The Persecuted

"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

-Matthew 5:11-12

Once again, we approach the subject of persecution. It's almost as if our walk with Jesus should leave a wake of persecution and insults... Should it?

Jesus was saying that even though it may suck right now, it's going to be okay.

Peace, child. It's going to be okay.

These days, it's all about instant gratification. There are even studies that indicate humans are not as easily entertained as they used to be, just ten years ago. Journalists, when writing an article, need to command the attention of their readers in three seconds or less, or they've completely lost us. This is all thanks to technology, and the ability to obtain information (loads of it) at the flick of our fingers.

In other words, it's hard to wait for anything these days.

"...and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose."

-Romans 8:28

It's hard to see beyond the current moment and to trust that something good will come out of it later on. We want to feel good now... But that's not the way God designed for us.

God asks us to wait... So what has he asked you to wait for? Do I trust that God will fulfill His promises to me? 

I need to trust him-- for my trust is in nothing else, not in man, not in my schedule, not in my health, nothing. I need to trust him in all things; in the fact that I am indeed forgiven and that I'll be in heaven someday with him, where there is no more pain, suffering, jeering voices or ruthless enemy. 

Prayer:

Lord, help me! Help me to have courage, to be bold, because without you I am afraid. I choose to be quiet when people bring you up, open my mouth for me and speak! Use me as your humble instrument. Help me to live my faith so obviously that people spit at me and despise me! Give me patience and understanding in the portion which you believe is fitting for me.

I love and trust in your holy name, amen!

Youth Want More

Recently a friend and colleague shared with me this article written in BreakPoint: Learning from Young Atheists. The article goes on to explain that a reporter asked Secular Students Associations on college campus' around the nation and asked about their "journey to unbelief". The more typical response was this: "These kids had attended church but 'the mission and message of their churches was vague,' and manifested itself in offering 'superficial answers to life’s difficult questions.' The ministers they respected were those 'who took the Bible seriously,' not those who sought to entertain them or be their 'buddy.'"

The article ended with this question: "Are we living lives that show our children that we actually believe what we say we believe?"

I'll admit, this article was sobering, as it should be. It got me reflecting into how I've led youth ministry these past three years. Have I tried to entertain more than I've sought to bring kids with me deeper into God's presence?

My colleague made this statement in their email to me: "Bottom line: Youth are looking for authentic, uncompromising faith."

Wow. When I thought about the kids in my youth experience, I found this statement to be spot on. Yes games and food and fun and laughter can oftentimes come with the package of youth ministry and walking life out with teenagers but when it comes down to it: bottom line, they are looking for authentic, uncompromising faith. They are looking for Truth, they are looking for Life, they are looking for The Way. Jesus.

All to say, after reading and re-reading this article recently, it reshaped the way that I viewed youth group this last week. Yes, there was going to be food. Yes, some of the group reminisced about camp stories while others played Apples to Apples but when it came down to it: the night was going to be about Jesus. And it was. And it was beautiful to behold.

Our two rockstar volunteer worship leaders for the night led us in worship and I told the kids straight up: this was the point. Worshipping Jesus, bringing the focus back to where it belonged. So I told them not to wait for worship to be over so we could onto the next thing, because we were going to stay in worship.

We sang and sang and when I got up to preach there was a passage out of Hebrews 10:19-24, 5 verses that my wing-woman youth leader Jennifer and I found that was perfect to speak over this group. So we spoke this Word over the group again and again in different versions of the Bible, I talked about each verse briefly to explain the significance, and we ended the night by having prayer off to the side with leaders if the kids wanted prayer while the rest of the group worshipped.

I was looking all night for this truth in my youth kids: that they wanted authentic, uncompromising faith and guess what? I found it in each one of their faces. They were willing to sit and worship their Savior song after song, declaring who He is to them, and why we worship His name. All of their ears were perked when we all took turns reading the verses aloud because the sheep know their Master's voice and God was speaking to each one of them.

All to say, in my years of youth ministry I am finding that these kids want a depth that most people, including me, don't always acknowledge in them.

