from a Christian family, vote Republican, or live in America.
17--do not live by faith, their lives are structured so they never have to. They don't have to trust God--they have their savings account, etc.
18--typically drink and swear less than average, but other than that, they really aren't different than your typical unbeliever.
**"Jesus asks for everything, but we give Him less."**
Chapter 5--Serving Leftovers to a Holy God
Too many people are just concerned about their salvation, not the relationship.
Can I still go to heaven if I divorce my wife?
Do I have to be baptized to be saved?
If I'm ashamed to talk about Christ, is He really going to deny knowing me?
**Which is more messed up--that we have so much compared to everyone else, or that we don't think we're rich?**
**God wants our best, deserves our best, and demands our best.**
**"Leftovers are not merely inadequate; from God's point of view lest we forget, they're evil. Let's stop calling it "a busy schedule", "bills", or "forgetfulness", it's evil."**
"Obviously it's not what you advertise that counts, it's what you are really made of." (aka Character)
The word "love" is overused and worn out. Even 1Cor. 13 4-8;13 seems "tired".
Substitute your name for "love" I 1Cor--for every phrase. Kind of feel like a liar by the end, eh?
Luke 9:25 "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet lose or forfeit his very self?"
Many of us believe we have as much of God as we want right now, a reasonable portion of God among all the other things in our lives. Most thoughts are centered on earthly matters.
Do you know that nothing you do in this life will ever matter, unless it is about loving God and loving the people He had made?
Chapter 6--When You're in Love
When loving Him becomes obligation, one of many things we have to do, we end up focusing even more on ourselves.
*The fact is, I need God to help me love God. And if I need His help to love a perfect being, then I need His help to love other fault-filled humans. The Holy Spirit has to move in our lives in order for this to happen.*
Our prayers for more love result in love, which naturally causes us to pray more, which results in more love.....and so on.
You have to stop loving and pursuing Christ in order to sin. When you are following, you have no time to wonder if you are not doing enough or doing things right, etc.
*When we stop actively loving Him, we find ourselves finding fulfillment elsewhere.*
Chapter 7--Your Best Life...Later
"Something is wrong when our life makes sense to unbelievers."
*How would my life change if I thought of each person I came in contact with as Christ?* Slow checker at grocery, slow driver, own member of family that annoys you?
"God just didn't give a little for us, He gave His best. True love requires sacrifice. And our love is shown by how we live our lives."
When we fail to give freely and joyfully, we are loaded with too many good things, while others are desperate for a small loaf.
*When it's hard and you are doubtful, give more.*
Chapter 8--Profile of the Obsessed
People who are OBSESSED with Jesus are not consumed with their personal safety and comfort above all else.
What about this travel prayer? "God, bring me closer to you during this trip, whatever it takes..."
Crazy Ones
Sometimes I feel like when I make a decision that is remotely biblical, people who call themselves Christians are the first to criticize and say I'm crazy, that I'm taking the Bible too literally, or that I'm not thinking about my family's well-being.
OBSESSED people are more concerned with obeying God then doing what is expected or fulfilling the status quo.
A person who is OBSESSED things about heaven frequently. Obsessed people orient their lives around eternity; they are not fixed only on what is here in front of them.
People who are OBSESSED with God are raw with Him; they do not attempt to mask the ugliness of their sins or failures. Obsessed people don't put it on for God; He is their safe lace, where they can be at peace.
Joy is something that we have to choose and then work for. It doesn't come automatically. It needs cultivation.
Chapter 9--Who Really Lives That Way?
Extraordinary stories of those living and sacrificing to live out God's will. "Wow" is the only way to describe those.
Sunday, June 2, 2013
"Not a Fan." by Kyle Idleman--notes by chapter
Chapter 1 --D.T.R. (Define The Relationship)
One of the most sobering passages of Scripture tells of a day when many who consider themselves to be followers of Jesus will be stunned to find out that he doesn't even recognize them.
Matthew Chapter 7:21-23 reads, 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
I believe that the reason w were put on this earth is to answer this one question. And the trust is, whether or not we do so consciously or intentionally, we all answer this question. ("Are you a follower of Jesus?")
Fans of Jesus know all about Him, but they don't know Him.
My concern is that many of our churches in America have done from being sanctuaries to becoming stadiums.
Many fans mistakenly identify themselves as followers by using cultural comparison. They look at the commitment level of others around them and feel like their relationship with Jesus is solid. If you find yourself measuring your relationship with Jesus by comparing yourself to others, that is likely a self-indictment.
Some (people from the Gospels) are shown to be true followers; others are revealed to be nothing more than enthusiastic admirers. Fans often confuse their admiration for devotion. They mistake their knowledge of Jesus for intimacy with Jesus.
Chapter 2--A Decision or a Commitment
Nicodemus was ready to take his relationship with Jesus to another level, but it wasn't that easy. It never is. There would be much to lose if he went public as a follower of Jesus.
There is no way to follow Jesus without him interfering with your life. Following Jesus will cost you something. Most of us don't mind Jesus making some minor change in our lives, but Jesus wants to turn our lives upside down. Fans don't mind him doing a little touch-up work, but Jesus wants complete renovation.
Biblical belief is more than mental assent or verbal acknowledgment. Many fans have repeated a prayer or raised their hand or walked forward at the end of a sermon and made a decision to believe, but there was never a commitment to follow. When we decide to believe in Jesus without making a commitment to follow him, we become nothing more than fans.
We tend to define belief as the acceptance of something as real or true. But biblical belief is more than just an intellectual acceptance or a heartfelt acknowledgment; it's a commitment to follow. To truly believe is to follow.
Following Jesus isn't something you can do at night where no one notices. It's a twenty-four-hour-a-day commitment that will interfere with your life.
In John Chapter 19, Jesus has been crucified and his body is being prepared for burial. And then we read that Nicodemus brought a "mixture of myrrh and aloes, about 75 pounds." This would have been an extremely expensive and costly gesture. And make no mistake; this gesture cost him more than just money. There was no longer any chance of hiding his affection.
Chapter 3--Knowledge About Him or Intimacy with Him?
This is what often separates the fans from the followers. It's the difference between knowledge and intimacy.
But when Jesus comes to the house of Simon, there is no kiss of greeting. There is no washing of feet. There is no oil for his head. And these were not accidental oversights. This was quite deliberate. Jesus was ignored and insulted. Don't miss the irony of this moment. Simon has spent his life studying the Scriptures. He knew all about Jesus, but didn't know Jesus.
The problem isn't knowledge. The problem is that you can have knowledge without having intimacy. In fact, knowledge can be a false indicator of intimacy. Clearly where there is intimacy, there should be a growing knowledge, but too often, there is knowledge without a growing intimacy.