My prayer over my youth group, over West Seattle, over all parents and guardians and pastors and teachers of the faith is that we would not be entertainers, but supporters of these kids who long for the Truth. Amen.

Watching God Move

I love watching what God is doing while He is doing it. Sometimes it can be that way with God, like He leans over to you and says, "Now watch what I'm going to do" and it's amazing and leaves you awestruck. That happened today.

Last night at youth group we were teasing one of our high schoolers about how much he needed to go to the summer camp, as this was his first year missing it. He laughed with us and sincerely desired to go but had let his older brother go in his place and the funds just weren't there for them both to go.

One of our helpers at youth group began challenging us, asking if she gave $10, who would give money towards their peer going to camp. They didn't have money on them, not a dollar, and that's okay, that's how I find myself most days.

But that idea stuck. What if. What if we got this young man to camp simply by pooling our resources together and sending him as a gift, because it would be a gift. To say, "Hey, you're paid for! Seeya at camp!"

So you can only guess what I got to tell this young man today? That's right. He's going to camp.

The inspiration that started from one helper offering to put $10 towards this kid who sincerely desired to go to camp, who is the nicest young man you could meet, who comes from a family that pours their hearts, their money, their time into their kids and into the church and school that some of us call home.

I sent the text in faith that would be a gift that this God community could give this young man who is steadfast in his faith.

Twenty minutes later I had to tell people that I appreciated their willingness but that we had actually reached the amount that we needed already. I had to turn down donations! It was done!

I love watching God move in people heart's and in their lives. It's like watching him create a sunset or a mountain range or a fruit-filled valley.

 You think, "Wow God. You are capable of even that" and He looks at you with a grin and says, "I am capable of so much more." And you believe it. Because He has just built up your faith.

So this is the question I leave you with:

 

Because He is. So you be on the look out!

What does it mean to know God?

"3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. 6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked" (1 John 2:3-6 NKJV).

These three short verses have just blown my mind!

I am working on reading God's word more often, simply because it's one way that I know how to be close to Him. So here I am, checking my Life Journal that my church staff purchased that we might go through the Bible in a year together. This afternoon I'm in 1 John.

I'm going through, reading in my head, trying to latch onto these words that I know bring life and I remember the power of the Word read aloud. (Brian Hardin, author and founder of Daily Audio Bible, said this in a blog post: "If we give ear to the words of life, in the listening we will hear the voice of our heavenly Father as he speaks directly to our hearts.")

Awesome. So as I read the Word aloud in the second chapter, these verses come alive. We can know Him who created the universe and everything in it? The love of God can be perfected in us? What does it mean though to be in Him? to abide in Him? to walk just as He walked?

In reading my study Bible's notes I was filled all the more with the depth of meaning behind the written, living Word.

We know Him: "The NT speaks of knowing God in two senses. One who has trusted Christ knows Him (see John 17:3), that is to say, has met Him. One who has previously met the Lord can also come to know Him intimately (see Phil. 3:10). In this verse John is also talking about knowing the Lord intimately."

Knowing the Lord intimately.

It's an amazing concept once you believe it to be possible! The Word says the mystery of His will has been revealed to us and that we are not slaves that we wouldn't know what the Master is doing, but we are His children. So yeah, we can intimately know God and there is something locked within keeping His commandments that allows more room for intimacy.

perfected: "This verb expresses the idea of maturity and completeness: The love of God is perfected may mean one of two things: (1) The believers love for God grows as he or she keeps God's Word, or (2) as the believer pursues fellowship and obedience, God's love for him or her is more fully completed. The second is indicated here. The believer begins to know by experience that he or she is in Him."

Wow. How powerful is that? That even simply pursuing fellowship and obedience, God's love for us could be more full, more completed, more realized even. No wonder why maturity in the faith is a thing that we strive after, in desiring to mature to obey God's will is the process of the love of God being perfected in us!

abides in Him: "Abiding is habitual obedience. It has the idea of settling down in Christ or resting in Him. It is evidenced by a life modeled after Christ."