Like this Pharisee in Luke 7, and like many fans today, I spent a number of years confusing my knowledge about Jesus for intimacy with Jesus.
44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”
When is the last time you had a moment with Jesus like this woman in Luke 7 had? When's the last time you've poured yourself out before him? When is the last time the tears streamed down your face as you expressed your love for him? When is the last time you demonstrated your love for him with reckless abandonment?
Chapter 4--One of Many or Your One and Only?
25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.
Instead he tells the people that if they want to follow him, they must hate their family, even their own lives. What the what?
Fans are not willing to follow Jesus if it means disappointing their family. When their relationship with Jesus starts to hurt their relationships with others, that's asking too much.
Key questions:
1. For what do you sacrifice your money?
2. When you're hurt, where do you go for comfort?
3. What disappoints or frustrates you the most?
4. What is it that really gets you excited?
So in Luke 14, Jesus defines the relationship by making it clear that if we follow him, we follow him and him alone. He won't share us--not with money, not with a career, not even with your family. But understand this--when Jesus explains how he will not share your affection or devotion, he isn't just saying how he wants to be loved by you; he is making it clear how he loves you.
On the other hand, maybe the disciples didn't mind so much. They had given up everything to follow Jesus, and I'm sure they had come to realize that this is the only way it could work. Trying to follow Jesus part-time or halfhearted is impossible.
Chapter 5--Following Jesus or Following the Rules?
It's not a question of their effort or desire. They are following hard. Here is the problem; it's not Jesus they are following. Without realizing it, they are aiming at the wrong target. Instead of following Jesus they are following religious rules and rituals. They have confused the targets.
Following the rules kept them focused on the outside, but who they were on the inside is what Jesus paid attention to. And the problem with these religious leaders is that, like many fans, who they are were on the outside didn't match up with what was on the inside. Jesus is going to strongly oppose these religious leaders because he doesn't want people to confuse following the rules with following him.
If you were a Sadducee, it meant you were born into that position. There were, of course, other requirements, but it had to be part of your heritage. But to be a part of the Pharisees it didn't depend on the family you were born into it was your hard work. becoming a Pharisee required an incredible amount of textual study and theological training. And what I've noticed is that many fans fit into one of these two camps.
Some fans are like the Sadducees. Faith has always been more about honoring your heritage than surrendering your heart. On the other hand, some fans are like the Pharisees. They may say the right things and do the right things, but that's not enough for Jesus. He wants all of you.
Jesus doesn't expect followers to be perfect, but he does call them to be authentic. Two types of people new to a church: those who wear a mask because they know the rules, what to say and how to say it, grew up in the church and have learned it all, and those who are new to the church and tell of their weaknesses and failures. Hope nobody tells them that they're supposed to act like they've got it all together. You don't often get to see people without a mask. And it's such a beautiful thing.
That's what Christ wants in a follower--someone who isn't pretending on the outside to have it all together. That's one of the ways the word hypocrisy is defined, as "the act of pretending".
When we learn to truly follow Jesus, we find that obedience to God comes from the inside out. Submission to what God wants for our lives flows naturally out of that relationship. It's not to say that what we do or don't do doesn't matter, but what we do or don't do must come from who we are as followers of Jesus.
When the relationship on the inside is right, the outside will follow.
Fans that follow the rules instead of following Jesus find that they are weighed down with guilt. Every time they come to church they find that the preacher has another weight to add to the bar. They keyword for fear and guilt is "do". We try and do enough to make up for our mistakes and earn God's favor. Fans are all about the "do", but followers celebrate the "done".
(The directions of the test was to read through the test before answering any questions. The last question of the test was to not take the test, put name on test, and receive an automatic A). The girl took the test on principle. If she was going to get an "A", she was going to earn it. And a fan says, "I'm not taking any handouts--I can do this on my own."
We so often are missing what really matters. If Jesus were preaching today, it might look like this:
"Woe to you fans, if you would be as passionate about feeding the poor as you are your church's style of worship, then world hunger would end this week. Woe to you fans, if you sacrificed as much to care for the homeless and hungry in the community as you do for your church building or place of worship, the need would be wiped out. Woe to you fans, if you would be as zealous about caring for the sick as you are about a 'Christmas Tree' being called a 'holiday tree', health insurance wouldn't be a problem.
Not a Fan story--Robert Reschar
"Instead of depending on my own power, I learned to be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. Victory is found in his strength not mine. There was no way for me to be free from this through self-
determination or inner strength. It wasn't until I finally admitted defeat and began to humbly walk with God each day that I began to experience freedom."
Chapter 6--Self-Empowered or Spirit-Filled?
Fans who try to follow Jesus without this power will start to show signs. Sooner or later, they will reach a point where they are frustrated by failures. you keep dong what you don't want to do and yo don't do the things you really want to do. When we try to follow Jesus without being filled daily with the Spirit, we find ourselves frustrated by our failures and exhausted by our efforts.
Fans try to play the role of the Holy Spirit, but trying to be God has a tendency to wear you out. It will leave you tired and frustrated. Fans trying to follow without being filled with the power of the Holy Spirit become overwhelmed by life's circumstances. They seem to be following Christ, but then something in life goes wrong and they don't have the power to overcome it. Instead of following Christ and sticking close to him in the storm hey become discouraged and keep their distance.
Eventually something happens and you can't get through it on your own. Followers have discovered that it doesn't work without the power of the Holy Spirit. Fans may try to follow Jesus out of their own strength but followers are empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Asking David what it was like to defeat Goliath, he'd answer Tell me what it was like on earth to have the Holy Spirit living inside of you, giving you strength when you are weak.
In asking Elijah what it was like to call down fire from heaven and raise a boy from the dead, he might answer Yeah, he actually ended up dying again. What was it like to live life on earth with the Holy Spirit giving you joy when you're depressed or giving you the power to overcome that sin in your life?
In asking Moses what it was like to follow the cloud by day and the fire by night, and meet God on a mountain, he might answer I had to climb that mountain to meet with God. You tell me what it was like to have him dwell within you every day. What was it like to have the Holy Spirit giving you directions when you didn't know what to do or where to go?
So it's not a question of whether or not you have access to this power of the Holy Spirit; the question is, have you accessed it? Fans may have received the gift of the Holy Spirit but they aren't being filled with the Holy Spirit.
Paul points out that trying to live the Christan life out of your own power is ridiculous. Why would a person do that? Why would you walk when you can ride? Being filled with the power of the Spirit begins with an honest acknowledgment of our own weakness. The truth is that most of us go to great lengths to disguise our weaknesses. That's what we do most of our lives--we try to reinforce this perception that we really are strong. That we've got our stuff together and we can handle anything that comes our way.
Paul understands that living in the power of the Holy Spirit means shining a light on our weaknesses. This is what fans find so difficult. Most fans have learned to make sure everyone know about their strengths, but that no one finds out about their weaknesses.
The picture is of someone walking, and every step they take, they take in the Spirit. You can't live by the Spirit if you only acknowledge his presence one day a week when you come to church.
The moment you become aware of sin in your life you exhale. So the moment you are prideful, jealous, lustful, harsh, selfish, impatient, you exhale and repent of your sin.
The only way to be filled with the Spirit is to empty myself of me. When I empty me of me, it provides space for the Holy Spirit to fill me. When the Holy Spirit moves in and takes up residence, then you should increasingly find that there isn't much room for you. And slowly you find that your pride, your impatience, your selfishness, your lust, are taken off the walls and carried out the door. And then you inhale. When you inhale you breathe in and pray to be filled with the Spirit and you surrender control over to him. Followers live with a continual awareness of the Spirit's presence and a constant prayer to be filled with his power.
Fans eventually get burned out from trying to live the Christian life out of their own efforts.
Not a fan story--Summer Rines
It was really hard to follow Jesus when I didn't love myself. What I am discovering is that those are the times that I am ignoring God's voice in my life and following something or someone other than Jesus.
Before I tried and tried to find victory, but now instead of just trying, I am trusting the power of the Holy Spirit in my life. Each day start with denying myself, surrendering to him, and living in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Chapter 7--The Relationship Defined
(Prayer offered up by author:)
My prayer is that your eyes would be opened and the Spirit would awaken your soul to the kind of relationship Christ desires to have with you. I am jealous for you to discover that now and not waste another day living with some sort of watered-down and diluted form of Christianity. I want you to experience this, not just so you can experience the life-giving, soul-satisfying existence on this planet that God wants you to have, but because I believe eternity hangs in the balance. Bottom line is this...thee will be a day when we stand before God, and on that day may who thought themselves followers will be identified as nothing more than fans. I am not speculating or predicting; Jesus has already spoken clearly about this in Matthew 7.
Many people take the wrong road and only few find the narrow path. "Sermon on the Mount" is a sermon all about raising the bar of the commitment for those who would follow him. It's a narrow road, but it's a road that leads to life.
Could it be that you have set cruise control, turned up the Christian radio, and are traveling down the road of destruction with a Jesus fish on your bumper?
Donald Whitney once said, "If a person is wrong about being right with God, then ultimately it really doesn't matter what he or she is right about." Is it possible that you are wrong about being right with God?
So many speak words of commitment, but there is no evidence that those words meant anything. (and not just in spiritual matters...)
Here's what fans tend to do: they confuse their feelings for faith. But your feelings aren't faith until they are expressed.
But when the psychiatrist was speaking about his patients with beliefs that had no basis in reality he didn't call them "beliefs". Do you know what he called them? He called them "delusions." A belief, no matter how sincere, if not reflected in reality isn't a belief; it's a delusion.
Those who do lots have their confidence in their righteous acts and their good deeds.
It seems that Jesus intentionally choose the more dramatic and extraordinary spiritual achievements to make one thing clear: No matter how much good you do, no matter what you accomplish for the kingdom, that's not what makes you a true follower. Ultimately the question that will identify you as a fan or follower isn't what you say or what you do. Those things matter, but only to the extent that they reflect the answer to this last question--"Do I know Jesus and does He know me?" But Jesus identifies his true followers based upon an intimate relationship. What we say and what we do overflows out of the relationship we have with him.
More than he wants our acts of piety, more than he wants our adherence to religion, more than he wants our observance of rules and rituals, more than he wants our words of affection, he simply wants to know us and for us to know him. And ultimately, that's how our relationship with him will be defined. And if that isn't there, all the prophesying, exorcisms, and miracles in the world won't matter.
Because a day is coming where many who have said the right things and done the right things will hear Jesus say, "Away from me. I never knew you."
But I also believe the Bible clearly teachers that there will be those who think they are saved but who are not. They will live out their lives with a false assurance of salvation. They will think of themselves as followers, but a day will come when they'll be pronounced as nothing more than fans.
Chapter 8--Anyone--An Open Invitation
It's not that fans don't want a relationship with Jesus; it's just that they want the relationship with him on their terms. What kind of relationship does Jesus want to have with us? That's what matters. What are his terms? What would he say it really means to follow him?
John 3:16 emphasizes believing.
Luke 9:23 emphasizes following.
Jesus doesn't begin with a list of pre-qualifications. His invitation to follow is addressed to Anyone. It was only 2 words, but these 2 words changed everything for Matthew. Jesus said, "Follow me." A Jewish rabbi asking a tax collector for the Roman oppressors to be one of this followers? When Jesus invited Matthew to follow, he was making it clear that this is an invitation extended not solely to the religious elite, the morally upright, and those who have their lives together. But it is an invitation to all of us who are hiding some stains.
Chapter 9--Come After Me--A Passionate Pursuit
When Jesus says, "Come after," he's describing a passionate pursuit of someone you love. So the best way to understand what Jesus is wanting from us as followers is to compare how we pursue him to how we would pursue someone with whom we want to have a romantic relationship.
We are surrounded by messages that emphasize romantic love as the ultimate human experience.
Followers should have some come after Jesus stories that make people say, "That's crazy." Jesus wants us to understand that following him is a pursuit that requires everything we have. Fans will be careful not to get carried away. Followers understand that following Jesus is a pursuit that may cost them everything, but it is the best investment they could ever make.
There is a fear among fans that by going all0in, they're going to miss out. We are afraid to passionately pursue him with our whole hearts because we know that if we make a commitment like that we are putting ourselves on the line. It will require our energy, time, and money.
One of the reasons some fans don't come after Jesus is that they've never been given the opportunity to make their own choice about him. Theses fans never had a chance to pursue because they were always being pushed.
At church, sometimes we talk about how "god wants your time," or "God wants your money," or "God wants your worship." But do you understand why we talk about those things? It's not because God needs your time. He has always been and always will be. It's not because he needs your money. he owns the cattle on a thousand hills. It's not that he needs your worship. If you don't worship, the Bible says that the rocks and trees will cry out. The reason we talk about those things is not because God needs or wants those things; it's because he wants you. He wants your love. He longs for you to passionately pursue him, and all those things are come after indicators. They are outer signs that point to an inner reality that you love Jesus more than anything else.
So what do you do if you're a fan who want to be a follower but your heart just isn't in it? You want to come after Christ with a passionate pursuit, but the truth is you feel apathetic and indifferent. You don't want to feel that way, but you do. A better way to convey what the early church leaders were getting at would be to translate "acedia" as "spiritual apathy". You reach a point where you simply say, "I don't care." God loves you and sent his son to die on the cross to forgive your sins and you shrug your shoulders. That's acedia, and it's and epidemic among fans. The passion is gone. There is no pursuit.