Do you know what habitual obedience has come to mean to me?

I once thought it meant doing and being everything that Jesus ever said to do and be all at the same time. Yeah, overwhelming and impossible on my own.

But now coming into maturity as a believer and having His Holy Spirit guide me, habitual obedience has come to mean, "Yes Lord, here am I, send me" (Isaiah 6:8). So now when I feel that prompting to talk to that woman at the airport about the missions trip I was just returning from or to pray for someone I haven't seen in months or to put down everything I'm doing, blast my worship music in my car and just worship my heart out.

Habitual obedience means putting fears and doubts and questions aside and just going for whatever I think MIGHT even be God telling me to do (now I know more securely God's voice, but it wasn't so in the beginning, it was a leap of faith).

So, having said all that, combed through those verses. Let's read them again and see what jewels they are that shine straight out of the living, inhaling and exhaling Word of God.

"3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. 6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked" (1 John 2:3-6 NKJV).

Amen.

The Demander of Rights

Jesus said "turn the other cheek" and "go the second mile" because he did these things for us. He never put down the cross, untied himself from the whipping post, laid down his burden and demanded his rights. And he DID have rights-- he had every right to smite us all for hanging him on a cross.

But he put aside his divine rights to save our souls.

"The teaching of the Sermon on the Mount is not 'do your duty,' but is, in effect, 'do what is NOT your duty.'" -Oswald Chambers

It's not our duty to dance in the streets naked like King David did. It's not our duty to sell our TV, or break a video game CD, or delete all of our music off of iTunes... 

But Jesus said that if we are his disciples, we will always do what is radically NOT required of us.

"I am a debtor, both to Greeks and to barbarians..." 

-Romans 1:14

Paul felt an overwhelming sense of indebtedness to Jesus Christ and lived a sacrificial life which proclaimed his servitude to the holy one. He viewed Jesus as having deposited a great investment in him, and Jesus was his creditor.

As a result, every tiny bit of our lives that has value we owe to the redemption of Jesus Christ.

The bible talks about bringing to God the first fruits of your labor, not just the unappealing leftovers (Proverbs 3:9). We are supposed to do this-- we should feel like it is necessary to do this, because Jesus gave us the first fruits, the wealth of his crop, his own life.

Paul sacrificed his rights and sold himself to Christ. He called himself a "bondservant of the Lord Jesus." It is required of us as Christians to ask the Holy Spirit for this same feeling of holy indebtedness, and we will never truly be free without this sense of humility.

"...you are not your own... you were bought at a price..."

-1Corinthians 6:19-20

To paint a better picture of this "servitude freedom", picture a plane. 

Let's say you are the body of the plane, and Jesus is the wings. The plane can function on the ground without its wings. It can turn on and off, you can use the toilet, you can even recline in a chair. And to be honest, it's probably a lot less scary being in a plane when it isn't flying.

But without the wings, the plane will never fly, and it will never be all that it was created to be.

So it is with our freedom. We can choose to detach the wings and stay on the ground, but unless we relent and give Jesus control of our lives, we'll never lift off and see the marvelous plan God has for our lives.

The Wicked Worrier

Are you an easily worried individual?

Are you constantly anxious by the thought of the future?

It's one thing to simply "not fret," and it's an entirely different thing altogether to be unable to fret. This comes because of confidence in the Lord.

"Do not fret-- it only causes harm."

-Psalms 37:8

Oswald Chambers goes so far as to say that "worrying always results in sin." What does worrying imply, then?

It implies that we have an idea of what our lives should be, according to us, and if life doesn't end up that way, then our purpose, which has been founded on our own ambitions, is futile. Meaningless. Godless.

"But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves."

-Luke 21:14 

God never worries. He never is anxious or frets that his perfect will won't come about, because he knows that the will of God is always good.

If we allow it, God's purpose for our lives WILL lead to peace of heart and mind, no matter what happens. What more could we be striving for?