So what do you do if you find yourself in a place of acedia, where you want to passionately pursue Jesus but your heart's not in it? Confess the sin of acedia in your life and then start doing the things you did at first. Even if you don't initially feel like doing some of those things it will begin to stir the fire that has grown dim.
Chapter 10--A Total Surrender
A fan will try and accept the invitation of Christ to follow, but they don't want to say no to themselves.
A follower makes a decision every day to deny himself and choose Jesus....even if it costs everything.
For many Christians the concept of denying themselves was not a part of the deal. They grew up with the message that such a radical decision really isn't necessary. So they signed up to follow Jesus, but if denying themselves was part of the explanation, it was definitely the fine print.
The Bible would describe a follower as a "slave". That is the exact opposite of a consumer. The image of slave provides a picture of what "deny yourself" looks like.
One of the reasons it's so hard for us to deny ourselves is because the whole idea seems to go against our greatest desire in life. Most everyone would say what they want more than anything else to be happy. We're convinced that the path to happiness means saying yes to ourselves. The right to pursue happiness seems to be in direct conflict with the call to deny.
Most of us grew up in homes where we were taught to study hard in school and in college so we could get a good job and makes lots of money and live in a big house, drive a nice car, and enjoy great vacations.
Chapter 11-Take Up Your Cross Daily--An Everyday Death
If we are going to follow him it means humbly taking up a cross and making ourselves nothing.
And here's the question that is keeping me awake these days: Am I really carrying a cross if there is no suffering and sacrifice? If there is no sacrifice involved, if you're not at least a little uncomfortable, then there is a good chance that you aren't carrying a cross.
Before pastors know what has happened they gauge success not by their faithfulness to God's Word, but by the weekend stats. The sermons are often about salvation, but never about surrender. Often about forgiveness, but never about repentance. Often about living, but never about dying. Instead of the uncompromised and unfiltered truths from God's Word, people are given a neutered and more palatable version. In doing so we rob the gospel of its power and the people of the life God has for them.
Jesus didn't come to this earth so that you could be better behaved or to tweak your personality or to fine-tune your manners or smooth out your rough spots. Jesus didn't even come to this earth to change you. The truth of the gospel is that Jesus came so that you could die.
My friend explained to me that when he accepted Christ he knew that when he died he would receive eternal life, but no one told him that when he accepted Christ, he was making a decision to die right then. He got the message that when he died he would go to heaven to be with God, but it was ten years later before he understood that death starts now. The point is that death is the ultimate surrender of yourself and all that you have. When you're dead, you're no longer concerned with your life.
We never choose to make ourselves less. We fight and claw our way to the top. Should we fin ourselves down it's only because we were forced into that position. We never willingly relinquish our title as king.
The word is "daily." "...take up your cross daily..." Every day we make a decision that we will die to ourselves and live for Christ. Dying to ourselves is not a one-time decision. It's a daily decision. That's the most challenging part of dying.
There are many people who get frustrated in their efforts to follow Jesus. They're trying as hard as they can and don't understand why they have such a hard time, or why they're so inconsistent.
Chapter 12--Wherever. What About There?
However, as they process how following Jesus will impact their specific situation, they begin making excuses. As they try to negotiate the terms of their commitment to Jesus, it becomes clear that they were really just fans. But the most obvious and basic definition of following Jesus will mean making some significant life changes. Following Jesus literally means that you go where Jesus goes. When you think of it that way, suddenly those poetic words have some huge implications.
I didn't surrender my pride; I was often motivated more out of a desire to impress people than to glorify God. I didn't surrender my plans; God was welcome to come along, but I kept a firm grasp on the controls. I didn't surrender my entertainment choices; I watched what I wanted to watch and listened to what I wanted to listen to. I didn't surrender my money; God got the leftovers. I didn't surrender my time to God. early on, I didn't surrender my marriage. my wife wouldn't say it, but I was sarcastic and selfish. I didn't surrender it all.
It's not only us, but it's often our families that are pushing us to lead comfortable and safe lives. They may want you to follow Jesus, but they have a hard time accepting that Jesus might lead you to a place that requires risk and sacrifice.
Chapter 13--Whenever. What About Now?
Simply stated the "as now, so then" principle is the idea that current habits are overwhelmingly the most likely predictor of future practices. The vast majority of the time, the decision you made today will be the decision you make tomorrow. If you don't do it now there is no reason to think you will then.
(prayer from a journal of a 17-year old girl who died in car accident): "You hold the only peace that can fill the deepest hole. But how do I get it? You said, "Ask and you shall receive." I am asking and I know that you will give it to me. Every week you bless me so much and teach me lesson after lesson. I know that once again you are showing me your love. I can't fathom how much you feel when one of your children suffers, but I've had a glimpse of your heartache. Please fill me with your wisdom that I won't just watch others suffer, but that I'll be able to say what they need to hear. As a new week approaches, my dangerous prayer is that you'll place broken-hearted people in my path and fill me with You so that I can let your love heal their pain."
Chapter 14--Whatever. What About That?
I was reading about a strange baptism practice that was allowed by the church when the Knights of Templar would be baptized. When the church would baptize one of the knights, they would be baptized with their sword, but they wouldn't take their swords under water with them. Instead they would hold their swords up out of the water while the rest of them would be immersed. It was the knights' way of saying to Jesus, "You can have control of me but you can't have this. Jesus, I'm all yours, but who I am and what I do on the battlefield, how I use this sword, that's not part of the deal." and if that was still the practice today, we might now hold up a sword, but my guess is that many would hold up a wallet. Some would hold up a remote control. Others would hold up a laptop.
Many fans say to Jesus, "I will follow. Anything and everything I have, I give to You." But Jesus points to what you're hiding behind your back and says, "What about that?" A religious reputation. Stuff. Family relationships. They're holding onto some things from the past. Food. Entertainment choices. Kids. Money. He wants you to expel more joy and energy in worshipping him than you do watching the big game.
The reason Jesus is so adamant about followers surrendering everything is because the reality is this: the one thing we are most reluctant to give up is the one thing that has the most potential to become a substitute for him. Really what we're talking about here is idolatry. When we are to be following Jesus, who is ahead of us, but find ourselves looking behind us, we are revealing that we are substituting something or someone for him.
I've discovered that the most common reason people give for not following Jesus is they want to get their lives together first. But when Jesus invites you to follow him, his invitation comes to you right where you are.
One of the most sobering passages of Scripture tells of a day when many who consider themselves to be followers of Jesus will be stunned to find out that he doesn't even recognize them.
Matthew Chapter 7:21-23 reads, 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
I believe that the reason w were put on this earth is to answer this one question. And the trust is, whether or not we do so consciously or intentionally, we all answer this question. ("Are you a follower of Jesus?")
Fans of Jesus know all about Him, but they don't know Him.
My concern is that many of our churches in America have done from being sanctuaries to becoming stadiums.
Many fans mistakenly identify themselves as followers by using cultural comparison. They look at the commitment level of others around them and feel like their relationship with Jesus is solid. If you find yourself measuring your relationship with Jesus by comparing yourself to others, that is likely a self-indictment.
Some (people from the Gospels) are shown to be true followers; others are revealed to be nothing more than enthusiastic admirers. Fans often confuse their admiration for devotion. They mistake their knowledge of Jesus for intimacy with Jesus.
Chapter 2--A Decision or a Commitment
Nicodemus was ready to take his relationship with Jesus to another level, but it wasn't that easy. It never is. There would be much to lose if he went public as a follower of Jesus.
There is no way to follow Jesus without him interfering with your life. Following Jesus will cost you something. Most of us don't mind Jesus making some minor change in our lives, but Jesus wants to turn our lives upside down. Fans don't mind him doing a little touch-up work, but Jesus wants complete renovation.
Biblical belief is more than mental assent or verbal acknowledgment. Many fans have repeated a prayer or raised their hand or walked forward at the end of a sermon and made a decision to believe, but there was never a commitment to follow. When we decide to believe in Jesus without making a commitment to follow him, we become nothing more than fans.
We tend to define belief as the acceptance of something as real or true. But biblical belief is more than just an intellectual acceptance or a heartfelt acknowledgment; it's a commitment to follow. To truly believe is to follow.
Following Jesus isn't something you can do at night where no one notices. It's a twenty-four-hour-a-day commitment that will interfere with your life.
In John Chapter 19, Jesus has been crucified and his body is being prepared for burial. And then we read that Nicodemus brought a "mixture of myrrh and aloes, about 75 pounds." This would have been an extremely expensive and costly gesture. And make no mistake; this gesture cost him more than just money. There was no longer any chance of hiding his affection.
Chapter 3--Knowledge About Him or Intimacy with Him?
This is what often separates the fans from the followers. It's the difference between knowledge and intimacy.
But when Jesus comes to the house of Simon, there is no kiss of greeting. There is no washing of feet. There is no oil for his head. And these were not accidental oversights. This was quite deliberate. Jesus was ignored and insulted. Don't miss the irony of this moment. Simon has spent his life studying the Scriptures. He knew all about Jesus, but didn't know Jesus.
The problem isn't knowledge. The problem is that you can have knowledge without having intimacy. In fact, knowledge can be a false indicator of intimacy. Clearly where there is intimacy, there should be a growing knowledge, but too often, there is knowledge without a growing intimacy.
Like this Pharisee in Luke 7, and like many fans today, I spent a number of years confusing my knowledge about Jesus for intimacy with Jesus.
44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”
When is the last time you had a moment with Jesus like this woman in Luke 7 had? When's the last time you've poured yourself out before him? When is the last time the tears streamed down your face as you expressed your love for him? When is the last time you demonstrated your love for him with reckless abandonment?
Chapter 4--One of Many or Your One and Only?
25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.
Instead he tells the people that if they want to follow him, they must hate their family, even their own lives. What the what?
Fans are not willing to follow Jesus if it means disappointing their family. When their relationship with Jesus starts to hurt their relationships with others, that's asking too much.
Key questions:
1. For what do you sacrifice your money?
2. When you're hurt, where do you go for comfort?
3. What disappoints or frustrates you the most?
4. What is it that really gets you excited?
So in Luke 14, Jesus defines the relationship by making it clear that if we follow him, we follow him and him alone. He won't share us--not with money, not with a career, not even with your family. But understand this--when Jesus explains how he will not share your affection or devotion, he isn't just saying how he wants to be loved by you; he is making it clear how he loves you.
On the other hand, maybe the disciples didn't mind so much. They had given up everything to follow Jesus, and I'm sure they had come to realize that this is the only way it could work. Trying to follow Jesus part-time or halfhearted is impossible.
Chapter 5--Following Jesus or Following the Rules?
It's not a question of their effort or desire. They are following hard. Here is the problem; it's not Jesus they are following. Without realizing it, they are aiming at the wrong target. Instead of following Jesus they are following religious rules and rituals. They have confused the targets.
Following the rules kept them focused on the outside, but who they were on the inside is what Jesus paid attention to. And the problem with these religious leaders is that, like many fans, who they are were on the outside didn't match up with what was on the inside. Jesus is going to strongly oppose these religious leaders because he doesn't want people to confuse following the rules with following him.
If you were a Sadducee, it meant you were born into that position. There were, of course, other requirements, but it had to be part of your heritage. But to be a part of the Pharisees it didn't depend on the family you were born into it was your hard work. becoming a Pharisee required an incredible amount of textual study and theological training. And what I've noticed is that many fans fit into one of these two camps.
Some fans are like the Sadducees. Faith has always been more about honoring your heritage than surrendering your heart. On the other hand, some fans are like the Pharisees. They may say the right things and do the right things, but that's not enough for Jesus. He wants all of you.
Jesus doesn't expect followers to be perfect, but he does call them to be authentic. Two types of people new to a church: those who wear a mask because they know the rules, what to say and how to say it, grew up in the church and have learned it all, and those who are new to the church and tell of their weaknesses and failures. Hope nobody tells them that they're supposed to act like they've got it all together. You don't often get to see people without a mask. And it's such a beautiful thing.
That's what Christ wants in a follower--someone who isn't pretending on the outside to have it all together. That's one of the ways the word hypocrisy is defined, as "the act of pretending".
When we learn to truly follow Jesus, we find that obedience to God comes from the inside out. Submission to what God wants for our lives flows naturally out of that relationship. It's not to say that what we do or don't do doesn't matter, but what we do or don't do must come from who we are as followers of Jesus.
When the relationship on the inside is right, the outside will follow.
Fans that follow the rules instead of following Jesus find that they are weighed down with guilt. Every time they come to church they find that the preacher has another weight to add to the bar. They keyword for fear and guilt is "do". We try and do enough to make up for our mistakes and earn God's favor. Fans are all about the "do", but followers celebrate the "done".
(The directions of the test was to read through the test before answering any questions. The last question of the test was to not take the test, put name on test, and receive an automatic A). The girl took the test on principle. If she was going to get an "A", she was going to earn it. And a fan says, "I'm not taking any handouts--I can do this on my own."
We so often are missing what really matters. If Jesus were preaching today, it might look like this:
"Woe to you fans, if you would be as passionate about feeding the poor as you are your church's style of worship, then world hunger would end this week. Woe to you fans, if you sacrificed as much to care for the homeless and hungry in the community as you do for your church building or place of worship, the need would be wiped out. Woe to you fans, if you would be as zealous about caring for the sick as you are about a 'Christmas Tree' being called a 'holiday tree', health insurance wouldn't be a problem.
Not a Fan story--Robert Reschar
"Instead of depending on my own power, I learned to be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. Victory is found in his strength not mine. There was no way for me to be free from this through self-
determination or inner strength. It wasn't until I finally admitted defeat and began to humbly walk with God each day that I began to experience freedom."
Chapter 6--Self-Empowered or Spirit-Filled?
Fans who try to follow Jesus without this power will start to show signs. Sooner or later, they will reach a point where they are frustrated by failures. you keep dong what you don't want to do and yo don't do the things you really want to do. When we try to follow Jesus without being filled daily with the Spirit, we find ourselves frustrated by our failures and exhausted by our efforts.
Fans try to play the role of the Holy Spirit, but trying to be God has a tendency to wear you out. It will leave you tired and frustrated. Fans trying to follow without being filled with the power of the Holy Spirit become overwhelmed by life's circumstances. They seem to be following Christ, but then something in life goes wrong and they don't have the power to overcome it. Instead of following Christ and sticking close to him in the storm hey become discouraged and keep their distance.
Eventually something happens and you can't get through it on your own. Followers have discovered that it doesn't work without the power of the Holy Spirit. Fans may try to follow Jesus out of their own strength but followers are empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Asking David what it was like to defeat Goliath, he'd answer Tell me what it was like on earth to have the Holy Spirit living inside of you, giving you strength when you are weak.
In asking Elijah what it was like to call down fire from heaven and raise a boy from the dead, he might answer Yeah, he actually ended up dying again. What was it like to live life on earth with the Holy Spirit giving you joy when you're depressed or giving you the power to overcome that sin in your life?
In asking Moses what it was like to follow the cloud by day and the fire by night, and meet God on a mountain, he might answer I had to climb that mountain to meet with God. You tell me what it was like to have him dwell within you every day. What was it like to have the Holy Spirit giving you directions when you didn't know what to do or where to go?
So it's not a question of whether or not you have access to this power of the Holy Spirit; the question is, have you accessed it? Fans may have received the gift of the Holy Spirit but they aren't being filled with the Holy Spirit.
Paul points out that trying to live the Christan life out of your own power is ridiculous. Why would a person do that? Why would you walk when you can ride? Being filled with the power of the Spirit begins with an honest acknowledgment of our own weakness. The truth is that most of us go to great lengths to disguise our weaknesses. That's what we do most of our lives--we try to reinforce this perception that we really are strong. That we've got our stuff together and we can handle anything that comes our way.
Paul understands that living in the power of the Holy Spirit means shining a light on our weaknesses. This is what fans find so difficult. Most fans have learned to make sure everyone know about their strengths, but that no one finds out about their weaknesses.
The picture is of someone walking, and every step they take, they take in the Spirit. You can't live by the Spirit if you only acknowledge his presence one day a week when you come to church.
The moment you become aware of sin in your life you exhale. So the moment you are prideful, jealous, lustful, harsh, selfish, impatient, you exhale and repent of your sin.
The only way to be filled with the Spirit is to empty myself of me. When I empty me of me, it provides space for the Holy Spirit to fill me. When the Holy Spirit moves in and takes up residence, then you should increasingly find that there isn't much room for you. And slowly you find that your pride, your impatience, your selfishness, your lust, are taken off the walls and carried out the door. And then you inhale. When you inhale you breathe in and pray to be filled with the Spirit and you surrender control over to him. Followers live with a continual awareness of the Spirit's presence and a constant prayer to be filled with his power.
Fans eventually get burned out from trying to live the Christian life out of their own efforts.
Not a fan story--Summer Rines
It was really hard to follow Jesus when I didn't love myself. What I am discovering is that those are the times that I am ignoring God's voice in my life and following something or someone other than Jesus.
Before I tried and tried to find victory, but now instead of just trying, I am trusting the power of the Holy Spirit in my life. Each day start with denying myself, surrendering to him, and living in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Chapter 7--The Relationship Defined
(Prayer offered up by author:)
My prayer is that your eyes would be opened and the Spirit would awaken your soul to the kind of relationship Christ desires to have with you. I am jealous for you to discover that now and not waste another day living with some sort of watered-down and diluted form of Christianity. I want you to experience this, not just so you can experience the life-giving, soul-satisfying existence on this planet that God wants you to have, but because I believe eternity hangs in the balance. Bottom line is this...thee will be a day when we stand before God, and on that day may who thought themselves followers will be identified as nothing more than fans. I am not speculating or predicting; Jesus has already spoken clearly about this in Matthew 7.
Many people take the wrong road and only few find the narrow path. "Sermon on the Mount" is a sermon all about raising the bar of the commitment for those who would follow him. It's a narrow road, but it's a road that leads to life.
Could it be that you have set cruise control, turned up the Christian radio, and are traveling down the road of destruction with a Jesus fish on your bumper?
Donald Whitney once said, "If a person is wrong about being right with God, then ultimately it really doesn't matter what he or she is right about." Is it possible that you are wrong about being right with God?
So many speak words of commitment, but there is no evidence that those words meant anything. (and not just in spiritual matters...)
Here's what fans tend to do: they confuse their feelings for faith. But your feelings aren't faith until they are expressed.
But when the psychiatrist was speaking about his patients with beliefs that had no basis in reality he didn't call them "beliefs". Do you know what he called them? He called them "delusions." A belief, no matter how sincere, if not reflected in reality isn't a belief; it's a delusion.
Those who do lots have their confidence in their righteous acts and their good deeds.
It seems that Jesus intentionally choose the more dramatic and extraordinary spiritual achievements to make one thing clear: No matter how much good you do, no matter what you accomplish for the kingdom, that's not what makes you a true follower. Ultimately the question that will identify you as a fan or follower isn't what you say or what you do. Those things matter, but only to the extent that they reflect the answer to this last question--"Do I know Jesus and does He know me?" But Jesus identifies his true followers based upon an intimate relationship. What we say and what we do overflows out of the relationship we have with him.
More than he wants our acts of piety, more than he wants our adherence to religion, more than he wants our observance of rules and rituals, more than he wants our words of affection, he simply wants to know us and for us to know him. And ultimately, that's how our relationship with him will be defined. And if that isn't there, all the prophesying, exorcisms, and miracles in the world won't matter.
Because a day is coming where many who have said the right things and done the right things will hear Jesus say, "Away from me. I never knew you."
But I also believe the Bible clearly teachers that there will be those who think they are saved but who are not. They will live out their lives with a false assurance of salvation. They will think of themselves as followers, but a day will come when they'll be pronounced as nothing more than fans.
Chapter 8--Anyone--An Open Invitation
It's not that fans don't want a relationship with Jesus; it's just that they want the relationship with him on their terms. What kind of relationship does Jesus want to have with us? That's what matters. What are his terms? What would he say it really means to follow him?
John 3:16 emphasizes believing.
Luke 9:23 emphasizes following.
Jesus doesn't begin with a list of pre-qualifications. His invitation to follow is addressed to Anyone. It was only 2 words, but these 2 words changed everything for Matthew. Jesus said, "Follow me." A Jewish rabbi asking a tax collector for the Roman oppressors to be one of this followers? When Jesus invited Matthew to follow, he was making it clear that this is an invitation extended not solely to the religious elite, the morally upright, and those who have their lives together. But it is an invitation to all of us who are hiding some stains.
Chapter 9--Come After Me--A Passionate Pursuit
When Jesus says, "Come after," he's describing a passionate pursuit of someone you love. So the best way to understand what Jesus is wanting from us as followers is to compare how we pursue him to how we would pursue someone with whom we want to have a romantic relationship.
We are surrounded by messages that emphasize romantic love as the ultimate human experience.
Followers should have some come after Jesus stories that make people say, "That's crazy." Jesus wants us to understand that following him is a pursuit that requires everything we have. Fans will be careful not to get carried away. Followers understand that following Jesus is a pursuit that may cost them everything, but it is the best investment they could ever make.
There is a fear among fans that by going all0in, they're going to miss out. We are afraid to passionately pursue him with our whole hearts because we know that if we make a commitment like that we are putting ourselves on the line. It will require our energy, time, and money.
One of the reasons some fans don't come after Jesus is that they've never been given the opportunity to make their own choice about him. Theses fans never had a chance to pursue because they were always being pushed.
At church, sometimes we talk about how "god wants your time," or "God wants your money," or "God wants your worship." But do you understand why we talk about those things? It's not because God needs your time. He has always been and always will be. It's not because he needs your money. he owns the cattle on a thousand hills. It's not that he needs your worship. If you don't worship, the Bible says that the rocks and trees will cry out. The reason we talk about those things is not because God needs or wants those things; it's because he wants you. He wants your love. He longs for you to passionately pursue him, and all those things are come after indicators. They are outer signs that point to an inner reality that you love Jesus more than anything else.
So what do you do if you're a fan who want to be a follower but your heart just isn't in it? You want to come after Christ with a passionate pursuit, but the truth is you feel apathetic and indifferent. You don't want to feel that way, but you do. A better way to convey what the early church leaders were getting at would be to translate "acedia" as "spiritual apathy". You reach a point where you simply say, "I don't care." God loves you and sent his son to die on the cross to forgive your sins and you shrug your shoulders. That's acedia, and it's and epidemic among fans. The passion is gone. There is no pursuit.
So what do you do if you find yourself in a place of acedia, where you want to passionately pursue Jesus but your heart's not in it? Confess the sin of acedia in your life and then start doing the things you did at first. Even if you don't initially feel like doing some of those things it will begin to stir the fire that has grown dim.
Chapter 10--A Total Surrender
A fan will try and accept the invitation of Christ to follow, but they don't want to say no to themselves.
A follower makes a decision every day to deny himself and choose Jesus....even if it costs everything.
For many Christians the concept of denying themselves was not a part of the deal. They grew up with the message that such a radical decision really isn't necessary. So they signed up to follow Jesus, but if denying themselves was part of the explanation, it was definitely the fine print.
The Bible would describe a follower as a "slave". That is the exact opposite of a consumer. The image of slave provides a picture of what "deny yourself" looks like.
One of the reasons it's so hard for us to deny ourselves is because the whole idea seems to go against our greatest desire in life. Most everyone would say what they want more than anything else to be happy. We're convinced that the path to happiness means saying yes to ourselves. The right to pursue happiness seems to be in direct conflict with the call to deny.
Most of us grew up in homes where we were taught to study hard in school and in college so we could get a good job and makes lots of money and live in a big house, drive a nice car, and enjoy great vacations.
Chapter 11-Take Up Your Cross Daily--An Everyday Death
If we are going to follow him it means humbly taking up a cross and making ourselves nothing.
And here's the question that is keeping me awake these days: Am I really carrying a cross if there is no suffering and sacrifice? If there is no sacrifice involved, if you're not at least a little uncomfortable, then there is a good chance that you aren't carrying a cross.
Before pastors know what has happened they gauge success not by their faithfulness to God's Word, but by the weekend stats. The sermons are often about salvation, but never about surrender. Often about forgiveness, but never about repentance. Often about living, but never about dying. Instead of the uncompromised and unfiltered truths from God's Word, people are given a neutered and more palatable version. In doing so we rob the gospel of its power and the people of the life God has for them.
Jesus didn't come to this earth so that you could be better behaved or to tweak your personality or to fine-tune your manners or smooth out your rough spots. Jesus didn't even come to this earth to change you. The truth of the gospel is that Jesus came so that you could die.
My friend explained to me that when he accepted Christ he knew that when he died he would receive eternal life, but no one told him that when he accepted Christ, he was making a decision to die right then. He got the message that when he died he would go to heaven to be with God, but it was ten years later before he understood that death starts now. The point is that death is the ultimate surrender of yourself and all that you have. When you're dead, you're no longer concerned with your life.
We never choose to make ourselves less. We fight and claw our way to the top. Should we fin ourselves down it's only because we were forced into that position. We never willingly relinquish our title as king.
The word is "daily." "...take up your cross daily..." Every day we make a decision that we will die to ourselves and live for Christ. Dying to ourselves is not a one-time decision. It's a daily decision. That's the most challenging part of dying.
There are many people who get frustrated in their efforts to follow Jesus. They're trying as hard as they can and don't understand why they have such a hard time, or why they're so inconsistent.
Chapter 12--Wherever. What About There?
However, as they process how following Jesus will impact their specific situation, they begin making excuses. As they try to negotiate the terms of their commitment to Jesus, it becomes clear that they were really just fans. But the most obvious and basic definition of following Jesus will mean making some significant life changes. Following Jesus literally means that you go where Jesus goes. When you think of it that way, suddenly those poetic words have some huge implications.
I didn't surrender my pride; I was often motivated more out of a desire to impress people than to glorify God. I didn't surrender my plans; God was welcome to come along, but I kept a firm grasp on the controls. I didn't surrender my entertainment choices; I watched what I wanted to watch and listened to what I wanted to listen to. I didn't surrender my money; God got the leftovers. I didn't surrender my time to God. early on, I didn't surrender my marriage. my wife wouldn't say it, but I was sarcastic and selfish. I didn't surrender it all.
It's not only us, but it's often our families that are pushing us to lead comfortable and safe lives. They may want you to follow Jesus, but they have a hard time accepting that Jesus might lead you to a place that requires risk and sacrifice.
Chapter 13--Whenever. What About Now?
Simply stated the "as now, so then" principle is the idea that current habits are overwhelmingly the most likely predictor of future practices. The vast majority of the time, the decision you made today will be the decision you make tomorrow. If you don't do it now there is no reason to think you will then.
(prayer from a journal of a 17-year old girl who died in car accident): "You hold the only peace that can fill the deepest hole. But how do I get it? You said, "Ask and you shall receive." I am asking and I know that you will give it to me. Every week you bless me so much and teach me lesson after lesson. I know that once again you are showing me your love. I can't fathom how much you feel when one of your children suffers, but I've had a glimpse of your heartache. Please fill me with your wisdom that I won't just watch others suffer, but that I'll be able to say what they need to hear. As a new week approaches, my dangerous prayer is that you'll place broken-hearted people in my path and fill me with You so that I can let your love heal their pain."
Chapter 14--Whatever. What About That?
I was reading about a strange baptism practice that was allowed by the church when the Knights of Templar would be baptized. When the church would baptize one of the knights, they would be baptized with their sword, but they wouldn't take their swords under water with them. Instead they would hold their swords up out of the water while the rest of them would be immersed. It was the knights' way of saying to Jesus, "You can have control of me but you can't have this. Jesus, I'm all yours, but who I am and what I do on the battlefield, how I use this sword, that's not part of the deal." and if that was still the practice today, we might now hold up a sword, but my guess is that many would hold up a wallet. Some would hold up a remote control. Others would hold up a laptop.
Many fans say to Jesus, "I will follow. Anything and everything I have, I give to You." But Jesus points to what you're hiding behind your back and says, "What about that?" A religious reputation. Stuff. Family relationships. They're holding onto some things from the past. Food. Entertainment choices. Kids. Money. He wants you to expel more joy and energy in worshipping him than you do watching the big game.
The reason Jesus is so adamant about followers surrendering everything is because the reality is this: the one thing we are most reluctant to give up is the one thing that has the most potential to become a substitute for him. Really what we're talking about here is idolatry. When we are to be following Jesus, who is ahead of us, but find ourselves looking behind us, we are revealing that we are substituting something or someone for him.
I've discovered that the most common reason people give for not following Jesus is they want to get their lives together first. But when Jesus invites you to follow him, his invitation comes to you right where you are.
Friday, April 19, 2013
Power Thoughts--Part 1
We daily need to choose to think right things and not think wrong things.
Many believe lies Satan tells them.
Proverbs 23:7--"for he is the kind of person
who is always thinking about the cost.
“Eat and drink,” he says to you,
but his heart is not with you."
Basically saying, where the mind goes, the man will follow. We become what we think. The way you talk to yourself is one of the most important things in life.
Thinking prepares you for action.
90% of what we do is oiut of our subconscious, or out of habit.
We have to learn how to think on purpose. The devil can fill your mind with wrong thoughts if you don't know how to fill your mind with God thoughts. You can cast out devil's thoughts and fill your mind with God's truth.
Your tongue is connected to your emotions. Misery is an OPTION.
Colossians 3:2--"Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things."
Philippians 4:8--"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
Ephesians 4:23--"to be made new in the attitude of your minds;"
You'll do more for other people if you THINK about doing more for other people.
Romans 12:2--"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."
First POWER THOUGHT:
I can do whatever I need to do in life though Christ. Philippians 4:13
You are one person you can never get away from so it is very important to have right conversations with yourself.
Many believe lies Satan tells them.
Proverbs 23:7--"for he is the kind of person
who is always thinking about the cost.
“Eat and drink,” he says to you,
but his heart is not with you."
Basically saying, where the mind goes, the man will follow. We become what we think. The way you talk to yourself is one of the most important things in life.
Thinking prepares you for action.
90% of what we do is oiut of our subconscious, or out of habit.
We have to learn how to think on purpose. The devil can fill your mind with wrong thoughts if you don't know how to fill your mind with God thoughts. You can cast out devil's thoughts and fill your mind with God's truth.
Your tongue is connected to your emotions. Misery is an OPTION.
Colossians 3:2--"Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things."
Philippians 4:8--"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
Ephesians 4:23--"to be made new in the attitude of your minds;"
You'll do more for other people if you THINK about doing more for other people.
Romans 12:2--"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."
First POWER THOUGHT:
I can do whatever I need to do in life though Christ. Philippians 4:13
You are one person you can never get away from so it is very important to have right conversations with yourself.
Humility--Part 2
Proverbs 6:16-19--16 There are six things the Lord hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
17 haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
19 a false witness who pours out lies
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community."
The Lord hates a proud look (haughty eyes)--when we overestimate ourselves and underestimate others.
Know what you're good at and what you're not good at. Quit wasting time trying to prove something you're never going to prove.
Everything doesn't have to be comfortable. Sometimes we need to make sacrifices.
**You are not FREE until you get to the point where you have nothing to prove and you are not trying to impress anybody!**
**If you know your heart and know who you are in God, you're good." :)**
2 Corinthians 1:8-9--"8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead."
2 Corinthians 12:7-9--"7 or because of these surpassing great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me."
We as humans prefer to be independent and self-sufficient.
Job 10:16--"If I hold my head high, you stalk me like a lion
and again display your awesome power against me."
Job 33:16-17--"he may speak in their ears
and terrify them with warnings,
17 to turn them from wrongdoing
and keep them from pride"
seven that are detestable to him:
17 haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
19 a false witness who pours out lies
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community."
The Lord hates a proud look (haughty eyes)--when we overestimate ourselves and underestimate others.
Know what you're good at and what you're not good at. Quit wasting time trying to prove something you're never going to prove.
Everything doesn't have to be comfortable. Sometimes we need to make sacrifices.
**You are not FREE until you get to the point where you have nothing to prove and you are not trying to impress anybody!**
**If you know your heart and know who you are in God, you're good." :)**
2 Corinthians 1:8-9--"8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead."
2 Corinthians 12:7-9--"7 or because of these surpassing great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me."
We as humans prefer to be independent and self-sufficient.
Job 10:16--"If I hold my head high, you stalk me like a lion
and again display your awesome power against me."
Job 33:16-17--"he may speak in their ears
and terrify them with warnings,
17 to turn them from wrongdoing
and keep them from pride"
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